In my family on my mothers side there is diabetes but I am not sure which one it is. My grandma has bad vision, obesity, poor health, and needs to inject insulin. I also have struggled with my own A1C and have been considered having pre diabetes. I wonder if it is the same what I am struggling with and what my grandma has. I read that Type 2 diabetes is stemming from not having a nutritious diet and there are symptoms such as being thirsty, weight loss, and or urinary incontinence.
I worked in Ravenswood Health Network in East Palo Alto as an intern. We were in the enhanced care management which dealt with severely sick individuals. The program was funded to reduce the extreme costs of these cases from having to attend care in the ER as it was extremely expensive. It is insane to me how the government is spending 1000x more the care of a disease instead of having more programs or “focus groups” to find a way to promote or healthy eating and companies to make more healthy choices instead of these ultra processed foods at every corner.
I never previously had thought that obesity was a “health problem” but now and after reading this article it is astonishing how extremely important a full rounded diet is and that lack of creates extreme harm to the person. It is considered as the number one health issue that many people face on a daily basis.
One of the main things in this chapter that I learned is that nutrition is a sum of processes that involve how nutrients are absorbed, metabolized and how they support your body. Before reading this chapter I thought nutrition was just food you put in your body whether it is healthy or not.
The second thing that I learned is that we have come a long way about understanding how our gut works. One example was the H. pylori problem. The first cure that doctors came up with was a hit or miss and did not help many patients with this issue. I think it is important to find something that works instead of doing what everyone else is doing. It took a long time for others to start listening about how the cure could be antibiotics.
The third thing that I learned reading this chapter is that being healthy is not about looking healthy but being so within. This means we must be healthy physically, mentally and socially. I think that not being healthy in any of those three categories can have a domino effect in your body. If any of them are not up to par with the other two it can be a challenge to lead a true healthy lifestyle. If there were two out of the three missing then it would be even more challenging to have that healthy lifestyle. Another thing that affects being healthy is the environment you live in.
Observation 1: Importance of a Balanced Diet
In 2011, the U.S. government introduced "Choose MyPlate," a tool aimed at promoting healthier eating. This tool guides people on choosing proper foods from the five main food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and proteins. "Choose MyPlate" is designed to help Americans easily understand and follow healthy eating guidelines. It emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet, which includes a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Eating a mix of these foods ensures that our bodies get the essential nutrients needed to function well.
Observation 2: Important of maintain healthy weight
A 2008 study in the journal Obesity predicted that if current habits don't change, all Americans will be overweight or obese by 2048. This highlight indicating require for healthy eating habits and more physical activity. Strong public health policies and lifestyle changes are required to prevent these issues. The 2010 dietary guidelines highlighted obesity as a major health concern and promoted prevention to avoid complications from obesity, emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Observation 3: Important of nutrition and mineral intake
I learned that nutritional needs related with a person’s health. Adolescents need more calcium for bone growth, also older adults especially women over fifty-one who are menopause, need more calcium due to hormonal changes cause bone deterioration. Pregnant women require more protein and vitamins like folate for fetal development and to prevent defects. The USDA provides dietary guidelines for different life stages, and eating plenty of vegetables and fruits can slow aging and reduce disease risk. This underlines the importance of adapting our diet to our physiological needs at each life stage for health and longevity.
Throughout this chapter, it was very interesting to learn about the many topics that were covered, like the nutrients that are essential for our bodies and the section about the types of scientific studies. It's nice to see a lot of information that were discussed in my other courses being brought up again because it shows how each course kind of build off of each other.
While reading, something that caught my eye was the section about vitamin deficiency and what diseases it could possibly cause. Deficiency in niacin causes pellagra and deficiency in Vitamin C causes scurvy. It's fascinating to know that the Flintstone vitamins that my mom would give me growing up actually had a purpose. Vitamins help produce red blood cells, plays a role in vision, synthesizes bone tissue, etc. As a person that doesn't really pay attention to vitamin intake, it was an eye-opener to read.
Another part of the chapter that got my attention was the experiment with the pregnant mice and the different diets (one containing certain nutrients like vitamin b12 and betaine and the other not containing these nutrients). What was found was that the baby mice from the mother fed with the supplemented diet were healthy and brown, while the mother without the nutrients gave birth to mice that were unhealthy, fat, and yellow. This goes to show that even the things our mother ate during pregnancy had an effect on our gene expression and even our health.
A question I had during this chapter was: How is sleep apnea linked to an increased risk of chronic disease? I ask this because my mom dealt with sleep apnea for many years before she passed away, but now I wonder if that was one underlying factor that contributed to her passing.
After reading Chapter 1, there was one sentence that stood out to me on page 16. It says, “CDC reports that the federal government spends one thousand times more to treat disease than to prevent it”. I wonder why that is, given that if we’re spending money on treating the disease we should have enough money to provide resources, specifically the communities where there is a lack of nutrition knowledge.
One observation that was made was that 100 percent of Americans would be over weight by 2048! 2048 is not too far out and it sounds scary to think that the whole population would lack resources. Now is the time to act and implement resources worldwide.
I knew before reading Nutrition and You, that water is essential, however I realize that not many people drink the essential amount of water their body needs. How healthy or unhealthy is that?
- I learned that nutrition had multiple facets to it. It was interesting that there are different aspects of nutritions like in sociology and sustainability. I had no idea that there were that many different aspects to nutrition. I looked it up and it was clarifying that it meant socioeconomic aspects along with cultural/social aspects as well.
- How do you study the sociological aspect of nutrition? Like how do you study how a social group has different nutrition than another group?
- It was really interesting that nutrition was connected to sleep. I thought that the fact that insufficient sleep increases risk of heart problems, obesity and depression.
1. A description is that macronutrients fuel the human body for basic and daily functions by converting its chemical bonds into cellular energy for work. Work can be defined as the energy required for our bodies to maintain ourselves and move around. Examples of macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and water.
2. Something that I observed is how important vitamins are for our health as they play roles in our vision, nervous system, and immune system, and even make red blood cells. A lack of vitamins can cause fatal issues because they can work to prevent disorders or diseases within the body.
3. Another observation is the impact of lifestyle on health and nutrition. Depending on a person's job or resources can dictate their amount of physical activity and what kind of food they intake. Living a busy life can lead to processed or convenient foods which can be unhealthy.
1. Could nutrigenomics become a standard in healthcare? For example, during "well-check" visits with children as they grow in age and at annual physicals as adults. Similar to how vital signs and labs are routine and standard to health care, can nutrigenomics be taken into consideration to help individuals work towards optimizing their health throughout their lives.
2. The thought of our mother's, and many generations before her contributing to our genome based on their diet while they were pregnant is fascinating. During pregnancy, I understood that my diet would contribute to my child's development in the womb, but to understand that it goes beyond that as a contributing factor to their health throughout their lives is something that I learned after reading this chapter. I feel there should be more education to mother's at child bearing age and during pregnancy to really highlight the effects of their dietary choices.
3. Diet is truly effected by socioeconomics. We may think that it is easy to "make the right decisions," but the quality of foods and the choices we make are greatly determined based on income. A family with less income is more likely to buy more affordable options that can last longer like frozen and processed foods vs. a family with a higher income can afford to buy more fresh foods more often, not necessarily having to keep in mind how long the foods may last, if they can stay fresh, etc.
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word “nutrition” is an individual’s choice of diet because I closely related the idea of health to a person’s physical health. I always believed that diet was the main influence and concept of general health, but according to the lectures and readings, nutrition is much bigger, that it influences a person’s overall health not just physically, but mentally and socially. Nutrients are composed of 6 components: carbohydrates, protein, fat, water, vitamins, and water and are most wanted to be obtained from your diet. According to the lecture, those that are obtained from the diet are essential nutrients rather than nonessential. With the component of protein, I was glad to hear that it is known as the “workhouse” of life, as I try to focus on my own protein intake because of my participation in exercise. Protein provides structure not only to your muscles, but also to your skin and bones. I can concur that protein plays a big role in my energy function. As I said before, I always assumed that an individual’s diet was the only influence that affects a person’s health, but as your environment affects your lifestyle, it essentially affects your nutrition as well. One aspect of their environment would be their socioeconomic status which plays into their income and overall place in society. This affect’s one’s nutrition because of their possible lack of availability towards quality food. The focus should not only be on the amount of food, but the quality of food you are eating, meaning to focus on meals that are “nutrient-dense.” An observation that concerned me was the report that the federal government is spending more money and resources to treat disease than to prevent the disease initially. With obesity being identified as the top nutritional-related health problem in the U.S., spending money on the prevention of these diseases would be more effective and better for change. Based on these descriptions and observations, there are many factors that affect a person’s nutrition which will essentially affect their general health.
After reading this chapter three concepts stood out to me the most. Firstly the importance of doing research about specifics on a nutritional research project. Although there are multiple different types of scientific studies that experimenters are able to conduct to hopefully have scientific breakthroughs like epidemiological studies, interventional clinical trials, or randomized clinical interventional trials, the chapter emphasizes the importance of reading the fine print. The study of nutrition is an evolving science where there is a lot of good and bad being done. Some people and especially big companies have been seen to try to exploit science for financial gain. For example pharmaceutical companies funding research projects to find beneficial conclusions about a drug to promote certain medications that truely might not be optimal to the public's health. Because of this it is important to understand who a study is funded by and under what constraints it is being conducted. This will lead to less pseudoscience and misinformation being spread.
Secondly, the issue of obesity and unhealthy eating was intriguing because of its current and unchanging effects in the US. It was shocking to hear that unhealthy eating, obesity, and other food related diseases is one of the leading causes of death for Americans. Because of this there is a need to push for preventative measures such as eating a balanced diet, exercising, and more knowledge of this problem, which have seen to be much more cost effective and constructive compared to treating an previously existing issue. This concept made me wonder if obesity is as prevalent of a concern in other countries as it is in the U.S.?
Finally what caught my eye in this chapter is how having a dietary issue doesn't just affect a person's physical health, it can also have tremendous effects on one's mental and social well being. Not having the right amount of substance throughout a day can cause higher amounts of anxiety and depression which can lead to lack of sleep and other damaging issues. This proves to me the need for more access to food especially for those who might be in a lower socioeconomic status. It is proven that those in a more disadvantaged population will struggle most with food choice and access to quality food which ultimately leads to a higher chance for diseases and hardships.
- Understanding nutrition provides a connection between food and health, one of the most critical aspects of human life. Nutrition is based on scientific research in four key areas. First, it examines what food we eat and what factors influence their availability and our choices. Second, it analyzes the chemical components of food. Third, it explores how these chemical components affect our bodies. Finally, it seeks to understand how they can influence health or contribute to the onset of diseases.
- Food provides essential nutrients necessary for growth and maintaining homeostasis. Nutrients are categorized into macronutrients and micronutrients based on the amount our bodies require. Macronutrients include water, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, while micronutrients consist of vitamins and minerals. These nutrients can also be divided into organic or inorganic, depending on whether they chemically contain carbons.
- Food provides energy. Chemical energy refers to the potential energy stored in food, which is indicated on food labels. Kinetic energy is the energy that powers physical movement in our bodies. In physics and chemistry, a calorie is used as an energy measurement unit. However, in nutrition, we use Kcal or Cal (equal to 1000 calories) to measure the energy stored in food. When selecting food, it's important to consider its energy density. Foods with lower energy density provide fewer calories per gram, making a diet richer in nutrients.
- From reading the chapter, I was able to learn a lot of things about nutrients and how it affects our lives. A question I had while reading the chapter was I wonder if there will ever be a cure for diabetes?
- A key point that I took while reading, it is more beneficial to get your daily nutrients from foods that are consumed versus supplements due foods containing more nutrients and chemicals, like antioxidants, which is better for your health.
- A randomized clinical interventional trial study is where neither the researcher or participant can choose which group, instead they are assigned a group by chance that compare different types of experiments.
- I learned the importance of epigenetics and how nutrients express specific genes within our bodies. Environmental determinants in our lives, including those that occur on our maternal side, influence our epigenetic makeup.
- Genetics plays a significant part in our health, and learning about our family history is important to make better decisions about our health. After reading this passage specifically, I remembered how type II diabetes runs in my family which increases my risk of developing diabetes later in life; my family members were born with the genetic traits of diabetes. Making necessary changes in my diet and being more mindful about what I consume is important to decrease the likelihood of developing diabetes.
- I did not expect to learn the term “food desert.” Food deserts are places where residents do not have access to healthy food options. I am aware that obesity is on the rise in the U.S., but I was unaware that it was partially due to the inaccessibility of nutritious foods. In elementary school, I remember a campaign that was done nationwide to provide healthy meals for students. As I progressed in middle and high school, I noticed that students consumed more highly processed foods and meals, not because they did not have access to these meals, but because highly processed foods were much cheaper when compared with a nutritious meal.
- I learned that our bodies rely on six nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals. Each nutrient has a specific role in carbs they are the energy and fiber source, proteins create building blocks, fat stores energy, and repairs cells, vitamins are involved in chemical reactions, and minerals and water both have multiple roles they play in the human body. I never considered water a nutrient before, but it makes sense because we need it for everything our bodies do.
- A balanced diet can help lower the risk for multiple things, including obesity, diseases, and diabetes. An unbalanced diet can also affect your mental, physical, and social health.
- Food labels are supposed to help us make healthier choices, but how accurate are they? I wonder if companies hide unhealthy stuff by using confusing names.
1. Role and Importance of Nutrition over Supplements
It is beneficial to consume whole foods rather than relying on supplements. Supplements only provide the nutrients listed on the label but the whole foods provide many other macronutrients, micronutrients, and other compounds such as antioxidants essential for our body. Whole foods help in better nutrient absorption in our body. Many researches have concluded that the supplement have not excelled in providing a long term health benefits. These supplements including multivitamins supplements do not have any evidence of reducing cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
2. Would the advancement of computer science in health related technologies such as diet monitoring apps, food delivery systems, and more as such lead to increased physical inactivity and dependency among humans? Could these advancements make people even more lazier? What strategies could be applied to tackle these challenges that come with the development of technologies?
3. Role of Nutrigenomics
Nutrigenomics is a field that deals with the interaction between nutrients and genes. It explores on how the diet we consume impacts our gene expression and overall health. Diets cannot change our gene sequence, but can turn "on" or "off" through chemical reactions on body which alters the amount and type of proteins expressed. This field of study is called Epigenetics.
I can see that there is an Interconnection of Health in many elements, such as physical, mental, and social. For instance, Type 2 diabetes has an effect on mental, social, and physical health, demonstrating how inadequate nutrition affects general well-being. As people age, their nutritional requirements change. For example, teenagers require more calcium for growth, older persons require it for bone health, and pregnant women require more protein and folate for development. While nutritional genetics provides individualized diets based on genetic profiles, emerging technologies such as dietary apps and smart gadgets will personalize nutrition. You can track your food and make a balanced diet as per your body's needs or goals, which is great for forming a healthy lifestyle to avoid diseases.
This reminds me of a time where I had problems eating nutritional foods. My parents once told me to eat vegetables and fruits to gain more fiber and more nutrition. In a few months, I had encountered a stomach pain/sharp pain in my stomach and didn't know what it was. I had that stomach pain for almost 2-3 days and couldn't do anything. They told me it was probably gastric ulcer which didn't really matter to me at the time but then when I had that pain for 2-3 days that is when I realized it is probably gastric ulcer. That is when gas is stuck in your stomach and can't be let out and have too much pain in your digestive system. In order, to flush that out you would need surgery or drink a lot of prune juice mixed with water in order to dissolve that matter. A question I do have is how you manage to weigh the balances with nutrition and junk food? I do believe that you need good health in order to work and go to school. Good health is the best health because that is what keeps you motivated throughout the days.
I was interested in reading about Epigenetics and the roles that nutrients play in the expression of genes within our DNA. The experiment conducted with pregnant mice not only resulted in differences in hair color and body size but overall health. I do wonder how differently the statistics between the health of the two groups varied, although, I suppose the bigger takeaway is the message that dietary choices have a big effect on overall health.
Another interesting point in the reading was the discussion of Socioeconomic status. Where a person lives and their surrounding environment can greatly affect their dietary choices. Areas with higher incomes typically see more healthier food options than lower-income areas. Lower-income areas will typically have fewer options for purchasing healthier foods but many options for acquiring fast foods. I grew up in a small city with limited grocery stores, so living now as an adult in the Bay Area, I do appreciate shopping experiences at stores like Sprouts and Trader Joe's because ultimately, I make healthier choices shopping at these places
Lastly, reading about our life stages and how dietary needs change through them caught my attention. When we are young, we need more calcium in our diets for bone growth and development and then this need arises again in our older years, for women, as weary as 50. Our nutrient needs change and shift as we age and it is important to account for those needs and adjust.
On page 13, it mentions how the American diet lacks essential nutrients, is quickly consumed, and isn't very satisfying. This makes me think of when I went to Korea in the summer. I noticed when we ate at restaurants in Korea, that the dishes almost always came with a side of kimchi or cabbage which is good food to consume. It made the meals more satisfying because the volume of vegetables will make a person feel full while being low calorie. Now I think about casual American meals where a side of vegetables served with your main dish is less common, and almost rare.
Also on page 13, it states how good health is how people do everyday tasks and how people can achieve their goals for the day. When I read that it served as a reminder of how I should prioritize my health because, without health, I won't be able to enjoy my daily life. Last year on my 19th birthday I woke up with the worst stomach flu and all I could think about was how I wanted to go out and enjoy a nice birthday. But, since I had the stomach flu I was queasy, nauseous, and fatigued which prevented me from having as much fun as I wanted. My health is something I will always prioritize because I know how good life is when I'm healthy.
On page 41 it includes a statement saying that socioeconomic status affects what a person chooses to eat and what activities they do. I completely agree with this because a person's community and environment play a big role in their health. If someone lives in a not-so-safe neighborhood, they may choose to drive instead of walk/bike to the store. This person also might not have as many/can't afford healthy food options and instead, they are surrounded by fast food that is cheap and quick to get.
I believe that balanced nutrition, which includes a variety of food types, is crucial. A balanced diet not only supplies necessary nutrients, but it also promotes overall health and well-being. For example, combining fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins can help prevent chronic diseases and promote healthy body function.
In the next part, understanding Macronutrients and Micronutrients is also important in our diets. Macronutrients including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are essential for producing energy and maintaining body functions, whereas micronutrients like vitamins and minerals play critical roles in processes such as immunity and bone health. For example, vitamin D contains calcium, which builds strong bones.
Another interesting thing is the rising number of research studies relating to nutrition and mental health, meaning that people are becoming more aware of their nutritional needs and health. Some nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins, may have an effect on mood and cognitive function. For example, omega-3-rich diets have been linked to a decreased risk of depression. Overall, this knowledge helps us understand the complexities of food nutrition.
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