assignment on vitamins

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients required by the body to carry out a range of normal functions. However, these micronutrients are not produced in our bodies and must be derived from the food we eat.

Vitamins are organic substances that are generally classified as either fat soluble or water soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins ( vitamin A , vitamin D , vitamin E , and vitamin K ) dissolve in fat and tend to accumulate in the body. Water-soluble vitamins ( vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins , such as vitamin B6 , vitamin B12 , and folate ) must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body, and therefore cannot be stored. Any water-soluble vitamins unused by the body is primarily lost through urine.

Minerals are inorganic elements present in soil and water, which are absorbed by plants or consumed by animals. While you’re likely familiar with calcium , sodium , and potassium , there is a range of other minerals, including trace minerals (e.g. copper , iodine , and zinc ) needed in very small amounts.

In the U.S., the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) develops nutrient reference values called the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) for vitamins and minerals. [1] These are intended as a guide for good nutrition and as a scientific basis for the development of food guidelines in both the U.S. and Canada. The DRIs are specific to age, gender, and life stages, and cover more than 40 nutrient substances. The guidelines are based on available reports of deficiency and toxicity of each nutrient. Learn more about vitamins and minerals and their recommended intakes in the table below.

What about multivitamins?

A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables , whole grains , good protein packages , and healthful fats should provide most of the nutrients needed for good health. But not everyone manages to eat a healthful diet. Multivitamins can play an important role when nutritional requirements are not met through diet alone. Learn more about vitamin supplementation .

Did you know? 

Vitamins and their precise requirements have been controversial since their discovery in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was the combined efforts of epidemiologists, physicians, chemists, and physiologists that led to our modern day understanding of vitamins and minerals. After years of observation, experiments, and trial and error, they were able to distinguish that some diseases were not caused by infections or toxins—a common belief at the time—but by vitamin deficiencies. [2] Chemists worked to identify a vitamin’s chemical structure so it could be replicated. Soon after, researchers determined specific amounts of vitamins needed to avoid diseases of deficiency.

In 1912, biochemist Casimir Funk was the first to coin the term “vitamin” in a research publication that was accepted by the medical community, derived from “vita” meaning life, and “amine” referring to a nitrogenous substance essential for life. [3] Funk is considered the father of vitamin therapy, as he identified nutritional components that were missing in diseases of deficiency like scurvy (too little vitamin C ), beri-beri (too little vitamin B1 ), pellagra (too little vitamin B3 ), and rickets (too little vitamin D ). The discovery of all vitamins occurred by 1948.

Vitamins were obtained only from food until the 1930s when commercially made supplements of certain vitamins became available. The U.S government also began fortifying foods with specific nutrients to prevent deficiencies common at the time, such as adding iodine to salt to prevent goiter, and adding folic acid to grain products to reduce birth defects during pregnancy. In the 1950s, most vitamins and multivitamins were available for sale to the general public to prevent deficiencies, some receiving a good amount of marketing in popular magazines such as promoting cod liver oil containing vitamin D as bottled sunshine.

• Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorous, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride (1997); Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline (1998); Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids (2000); Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc (2001); and Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D (2011) . These reports may be accessed via www.nap.edu .
• Semba RD. The discovery of the vitamins. Int J Vitam Nutr Res . 2012 Oct 1;82(5):310-5.
• Piro A, Tagarelli G, Lagonia P, Tagarelli A, Quattrone A. Casimir Funk: his discovery of the vitamins and their deficiency disorders. Ann Nutr Metab . 2010;57(2):85-8.

Last reviewed March 2023

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10.1 – Introduction to Vitamins

Learning objectives.

• Define the term vitamin.
• Compare and contrast fat-and water-soluble vitamins and identify vitamins that fit in each category.

To combat this issue the Island Food Community of Pohnpei has been instrumental in promoting the citizens of Pohnpei to increase local karat banana consumption. The karat banana is rich in beta-carotene (a source of vitamin A) and increasing consumption among the locals will decrease the prevalence of vitamin A deficiencies in Pohnpei. For further information on this issue visit the Island Food Community of Pohnpei’s website and watch this video .

Vitamins are organic compounds that are traditionally assigned to two groups fat-soluble(hydrophobic) or water-soluble (hydrophilic). This classification determines where they act in the body. Water-soluble vitamins act in the cytosol of cells or in extracellular fluids such as blood; fat-soluble vitamins are largely responsible for protecting cell membranes from free radical damage. The body can synthesize some vitamins, but others must be obtained from the diet.

One major difference between fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins is the way they are absorbed in the body. Vitamins are absorbed primarily in the small intestine and their bioavailability is dependent on the quality of the diet. Including a small amount of fat or oils in your meal enhances fat-soluble vitamin absorption.  Once fat-soluble vitamins have been absorbed in the small intestine, they are packaged and incorporated into chylomicrons along with other fatty acids and transported in the lymphatic system to the liver. Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are absorbed in the small intestine but are transported to the liver through blood vessels. (Figure 10.1.3 ).

1 Yamamura CM, Sullivan KM. Risk factors for vitamin A deficiency among preschool-aged children in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia . J Trop Pediatr. 2004; 50(1),16-9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14984164. Accessed May 23, 2019.

key Takeaways

• Vitamins are organic compounds that are traditionally assigned to two groups fat-soluble(hydrophobic) or water-soluble (hydrophilic).
• Water-soluble vitamins act in the cytosol of cells or in extracellular fluids such as blood; fat-soluble vitamins are largely responsible for protecting cell membranes from free radical damage. The body can synthesize some vitamins, but others must be obtained from the diet.
• The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, K. The water-soluble vitamins include the B vitamins and vitamin C.

Contributors

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Food Science and Human Nutrition Program: Allison Calabrese, Cheryl Gibby, Billy Meinke, Marie Kainoa Fialkowski Revilla, and Alan Titchenal

Nutrition 100 Nutritional Applications for a Healthy Lifestyle Copyright © by Lynn Klees is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Vitamins and the chemistry behind them

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From practical experiments to a directed activity related to text (DART), try these activities for 11–16 year olds to investigate the chemistry of vitamins

In this series of activities, students learn about a range of chemical ideas while investigating vitamins and vitamin supplements. Designed for 11–16 year olds, the resources give students the opportunity to conduct practical experiments, evaluate evidence for claims made about vitamins and engage with a variety of scientific and historical contexts. Stimulate your students to explore:

• The link between vitamin C and scurvy
• The structure and properties of vitamin C and how to test for it
• How vitamins were discovered
• Evidence for vitamin C preventing colds
• Whether vitamin supplements are effective

Each activity includes instructions for students, as well as editable worksheets and resources available for download.

1. Vitamin C and scurvy

In this directed activity related to text (DART), students read about the effects of scurvy, its historical prevalence among sailors and the discovery of a link between scurvy and vitamin C. The core of the activity is an extract from James Lind’s ’Of the Prevention of the Scurvy’, in which the Royal Navy surgeon describes an experiment conducted in 1747 to compare treatments for the disease.

After reading both texts, students answer a series of questions to check and consolidate their understanding, before considering how Lind could have improved his experiment and whether his conclusion was correct.

Download the resources

‘vitamin c and scurvy’ worksheet.

PDF | Editable Word document

2. Testing for vitamin C

Students conduct a practical experiment to compare the amounts of vitamin C in different fruit juices using a simple test with iodine solution. They then answer questions to reflect on what they have found out and compare their results with the labels on the fruit juice packaging.

The ‘Testing for vitamin C’ worksheet includes extension questions which relate the experiment to the DART, ’Vitamin C and scurvy’, as well as suggestions for further investigations to find out more about vitamin C.

An additional handout, ‘Did you know about vitamin C?’, provides further information about the chemical structure of vitamin C and how it used by the body.

‘Testing for vitamin C’ worksheet

‘did you know about vitamin c’ handout, plan a lesson around this activity.

Try this activity as part of a complete lesson plan for 14–16 year olds, measuring the amount of vitamin C in different fruit juices using a simple titration.

3. Catching a cold?

In this activity, students investigate the familiar claim that vitamin C helps to prevent or treat colds. They read about the work of Linus Pauling during the 1970s and evaluate the data he used to support this claim, identifying weaknesses in the original study and assessing how these might impact the conclusions we can draw from it.

An additional handout, ‘Did you know about Linus Pauling?’, provides background information about Pauling’s life and work.

‘Catching a cold?’ worksheet

‘did you know about linus pauling’ handout.

Discover a complete lesson plan for 14–16 year olds drawing on this activity to  examine the evidence behind vitamins and vitamin supplements .

4. A cold survey

Students carry out a survey to determine whether vitamin C might help prevent colds. After answering the survey for themselves, students collate responses from the rest of the class, as well as responses collected from family and friends if there is sufficient time. They then work through a series of questions to analyse their results, identifying any patterns and drawing conclusions based on the available evidence.

‘A cold survey’ worksheet

5. are vitamins a waste of money.

Students work in groups to consider a range of views on vitamins pills and supplements. They rank four statements according to how strongly they agree with them, and provide reasons for their rankings, before presenting their decisions to the rest of the class. Together, students agree an answer to the question, ‘Are vitamins a waste of money?’, giving evidence in support.

An additional handout, ‘Did you know about Casimir Funk?’, introduces students to the scientist credited with the discovery of vitamins.

‘The pill thrill: are vitamins a waste of money?’ worksheet

‘did you know about casimir funk’ handout.

Use this activity as part of a complete lesson plan for 14–16 year olds,  exploring whether vitamin pills work .

6. Key words

This handout provides information about terms relating to vitamins and the contexts used for these activities. Key words include ‘clinical trial’, ‘deficiency disease’, ‘double blind’, ‘placebo’, ‘RDI or RDA’ and ‘vitamins’.

‘Key words’ handout

Vitamin c and scurvy worksheet, testing for vitamin c worksheet, did you know about vitamin c handout, catching a cold worksheet, did you know about linus pauling handout, a cold survey worksheet, the pill thrill: are vitamins a waste of money worksheet, did you know about casimir funk handout, key words handout, additional information.

This activity was originally part of the Contemporary Chemistry website, compiled and published in 2004 with V. Kind’s Contemporary chemistry for schools and colleges .

The chemistry behind fireworks

Crystal chemistry

Hydrogen fuel cells: the future of transport?

Investigating catalysts and what sank the Kursk

Shampoo and the chemistry of hair care

Lipid chemistry and dietary fats

Star chemistry and molecules in outer space

Cleaning chemistry: soaps and detergents

Atoms and nanochemistry

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Unit 8 – Vitamins and Minerals Part 1

8.1 Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients, and by definition, they make up a relatively small part of our diet. However, when it comes to these nutrients, a little bit goes a long way. They have many essential jobs in our bodies.

For example, if you’ve taken a drink of water today, you can thank the minerals that serve as electrolytes, helping to balance fluids in the body.  If you’ve taken a step, you can thank the vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that make your bones strong. If you’ve taken a breathe, you can thank the many vitamins and minerals that serve as cofactors in making blood, which helps deliver oxygen throughout the body.

There are 13 vitamins and 16 minerals important to human nutrition, and each serves multiple functions in the body. Entire books have been written about each one, and we could easily spend a whole term learning about all of these amazing nutrients. But as this is an introductory course, we’ll use the next two units to introduce you to some of the most interesting vitamins and minerals, with a focus on those that are commonly lacking in the human diet.

We’ll begin this unit with a general introduction to vitamins and minerals, and consider the role of dietary supplements in meeting our vitamin and mineral requirements. Then, we’ll spend the remainder of this unit and the next exploring major functions of vitamins and minerals, food sources of each, and what happens if we consume too little or too much of each.

Unit Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

• Classify the vitamins as fat-soluble or water-soluble, including differences in absorption, storage, and toxicity.
• Identify the major minerals and trace minerals, including factors that impact absorption and bioavailability.
• Identify common food sources of vitamins and minerals and how processing affects nutrient retention in foods.
• Describe how vitamins can be made in the body through provitamins and intestinal bacteria.
• Define dietary supplements and describe how supplements are regulated and the concerns with their safety and efficacy.
• Identify guidelines and recommendations for choosing nutrition supplements and for their appropriate use.
• Describe the role of electrolytes in fluid balance, as well as the more specific functions, food sources, and effects of deficiency and toxicity for sodium, potassium, and chloride.
• Describe the general function of antioxidants, as well as the more specific functions, food sources, and effects of deficiency and toxicity for vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium.
• Describe how vitamin A and beta-carotene contribute to normal vision, and know common food sources and effects of deficiency and toxicity of vitamin A.

Attribution:

• Lane Community College’s Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application   CC BY-NC.4

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“assorted-color tomatoes” by Vince Lee on Unsplash ( license information )

Introduction to Nutrition and Wellness Copyright © 2022 by Janet Colson; Sandra Poirier; and Yvonne Dadson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services HHS
• National Institutes of Health NIH
• Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives DPCPSI

Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets

This collection of fact sheets and other resources from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements and other federal government sources presents information about dietary supplements and their ingredients. These include vitamins, minerals, herbs and botanicals, probiotics, and more. Many of these resources are available in versions written for consumers (in both English and Spanish) and also for health professionals.

• Antioxidants (see Exercise and Athletic Performance )
• Vitamin A - Consumer
• Vitamin A - Vitamina A en español
• Vitamin A - Health Professional
• Vitamin A and immune function (see Immune Function )

• Beta-carotene (see Vitamin A )
• Biotin - Consumer
• Biotin - Biotina en español
• Biotin - Health Professional

• Boron - Consumer
• Boron - Boro en español
• Boron - Health Professional

• Thiamin - Consumer
• Thiamin - Tiamina en español
• Thiamin - Health Professional
• Vitamin B12 - Consumer
• Vitamin B12 - Vitamina B12 en español
• Vitamin B12 - Health Professional

• Vitamin B2 (see Riboflavin )
• Vitamin B3 (see Niacin )
• Vitamin B5 (see Pantothenic acid )
• Vitamin B6 - Consumer
• Vitamin B6 - Vitamina B6 en español
• Vitamin B6 - Health Professional

• Vitamin B7 (see Biotin )
• Vitamin B9 (see Folate )
• Calcium - Consumer
• Calcium - Calcio en español
• Calcium - Health Professional

• Source: National Cancer Institute (NCI)
• Calcium for weight loss (see Weight Loss )

• Source: U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
• Choline - Consumer
• Choline - Colina en espanol
• Choline - Health Professional

• Chromium - Consumer
• Chromium - Cromo en español
• Chromium - Health Professionals
• Chromium for weight loss (see Weight Loss )

• Cobalamin (see Vitamin B12 )
• Copper - Consumer
• Cobre - Copper en español
• Copper - Health Professional

• Vitamin C - Consumer
• Vitamin C - Vitamina C en español
• Vitamin C - Health Professional
• Vitamin C and COVID-19 (see COVID-19 )
• Vitamin C and immune function (see Immune Function )
• Source: National Cancer Institute
• Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Vitamin D - Consumer
• Vitamin D - Vitamina D en español
• Vitamin D - Health Professional
• Vitamin D for weight loss (see Weight Loss )
• Vitamin D and COVID-19 (see COVID-19 )
• Vitamin D and immune function (see Immune Function )

• Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• Source: Operation Supplement Safety, U.S. Department of Defense

• Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance - Consumer
• Exercise and Athletic Performance - Suplementos Dietéticos para Mejorar el Ejercicio y el Rendimiento Físico
• Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance - Health Professional
• Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Vitamin E - Consumer
• Vitamin E - Vitamina E en español
• Vitamin E - Health Professional
• Vitamin E and immune function (see Immune Function )

• Fluoride - Consumer
• Fluoride - Fluoruro en español
• Fluoride - Health Professional
• Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

• Folate - Consumer
• Folate - Folato en español
• Folate - Health Professional

• Folic acid (see Folate )
• Iodine - Consumer
• Iodine - Yodo en español
• Iodine - Health Professional

• Iron - Consumer
• Iron - Hierro en español
• Iron - Health Professional
• Iron for athletic performance (see Exercise and Athletic Performance )

• Vitamin K - Consumer
• Vitamin K - Vitamina K en español
• Vitamin K - Health Professional

• Magnesium - Consumer
• Magnesium - Magnesio en español
• Magnesium - Health Professional

• Manganese - Consumer
• Manganese - Manganeso en español
• Manganese - Health Professional

• Molybdenum - Consumer
• Molybdenum - Molibdeno en español
• Molybdenum - Health Professional
• Multivitamin/mineral Supplements - Consumer
• Multivitamin/mineral Supplements - Suplementos multivitamínicos/minerales en español
• Multivitamin/mineral Supplements - Health Professional

• Niacin - Consumer
• Niacin - Niacina en español
• Niacin - Health Professional

• Pantothenic Acid - Consumer
• Ácido pantoténico - Pantothenic acid en español
• Pantothenic Acid - Health Professional

• Phosphorus - Consumer
• Phosphorus - Fósforo en español
• Phosphorus - Health Professional

• Potassium - Consumer
• Potassium - Potasio en español
• Potassium - Health Professional

• Dietary Supplements for Primary Mitochondrial Disorders

• Riboflavin - Consumer
• Riboflavina - en español
• Riboflavin - Health Professional

• Selenium - Consumer
• Selenium - Selenio en español
• Selenium - Health Professional
• Selenium and immune function (see Immune Function )

• Vitamin B2 (see Riboflavin )
• Vitamin B3 (see Niacin )
• Vitamin B5 (see Pantothenic acid )
• Vitamin B7 (see Biotin )
• Vitamin B9 (see Folate )
• Zinc - Consumer
• Zinc - Zinc en español
• Zinc - Health Professional
• Zinc and COVID-19 (see COVID-19 )
• Zinc and immune function (see Immune Function )

General Supplement Information

• Dietary Supplements: Background Information
• Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information
• Vitamin and Mineral Fact Sheets
• Botanical Supplement Fact Sheets
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know
• Información en español

Supplements for Specific Purposes

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Brain Health
• Exercise and Athletic Performance
• Eye conditions
• Immune Function
• Osteoarthritis
• Primary Mitochondrial Disorders
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Weight Loss

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals explores the importance of consuming nutrients to help strengthen the body. Students will be able to identify a variety of specific nutrients and describe how they help the body function properly. The worksheets at the end will help solidify what they learned throughout the lesson and reinforce their grasp of the material.

You can refer to the “Options for Lesson” section to add more activities or tasks to the lesson or adjust the ones that are already there. One idea is to have students create menus of food items that include the necessary nutrients people need.

Description

Additional information, what our vitamins and minerals lesson plan includes.

Lesson Objectives and Overview: Vitamins and Minerals explores the importance of consuming certain nutrients. Students will discover various kinds of vitamins that we ingest and how they help the body function properly. They will also be able to explain to others why eating healthy is important. This lesson is for students in 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade.

Classroom Procedure

Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The only supplies you need for this lesson are food labels for the activity portion.

Options for Lesson

The “Options for Lesson” section of the classroom procedure page has a lot of suggestions of additional ideas and activities to incorporate. For the activity, you could allow students to work alone or in groups rather than in pairs. You could also have students supply the food labels by bringing them from home. Another idea is to assign one vitamin or mineral to each student to research and later present to the class. Students could create a poster that encourages healthy eating and getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals each day. Another activity is for students to create menus of food items for a day or week that include the necessary vitamins and minerals people need. One more option is to have students research other living things and discover the types of vitamins or minerals those organisms need.

Teacher Notes

The paragraph on this page provides a little extra information on what you can expect from the lesson. It emphasizes the importance of helping students understand why eating right is good for them. You could also teach this lesson at the same time as or before a lesson photosynthesis. Use the lines to write out your thoughts as you prepare.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES

Introduction.

The Vitamins and Minerals lesson plan contains five pages of content. To start off, it reminds students that their body consists of cells, tissues, organs, bones, and many other parts. Every part needs to function properly to keep their body strong and healthy. And the two substances every human body needs to accomplish this task are vitamins and minerals.

Many people think these two substances are the same, but they are not. They are simply both necessary to keep our bodies strong and healthy and functioning properly. Vitamins are organic substances, meaning that plants and animals produce or make them. Minerals are inorganic. They come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals.

Both vitamins and minerals come from the foods we eat each day, but some foods have more of these important nutrients than others. Therefore, we need to eat more of some foods and should eat less of other foods. Those less healthy foods may not include enough minerals or vitamins to keep our body healthy.

Students will recognize that all vitamins and minerals support and boost the body’s immune system, which protects it from foreign substances. They also support normal growth and development and help cells and organs do their jobs. Eating the right foods is important to receive the needed vitamins and minerals for your body.

In addition to the proper amount of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients), the body also needs the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats, and calories (macronutrients). Some vitamins turn the macronutrients in the body into the energy it needs. The macronutrients and the micronutrients work together to keep our bodies strong and healthy. All vitamins and minerals have specific functions and exist in a wide variety of food products.

Vitamins are divided into two categories—fat soluble or water soluble. Which category a vitamin falls into depends on whether it dissolves best in lipids (another term for fats) or water. The fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body, but the water-soluble vitamins need to dissolve in water before the body absorbs them. In addition, the body can’t store water-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins can pass through the body and be lost during urination. For this reason, we need a fresh supply of water-soluble vitamins each day.

In all, there are about 13 essential vitamins that humans need. Four of these are fat soluble and nine are water soluble. There are different scientific names for vitamins, but we refer to most of them by using the letters of the alphabet and numbers instead. For instance, ascorbic acid is the scientific name for Vitamin C. The lesson provides a table that lists each of the 13 vitamins, why we need them, and where we can find them in our food.

Special medical groups have determined a set of guidelines that recommend specific amounts of vitamins people should consume based on their age and needs. For example, a person may need more vitamin D as a child than they do as an adult.

Next, students will learn more about minerals. There are two types: macrominerals and microminerals (trace minerals). Our bodies cannot break down or change minerals. Minerals can, however, form part of the structure of bones, teeth, nails, muscles, and red blood cells. There are several minerals the body needs, and a chart on the last content page provides information on several.

Calcium is one of the most common minerals. Our bodies need calcium to build and protect bones and teeth, support our muscles, and help with blood clots and nerves. Dairy products, green leafy vegetables, and trout are some foods that contain calcium in fairly high amounts.

Zinc is another important mineral. It helps with cell growth and healing wounds and supports the immune system. We can find zinc in foods like mushrooms, spinach, whole grains, and chicken. Salt is a mineral, too. It balances body fluids, but too much can impact the body’s blood pressure.

Other minerals include phosphorous, magnesium, copper, chromium, fluoride, iodine, selenium, manganese, sulfur, and molybdenum. As with vitamins, the amount a body needs may depend on many conditions, such as age, health, and other things.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS

The Vitamins and Minerals lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. Each one of these handouts will help students demonstrate their knowledge and will reinforce what they learned throughout the lesson. Use the guidelines on the classroom procedure page to determine when to give students each worksheet.

FOOD LABEL ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Students will review the food labels for four different foods that you provide them. They must read the label carefully to find all the vitamins and minerals that food contains. They will fill out a chart for each food item, listing what it is, the calories per serving, and other information according to the chart’s prompts. Then they will answer whether or not the food is good for a person’s health and why.

FILL IN THE BLANK PRACTICE WORKSHEET

The practice worksheet splits into two section. The first section lists 15 statements. Students must fill in the blanks in each statement according to what they learned in the lesson. There is no word bank from which to pull the correct terms. You may or may not allow your students to use the content pages for reference to complete the assignment. On the second part, students will mark whether statements are true (T) or false (F). There are 10 statements to complete in this section.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Like the practice worksheet, there are two sections on the homework assignment. The first section requires students to match definitions with the correct term. There are 10 definitions and terms to match in this section. Then, students will answer or respond to 10 questions or prompts about vitamins and minerals.

Worksheet Answer Keys

The lesson plan provides answer keys for both the practice and homework worksheets. All the correct answers are in red to make it easy to compare them to students’ responses. If you choose to administer the lesson pages to your students via PDF, you will need to save a new file that omits these pages. Otherwise, you can simply print out the applicable pages and keep these as reference for yourself when grading assignments.

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Great resource

This was just the right resource as an introduction to vitamins and minerals for my grade 5/6 health class. My only critique was that some of the kids felt the narrator's tone felt aimed at younger kids. However, we talked about how the content was right for their level.

Recommended!

It is well-structured and easy to follow. My student loved it! Thank you!

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Vitamin Assignment

Visit this website: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/

Peruse it to see all of the foods with their mineral contents. Select 3 veggies, 3 fruits, and 3 fish to investigate. Then make columns or a spreadsheet with these 9 foods and their Daily Values. Find the following information for each food, and compare side by side on the worksheet.

Daily Value of:

• caloric content
• fat content
• sodium content
• fiber content
• top five minerals

In a brief paragraph, be sure to write why these particular foods were selected and what was discovered about the foods and their nutrients.

Peruse it to see all of the foods with their vitamin  contents. Select 3 veggies, 3 fruits, and 3 fish to investigate. Then make columns or a spreadsheet with these 9 foods and their Daily Values. Find the following information for each food and compare side by side on the worksheet.

• list the top five vitamins

In a brief paragraph, be sure to write why these particular foods were chosen and what was discovered about the foods and their nutrients.

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