Examine the characteristics of a healthy diet, and the challenge associated with choosing the right foods.

A healthy diet includes the right amounts of macronutrients and micronutrients. Included in a healthy diet are adequate amounts of water and physical activity. To start, macronutrients are your fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. They are digested and absorbed through the stomach and intestines to be turned into nutrients the body needs. Physical activity helps encourage health and longer lives by strengthening the immune system, strengthening heart muscles and arteries, and lastly, by promoting lean, healthy body composition (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

The challenge that is associated with choosing the right foods can depend upon availability, affordability, and nutritional education. If a person lives where food products are few and far between, possibly more rural areas, then they cannot always choose the right foods if they are not available. In addition, if prices are not affordable many people will opt for cheaper food product which tends to be high-calorie and full of fat. Nutritional education would be the knowledge one has about nutrition (i.e. choosing the right foods) and the fact that if someone has not been educated they are not likely to choose the right foods.

To conclude this blog and part of the final, I would like to discuss my personal choices in the right foods and even the wrong foods because of the education or lack thereof I have received. I guess now I can’t say that I have chosen the wrong foods because of education, rather motivation. Prior to these classes I was unaware of the risk factors associated with nutrition Anyway, I am in my second nutrition class because of my curiosity and concern about my health. Now I have knowledge and fear so to speak which allows me to want to choose the right foods. Plus, you feel better when you eat healthy versus all of that processed food out there.

Erin Christine Dorn

Describe the factors that drive our food choices:

Social - Social factors that lead us to choose foods are pressures of acceptance. In celebration of one’s cultural foods, they may be offered and to refuse brings pressures. These pressures of accepting others heritage or cultural foods can be viewed as rude if declined so people often engage in social eating.

A lot of times socializing with friends, family, or coworkers involves food. Often times we choose to eat alongside others; it’s rather typical. There are also celebrations of rights and customs within different cultures where eating is a main part of the celebration. For instance, I was just at a friend’s wedding and after they made their vows and were pronounced husband and wife we had a buffet style dinner. Another instance, I’ve been to too many funerals but in any case afterwards everyone seems to go out and eat. 

Psychological – Psychological factors that lead us to choose foods are comfort foods, weight, and positive or negative associations. If someone is upset they may start eating familiar foods which causes a release of endorphins, the brain’s pleasure chemicals. The release of endorphins is a gratifying experience and people like to repeat those choices in order to feel good. Then we have a person’s weight, where they may have the mindset that they cannot choose certain foods because they will gain weight. This is a fear of obesity known in the medical world as baryphobia ("Fear of obesity," 2008). Baryphobia tends to lead to eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, thus the result in choice of foods is very little if at all. Now lastly of the psychological factors, people tend to attribute positive or negative associations. A positive may be that which you receive from comfort foods (endorphin release) or a negative may be a bad reaction or allergy from a food. Sometimes we associate these memories when we have the option to choose our food.

Philosophical – Philosophical factors that lead us to choose foods are our values and beliefs (Sizer & Whitney, 2011). According to Sizer & Whitney (2011), they may meet your religious traditions, square with our political views, and honor the environmental ethic. A religious tradition may encompass our choice in abstaining from certain foods. For instance, I believe during Passover, those who engage abstain from eating meat on Fridays, for a period of time.

The last two, where philosophical factors like political views and environmental ethics lead us to choose foods can go hand in hand. There are many celebrities that support vegetarianism or veganism and are against eating meat. There are many non-celebrities that are against eating meat, also.

            

To conclude this blog and part of the final, there are many different approaches as to why a person will choose a certain food. For myself, I have a sweet tooth and this dictates a lot of my choices in foods. It is very hard to live with as sweets are not good in the amounts I eat them. I have switched gears slightly because of psychological factors being my weight and the thoughts that surround my appearance. 

Erin Christine Dorn

Explain the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and discuss the recommendations for meeting those guidelines.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans is developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). If followed the guidelines are meant to promote longer, healthier, and more active lives (Sizer & Whitney, 2011). The Dietary Guide for Americans 2010 recommends the following:

1.      Balancing calories to maintain weight: This area focuses on improving eating habits and participating in physical activity to balance calories and manage healthy body weight (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

2.      Foods and food components to reduce: The next area advises people to reduce their intakes of certain foods and food components such as sodium, saturated and trans fatty acids, cholesterol, solid fats, added sugars, refined grain products, and alcoholic beverages (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

3.      Foods and nutrients to increase: The third area encourages consumers to select a variety of fruits and vegetable, whole grains, and low-fat milk products and protein foods (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

4.      Building healthy eating patterns: The last area helps consumers to build healthy eating patterns that meet nutrient and energy needs while reducing the risk of foodbourne illnesses (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

To conclude this blog and part of the final, I have to say I agree with the guidelines. I have followed them before and I feel they work. The problem is commitment and I failed to commit to a healthy lifestyle. These four recommendations encompass nearly everyone and if followed one decreases the chance of chronic disease.

Erin Christine Dorn

Discuss how fats, proteins, and carbs are digested and absorbed in the body, and describe the benefits from a dietary perspective. What are the good fats, bad fats, etc.? Why is fiber so beneficial?

Fats, proteins, and carbs are chemically digested and absorbed in the body. To do this there are organs that secrete enzymes that break down fats, proteins and carbs. The first place digestion of fats, proteins, and carbs takes place is in the mouth with saliva breaking down carbs as chewing the food takes place. Once the food is swallowed and has entered the stomach, gastric juices which is usually a mixture of water, enzymes, and hydrochloric acid further break down the food (Sizer & Whitney, 2011). Now in the intestine an emulsifier called bile is secreted along with pancreatic juices. Pancreatic juices have the ability to digest fats, proteins, and carbs. Bicarbonate is released in the intestine to neutralize stomach acids. “Digestion by human enzymes and absorption of carbohydrates, fat, and protein are essentially complete by the time the intestinal contents enter the colon (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).”

The benefits from a dietary perspective are that optimal function can be achieved through the digestion and absorption of fats, proteins, and carbs. Along with the digestion, it is important to factor in fiber. Fiber aids in digestion by binding to cholesterol and minerals. It is indigestible but can aid in the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetes.

The ‘good’ fats in a diet are those that are unsaturated, like monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. The ‘bad’ fats are saturated fats and they are full of hydrogen. Hydrogenated oils should be avoided as they are trans-fat which is a type of fat that has hydrogen added to it.

To conclude this blog and part of the final, fats, proteins, and carbs, and even fiber, are all needed for regulatory functions. I have noticed that it’s a balance of the proper of nutrients. From my experience and education, you cannot limit one (fats, proteins, & carbs) to no longer be a part of your diet nor can you overindulge in one or more. Well, you can but as I’ve learned through trial and error that you don’t feel well and everybody thinks you look sick because you are not eating properly or you gain weight because you’re eating way to good (unhealthy). 

Erin Christine Dorn

Describe the role of diet in preventing underweight, overweight, and obesity.

The role of diet in preventing underweight, overweight, and obesity is vast. Everything you do whether it’s the food you ingest, beverages you drink, or what you smoke has an effect on your body. A lot of times the effect for underweight people may be that they do not eat purposely, they have an incredibly high metabolism, they’re sick, or they could be inhaling or ingesting drugs that suppress one’s appetite (I say drugs that are legal and illegal). For overweight people and even obese people, they often overeat, have a slow metabolism, or consume drugs (…again legal or illegal) that increase one’s appetite.

            

To conclude this blog and part of the final, I have gone up and down in weight a couple times. Right now I’m up. I know the role that diet plays and the effects it can have on me personally. If you don’t know by now, I have (not am) bipolar disorder. It’s important that I take my medication, get enough sleep, and eat healthy. The role diet plays in my life is not just in the prevention of underweight, overweight, or obesity, but it’s for my mental state. I have to do my best, and I’m trying, to manage my weight or else depression might set in or worsen. To me, being overweight or obese, not underweight is depressing. Trying on clothes and they don’t fit. That’s my reality now. Two years ago I was wearing a medium size shirt and now I’m in an x-large to 2X. A lot of it had to do with my ex-boyfriend but ultimately I knew/know better and I let my body go. I have been underweight before and I felt beautiful because I could fit into anything and pull it off. I’m 5 foot 4 inches tall and I was about 106 pounds. I loved it BUT I looked sick to everyone else.

Erin Christine Dorn

Discuss the nutritional recommendations across the lifespan – from pregnancy to childhood, and from adolescence to adulthood.

Pregnancy – Women should increase their calories to accommodate their growing babies. Quality and quantity are important but one shouldn’t forget that if you exceed the caloric recommendations you are going to have extra weight to lose and extra weight brings health problems. According to Sizer & Whitney (2011), during the first trimester a woman needs extra energy. An extra 340 calories is needed in the second trimester and an extra 450 calories during the third trimester (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).

Also, an increase in folate and vitamin B12 is necessary because as a baby is a product of reproduction, folate and vitamin B12 are needed for cell reproduction.

Childhood – Children need an average of 850-1000 calories for a 1 year old. This recommendation doubles by around age 10 (Insel, Turner, & Ross, 2007). A vitamin supplement may be needed because young children don’t always want to eat the recommended dietary foods. Also, physical activity should be participated in for more than 60 minutes according to MyPyramid (Insel, Turner, & Ross, 2007). Following these few recommendations can help deter chronic disease which the early signs can be seen in children.

Adolescence – As the onset of puberty takes place adolescents seem to just grow overnight. Vitamin D is important to include in an adolescents diet because it helps with bone growth. Protein intake needs to be increased at this point in time. One might also want to increase vitamin and mineral intake slightly, too.

Adulthood – Most times physical activity decreases so it is necessary to cut back on energy sources. The recommendation for calories decreases because the elderly do not tend to need the same amount of calories that they did at any other point in their life. Obesity can occur so any activity is great.

            To conclude this blog and part of the final, I’m in adulthood but a young adult. My DRI is not the same as an older adult, but I’m not terribly active so I don’t need to load myself with calories. Physical activity I’ve found gets harder with age and weight. Understandably I am dealing with both so I would like to be on a more strict diet than other people my age.

Erin Christine Dorn 

Discuss the connection between nutrition and disease. Be sure to include information on chronic diseases, as well as malnutrition and other leading causes of death.

There are risk factors that attribute to chronic disease because of the nutrition in one’s diet. Nutrition is directly linked to chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. Diets that are found to be high in added sugars, salty and pickled foods, and saturated or trans fats put you at risk. Diets that are also low in fruits, vegetables, and other foods rich in fiber and phytochemicals or diets low in micronutrients are at risk of chronic disease.

There are other risk factors such as age, genetics, tobacco use, stress, sedentary lifestyle, and environmental contaminants (Sizer & Whitney, 2011). The interrelationship among all of these risk factors indicates that nutrition underlies chronic disease, malnutrition, and death. So what are these chronic diseases that we can get from our diet or lack of?

A few of the common chronic diseases are cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis which can lead to heart attack or stroke. An embolism is usually the cause but for it to occur there must be arterial damage, plaques in the arteries, and/or inflammation (Sizer & Whitney, 2011). An embolus, or blood clot travels and when it get stuck in an artery in the heart or brain the result is heart attack or stroke. Another CVD is hypertension which can make atherosclerosis worse and increase your risk for heart attack or stroke.

Next, is the connection between nutrition and cancer. “For the great majority of cancers, lifestyle factors and environmental exposures become the major risk factors (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).” If you are a smoker and I’m not just addressing cigarettes, you are increasing you risk of cancer. Just as well, if you are overweight, eat red meats and fiber-rich foods, and/or consume quite a bit of alcohol you are putting yourself at risk of the disease, cancer.

Lastly is how nutrition has a direct connection to diabetes. Diabetes is a risk factor for CVD and thus can lead to death. A person with diabetes is more likely to speed up the progression of atherosclerosis which leads to the risk of heart attack and stroke.

To conclude this blogs part of the final I wanted to share the effects of nutrition and disease as I’ve seen it recently in my life. It is no longer in my face where I have to worry about my love (my now ex-boyfriend), because the nutrition in his diet is killing him. He is a diabetic, and when I was with him he would have me rub his legs and feet because he couldn’t feel the blood circulating. “In diabetes, atherosclerosis progresses rapidly, blocking blood vessels, and diminishing circulation (Sizer & Whitney, 2011).” Now, according to Sizer & Whitney (2011), when heart disease occurs in conjunction with diabetes, the condition is likely to be severe. In fact, any loss of control of blood glucose, even a transitory one, can be costly in terms of the condition of the arteries. From there, and as I am no doctor I fear for this man as he is at risk of CVD which may result in a heart attack or stroke.

Erin Christine Dorn