Fresh Food: The Best Source of Vitamins!
Today students learned about the relationship between nutrition and fresh/processed foods. Students found that vitamins and minerals are nutrients that humans need in order to live and that we get these from the foods we eat. We specifically looked at Vitamin C and how it impacts the body. Vitamin C is found naturally in many citrus fruits and a variety of vegetables. They were surprised to hear that bell peppers and kiwi are also great sources of Vitamin C! This vitamin helps heal wounds, fight off sickness, and produce collagen for our body.
Because the human body can only hold a limited amount of vitamins, we have to moderate what we eat to avoid ailments (such as kidney stones with an excess of Vitamin C). We briefly touched on some of the problems vitamin C-deficient diets can cause, including scurvy, the bane of early sailors and others who had no access to fresh food for months at a time.
For the practical lab, the students tested the relative amounts of vitamin C in three types of orange juice: pasteurized (sold in a bottle), frozen, and fresh squeezed. Students used a method called titration to determine which type of juice had the highest Vitamin C content. Ask them to tell you about the results of their experiment! The students really enjoyed performing the experiment and learning about healthy foods.
Leave a Reply