Student Exploration: Identifying Nutrients Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes. Vocabulary: carbohydrate, disaccharide, lipid, monosaccharide, polysaccharide, protein, starch Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) What are the major types of nutrients you can get from food

Answer and explanation:

There are three major types of nutrients that we can get from food and these are also commonly called macromolecules. These macromolecules that incorporate in our diet are: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (or lipids).

Carbohydrates, also called sugars, are the main source of energy used by our bodies, and are broken down in the cells to produce ATP, which is a molecule that is very high in energy. Carbohydrates can consist of only one sugar (this is a monosaccharide), two sugars (disaccharide), or many sugars (called an oligosaccharide when it has less than ten sugars; polysaccharide when it has more than ten). The most common carbohydrate in the diet and the one that is mostly used by our cells is glucose, a monosaccharide. Glucose can be ingested by eating foods containing a combination of sugars besides glucose, like the disaccharide lactose found in milk, or the polysaccharide starch found in rice and potatoes. In addition, glucose can also be used to produce glycogen, which stores energy in the body for when it's needed.

Fats, or lipids, are mostly used to produce cholesterol and triglycerides. Cholesterol has many uses, including being the precursor of steroid hormones; and triglycerides are used to store energy. A diet that involves excessive ingestion of fats can conduce to conditions like atherosclerosis, which lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Proteins, on the other hand, are degraded into amino acids to carry all sorts of functions in the body: from producing neurotransmitters and hormones, to being used to form other important proteins of the body. In addition, when low on carbohydrates and fats, protein can be used as a fuel.

1. a tropical dry forest carries out more rapid nutrient cycling

a

explanation: