Following completion of your weekly readings, read Are You Sure Its Fat Free?

on page 236 of Mathematics in Our World. Gather three of your favorite packaged foods; perhaps one from each: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Use the model explained in the Are You Sure Its Fat Free? to analyze, through the mathematical formula explained, the fat content and protein content from your foods. To analyze the protein content use 4 calories per gram of protein, rather than the 9 calories for grams of fat. The assignment must include (a) all math work required to answer the problems as well as (b) introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Your introduction should include three to five sentences of general information about the topic at hand. The body must contain a restatement of the problems and all math work, including the steps and formulas used to solve the problems. Your conclusion must comprise a summary of the problems and the reason you selected a particular method to solve them. It would also be appropriate to include a statement as to what you learned and how you will apply the knowledge gained in this exercise to real-world situations.

Introduction: Food industry misleads us by calculating the fat content in packaged food on weight basis whereas the fat content (having to do more with the calorific value of a food item and not its weight) actually has to be calculated on the basis of the calorie value of the food item. So, the calorie basis is what has to be applied to know how much fat our food items actually carry. Here are three interesting eye-openers!! Breakfast: Oatmeal (Single serving = 45 g) Calories in a single serving = 160 Fat content is 2 g 1 g of fat has 9 calories 2 g of fat = 2 * 9 = 18 calories. The fat content is (18/160) * 100 = 11.25 % Protein content is 1.8 g 1 g of protein has 4 calories 1.8 g of protein = 1.8 * 4 = 7.2 calories The protein content is (7.2/160) * 100 = 4.5% Lunch: Raisin Bran Crunch (Single serving = 60 g) Calories in a single serving = 190 Fat content is 1 g 1 g of fat has 9 calories The fat content is (9/190) * 100 = 4.74 % Protein content is 3 g 1 g of protein has 4 calories 3 g of protein = 3 * 4 = 12 calories The protein content is (12/190) * 100 = 6.32%

Dinner: Vanilla Yogurt (Single serving = 225 g) Calories in a single serving = 110 Fat content is 2 g 1 g of fat has 9 calories 2 g of fat = 2 * 9 = 18 calories The fat content is (18/110) * 100 = 16.36 % Protein content is 5 g 1 g of protein has 4 calories 5 g of protein = 5 * 4 = 20 calories The protein content is (20/110) * 100 = 18.18% Now, see what the food industry calculations would have been Breakfast: Oatmeal (Single serving = 45 g) Fat content is 2 g The fat content is (2/45) * 100 = 4.44 % Protein content is 1.8 g The protein content is (1.8/45) * 100 = 4% Lunch: Raisin Bran Crunch (Single serving = 60 g) Calories in a single serving = 190 Fat content is 1 g The fat content is (1/60) * 100 = 1.67 % Protein content is 3 g The protein content is (3/60) * 100 = 5% Dinner: Vanilla Yogurt (Single serving = 225 g) Calories in a single serving = 110 Fat content is 2 g The fat content is (2/225) * 100 = 0.89 % Protein content is 5 g The protein content is (5/225) * 100 = 2.22% Conclusion: The above calculations speak for themselves. The actual fat/protein contents in packaged food stuffs are much more than what the food industry claims. This is misleading. The nutrition experts must enlighten the general public about this distorted information and help all towards

better health.