Macromolecules and Optimal Nutrition Worksheet

Use the following resources to complete this portion of worksheet (you can use other online
resources but these are great places to start):
- Harvard Dietary Guidelines
- Essential Nutrients 101
- Lumen Learning: Biological Molecules

Carbohydrates​:
a. What elements make up carbohydrates?

b. How many total carbohydrates should a 50 lb child consume each day?

i. How many grams of sugars (complex + simple) should they consume?

ii. How many grams of fiber should they consume?

c. What are carbohydrates used for in the body?

d. How do simple and complex sugars differ? How might humans digest them differently?

e. How does fiber differ from other sugars? (This ​link​ is useful)

f. What are examples of foods that are high in…

i. Simple sugars?

ii. Complex sugars?

iii. Fiber?
g. Paste images below that show an example of each of the following type of carbohydrate:
i. Monosaccharide
 ii. Disaccharide

iii. Polysaccharide

Lipids​:
a. What elements make up lipids? How does this compare to carbohydrates?

b. How many total fats should a 50 lb child consume each day?

i. How many grams of saturated fats should they consume?

ii. How many grams of trans fats should they consume?

iii. How many grams of cholesterol should they consume?

c. What are the structural differences between saturated, unsaturated, and trans fats? (This
link​ is useful. So is ​this one​.)

i. How do these differences contribute to…

1. Appearance at room temperature (i.e. solid vs liquid)?

2. Effects on human health (i.e. digestion and absorption)?

d. List two functions of lipids.

e. List three examples of lipids.

 f. Describe the structure of a phospholipid and state where they are found.

g. How is cholesterol important in membrane structure and function?

Proteins
a. What elements are found in proteins?

b. How much total protein should a 50 lb child consume each day?

c. How many amino acids can your body make? Where do you get the rest of them?

d. List 5 functions of proteins.

e. Describe the shape of and the bonds involved in the following levels of protein structure:
i. Primary

ii. Secondary

iii. Tertiary

iv. Quaternary

Nucleic Acids
a. What are the 2 main types of nucleic acids?

b. What is the purpose of a nucleic acid?

c. Paste images of the structures of each nucleic acid below. Describe the structural
difference(s) between the two.

d. What is the relationship between nucleic acids and proteins?