Module 31: Food

Recall our main themes: energy->water->food->culture
Food!
Three main groups: 
Proteins: always include Nitrogen
Carbohydrates: CHO in chains (starches) or simple (sugars)
Fats: CHO again, but in a special branch structure (glycol backbone) that is good for energy storage and insulation (e.g. killer whales, eskimos)
Proteins: complex molecules of CHO and N. 
Look up amino acids, note the common structure.
Now look up the amino acid methionine. 
What element does it contain as well? 
Why do rotten eggs, swamps (and Kilauea volcano) stink?
CHO=carbohydrates (clever name), 
usually in a chain, short chains are sugars (used for fuel), 
longer ones are starches and can be used for structures (e.g. cellulose in plants) or pasta...
smallest: sugars, all end in -ose (glucose, sucrose) LOOK THESE UP, CHECK OUT THEIR MOLECULE SHAPE
glucose is a "monosaccharide" created by photosynthesis
longer chains: starches (rice, pasta) slowly digested (see diabetics, and glycemic index)
structural CHO: cellulose-little boxes with goo inside, need enzymes to break these down (cows)
ENZYMES ALL END IN -ASE
Fats/lipids: same chemical structure as CHO, but built along a glycol (alcohol) backbone. 
If the fats have long carbon chains with only single bonds, they are saturated (lots of Hydrogen atoms) and can hold together (e.g. animal fat)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat
If the long chains have double bonds and don't fit together, they melt easier (e.g. oils) and are called "unsaturated", usually better for your health.
n.b. McDonalds® got into real hot water a while ago for frying all of their stuff in "supersaturated fats". Ugh...
Notes: Chapter 11 FR Overview:
Frog 12.3 Agriculture
Frog 12.4 Food Production
Ch. 12 assessment
FR ch. 11 feeding the world
FR mod 31 nutritional needs
FR mod 32 industrial ag-insecticides, GMO
FR mod 33 sustainable farmingBig picture:
Trophic pyramids in nature are sustainable
Planet is nearing carrying capacity (K)
Think of how many "earths" your global footprint represents
To meet this food demand, current farming and fishing is industrial, not sustainable
Mod 31: Nutritional needs-what humans on our planet need, and what they lackRead the case study p. 373-how is this like a trophic pyramid in nature?
Undernutrition: lack of calories
Malnutrition: lack of critical part of diet, usually protein (Kwashiorkor)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwashiorkor
Food security: not just in lesser developed countries ("LDC"), also in the US"Food deserts"-what are these?
Famine: one of these impacting a large group, often from crop failure, drought or war/displacement
Overnutrition: common in the US, look up the US obesity rate-how is this determined? Why? Seen any food ads lately?
Look up US obesity rate-----Meat diet: high in protein, also in fat (energy store) and cholesterol-these contribute to heart disease
Wait-Eskimos eat lots of blubber, why don't they have heart disease? 
How is this different from Kalahari bush tribes?Climate
Wait, wait-what happened to Japanese health care system when they moved from their traditional diet?
What impact does this have globally?
Diet for a small planet 1971: planet can sustain population using fewer calories while supplying protein, vitamins and calories. Not by relying on meat.Vitamins="vital amines"
Food energy subsidy (cost factor):
20 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of beef (20:1 factor, or subsidy factor 20x)
2.8 kg of grain to produce 1 kg of chicken (2.8:1 factor, or subsidy factor of 2.8)
Better to eat beef, chicken, fish or tofu? (you need protein in some form)
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