Nutrition And Nutrition

Barry M Popkin, Linda S Adair, Shu Wen Ng; Global nutrition transition and the pandemic of obesity in developing countries. Nutr Rev 2014; 70 (1): 3-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00456.x

According to Healthy People 2020, “The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG) released in 2008, was the first-ever publication of national guidelines for physical activity. The physical activity topics and objectives for Healthy People 2020 reflect the strong state of the science supporting the health benefits of regular physical activity among youth and adults, as identified in the PAG”, (United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], Healthy People 2020, 2016).

The publics idea of health has evolved over the decades, similar to fashion in that it is continuously morphing and even trends have resurrected with new twists. Recent developments have seen widespread awareness of the importance of regular exercise and many benefits of a balanced diet. Yet despite the plethora of health and fitness methods and resources, the general population has never been so physically sedentary and out of shape. According to the national center for health statistics, America life expectancy has declined despite advances in the fitness industry, concerns over secondary conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes has created an urgency of public health officials as they try to mandate new strategies to fight this national epidemic.

Many Americans today do not track their calories or pay attention to what they are eating. As they fail to do so, they also fail to analyze what nutrients, food groups, and physically activity they receive adequately and which they lack. As I have tracked foods and beverages that I have consumed, I have been able to collect data about which food groups/nutrients I consume adequately, where the majority of my calories come from, and how my physical activity compares to that recommended.

Johnny Bowden explains that the American diet does not supply the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for good health (Bowden). Bowden is known to be an expert on weight loss and health. “Vitamin and minerals are essential to life, you can believe it or not, but your body will not function properly without them” (Bowden). If so, is it possible that a healthy diet and certain foods can fight diseases? Eating vitamins, minerals, and nutrition may help fight off certain diseases.

In todays society many individuals from children to adults are becoming less active, more obese, and developing chronic diseases. This issue is not only affecting my community, but my country; under these circumstances it is important to influence countless people to increase their physical activity.

When I first enrolled in this class, I didn’t know what to expect nor I had any. What drew my attention was the course focus around different aspects that mediate food and health. This is important because it is applicable to the work that I will be doing for my field study. I’ve learned a lot and I wished we had more time to process the information because most of the materials were new. When it comes to food and health, there aren’t a lot of discussions and/or classes on the politics behind it. Community 156 has established this foundation for me. I will try to take you through a journey of what stood out the most to me.

Health is a widely used term and every person’s definition of health and being healthy can be vastly different. There are many different ways to achieve good health and to be healthy, but one thing in common that is important no matter what, is nutrition. Nutrition greatly influences our health and can be detrimental in preventing or treating a disease. Prevention is crucial to stay healthy and free of illness and disease and nutrition plays a huge part in this process. Nutrition is important in all stages of life-from pregnancy, birth, toddler, children, teenagers, adults, and the elderly. Pregnancy is arguably one of the most important phase in life, simply because a new human is being created. It is important to start life off right and that can be achieved with proper nutrition.

We are required to obtain certain amount of nutrients from food. Food can simply divide into 2 groups, macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients composition. Both of the groups mentioned do affect the metabolism rate. According to Hulbert and Else, dietary fatty acid will affect the metabolism rate and some of the polyunsaturated fatty acid will increase the metabolism rate (1999). Meanwhile, different kinds of animals have their own unique requirement for macro-nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Moreover, most of the food intake is driven by achieving the required protein intake. Animals on a low protein diet will over eat carbohydrates and fat until the protein requirement has been satisfied. If this case

Nutrition is the science that investigates the relationship between physiological function and the essential elements of the foods we eat. According to Rebecca J. Donatelle, in her book, “My Health,” food provides “the chemicals we need for activity and body maintenance. Our bodies cannot synthesize certain essential nutrients, we must obtain them from the foods we eat.” What we eat becomes our diet, and our diet is crucial to how healthy, we are and how well our body functions; therefore, it is very important to adopt healthy eating habits. Healthy eating habits are essential to create a solid foundation for excellent health. This can be achieved by avoiding and cutting back the excess sugar and processed foods that we eat. All these

Figure 2, was conceptualized on Negin (2005) a rural farming households’ health as primary goal and quantifiable endpoint of food utilization, nutrition and agricultural production as a typical agricultural household in rural Nigeria’s health status is important for their day to day farming activities.

After reading the textbook, I have gained essential knowledge about the important role of physical activities and nutrition. A healthy lifestyle with a well-balanced diet and exercise helps maintain your health. Moreover, it can prevent or improve some of the chronic diseases.

There was a tremendous amount of effort that went in to the process of carrying out my behavior change in a successful manor. I had to rely on sheer dedication, will power and trust in appropriate programing in order to continuously make progress. I have found that there is no substitute for being willing to do little tasks consistently, for these tasks later yield large results. To ensure that I was going to maximize my potential of reaching my goal of gaining 2- 3.5 lbs. of lean body mass, then I was going to need to have a detailed plan from the beginning. In order to provide adequate programing, I decided to seek knowledge from an experienced personal trainer. I did not have to go far as my mother has over 25 years of experience in the fitness world, and specifically personal training. Together we came up with a program that would allow for maximum muscular hypertrophy and strength increase, by carefully delegating the stimulation of training sessions and appropriate recovery. I then evaluated what I was going to need to consume in regards of nutrition. Assessing the appropriate amount of each nutrient was another key factor that I had to evaluate and then enforce into my daily life. Through these implementations there was a clear roadmap that would guide me to the end result I was seeking.

Developing healthy behaviors can lead to a healthier lifestyle, but living a healthier life is an ongoing process. Oftentimes people believe that they have achieved a healthy lifestyle once they have fixed one specific health problem, but this is simply not true. In order to develop and achieve a healthy lifestyle, it is pertinent to devote time creating healthy behaviors that can be maintained over an extended period of time or indefinitely. Moreover, individuals must recognize that their nutrition and physical activity can impact their health. Individuals who participate in regular physical activity will see numerous benefits to not only their short-term health, but also their long-term health. On the other hand, individuals who live a relatively inactive or sedentary lifestyle can see an “increase in the incidence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases” (Hoeger, et al. 3). Furthermore, the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have conducted studies that have found that “almost 80 percent of the latter deaths could be prevented through a healthy lifestyle program” (Hoeger, et al. 3).

All over the world there are many food industries that produce unhealthy foods affecting the health of others. Consuming large portions of fattening foods may lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Maintaining a proper nutrition allows the body to carry out the functions it needs to perform and preserve a vigorous behavior. Nutrition is the process of obtaining food that is beneficial for the growth and health of an organism. Ingesting nourishing food can decrease the chance of chronic diseases, diabetes, strokes or heart attacks. Following healthy eating patterns, maintaining portion sizes, limiting calories per day, and obtaining essential nutrients will help achieve and sustain a healthy body weight. Nutrition is an essential factor for our bodies to stay healthy, and have proper bodily functions to provide ourselves with energy.