Colorado Reader March 2020: Building Blocks Fuel Your Fun | Page 7
Adding Up the Building Blocks
All foods are made up of basic nutrients. In the previous pages, we have learned about the six building blocks of nutrition. Each
building block fulfills a different need in your body. Some foods have more of one type of nutrient and less of others. That’s why
it is important to eat a variety of foods every day. That way you are able to get some of each building block or nutrient every day.
Take a look at the ingredients of a hamburger listed below. Let’s calculate the amount
of the nutrient building blocks your body gets from eating the hamburger.
Food Item
Bun
Hamburger
Cheese, American
Ketchup
Mustard
Pickle slice
Lettuce
Onion
Fat
2 g
15 g
5 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
Carbohydrate
26 g
0 g
2 g
4 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
1 g
Protein
5 g
21 g
4 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
0 g
*Reference #
339564
171797
336767
342526
326698
324653
169248
170000
Using the chart above, list the food items you would put on your
hamburger in the first column, and then put in the amount of nutrients
for each item. Add up the total at the bottom. Compare your total with
your classmates. Who’s hamburger has more nutrients? What food
items could you add to your hamburger to make it more nutritious?
Food items you
would put on
your hamburger
Amount of
fat in grams
Amount of
carbohydrates
in grams
Amount of
protein in grams
Calculate the
total amount
of calories
from the fat,
carbohydrates,
and protein
Total amount
*Reference # from FoodData Central https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/336767/nutrients
Beef Trivia Questions
1. In America, on which
single day of the year is the
most beef consumed?
A. Memorial Day
B. 4th of July
C. Thanksgiving
D. Christmas
2. How many quarter-pound
hamburgers come from the
ground beef in one 1,000
pound beef animal?
A. 500 quarter-pound burgers
B. 750 quarter-pound burgers
C. 1,000 quarter-pound burgers
D. 1,500 quarter-pound burgers
3. How many basketballs can
be made from 1 cowhide?
A. 4 basketballs
B. 12 basketballs
C. 15 basketballs
D. 20 basketballs
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