Question

youre eating what for breakfast?
focus question: can you separate out iron from breakfast cereal?
background information: foods, like breakfast cereals, give our bodies the matter and energy we need to live. most of the matter in food is made of large carbon compounds called carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. these are all compounds made by living organisms. for example, plants make sugars and therefore are a good source of carbohydrates, while animal tissue is rich in proteins. vitamins and minerals also come from food but are required in much smaller amounts by our bodies.
minerals, like iron and magnesium, are present in the soil and are absorbed by plants through their roots. we obtain minerals by eating plants or animals that have eaten plants. minerals are necessary to carry out many of lifes processes. many minerals that our bodies need are in foods. these minerals are all elements and are therefore listed on the periodic table. look at the nutrition facts label for cheerios cereal (right). find each element present in cheerios and write them below. you may reference a periodic table.
element in cheerios chemical symbol

an example of a necessary mineral found in cereal is iron. iron is a part of the hemoglobin molecule which helps our blood carry oxygen to our body cells. iron also helps our muscles store and use oxygen and is a part of several enzymes that help chemical reactions occur in our cells. when our bodies dont have enough iron, many parts of our bodies are affected.
we get iron by eating a variety of foods, including beans, poultry, red meat, and fortified cereals.

Explanation:

Step1: Read Nutrition Facts label

From the Cheerios Nutrition Facts label, we can identify the elements listed.

Step2: Match elements with chemical symbols

Calcium - Ca; Iron - Fe; Phosphorus - P; Magnesium - Mg; Zinc - Zn; Sodium - Na; Potassium - K; Vitamin A (retinol - not a single - element, but for the purpose of elements in the context, we focus on the mineral elements); Vitamin C (ascorbic acid - not a single - element); Vitamin D (not a single - element); Thiamin (B1 - not a single - element); Riboflavin (B2 - not a single - element); Niacin (not a single - element); Vitamin B6 - not a single - element; Folic Acid - not a single - element; Vitamin B12 - not a single - element. The main elements are:

Element in Cheerios	Chemical Symbol
Iron	Fe
Phosphorus	P
Magnesium	Mg
Zinc	Zn
Sodium	Na
Potassium	K

Answer:

Calcium - Ca, Iron - Fe, Phosphorus - P, Magnesium - Mg, Zinc - Zn, Sodium - Na, Potassium - K