Scientific Foundations of Human Nutrition
|
Signature Assignment: Extension of $10 Challenge
|
| ||
I chose to donate the food of my original $10 Challenge to the Utah Food Bank. They didn't allow me to take a picture of their receiving warehouse, but they did sign a receipt for me as proof of the donation.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. The interactions and inter-dependency of organisms upon each other and their environment.
When it comes to the human species, our infants and children are in greatest need and have the highest dependency upon adults. When in infancy, babies completely rely on their parents/guardians to be able to survive as they cannot fend for themselves. During the toddler years, children start to gain independence. This process still needs coaching through, and parents have the ability to teach their kids healthy eating habits at this age which usually carry on into adolescence and adulthood. Ultimately, it's the responsibility of the parents to make sure that their children are getting the proper nutrients out of their food in order to thrive.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of human nutritional needs and the role of nutrition in improving individual health and the societal economic impact of food choices.
While every person is going to need slightly different nutrient values, in general, recommended daily values have been set that will fulfill the nutrient needs of 98%-99% of people. Ensuring that someone get the proper amount of nutrients will lead to a healthier life; after all, we all need macros (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) for energy and vitamins and minerals all have an essential job. Without giving your body the correct nutrients, you cannot expect it to thrive to its best ability. Unfortunately, people of lower socioeconomic status tend to suffer from nutrient deficiencies more than their higher socioeconomic counterparts. When money is a limiting factor, people tend to choose energy dense foods rather than nutrient dense foods for cost savings.
3. Explain the impact that the food industry has on human food choices and the subsequent relationship to health and disease at the individual, societal, and environmental level.
The food industry has nearly limitless impact on human food choices; from advertising to taste/desirability. The food industry makes money from selling food; so they try to sell as much of it as they can. They can do this by making food that tastes delicious (usually by having excess fat or sugar) and selling it for cheap so it is widely available. The consequence of this kind of food is usually extra calories. These excess calories tend to not be full of nutrients and leads to a positive energy balance. Prolonged energy balance can result in weight and body fat gains. Being overweight can lead to a multitude of health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and even some cancers.
1. The interactions and inter-dependency of organisms upon each other and their environment.
When it comes to the human species, our infants and children are in greatest need and have the highest dependency upon adults. When in infancy, babies completely rely on their parents/guardians to be able to survive as they cannot fend for themselves. During the toddler years, children start to gain independence. This process still needs coaching through, and parents have the ability to teach their kids healthy eating habits at this age which usually carry on into adolescence and adulthood. Ultimately, it's the responsibility of the parents to make sure that their children are getting the proper nutrients out of their food in order to thrive.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of human nutritional needs and the role of nutrition in improving individual health and the societal economic impact of food choices.
While every person is going to need slightly different nutrient values, in general, recommended daily values have been set that will fulfill the nutrient needs of 98%-99% of people. Ensuring that someone get the proper amount of nutrients will lead to a healthier life; after all, we all need macros (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) for energy and vitamins and minerals all have an essential job. Without giving your body the correct nutrients, you cannot expect it to thrive to its best ability. Unfortunately, people of lower socioeconomic status tend to suffer from nutrient deficiencies more than their higher socioeconomic counterparts. When money is a limiting factor, people tend to choose energy dense foods rather than nutrient dense foods for cost savings.
3. Explain the impact that the food industry has on human food choices and the subsequent relationship to health and disease at the individual, societal, and environmental level.
The food industry has nearly limitless impact on human food choices; from advertising to taste/desirability. The food industry makes money from selling food; so they try to sell as much of it as they can. They can do this by making food that tastes delicious (usually by having excess fat or sugar) and selling it for cheap so it is widely available. The consequence of this kind of food is usually extra calories. These excess calories tend to not be full of nutrients and leads to a positive energy balance. Prolonged energy balance can result in weight and body fat gains. Being overweight can lead to a multitude of health issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and even some cancers.
REFLECTION:
Make connections between what you studied in this nutrition course with what you’ve learned in other courses at SLCC or before.
The largest connection that I have made with this class and other courses is that the best/healthiest way usually isn’t the easiest. As much as we all wish that the easy route was the way to go to do the best job, this isn’t typically the case. You must put forth effort and time to do well in classes: you must put effort and time into having good nutrition. Just “skating” by and living off the easy meals like fast food simply won’t give you the results you want.
Reflect on how you thought about nutrition before you took this course and how you think about it now that the course is over.
Before taking this course I only regarded nutrition as macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats). I never took into consideration how important all the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) were or the fact that they all are essential and have a specific function within the body. With the successful completion of this course, I am looking forward to being able to be monitor what food I put into my body better than I previously could. I live by the idea of living the healthiest lifestyle I possibly can, and this course will help me do just that.