My personal Diet Modification Plan

Diabetes, cancer, and heart disease are prominent in my family. It has been my plan to take small steps in making a whole lifestyle change. In my journey so far, I have lost forty pounds. I do not keep a record of what I eat, how much I eat, or when I eat, on the contrary, I have such a hectic lifestyle that I many times, forget to eat. I lost a lot of weight that way, but my health was depleting quickly. My daughters would make me dinner to make sure that I ate something, however we could not afford healthy food items most of the time When I was out doing my mobile work, I did not have money to eat and the times that I did, it would have to be from the dollar menu at the local fast food establishment. Food was not a concern to me. As I felt weaker, but pushed even harder to keep going, I ended up in the hospital. I knew that I had to get a grip and so I decided to made dietary changes. I carry an insulated lunch bag with me, filled with apples, nuts, carrots, oranges, cucumbers, and many other fresh fruits and vegetables, so that I have easy access to healthy food as I run around getting things done. I recently started a personalized weight loss program called Transitions Lifestyle (TLS). The program is based on my own goals and levels of commitment. “The TLS Website allows you to participate in a weight loss program in the comfort of your own home. If you are uncomfortable with or don’t have time to go a support group meeting” (Shop.com,2015). I purchase some of my meals to pack in my lunch bag, glycemic index foods. The website offers hundreds of meal options and recipes,health supplements, interactive food and exercise tracker with text messages/email alerts to remind me to keep track, guidance videos, a website; for journaling, stress reduction techniques, exercise planner, online chats, and feedback from nutritionists if you click on the link and go to the website, www.shop.com/massagewellness then put TLS in the search bar (Shop.com, 2015).

Caribbean Cabbage

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 scallion, including green stem, sliced thin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 whole Scotch bonnet chile pepper or habanero pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 medium green or red cabbage, tough outer leaves removed, cored and shredded (about 8 cups, shredded)
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 plum tomato, diced

In large skillet heat oil over high heat. Stir in onion, bell pepper, scallion and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and whole Scotch bonnet pepper. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In small pot on medium heat, warm vinegar, do not boil, and stir in honey, mixing well.

Add cabbage and carrots to onion mix. Stir to combine well, cover skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cabbage begins to soften, about 10 minutes.

Stir in vinegar-honey sauce and tomato into vegetable mixture. Continue stirring until cabbage is tender, about 4 minutes more or until desired tenderness. Remove the Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme sprigs. Serve.

Although typically served warm, you can also refrigerate to cool before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 130 calories, 5 g total fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 21 g carbohydrate,
3 g protein, 4 g dietary fiber, 60 mg sodium.

References:

(For Recipe) http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_hf_&page=NewsArticle&id=22477&news_iv_ctrl=1126

(For TLS) www.shop.com/massagewellness

The nutritional requirements across the lifespan

Eating a well-balanced diet of foods filled with nutrients that will provide the growing fetus the essential nutrition it needs for healthy development is one of the best gifts to give to your unborn child. Planning to have a baby can provide extra incentives for the parents-to-be in setting nutritional goals, they can start even before she becomes pregnant. To increase the chances of having a healthy baby, it is necessary to make changes in the diet during pregnancy as the needs for more nutrients grows, certain vitamins and minerals, like Iron, Folate, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Calcium, the need for energy that are provided through carbohydrates, protein and healthy types of fats and increasing physical activity (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013).

An Infant will benefit from breast milk, while the mother who breastfeeds her baby will need foods that will provide essential nutrients for her to produce healthy milk. An adequate amount of vitamins and minerals, such as Vitamin C and Iron, as well as other essential nutrients is an important part of an infant's diet as the infant starts eating solid foods, there should be no sugar in their diet plans. Sugar is not a necessary part of the diet plan for children either. Children need more fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains, lean meats, fish, non-dairy products (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013).

As Children grow and become Adolescence, they need more protein, vitamins and minerals, like Vitamin D, Iron, fiber, carbohydrates, fat and fatty acids in their diets. Water is necessary for all age groups. Adults, as they age, their bodies lose minerals and water, causing issues such as; asthma, and pneumonia, constipation, kidney problems, and mental confusion,which be misdiagnosed as Dementia. Adults also need to lower their intake of saturated fats, while they increase their intake of foods that are rich in fiber, vitamins, Iron, protein, potassium, and calcium, (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013).

For good health nutrition guidelines for across the lifespan, the website: choosemyplate.gov; will help to keep you and your family healthy by offering; daily food plans, recipes, menus, managing a budget while eating healthy, lesson plans, and a buddy system so you do not have to battle alone (choosemyplate, n.d.).

References:

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Proper Diet Can Prevent Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity.

If an individual is below what may be considered as normal weight, then they would be underweight. The concept applies for those who weigh more than what is considered as a healthy weight for their body type, in that they would be overweight, and if the overweight person is overweight in an excessive amounts, then they are obese. Any of these weight issues can cause an increase in health risk, the development of diseases, and possibly lead to death. Proper nutritional guidelines are necessary for each of these weight problems and each require specific diet plans to help. Contrary to many advertisements, there are no magic pills or diets that will instantly add or remove weight. It takes determining the proper nutrition, in adequate amounts of healthy foods for each individual need. It will require learning what foods to eat and when to eat it, a change in habits and a complete change in lifestyles, which may include increasing physical activity. It would help if each person were to set goals that they know they can achieve and to keep records of dietary intake, when they ate, how much was consumed, what time they ate, how much, and what type of physical activity was performed. Think positive and be nice to ourselves with our comments about ourselves (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013). Wolde, Berhan, and Chala wrote in their article:Determinants of Underweight, Stunting, and Wasting Among Schoolchildren; that weight issues start at home, that one contributing factor for the risks of underweight children is a household that has insecurities with food (Wolde, Berhan, & Chala, 2015). In the article: Associations Between Parental BMI, Socioeconomic Factors, Family Structure and Overweight in Finnish Children: a Path Model Approach; it was the suggestion that healthier lifestyle habits need to start at home with the parents setting a positive example, that there are “pathways between parental BMI and education and childhood overweight” (Parikka, et al. 2015).

References:

Parikka, S., Mäki, P., Levälahti, E., Lehtinen-Jacks, S., Martelin, T., & Laatikainen, T. (2015). Associations between parental BMI, socioeconomic factors, family structure and overweight in Finnish children: a path model approach. BMC Public Health,15(1), 1-10. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1548-1

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Wolde, M., Berhan, Y., & Chala, A. (2015). Determinants of underweight, stunting and wasting among schoolchildren. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 93-110. doi:10.1186/s12889-014-1337-2

The Six Classes of Nutrients Help to Maintain Health Status, Digestion, Absorption, and metabolism of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat.

     

Vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and water are the six classifications of nutrients. Each of these nutrients, when combined in a proper balance, will help the body to function at a more optimal level. Water is listed as one of the most necessary nutrients among these six classifications of nutrients, because our body loses water and the water has to be replaced. The nutrients that has the functions of providing energy to the body are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. While vitamins and minerals may not offer energy to the body, these nutrients will assist the energy nutrients by obtaining energy from them, working as regulators. Protein also helps the body in forming structures within its tissue, will help the body heal from wounds, to develop new tissue, digest foods, get rid of waste, help the muscle to move, and assist the body in maintaining life, as the body cannot make its own nutrient (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013). The nutrients must come from the intake of food. As soon as someone takes a bite of food, the process of digestion begins. Chewing is the next step, saliva secretes into the mouth and helps to break down the food that is being chewed, making the food become something possible to swallow and pass into the esophagus (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013), (The Digestive System, n.d.). As the chewed food goes into the stomach, it starts getting churned and mixed in with gastric juices located in the stomach. A liquid mixture has been created, known as chyme, consisting of pepsin, hydrochloric acid and water. Mucus is also present to protect the lining of the stomach (The Digestive System, n.d.). The digestion process moves the food through the large and small intestine, and then what is not needed from the food is expelled from the body.

References:

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

The Digestive System. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7xKYNz9AS0&feature=related

The Characteristics of a Healthy Diet and the Psychological, Physical, Social, and Philosophical, Factors that Influence our Food Choices.

     When we talk about a healthy diet, it helps to know that there are five characteristics in the plan that is referred to as the A, B, C, M, V (Adequacy, Balance, Calorie Control, Moderation, and Variety) principles. Adequacy is concerning the adequate amount of nutrition found in the food that is being eaten. Balance is about eating a balanced amount of each necessary nutrient. To maintain a healthy weight and to obtain enough energy from the food, calorie control is needed. Moderation helps keep the intake of foods that are high in salt or sugar at a balance. Variety keeps the amount of nutrients steadily flowing in, on a regular basis. Behavior plays a big part in why we may choose the foods that we eat. Most of us have a basic knowledge of what foods are healthy and which ones are not. We are pretty aware that our bodies need the nutrients we may get through our diet which are essential to good health. Even with this knowledge, some still have the tendency to eat the unhealthy foods. Why would we make these unhealthy choices if we know that this type of diet is not good for us? Perhaps one of the reasons for food choices may be someone's preferences of food or drink, the taste of the food. Lifestyle may be a factor too, in that the individual may not be able to afford certain types of healthy foods. Many families have their own cultures or traditions concerning types of food and how much of it to eat. Habits that have been established a long time ago, eating food for comfort, living a hectic lifestyle, and the advertisement from restaurants may also influence food choices as well. There may be many factors that influence food choices. There may be social pressure to eat certain foods, psychological reasons, like depression, or the physical aspect of just liking how the food tastes, an already established habit may be a factor as well as false advertisements (Sizer, & Whitney, 2013). I anyone knew me personally, they would know that I am living such a fast paced and hectic lifestyle, that I do not have a set eating plan. I either forget to eat, or I eat in a hurry which causes me to make unhealthy food choices. For sound advice on this very subject, you can look into an article entitled:Healthy Eating in a Hurry. This article offers guidelines on how we can put a nutritionally balanced meals together while staying true to a healthy diet plan, no matter if our lifestyle is hectic (Healthy Eating, 2012).

References:

Healthy eating in a hurry. (2012). Nursing Update, 37(2), 28-29.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.

Should you be concerned about the connection between nutrition and chronic diseases and the leading causes of death.

     Even though we, as Americans, may know that it is important to eat healthy foods and to live a lifestyle that is considered as healthy, there still seems to be a struggle with meeting the healthy nutritional goals. Many individuals may not even be thinking about how healthy eating is significant with the multitudes of health benefits or how nutrition can be connected with diseases and that our nutritional choices can create an impact, positive or negative, on our health as a whole. There are consequences to our health in the form of malnutrition and the development of chronic diseases if we decide to live our lives in a way that we receive improper or inadequate amounts of nutrition. When we take a look at nutrition and how it is directly related to various diseases we may begin to realize that we need to supply our bodies with various nutrients, and in proper amounts to reap the benefits to our health. Otherwise negative lifestyle choices may leave us prone to illnesses such as catching colds or the flu. In the book: Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies; it indicated that what we choose to eat will have a profound affect on our health, that four out of ten factors in the leading causes of death in the United States were nutritionally related which included Heart Disease, Cancer, Strokes, and Diabetes Mellitus. We may also be increasing our risks of developing other diseases as well, such as obesity, hypertension, depression and more (Sizer & Whitney, 2013). In the Article: The Building Blocks of a Healthy Diet; it demonstrates how very important it is for individuals to eat a nutritional, healthy, balanced diet that will provide the body with fuel for energy and can build up the immune system. Proper amounts of nutrients can also improve the cardiovascular system, reducing the risks of heart disease. Good nutrition can also slow down the aging process, help improve the function of the brain, plus much more (Richards, 2009). Our body needs the necessary nutrients so that it can continuously renew itself.

References:

Richards, S. (2009). The building blocks of a healthy diet. Practice Nurse, 38(3), 12-17.

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.