Mathematics 505D

Data Analysis and Probability

Summer 2011

Projects

 

Cereal Nutrition

 

Here is some data about various cereals. The data is a few years old, but we can use it to study the nutrition of breakfast cereals.  Here is some details about the meaning of the data in the columns.

 

Breakfast cereal variables:

á      cereal name

á      manufacturer (A=American Home Food Products, G=General Mills, K=Kelloggs, N=Nabisco, P=Post, Q=Quaker Oats, R=Ralston Purina)

á      Hot/Cold

á      Calories (number per serving)

á      Protein: (grams per serving)

á      Fat: (grams per serving)

á      Sodium: (milligrams per serving)

á      Dietary fiber: (grams per serving)

á      Complex carbohydrates: (grams per serving)

á      Sugars: (grams per serving)

á      Display shelf: (Manufactured suggested display height – 1, 2, or 3, counting from the floor)

á      Potassium: (milligrams per serving)

á      Vitamins & minerals: (0, 25, or 100, Òrespectively indicating 'none addedÕÓ; Òenriched, often to 25% FDA recommendedÓ; Ò100% of FDA recommendedÓ)

á      Weight:  (one serving size in ounces)

á      Cups per serving:  (one serving size)

 

Here are some things to know:

á      Adults should consume between 20 and 35 grams of dietary fiber per day.

á      The recommended daily intake (RDI) for calories is 2200 for women and 2900 for men.

á      Calories come in three food components. There are 9 calories per gram of fat, and 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and protein.

á      Overall, in your diet, no more than 10% of your calories should be consumed from simple carbohydrates (sugars), and no more than 30% should come from fat. The RDI of protein is 50 grams for women and 63 grams for men. The balance of calories should be consumed in the form of complex carbohydrates (starches).

á      The average adult with no defined risk factors or other dietary restrictions should consume between 1800 and 2400 mg of sodium per day.

á      The type and amount of milk added to cereal can make a significant difference in the fat and protein content of breakfast, and thus milk is not considered in the data.

 

Questions:

 

1.    Is there a correlation between calories and Vitamins in these cereals?

2.   Compare the various manufacturers for producing vitamin rich cereals?

3.   Compare the various manufacturers for producing high calorie cereals?

4.   Are hot cereals more healthy than cold?

5.   Are there cereals that are basically the same nutritionally?

6.   Are the recommended suggested display heights related to the sugar content of he cereal.