|
Written by Better Kidz
|
|
Thursday, 14 December 2006 |
Take a quick look through your cup board and see if you have any iron-fortified foods. Many cereals and other product have added iron. Have you ever wondered what this means? Let's find out what kind of iron is in cereal.
You Will Need
- Clear plastic bowl
- A cereal labeled as containing 100% iron or reduced iron
- Tap water
- Teflon coated bar magnet or a regular bar magnet wrapped in plastic wrap
- Timer
- Helper
What to do
1. Fill the bow with cereal and add enough water to cover the cereal
2. Allow the cereal to become soggy
3. Use the magnet to stir the cereal continually for about half an hour, taking turns with your helper.
4. Check the magnet from time to time.
What Happened
- As you stirred the cereal, small black slivers began to form on the magnet. These tiny slivers, contained in many cereals, are a special form of metal called iron. They are so small they are not normally noticed when the cereal is eaten. However when collected with a magnet they become visible. When you are eat the cereal, the acids in your stomach reach with the iron and change it into a form that can be easily digested. Your body uses the iron to make new blood. If you don't have enough iron in your diet, you could suffer from a medical condition called anemia, which would make you tire easily. Reff: Slly Science, by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone
|
