Project 2 SCIH Science Of Nutrition Part A: Create A Menu ✓ Solved

Project 2 SCIH Science of Nutrition Part A: Create a menu fo

Project 2 SCIH Science of Nutrition Part A: Create a menu for one day that includes three meals and one snack totaling 2,000 kcal. Include recommended amounts from each MyPlate food group. For each meal and the snack list foods with serving sizes and state macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals contained in each food. Use Figure 1.11 on page 19 of the textbook as a guide. Part B: Choose one meal from Part A and explain the path of each food in that meal through the digestive system, specifying where components are digested and where nutrients are absorbed. Discuss the following structures, substances, and processes: absorption; capillaries; carbohydrate; chemical digestion; esophagus; fat; fiber; gallbladder; glucose; large intestine; liver; mechanical digestion; mouth; pancreas; protein; pepsin; salivary amylase; small intestine; stomach; villi.

Paper For Above Instructions

Overview

This submission provides a one-day 2,000 kcal menu (three meals + one snack) that follows MyPlate group recommendations, with serving sizes and the primary macronutrients, key vitamins, and minerals for each food. Part B selects lunch and traces the digestive path of each food item, describing where digestion and absorption occur and referencing the listed structures, substances, and processes (USDA, 2020; Whitney & Rolfes, 2021).

Daily Menu Summary (Total ≈ 2,000 kcal)

  • Breakfast: Oatmeal with banana, walnuts, and low-fat milk — 500 kcal
  • Lunch: Grilled chicken wrap with mixed veggies and an apple — 600 kcal
  • Dinner: Baked salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli, mixed salad with olive oil — 700 kcal
  • Snack: Greek yogurt with berries — 200 kcal

MyPlate Servings Covered

The menu provides approximately: Grains 6 oz-eq (mostly whole grains), Vegetables 3 cups, Fruits 2 cups, Dairy 3 cups (milk/yogurt), Protein foods 6 oz-eq (lean poultry, fish, nuts) consistent with MyPlate guidance for a 2,000 kcal day (USDA, 2020).

Part A — Detailed Meals with Nutrients

Breakfast — Oatmeal Bowl (~500 kcal)

  • Rolled oats, cooked (1 cup) — ~150 kcal. Macronutrients: 27 g carbs, 5 g protein, 3 g fat. Key nutrients: fiber (4 g), iron, B vitamins (thiamin), magnesium (Whitney & Rolfes, 2021).
  • Banana (1 medium) — ~105 kcal. Macronutrients: 27 g carbs, 1 g protein,
  • Walnuts (0.5 oz / 7 halves) — ~95 kcal. Macronutrients: 2 g carbs, 2 g protein, 9 g fat (mostly polyunsaturated omega-3). Key nutrients: manganese, copper.
  • Low-fat milk (1 cup) — ~150 kcal. Macronutrients: 12 g carbs (lactose), 8 g protein, 5 g fat. Key nutrients: calcium, vitamin D (fortified), vitamin B12 (USDA, 2020).

Lunch — Grilled Chicken Wrap (~600 kcal)

  • Whole-wheat tortilla (1 large) — ~140 kcal. Macronutrients: 24 g carbs, 4 g protein, 3 g fat. Key nutrients: fiber, B vitamins.
  • Grilled chicken breast (4 oz) — ~187 kcal. Macronutrients: 0 g carbs, 35 g protein, 4 g fat. Key nutrients: niacin, selenium, phosphorus.
  • Mixed veggies: lettuce, tomato, bell pepper (1 cup) — ~25 kcal. Macronutrients: 5 g carbs, 1 g protein. Key nutrients: vitamin C, vitamin A (beta-carotene), folate.
  • Avocado (¼ medium) — ~60 kcal. Macronutrients: 3 g carbs, 1 g protein, 5 g fat (monounsaturated). Key nutrients: potassium, vitamin K, folate.
  • Apple (medium) — ~95 kcal. Macronutrients: 25 g carbs, 0.5 g protein, 0.3 g fat. Key nutrients: fiber (pectin), vitamin C, potassium.

Dinner — Baked Salmon Meal (~700 kcal)

  • Baked salmon (5 oz) — ~300 kcal. Macronutrients: 0 g carbs, 34 g protein, 17 g fat (omega-3s). Key nutrients: vitamin D, selenium, B12 (Gropper & Smith, 2019).
  • Brown rice (1 cup cooked) — ~215 kcal. Macronutrients: 45 g carbs, 5 g protein, 1.5 g fat. Key nutrients: magnesium, B vitamins, fiber.
  • Steamed broccoli (1 cup) — ~55 kcal. Macronutrients: 11 g carbs, 3.7 g protein. Key nutrients: vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, fiber.
  • Mixed green salad + olive oil (1 cup + 1 Tbsp) — ~130 kcal. Olive oil: monounsaturated fat, vitamin E; greens: vitamins A, K, folate.

Snack — Greek Yogurt with Berries (~200 kcal)

  • Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (3/4 cup) — ~120 kcal. Macronutrients: 6 g carbs, 17 g protein, 0 g fat. Key nutrients: calcium, phosphorus, B12.
  • Mixed berries (1/2 cup) — ~40 kcal. Macronutrients: 10 g carbs, 0.5 g protein. Key nutrients: vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants.
  • Honey (1 tsp) — ~20 kcal (small added sugar for flavor).

Part B — Digestive Pathway for Lunch (Grilled Chicken Wrap + Apple)

This section traces mechanical and chemical digestion and absorption for the wrap components (carbohydrate from tortilla and apple, protein from chicken, fat from avocado, dietary fiber from veggies and apple), referencing required structures and processes (Guyton & Hall, 2016; StatPearls, 2021).

Mouth

Eating begins with mechanical digestion: chewing breaks the wrap into smaller pieces; saliva moistens the bolus. Salivary amylase begins chemical digestion of starch (carbohydrates) in the tortilla and apple into maltose and dextrins (salivary amylase) (Gropper & Smith, 2019; StatPearls, 2021).

Esophagus and Stomach

The bolus travels via the esophagus by peristalsis to the stomach. Mechanical digestion (churning) and chemical digestion with gastric secretions occur. Pepsin (activated from pepsinogen in acidic gastric juice) initiates protein digestion, breaking chicken proteins into polypeptides (Guyton & Hall, 2016). Fats remain largely undigested in the stomach.

Small Intestine — Duodenum, Jejunum, Ileum

Most chemical digestion and absorption occur in the small intestine. Pancreatic enzymes (amylase, proteases like trypsin and chymotrypsin, and lipase) and bile from the gallbladder (stored bile produced by the liver) emulsify fats and hydrolyze macronutrients into absorbable units: glucose and other monosaccharides from carbohydrates, amino acids/dipeptides from proteins, and fatty acids/monoglycerides from fats (USDA, 2020; Guyton & Hall, 2016).

Bile, Gallbladder, and Fat Digestion

Bile salts (released from the gallbladder) emulsify avocado and any oil residues, increasing surface area for pancreatic lipase to form micelles. Fat digestion yields fatty acids and monoglycerides, which enter enterocytes and are reassembled into triglycerides and packaged into chylomicrons for transport via lymphatics (Gropper & Smith, 2019).

Absorption and Villi

The small intestinal mucosa has villi and microvilli that increase absorptive surface area. Glucose and amino acids are absorbed across enterocyte membranes into capillaries in villi and transported via the hepatic portal vein to the liver (capillaries → liver). Fat-derived chylomicrons bypass portal circulation, entering lacteals (lymphatics) and later systemic circulation (Guyton & Hall, 2016; StatPearls, 2021).

Large Intestine and Fiber

Unabsorbed material, including most dietary fiber from whole-wheat tortilla, apple pectin, and vegetable fiber, passes to the large intestine. Here water and electrolytes are absorbed; resident microbiota ferment some fibers to short-chain fatty acids that can be absorbed and contribute modestly to energy (Whitney & Rolfes, 2021). The large intestine consolidates waste for elimination.

Role of Liver and Pancreas

The liver receives absorbed monosaccharides and amino acids from the portal circulation (glucose can be stored as glycogen or released to maintain blood glucose). The pancreas secretes bicarbonate to neutralize duodenal pH and provides the digestive enzymes described above. Hormonal regulation (insulin/glucagon) influences nutrient handling post-absorption (Guyton & Hall, 2016).

Summary of Where Each Nutrient is Digested/Absorbed

  • Carbohydrates: mechanical (mouth) → chemical (salivary amylase; pancreatic amylase in small intestine) → monosaccharide absorption in small intestine (villi → capillaries → liver) (StatPearls, 2021).
  • Proteins: stomach pepsin → pancreatic proteases in small intestine → amino acid absorption in small intestine (villi → capillaries) (Guyton & Hall, 2016).
  • Fats: emulsified by bile (gallbladder) in small intestine → pancreatic lipase → absorption into enterocytes → reassembled and transported as chylomicrons via lymphatics (Gropper & Smith, 2019).
  • Fiber: resists digestion; some fermented in large intestine producing short-chain fatty acids; contributes to stool bulk and colonic health (Whitney & Rolfes, 2021).

Conclusion

The provided 2,000 kcal menu follows MyPlate guidance while balancing macronutrients and micronutrients across meals and snack (USDA, 2020). The lunch meal demonstrates the coordinated mechanical and chemical digestion processes and absorption pathways: mouth → esophagus → stomach → small intestine (with pancreatic, bile, and liver roles) → large intestine (Guyton & Hall, 2016; StatPearls, 2021). This integrated approach supports nutrient availability and health (Harvard, 2020).

References

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). MyPlate. USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov. 2020. https://www.choosemyplate.gov (USDA, 2020).
  2. Whitney E, Rolfes SR. Understanding Nutrition. 15th ed. Cengage Learning; 2021. (Textbook discussion of food composition and dietary guidance.)
  3. Gropper SS, Smith JL. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. 7th ed. Cengage Learning; 2019. (Covers digestion, absorption, and nutrient metabolism.)
  4. Guyton AC, Hall JE. Textbook of Medical Physiology. 13th ed. Elsevier; 2016. (Physiology of digestive system: enzymes, absorption, liver and pancreas roles.)
  5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Your Digestive System & How it Works. NIH/NIDDK; 2021. https://www.niddk.nih.gov (NIDDK, 2021).
  6. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source: Healthy Eating Plate. 2020. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource (Harvard, 2020).
  7. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Evidence Analysis Library. Position and guidance materials on food groups and nutrient needs. 2018. https://www.eatright.org (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 2018).
  8. Institute of Medicine (US) Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press; 2005. (IOM, 2005).
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Healthy Weight — Calories and Physical Activity. CDC; 2020. https://www.cdc.gov (CDC, 2020).
  10. StatPearls. Physiology of Digestion. StatPearls Publishing; 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538337 (StatPearls, 2021).

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