King8
Courtney King
AP English Language
Kathy Saunders
14 May 2014
Nutrition
Nutrition is arguably one of the most crucial topics that an individual needs to learn in their lifetime. Nutrition not only is about the consumption of certain foods, but about how the stuff that is being consumed affects the body. Nutrition contains many different topics that all incorporate the health or well-being of an individual. Without the understanding of nutrition, no one would know the extreme problems that eating too much or too little could cause. It is important that humans understand the value of nutrition so they can keep their bodies healthy and refrain from anything that could be detrimental to our well-being.
Initially, the study of all the interactions that occur between people and food is nutrition. Understanding which nutrients are needed, where to find them in food, how bodies use them, and the impact they have on health are all key attributes of nutrition. A comprehension of nutritional needs can help select a diet with the right amount of energy and combination of nutrients to keep an individual healthy. When someone eats, they do not just eat individual nutrients, they are eating food. Food provides the body with energy and nutrients. Food also contains other substance such as phytochemicals that are not technically nutrients but they have health-promoting properties (Grosvenor 40).
When someone chooses the right amounts and combinations of food, their diet provides all of the nutrients and other substances they need to stay healthy. We may be missing out on essential nutrients if they are choosing a poor combination of foods. Choosing a diet that provides all essential nutrients can be very hard because most people eat for all of the wrong reasons a lot of the time. In order to get the exact nutrients needed, one must understand what these needs are and how to choose a diet that provides them (Grosvenor 40).
In addition to what nutrients do for the well-being of an individual, nutrients also directly affect the amount of energy they have. Also, incorporated with nutrients are vitamins which help form body structures. For example, the minerals that calcium and phosphorus contain make bones and teeth hard and healthy. Protein forms the structure of muscles and lipids are the major component of body fat. Water is a structural nutrient as well because it plumps up cells, giving them shape. Nutrients can be considered regulators of body functions because all of the processes that occur in bodies from the breakdown of the carbohydrate and fat to provide energy. Using the energy that the nutrients provide, the building of bone and muscle must be regulated in order to allow the body to function normally. Many different nutrients help in maintaining homeostasis in the body; carbs help label proteins that must be removed from the blood, and water helps regulate body temperature. (Grosvenor 42).
A large part of understanding nutrition is also understanding food safety. One main concern of food safety is the Escherichia coli virus otherwise known as E-coli. The E-coli virus is mainly harbored in ground beef, and can have some deadly effects. In 2004 there was an outbreak of the E-coli virus that killed 4 children. There are laws that state companies cannot sell any product that is infected with the E-coli virus. Several agencies are responsible for creating and maintaining regulations that deal with food safety (Smith 12).
One of the agencies that assist in regulating food safety is the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). The FDA was implemented into our government to regulate the industries that could potentially cause health problems if not dealed with properly. Another agency that contributes to the food safety field is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA. The USDA is responsible for overseeing about twenty percent of our food supply that is meat, poultry, or eggs. The USDA works to make sure these products are safe and packaged correctly. Considerably one of the most important agencies for food safety would be the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC. The CDC is responsible for monitoring heath and diseases. The CDC uses prevention strategies that are based on sound scientific evidence and also monitor ongoing health problems. To help ensure that the nation is safe when we ingest medications and food, the CDC develops public health policies and promotes healthy behaviors. Also, the CDC provides their expertise to local health agencies and has emergency teams ready to go into the field in cases of major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses (Smith 28).
Using the information that is already obtainted, it is evident that the energy your body exerts and the level of performance a body is reaching are directly related to the types of food someone is consuming. Food is a direct reflection of nutrition and an individual’s health depends on the types of food they are consuming and how much they are consuming of that food. An adequate diet can make someone feel better than 100% (Orlandi 12). In society nowadays, body image is very important. One way to obtain an ideal body image is eating healthy. In this case, looks do matter, because there are a reflection of a healthy lifestyle and a healthy self-image (Orlandi 20). Although a healthy look is important, there is such a thing as being too thin. Becoming too thin as a result of an eating disorder is very dangerous. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that causes an individual to lose their appetite. Anorexic people tend to lose so much weight that it is obvious that they look and feel bad. Bulimia is another closely related eating disorder. Bulimic people are afraid of being obese, which will bring these people to binge eating so they can make themselves throw up or take a laxative to rid their body of all of the food they just consumed. Bulimia is a little harder to recognize than anorexia. People that are bulimic are often a normal weight or slightly above, so it’s hard to decipher if they have a disorder or not (Orlandi 24).
The human body has necessary things it needs to prosper, and when one deprives their body from those nutrients they may be more apt to eating disorders. Throughout the day one should consume all of the necessary factors to keep their body healthy. Calories and strong nutrients are factors that will ensure someone is keeping their body healthy. The measure of Calories in a given food source helps determine the amount of potential energy that the food source contains. Every movement the human body makes such as sneezing, blinking, walking, and even chewing require Calories to occur (Ford 42). The keys of nutrition happen to be carbohydrates, fats, and proteins which all supply Calories to the body. Forty-five to sixty-five percent of all the Calories that are consumed in a day should be from carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are the healthiest carbohydrates that one can eat. Complex carbohydrates come from whole-grain foods such as wheat bread, long-grain brown rice, oatmeal, vegetables, and fruits (Ford 48). Complex Carbohydrates take a while for the body to break down and therefore supply the body with a sustainable and longer lasting source of energy (Ford 52).
When there is something that is positive there always has to be a counteractive negative. In this case, simple carbohydrates are the more harmful type of carbohydrates. These simple carbohydrates are found in sugar and highly refined grain products like white bread or white rice. Simple carbohydrates should be a small portion of the carbohydrates someone intakes. Instead of being broken down slowly like complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates break down all at once and flood the body with sugar (Ford 52).
Fats are the next key nutrient in keeping the body healthy. Fats have a bad reputation, but the reality is fats are essential part of the well-being of the body. Only twenty to thirty-five percent of Calories should come from fats. There are 3 types of fats should be concerned about; unsaturated, saturated, and trans fat. Unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil or vegetable oil. Saturated fats are solids at room temperature such as butter. Trans fats are unsaturated fats that have undergone a chemical process called hydrogenation to make them solids at room temperature. Margarine and vegetable shortening are the most common seen trans fats (Ford 53). The thing you have to be careful about with fats, is cholesterol. The body already produces cholesterol so when one ingests more, they are putting yourself at risk to have high cholesterol (Ford 55).
The last, but not least, factor to nutrition is protein. Protein should be ten to thirty-five percent of daily Calories. Protein is used to build and repair muscles and other bodily tissues. Meat is often marketed as the most important type of protein but an individual can obtain protein from other sources such as grains, nuts, legumes, and even fruits and vegetables. Meat, dairy, and eggs are complete forms of protein. When meat is a person’s main source of protein, they add a lot of fat and Calories to their diet (Ford 57).
After the body intakes all of the necessary factors of nutrients, the bodies have to absorb it. For our bodies to absorb the nourishment from the nutrients that are being consumed, the body must digest the food. Digestion breaks food down into small molecules and absorption brings these substances into the body where they are then distributed into the cells. Once nutrients are inside the body’s cells, carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins are involved in chemical reactions that allow them to be used for energy. Metabolism is the term we used to represent the sum of the chemical reactions that occur inside body cells. The reactions of a metabolism break down lipids, carbs, and proteins to yield energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate or ATP. ATP is a molecule that is used by cells as an energy source to do work such as contract muscles, synthesize new body tissue, or pump blood (Smolin 6).
Choosing healthy foods as alternative to unhealthy foods will benefit an individual very much in the digestion process and in the long run. One way to make sure the foods that are being consumed are healthy, is to understand food labels. Food labels are a tool designed to help consumers make healthy food choices. They provide information about the nutrient composition of certain foods and how they fit into the recommendations for a healthy diet. All packaged foods should contain a standard nutrition label. Everyone should read the nutrition facts label and cautiously consume the product. When the nutrition facts label is being read, the reader will slowly see themselves integrating the right foods into their lifestyle (Smolin 17).
Another dietary guideline, alongside of the nutrition facts label, that is most commonly accessed and referred to is the Food Pyramid. The USDA created the food pyramid to display how much of each type of food to consume each day. The basic four food groups are displayed in the pyramid, two for plant based foods and two for animal based foods. The sizes of the squares that these categories are placed in represent the amount of that type of food that a person should consume. One part of the food pyramid that is not shown is exercise. Exercise is very important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and should be incorporated into the daily life of everyone (Campbell).
To maintain a healthy body weight one should not only consume food that is healthy for them, they should also control how much they eat of it. Portion control is an important concept when trying to lose weight and keep a healthy body style. But memorizing a food lists and carrying around measuring cups is not needed to get a better handle on serving sizes. Instead someone should use common visual cues to remind themselves of appropriate serving sizes. Many foods match up to everyday objects. For example, a medium pepper is about the size of a baseball and equals one vegetable serving. While not all foods perfectly match visual cues, this method can help better judge serving sizes and practice portion control, which may help with weight loss. If you think the servings seem small, don't panic. Remember that it is okay to eat multiple servings every day from each food group. A 2.5-ounce piece of cooked skinless chicken is about the same size as two-thirds of a deck of cards and equals one protein/dairy serving, or about 110 calories. The same is true for a 2-ounce patty of cooked lean hamburger, which equals one serving and has about 110 calories. Two teaspoons of regular mayonnaise are about the same size as two dice and equal one fat serving, or about 45 calories. Half a cup of whole-grain cooked pasta is about the same size as a hockey puck and equals one carbohydrate serving, or about 70 calories. If pasta isn't appealing, picture brown rice instead. You can have 1/3 cup of cooked brown rice for 70 calories. One small apple is about the same size as a tennis ball and equals one fruit serving, or about 60 calories. The same is true for a medium orange, which is also the size of a tennis ball and about 60 calories. Half a cup of cooked carrots is about the same as half a baseball and equals one vegetable serving, or about 25 calories. You can eat even more raw leafy vegetables. Two cups of spinach — think of two baseballs — are about 25 calories. One and a half to 2 ounces of low-fat hard cheddar cheese are about the same size as three to four dice and equal one protein/dairy serving, or about 110 calories. (Clinic)
When an individual is using portion control they are practicing good eating habits. Eating habits refers to what food someone eats, how they eat it and why they eat it. Eating habits are influenced by social, cultural, religious, economic and environmental factors. Basically, all people eat to stay alive, but they also eat to show belonging to family or other social groups. Eating habits are linked to acceptable patterns of behavior, known as table manners or etiquette, which differs across cultures. In some countries it is rude to drink straight from the bottle and repulsive to chew and talk with open mouth, in others eating with bare hands and from communal plates is normal. Eating modes also depend on whether the food is served on formal, informal or special occasions. Meals are structured combinations of food items served at a definite time throughout the day. The general eating pattern is three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) a day with snacks between meals. However, healthy eating includes five to six small meals rationed throughout the day helping reduce overeating and burn more calories. Practicing good eating habits will eventually be evident in the outward appearance of an individual.