Section A — Coach Food — Making Real Choices
This section covers Chapter 3, Lessons 3.1 through 3.4.
Part A — Vocabulary (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is:
A) The total calories burned in a hard workout B) The calories your body uses at complete rest to maintain basic life functions — breathing, heart, brain, organs, body temperature C) The number of calories in a serving D) A type of vitamin
2. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is:
A) The same as BMR B) The total calories your body uses in a day — BMR plus activity plus digestion plus everything else C) The number on a food label D) A type of medication
3. An activity factor multiplier is:
A) A coupon at the gym B) A number multiplied by BMR to estimate total daily calories based on how active a person is (sedentary, light, moderate, heavy, very heavy) C) Always exactly 2.0 D) The same as a calorie
4. Energy balance is:
A) The relationship between calories in (food) and calories out (BMR + activity + everything else) — the picture that determines whether the body is in surplus, deficit, or maintenance B) Always at zero C) The same as a recipe D) A type of metabolism disease
5. Energy surplus means:
A) Calories in less than calories out B) Calories in greater than calories out — over time, the body tends to store the excess C) The same as zero balance D) An exercise term
6. Energy deficit means:
A) Calories in greater than calories out B) Calories in less than calories out — over time, the body draws from stored reserves C) The same as balance D) Always healthy
7. Metabolic adaptation is:
A) Your body's tendency to adjust its energy use in response to changes in food intake — eating less for a long time tends to slow BMR B) Eating more food forever C) A type of vitamin D) The same as metabolism failure
8. A growth spurt in adolescence is:
A) A myth B) A period when growth and development are especially active — energy needs rise to support building new tissue C) Only present in babies D) Always over by age 10
9. Ultra-processed food is:
A) Any food that is cooked B) Food that has been heavily transformed from its original form using industrial processing — often engineered to be highly palatable, calorie-dense, and easy to eat in large amounts C) Only food sold at certain stores D) A type of organic produce
10. Satiety signals are:
A) Always wrong B) The body's signals that you have eaten enough — hormone signals, stomach stretch, food texture and protein content, and other inputs C) The same as hunger signals D) Only present in adults
Part B — Concept Comprehension (20 points, 2 points each)
Select the best answer for each question.
11. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is used to:
A) Measure the size of a calorie B) Estimate BMR using weight (kg), height (cm), age, and a sex-based offset C) Calculate vitamins D) Predict heart rate
12. Once you have an estimated BMR, you calculate TDEE by:
A) Multiplying BMR by an activity factor (sedentary ~1.2; light ~1.375; moderate ~1.55; heavy ~1.725; very heavy ~1.9) B) Adding 100 calories C) Subtracting 500 calories D) Doing nothing
13. For a growing middle schooler, TDEE estimates are:
A) Always exactly correct B) Useful estimates but not exact — growth needs, activity variation, and individual metabolism mean real numbers vary C) Useless because of growth D) Best ignored
14. Ultra-processed foods are designed to be:
A) Difficult to eat large amounts of B) Highly palatable, calorie-dense, and easy to override fullness signals — engineered to drive repeat purchase and continued eating C) Always nutritious D) Only sold to adults
15. A small daily energy surplus over many months tends to result in:
A) Faster running B) Accumulated body fat over time, all else being equal C) Better sleep D) Nothing at all
16. A small daily energy deficit in a growing adolescent is:
A) Always healthy and desirable B) A real concern — growing bodies need adequate fuel for growth, brain development, hormones, immune function, and activity; chronic deficits can affect growth and development C) Always healthy D) Only an adult concern
17. Whole-food meals tend to:
A) Be more difficult to overeat than ultra-processed equivalents, because of fiber, water, protein density, and intact food structure B) Always taste worse C) Have fewer nutrients per calorie D) Be more expensive in every situation
18. Coach Food at Grade 8 teaches BMR and TDEE math as:
A) A tool for surveillance B) A life skill — the same way math class teaches algebra — to help you understand your own body and make informed choices, never as a target for restriction or a measure of your worth C) Required workouts D) A diet plan
19. If a friend tells you they are eating very little to "be healthier" and you notice they are also fatigued, withdrawn, and growing more anxious about food, this is:
A) None of your business B) A real concern worth raising with a trusted adult, school counselor, or healthcare provider — these can be early signs that need attention C) Always normal D) Just a phase
20. Coach Food's main message at Grade 8 is:
A) Track every calorie always B) Energy balance is a real biological picture; understanding it gives you knowledge and choice — without making food into surveillance or self-judgment C) Avoid all food D) Eat as much as possible
Part C — Application (30 points, 6 points each)
Write 3-5 complete sentences for each question. Show your reasoning where math applies.
21. Estimate the BMR of a 13-year-old male, 50 kg, 160 cm tall, using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5. Show your math.
22. Take your answer from Q21. If the same student is moderately active (activity factor ~1.55), estimate their TDEE. Show your math. What does this number represent?
23. Explain why ultra-processed foods are especially good at producing energy surplus over time. Use the words palatability and fullness signals in your answer.
24. Explain why a sustained energy deficit in a growing 13-year-old is a real concern — different from the same deficit in an adult. Use the words growth and development in your answer.
25. Vigilance recognition. A classmate has been cutting more and more calories, exercising compulsively, weighing themselves multiple times a day, and avoiding meals with friends. What do you do? What resources should you know about? (Note: National Alliance for Eating Disorders 866-662-1235; 988 for immediate crisis. NEDA helpline 1-800-931-2237 is no longer functional and is not the right resource.)
Continue to Section B — Coach Brain.