As I Stated in my introduction, as fitness professional I
know the importance of consuming a healthy diet. I also know that to achieved
optimal physical wellness, physical activity and proper nutrition will have to
go hand in hand (Anspaugh et al 2011). . Ever since studying the dimension of
wellness, and their interconnectedness with one another, I have been quite
surprised to discover however some simple lifestyle choices could affect multiple
dimensions of wellness (Barwais et al 2014). Poor diet is a lifestyle habit
that affects overall health immediately or in the long run (Sizer & Whitney
2013), I try to avoid long-term consequences by eating nutrition-dense meals.
My dietary strengths include the consumption of good
carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fatty acids and fiber-rich
foods. I truly believe that the body craves what it is fed, and I have always
loved fruits and vegetables, I am not one of those who have an aversion to
produce and had to force myself to eat them. I love to snack on fruits, and I
love to eat raw or oven roasted vegetable as a side to almost every meal. I
also enjoy whole grains as a staple at least once a day; again I love the
texture of whole grain breads, pasta, and oatmeal and often use whole-wheat
flour in my baking. I absolutely love lean meats like chicken, and salmon and
tilapia. I try to eat one on these at least once a day, and especially salmon
at least once a week. The perfect quick meal I often prepare for myself is
‘Pan-Seared Salmon and Roasted vegetables’; I also love to add nuts and
avocados to my salads.
My dietary weaknesses include snacking at inappropriate
times on not so healthy foods. I have a sweet tooth and often cannot avoid the
temptation of cake and since I bake often for my family it is difficult to
avoid. I also don’t drink enough water, I drink water before, during and after
each workout, and however I would drink homemade sweet tea and lemonade with
most meals. While I try to prepare all my meals with very little oil, I have a
penchant for adding butter to staples like steamed rice and vegetables; I also
often enjoy a few slices of whole wheat bread with butter spread on it.
I have already slowly started making changes to my dietary
plan to help me consume healthier meals and meet recommended dietary guidelines.
I started going to bed earlier to prevent the ‘midnight snacking’, what ever I
can’t get done before 9pm will have to wait till the next day. I also started
to offer my family more fruits and fruit and vegetable smoothies as a healthier
sweet treat alternative and have temporarily stopped baking sweets. I also
reduced the amount of sugar I put in homemade sweet tea and lemonade, I have
also limited my kids and I to one cup a day, after which we must drink water
when thirsty and with remaining meals.I
also reduce the amount of butter I put in foods, and I only prepare meals with
butter once a week. I am also opting for peanut butter sandwiches as a snack as
opposed to bread and butter.
Another strategy that not only keeps me from over-indulging
but helps me meet guidelines is an app on my phone called MyFitnesspal, I find
that when I see the calorie content of what I’m about to eat I am more likely
to consume more nutrition-dense foods than calorie-dense foods.
References:
Anspaugh, D. J., Hamrik, M. H., & Rosato, F. D. (2011).
Wellness concepts and
Applications. (8th
ed.). New York: NY, McGraw-Hill Higher Education
Barwais, F.A., Cuddihy, T.F., & Tomson, L. (2014). Adult
Total Wellness: Group Differences Based on Sitting Time and Physical Activity
Level. BMC Public Health, 14 (1), 1-15
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition:
Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
As stated in a previous post, every living thing needs
energy via nutrients to survive, even the most seemingly inanimate organisms
like plant require the nutrient they get from sunlight, water and soil to
survive and even thrive. Humans being, the most advanced of living organisms
are no different. In fact, the proper nourishment of humans is a bit more
sophisticated than just consuming any food.
Individuals require
all necessary nutrients, the Macros or energy yielding nutrients Carbohydrates,
Proteins and fats, in specific recommended amount to nourish the body. In
addition the micronutrients vitamins and minerals are just as vital for their
supporting and protective properties. These nutritional recommendations begin
before birth, even sometimes before conception.
Ayurveda a 4000 year old healing practice from India
(Spector 2013, has a belief that all people should hold dear. To understand
this belief it is important to understand that Ayurvedic medicine at its core
belief is one of preventative medicine rather that disease cure. And Ayurvedic practitioners
prescribe proper nutrition and physical activity to their patients either to
maintain and protect health, or the restoration of health. Basic Ayurvedic
health beliefs involve the ‘prakriti’, which is responsible for the
constitution of a person's physical and psychological characteristics (Spector
2013). Each prakriti consist of three ‘doshas’, which control the activities of
the body, and the combinations of doshas are passed down from mother to child
through the mother’s diet during pregnancy (Spector 2013). Though some of the
beliefs may be pure superstition, Ayurveda believes that a mother’s diet during
pregnancy can either protect the child from illness throughout it’s life, or
make it more susceptible to some chronic diseases throughout it’s lifetime
(Spector 2013). This makes a pregnant woman’s diet not just important for her
health, but that of her unborn child as well.
Pregnancy: prior to conception a woman has to make sure her
body is healthy enough to host a healthy child, and she begin to prepare it for
this by eating nutritious foods, losing weight if overweight and gaining some
if over weight (Sizer & Whitney 2013). While I am highly doubtful that any
particular food or supplement will make a woman more likely to get pregnant,
there is however no doubt that a healthy body increases the chances of a
healthy pregnancy, and a healthy child. Pregnant women require a host of
nutrients to nourish themselves as well as their babies; baby gets first dibs
on nutrients and will leave the mother deficient of certain nutrients if enough
of them are not consumed.
In the first trimester of pregnancy a healthy woman has no
need for extra nutrients, however in the second and third trimester as the
fetus grows, the mother will need more nutrient through food and sometimes
supplements to properly nourish them both (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Because
pregnant women need more energy in the later months of their pregnancy, 340 –
450 in the second and third trimester respectively, most increase their intake
of energy-yielding nutrients in those months (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Some
vitamins and minerals famous for their cell production capabilities and
skeletal building are also in special demand during pregnancy. Folate, vitamins
B12, D, calcium, iron and Zinc are all special requirement for pregnant women;
these vitamins are responsible for aiding fetal needs for a healthy baby, while
maintaining a healthy mother.
Infancy: After the birth of their children most women have
to decide whether to nurse or feed the baby formula. Some women are not able to
breastfeed and as such infant formula is necessary for the child. Newborn
infant require no nutrients but those afforded them through breast milk (or
formula, in addition breast milk also boosts the newborn’s immune system by the
passing of antibodies from mother to infant through breast milk (Sizer &
Whitney). At around four to six months some babies are ready to begin to try
solid foods (more like mashed up food), although their diet still consists
mostly of infant milk. At this age infants require more foods that a
nutrient-rich in iron and vitamin c, and should not be fed cow’s milk until
after 12 months of age as they cannot digest it yet before that time (Sizer
& Whitney 2013).
Childhood: the amount a child needs of some nutrient
is based on a few factors, including their age and activity levels. Children
also need to be taught and influenced from a young age the right food choices
to makes, as proper nutrition breed proper brain function (Sizer & Whitney
2013). As prior mentioned children of different ages need different amounts of
nutrients, based on the calorie amounts they need; “a 1-year-old child needs
about 800 calories a day; at age 6, the child’s needs double to about 1,600
daily calories. By age 10, about 1,800 calories a day support normal growth and
activity without causing excess storage of body fat. As children age, the total
number of calories needed increases”. (Sizer & Whitney 2013. p 555). At all
stages of life all human beings require all essential nutrients, and such is
the case in childhood, however the growing prevalence makes iron a necessary
mineral to make sure that all children get, particularly toddlers (Sizer &
Whitney 2013). Based on their calorie needs, children need to consume, 1-2 cups
each of fruit and vegetables, 3-6oz of grains, 2-5 oz. of meats, 2-3 cups of
low-fat milk and 3-5tsp; guardians should also ensure that children consume
more dark green, orange vegetables as well as legumes and complex starches
(Sizer & Whitney 2013). The growing prevalence of malnourishment and
childhood obesity makes breeding healthy food choice habits from a young age of
great importance.
Family meals encourage children to eat healthier meals.
Adolescence: by the time most children reach the age
of adolescence, their eating habits are almost always already established, and
the busy lives most adolescents see to have make making healthy food choices a
challenge. Just like in childhood age and physical activity level plays a role
in the amount of each nutrients adolescents need, due to puberty the gender is
another factor that play an important role in nutrient amounts. The need for
all nutrients is of great importance during adolescence particularly some
vitamins and minerals (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Iron is of great importance
at this time as it is needed for body mass gain, and girls also begin
menstruation at this time (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Calcium and vitamin D are
also very important as bone development is crucial at this time as well (Sizer
& Whitney 2013). Again the importance of establishing healthy eating habits
are crucial at this age, because most adolescents carry on their eating habits
into adulthood.
Adulthood or the later years according to the
required text seems to be what we have been learning about throughout the
course. Although lifespan has increased significantly today as opposed to days
past, there is also a increase in what might be described as elderly diseases,
mostly chronic diseases (Anspaugh et al 2011). The high prevalence of chronic
disease in adults, and the elderly makes it seem as though the credit for
longevity is not on proper nutrition choices throughout the years, but rather
the increased effectiveness of medical science on disease cure an/or
management.As stated in the required
text, the foods eaten today can and will eventually become a part of the
person, in the present time or in future years. While most eating patterns are
established in childhood and are difficult to break, as mentioned by Dr. Ornish
in his TEDTalks, the body can heal itself if it begins to receive the proper
nutrients needed (Ornish 2004). In their later years as other years, physical
activity levels play a large role in the amount of energy-yielding nutrients
consumed. The physical activity of elderly people is usually lower than the
rest of the general population, due to a number of factors, and as such they
need not consume a large amount of calories, via energy-yielding nutrient like
fat. However protein needs for the elderly remain the same for the elderly as
for young adult, because proteins provide a number of other functions, like
musculoskeletal regeneration, beyond yielding energy (Sizer & Whitney
2013). In addition a continued diet consisting of whole grains, produces a good
amount of energy, as well as adequate nourishment to maintain good brain
function (Perhaps this is why the elderly seem wiser J) (Sizer & Whitney
2013). The importance of incorporating a number of vitamins into their diet is
also of great importance to the aging public. Vitamins A, due to it’s benefits
in bone growth, immune health and healthy vision is a necessary vitamin for the
later years; however because it’s absorption seems to increase with age, a
reduction has been recommended. In contrast an increase in vitamins D, B12, E
and other antioxidants are recommended for the elderly due to their obvious
benefits in bone, skin, immune and eye health (Sizer & Whitney 2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies does
imply that those individuals who have practiced healthy lifestyles, including a
healthy diet most of their lives will also be healthier in their later years,
and those steadily consuming a healthy diet will have no need for supplements
to meet their nutritional needs (Sizer & Whitney 2013).
Finally, nutrition while it is a necessary
requirement for all human beings is also a habit, because food choices are a
habit. These habits have to be established from a young age, in fact it is
suggested to parents to offer vegetables to their children as their first solid
foods, lest they acquire a taste for sweeter fruits and reject the vegetables
(Sizer & Whitney 2013). These food habits once established will be carried
on into adulthood, and as we have learned throughout this course, the unhealthy
food choices eventually manifest themselves in the form of several chronic
diseases
Here is an interesting video on good nutrition and lifestyle habit throughout lifespan.
References:
Anspaugh, D. J., Hamrik, M. H., & Rosato, F. D. (2011).
Wellness concepts and
Applications. (8th ed.). New York: NY, McGraw-Hill Higher
Education
Micozzi, M.S. (2010). Fundamentals
of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (4th Edition) St. Louis,
MO: Saunders Elsevier.
TEDTalks
(Producer). (2008) Dean Ornish: Healing and other natural wonders [Video
file]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand database
Sizer, F. & Whitney, E.
(2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.).
Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Spector, R.E. (2009). Cultural
Diversity in Health and Illness (7th ed) Pearson Education Inc.,
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
