Download Food: Our Body`s Source of Energy and Structural Materials

Food: Our Body’s Source of Energy and Structural Materials
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They sat in the cold mess-hall, most of he with their hats on, eating slow, picking out putrid little fish from
under the leaves of boiled black cabbage and spitting the bones out on the table . . . The only good thing about
skilly was that it was hot, but Shukhov’s portion had grown quite old. However, he ate it with his usual slow
concentration . . . Sleep apart, it was the only time a prisoner lives for himself is ten minutes in the morning at
breakfast, five minutes over dinner and five at supper.
The skilly was the same every day. Its composition depended on the kind of vegetable provided that winter.
Nothing but salted carrots last year, which meant that from September to Jun the skilly was plain carrot. This
year it was black cabbage. The most nourishing time of the year June: then all vegetables came to an end and
were replaced by groats (hulled and crushed oats or wheat). The worst time was July: then they shredded
nettles (coarse herbs with stinging hairs) into the pot.
The little fish were more bone than flesh; the flesh had been boiled off the bone and had disintegrated, leaving
a few remnants on head and tail. Without neglecting a single fish-scale or particle of flesh on the brittle
skeleton, Shukhov went on chomping his teeth and sucking the bones. He ate everything – the gills, the tail,
the eyes when they were still in their sockets . . .
A spoonful of granulated sugar lay in a small mound on top of[his bread-ration]. . . he sucked the sugar from
the bread with his lips . . . and took a look at his ration, weighing it in his hand and hastily calculating whether it
reached the regulation of fifty-five grammes. He had drawn many a thousand of these rations in prisons and
camps, and though he never had an opportunity to weigh them on scales . . . he, like every other prisoner, had
discovered long ago that honest weight was never to be found in bread cutting. There was short weight in
every ration. The only point was how short. So every day you took a look to soothe your soul – today, maybe,
they won’t have snitched any.
From One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, translated by Ralph Parker
1. What types of foods did Shukhov eat?
2. How does Shukhov’s diet compare to yours?
3. What kind of macromolecules do you think Shukhov gets from the fish in his skilly?
From the cabbage?
From the bread?
4. Do you think Shukov’s diet gives him adequate nutrition? Why or why not?
Directions: As you read the text below, circle key words and underline main ideas. Then, complete the
prompts in the box on the left.
I think water is important in
our diets because
In its most basic sense, food is any substance that your body can
use as a raw material to sustain its growth, repair it, and provide energy.
In extreme situations such as Shukhov’s food is whatever will keep you
alive.
Most of the substances we call food consist largely of water. A
tomato, for example, is about 95% water. Water is an important nutrient
we often take for granted. However, our bodies need enormous
amounts of it in comparison to other nutrients. An average American
diet includes about 2 liters, or 2,000 grams, of water each day. In
contrast, most of us only eat about 50 grams of proteins in a day and only
milligrams of many vitamins and essential nutrients.
The purpose of the digestive
system is to
Good nutrition is
The bulk of our food is made up of three major classes of
nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The tiny remainder consists
of vitamins and essential elements. An important function of the
digestive system is to break down large nutrient molecules into small
molecules. The molecules must be small enough to pass through the
lining of the digestive tract into the circulatory system. For example, a
complex carbohydrate such as starch is broken down into molecules of a
simple sugar such as glucose. Proteins are broken down into amino acids.
Fats are broken down into an array of simpler molecules.
If food technically can be anything that keeps you alive, what
constitutes good nutrition? The phrase good nutrition means ensuring
that your body receives what it requires to remain healthy and
functional. It also means avoiding those things that may cause it harm.
Exactly what constitutes good may vary somewhat with the
circumstances. For example, an individual about the fly a fighter jet may
need a high-fat foods, which contain stored energy and low bulk. In this
instance, a high-bulk breakfast such as pancakes and cereal would put
considerable strain on the digestive system, because G forces in flight
multiply the mass of the stomach and intestinal contents.
Determining what constitutes a level of good general nutrition is
the job of biochemists, nutritionists, and other health professionals.
Their understanding of how the body uses energy and matter is critical to
their work. As their understanding improves through research, the
nutritional guidelines that professionals suggest often change. The figure
at below outlines some nutritional guidelines for general fitness.
Our bodies need protein for
The kinds of food that I eat
that are good sources of
protein are
We need fat in our diets
because
There are many
ways to achieve
the balance of
nutrients
outlined in the
figure. An
individual’s diet
– the types of
food that he or
she eats on a
regular basis – is
a reflection of
many influences.
Your cultural
background,
your persona
preferences, and the variety of foods available all influence what you eat.
Shukhov’s diet must have provided some nutrients. The “putrid little
fish”, for example, probably provided the prisoners with a critical source
of protein. Protein is essential for repairing and maintaining body tissues.
Humans obtain needed protein from a variety of sources. This
variety is necessary to provide all of the essential amino acids required
for good health. The human body can synthesize most of the 20 amino
acids needed in proteins. However, the body cannot make eight of the
amino acids. These eight must be obtained from food. High-protein food
from animal sources (meat, milk, eggs) has the proper balance of amino
acids for the human diet, as does the plant source soybeans. Other
plant-derived foods, such as grains, nuts, and seeds, are all good sources
of proteins as well. But most plant-derived foods lack one or more of the
essential amino acids. It is possible, however, to obtain completely
balanced amino acids by combining these plant-derived foods in the diet.
The combination of legumes (beans, peas, and peanuts) with grains or
nuts can provide balanced protein diets. This is why peanut butter
sandwiches are so good for us. The amino acids in peanuts complement
the amino acids in the bread grains to provide the right balance for our
bodies.
The fish probably served as Shukhov’s only significant source of
fat. In this regard, the prisoners’ diets might have been healthier than
our own. Fats are important nutritionally for making hormones and cell
membranes, and for storing energy. However, most Americans consume
too many fats, and many of those fats are the wrong type. Of particular
The kinds of food that I eat
that are sources of good fats
are
The kinds of food that I eat
that are sources of bad fats are
We need carbohydrates in our
diet because
The kinds of food that I eat
that are good sources of
carbohydrates are
The kinds of food that I eat
that are good sources of fiber
are
Our bodies need vitamins and
elements because
concern are saturated fats. These fats, or lipids, are present in certain
animal products such as meat, cheese, and butter. Because of the
apparent link between the intake of lipids and cardiovascular disease,
physicians now recommend that fats should make up less than 30
percent of daily calories. Fish oils, however, contain fatty acids that are
good for the heart. These fatty acids are also required for normal
development of the nervous and reproductive systems.
The carrots, cabbage, and groats in Shukhov’s diet provided
carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and essential elements. Carbohydrates
provide the fuel a body can use most readily. What does fiber provide?
Fiber comes mainly from cellulose in plants. Humans cannot digest
cellulose. However, cellulose absorbs water and toxins, and helps ensure
regular elimination of waste.
What do vitamins do? Usually, humans only need a small amount of
vitamins. Partnered with enzymes, vitamins regulate cellular activities.
Vitamins, therefore, are necessary for normal growth and maintenance of
life. Thiamine and riboflavin, for example, are B-complex vitamins. Bcomplex vitamins help release energy from food. Thiamine deficiencies
can lead to muscle atrophy, paralysis, mental confusion, and even heart
failure.
Elements are the basic components of matter. Essential elements such
as sodium and calcium are important to maintain homeostasis. Calcium
deficiencies can lead to osteoporosis, stunted growth, poor quality bones
and teeth, and convulsions. While sodium is important to prevent
weakness, muscle cramps, dehydration, and nausea, too much sodium
can lead to high blood pressure and kidney disease.