DIET AND NUTRITION
Henry M. Ching
Psychology 260
12/6/88
James
Table of Contents
I.
ABSTRACT
II.
INTRODUCTION
III.
NUTRITION
A.
Nutritionists and Dieticians
B.
Nutrients
C.
Basic Food Groups
D.
Selecting and Cooking Foods
IV.
HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR GROWTH: Malnutrition
V.
FIELD STUDY
VI.
CONCLUSION
VII.
HOW I PLAN TO UTILIZE THIS INFORMATION IN THE FUTURE
VIII.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
In this research paper, you will become familiar with all of the food
elements needed to keep a
person healthy. These will include all of the vitamins, minerals,
proteins, fats, and
carbohydrates, all classified under one broad topic called "Nutrients."
You will learn about the seven food groups, and how essential they are to a
balanced diet.
You will learn a little about how to prepare and select foods to get the
most out of their
nutrients.
You will see how food affects a person's growth by focusing in on a disease
called
Malnutrition. This is a disease common among the human species, but you
will also see
various experiments done on rats in accordance with deficiencies of nutrients.
So, you will hopefully come to see that a person's diet is vital to their
overall health and
well-being.
Diet is the daily fare of food and drink selection with reference to
health. A normal or
balanced diet contains all the food elements needed to keep a person
healthy. To stay
healthy, a person needs proteins to build tissue and fats and carbohydrates
to provide energy
and heat. Minerals and vitamins are needed for growth and to maintain
tissues and regulate
body functions. A diet that lacks any needed food elements may cause
certain deficiency
diseases. (Reeves, 1931)
Personally, by doing this paper, I became informed on the importance of a
good, balanced
diet. I usually eat whatever is in sight, not even stopping to think
whether it is good food or
"junk" food, or if I am getting my daily amounts of nutrients. maybe that
is why I put on so
much weight in the past few years!
Certain groups of people such as children or adults have different dietary
needs. children
grow fast, therefore, they need food to replace worn-out tissues to provide
energy and built
new tissue. (Reeves, 1931)
A child's diet should include milk and milk products, eggs, lean meat,
poultry, fish, fruits,
vegetables, and cereals. My girlfriend is a preschool teacher and they
have a "No sugar"
policy, which is a very hard rule to enforce. She said their hot meals are
very bland and their
baked goods are like rubber! For holiday or birthday treats, parents can
only bring in such
things as popcorn, crackers, vegetable sticks, fruit salad, or
materialistic items. The teachers
read the ingredients on the boxes and if there should be a trace of sugar,
they send it home.
The weekly menus are planned out so that all of the four basic food groups
are included each
day. For morning snack, they have all-natural fig bars and milk. For
lunch, they have
chicken, rice, buns, milk, salad, and a fruit dessert. And for afternoon
snack, they have bran
muffins and milk. This is basically all the nutrients they need for the
whole day! So when
they go home, their parents don't have to worry, that's why they send their
children to
preschool.
Nutrition is that which nourishes, food; the science that deals with foods
and the way the
body uses them. Good food is essential for health as well as for
survival. The word nutrition
also refers to the process by which living things take in food and use it.
Human beings
depend on plants for food and on the animals that eat the plants. The
science of nutrition
overlaps into several other fields of science. For example, nutrition is
part of medicine
because nutritionists study diseases called malnutrition. Nutritionists
study digestion as part of
physiology. They also study biochemistry.
Many nutritionists work with community food programs. They supervise diets
of patients in
hospitals and the food served to children in schools. They develop and
test new foods, such
as foods used in space explorations, foods made from algae, and food made
from chemicals.
Experts in the profession try to solve problems concerning nutrition. Home
economists study
the management and preparation of food. Chemists make synthetic foods from
chemicals.
Educators teach correct food habits. And agricultural researchers work to
develop high-yield
and high-quality crops.
So, as you can see, these various experts, each doing a different job, all
work toward the
common goal of trying to solve problems concerning nutrition. When I was
in high school, I
remember taking home-economics as a class. It was a very interesting class
and we did
things like sewing and cooking, and planning our meals and shopping lists.
I learned a lot
from taking that class.
A dietician is a person who uses the principles of nutrition to plan menus
and supervise the
preparation of food. Dieticians are educated in both nutrition and
dietetics. They work in
hospitals, universities, schools, restaurants, industrial food services,
and many other areas. My
auntie is a dietician and she works at Kuakini Medical Center. I am not
sure about the fine
details of her job, but I do know that she plans the diets for the patients
and supervises the
preparation of the food. She also sometimes helps the patients understand
the diets prescribed
for them. I always thought that she had such an enjoyable job, planning
and supervising,
until she was telling my mom about all her stress related to her job at the
hospital.
The body uses certain parts of food for energy and growth and for
replacement of structures
worn out by work and play. These foods are called nutrients. (W. B. E.,
1973) Food also
provides vitamins, which are necessary to get energy out of food. The body
needs energy to
maintain all its functions. The energy in food is measured in units called
calories.
The amount of energy needed varies from one person to the next. children
need lots of
energy because they are growing. Children also need more vitamins and
nutrients. Pregnant
women and nursing mothers require more nutrients than other women.
Sometimes larger
people need more food than smaller people because some nutrients such as
vitamin A has a
need proportional to body size. Also, in cold weather, a person may need
more nutrients
because his/her body uses more energy to stay at the same temperature. A
person who works
or plays also uses more energy than a person who is resting.
I do not have a job at present, but sometimes I work under my father, who
is a Carpenter.
When we work, we do manual labor, which my "big body" is not used to
because I am a
"sleeper." When I work, I use up so much energy, I sweat immensely, and am
so tired by the
end of the day, but most of all, I am so hungry! We usually go to Diner's
and eat a few
plate lunches! This just goes to prove that working uses up a lot of
energy, energy that needs
to be replaced by food and rest.
Nutrients are classified into five groups: 1) carbohydrates, 2) fats, 3)
proteins, 4) minerals,
and 5) vitamins.
Carbohydrates are the starches and sugars in foods. They are the main
source of energy.
They contribute to about 45% of the calories in a well-balanced diet.
Starches are found in
breads, cereals, flour, and potatoes. The main sugar in food is sucrose,
white or brown sugar.
Another important sugar, lactose, is in milk.
Fats, another source of energy, is a little more than 40% of the calories
in the diet. Fats are
visible or invisible. Visible fats, such as butter, oil, and shortening
are added to foods.
Invisible fats are already in foods. They are the butter fat in milk and
the fats in eggs, fish,
meat, and nuts.
Fats are made of substances called fatty acids and glycerol. Some fatty
acids in the body can
raise the amount of cholesterol, causing heart attacks. I have seen too
many people die of
sudden heart attacks, including some relatives who were very young. These
deaths could
have been avoided if they ate the right foods and did not have too much
saturated fatty acids
in their diets. I used to love to eat the fat that is in lau lau, on
chinese red pork, etc., but
after doing this research, I don't think I will eat those fats anymore.
Proteins are necessary for the growth and maintenance of body structures.
The bones,
muscles, skin, and other solid parts of the body are made up largely of
proteins. They
provide energy and make up 12 - 15% of the diet's calories. Animal
proteins are found in
cheese, eggs, fish, meat, and milk. Vegetables' proteins are found in
beans, grains, nuts, and
vegetables. I eat cheese in sandwiches and hamburgers, eggs in the morning
and egg fu
young, my family eats fish almost every single day, as our neighbor is a
fisherman and gives
us fresh fish everyday. I do not care for meats. I like hamburger,
chicken, fish, and other
light meats. I do not like steak! I eat beans when I eat chili. I do not
eat grains, and I
seldom eat vegetables.
Minerals are needed for the growth and maintenance of body structures.
Calcium,
magnesium, and phosphorus are essential parts of the bones and teeth. In
addition, calcium is
needed for blood clotting. Iron is important in hemoglobin, the red
coloring in blood.
Minerals are needed to maintain the composition of the digestive juices and
the fluids found
in the body cells. Other vital minerals are iodine, potassium, sodium, and
sulfur.
Vitamins are essential for good health. The body cannot manufacture
vitamins and must
depend on food to supply them.
Vitamin A is found in green and yellow plants and in fish liver and
fish-liver oils. It is
necessary for good healthy skin and the development of bones.
Vitamin B1, called Thiamin, is found in wholewheat/whole grain cereals and
in meat. it is
necessary for the use of starches and sugars by the body.
Vitamin B2, or Riboflavin, is essential for complicated chemical reactions
that take place
during the body's use of food. It is found in liver, milk, and vegetables.
Vitamin B12 and folic acid are needed for the formation of red blood cells
and the proper
function of the nerves. It is found in animal products, especially liver.
Folic acid is in leafy,
green, and yellow vegetables.
Vitamin C, called Ascorbic Acid, is found in fruits, especially in oranges
and lemons, and in
potatoes. It is needed for the maintenance of the ligaments, tendons, and
other supportive
tissues.
Vitamin D is in eggs, fish-liver oil, and liver. It is formed when the
skin is exposed to the
sun. It is needed for the use of calcium by the body.
vitamin K is made by bacteria in the intestine. It is for proper blood
clotting.
Niacin is for respiration of the cells. It is found in liver, yeast, lean
meat, and some
vegetables.
Pantothenic acid, pyridoxin, and biotin are other vitamins that play a role
in chemical
reactions in the body. Small amounts are found in many kinds of foods.
Water also plays a vital role in the health of the body, but is often
considered separate from
nutrients. Enough amounts of water is essential to a good diet.
It is hard for me to take in all of these vitamins daily in my meals. In
fact, I don't even
think that I get nearly half as much as I should be getting. After doing
this paper, I became
concerned for a fast and easy way to get all of these vitamins, so I
thought of a brilliant idea-
-take multivitamins with iron! Now, everyday, I take one multivitamin with
iron a day.
When I read the back of the bottle, they list all of the vitamins that are
included in this one
tiny pill. What a miracle! However, I am not as naive as to think that
just because I am
taking this vitamin, that I am getting enough vitamins. I know that I
still need to try to eat
the foods that are high in those vitamins. But it's hard when I am always
on-the-run. I guess
my health is more important than anything else, and I should start taking
the time. You will
see in my field-studies later on that I have done this.
The key to good nutrition is a good and varied diet that has every kind of
nutrient. Foods
are grouped according to nutrient content. There are two systems of
classification: The Basic
Seven and the Basic Four. I will discuss The Basic Seven groups with the
chief foods in
each. In elementary school, we were taught the Four Basic Food Groups, but
for our
purposes, today, I feel that the seven are more detailed and descriptive.
Group 1 is meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dried beans and peas, and nuts. This
is the source of
proteins and also provides vitamin B1, iron, niacin, phosphorus, and some
starch. One or two
daily servings are needed.
Group 2 is leafy, green and yellow vegetables. This includes greens of all
kinds. All these
vegetables have large amounts of vitamin A, B, C, Calcium, and Iron. They
also provide
fiber. One or more daily servings are needed daily.
Group 3 is citrus fruits, raw cabbage, salad greens, and tomatoes. This
group is good for
vitamin A and C, Calcium, and Iron. One or more daily servings is needed.
Group 4 is potatoes, and other vegetables, and citrus fruits. This
includes all fruits and
vegetables not mentioned in groups 2 and 3. Potatoes are food as vitamin C
if you bake them
or boil. This group gives carbohydrates, minerals, and small amounts of
most vitamins. At
least one potato is recommended for people.
Group 5 is bread, cereal, and flour. This also includes biscuits and
crackers. All these should
consist of whole grains or enriched flour. Enriching is important because
milling removes
much of the grain's outer coat, rich in vitamins and minerals. At least
four daily servings are
needed.
Group 6 is butter and fortified margarine. This is energy producer and
source of vitamin A.
No specific amount is needed but you should include it in your daily meals.
Group 7 is milk and milk products. It may be dried, evaporated, or made
into cheese or ice-
cream. Milk and cheese are high in vitamin A. Children need four cups of
milk a day and
adults need two.
I feel that I am pretty good about eating foods daily from the Basic Seven
group. Because of
the foods that I like, the foods in the groups are mixed into my favorite
dishes. For instance,
I get my potatoes from eating lots and lots of potato salad daily. I love
ice-cream and eat it
almost everyday! These are just a few examples of how foods from each
groups are
incorporated into my meals daily.
Meals should include foods from each food group. When you go grocery
shopping, buy food
that is fresh because stale food loses vitamin A and C. Modern food
processing ensures that
canned and frozen foods retain their nutrients. Fresh foods are better if
they are harvested
before maturity or they lose nutritional value.
Do not add unnecessary calories, saturated fats, or sugar to your food.
Foods must be kept
and cooked carefully to conserve their nutritional value. When you cook
some foods, try to
use as little liquid as possible because vitamins and minerals dissolve in
water.
I must comment on this section because my girlfriend comes over to my house
every weekend
and I, like the good person that I am, cook meals for her, most of the
time. This section
really taught me some valuable techniques of how to cook, so as to keep in
as much of the
vitamins and minerals as possible. Prior to this, I was not aware that
cooking has anything to
do with nutritional value of food. That is why dieticians supervise the
cooking of the food at
the hospital.
Malnutrition is caused by poor intake, absorption, or use of nutrients by
the body. If a person
does not get enough food, undernutrition results.
Starvation is extreme undernutrition. If a person does not eat enough in
his diet or his diet
lacks certain nutrients, the condition is called Primary
Malnutrition. Because of the
disease, the body cannot use nutrients even though they are in their food.
The result is
Secondary Malnutrition. a person's diet also may be faulty because
it contains too
many nutrients, high in saturated fats or in calories.
Protein-calorie malnutrition occurs when the diet is low in protein and
calories. The
condition is called Kwashiorkor, if the diet is low in proteins.
Symptoms include
changes in color and texture of hair and skin, swelling of the body, and
damage to the
intestines, liver, and pancreas. This disease strikes children and is
fatal unless given amounts
of protein. If the diet is low in calories, the condition is called
Maramus. It attacks
infants, causing underweight and weakness.
Protein-calorie malnutrition can slow down the mental development of
infants and children.
Studies show that this can happen in different ways, even without the
development of the
physical disease. First, many poor children go to school without eating.
They cannot
concentrate on their work. Second, many undernourished pregnant women have
premature
babies. These babies have difficulty in mental and physical growth.
Third, a number of
children suffer severe malnutrition early in life. Their brain cells fail
to multiply as rapidly as
they should. Additional brain cells are never developed later, even if the
child gets a better
diet.
I must comment on this issue of malnutrition because my girlfriend is quite
skinny, and I
always used to tease her that she was malnutritious. After reading up on
this topic, I know
that this is not a matter to tease about. It is a very serious disease
that is seeping some
countries.
You need protein, minerals, vitamins, and water in order to build your body
properly. If any
one of these is lacking, you cannot grow as you should. Therefore, you
will need to know
which foods these are found in in order that you may choose wisely and grow
as you should.
Protein
It is very important that growing children get enough for growth. Each day
must bring its
own supply of protein since the body cannot store it in large quantities.
Meat, Fish, milk, cheese, eggs, dried peas and beans, and certain cereals
are rich in protein, so
should be eaten in small amounts.
I am very guilty because I seldom drink milk, and if I do, it's once in a
great while.
However, I do eat eggs for breakfast every other day. I guess this would
be another place I
could work on.
Minerals
Calcium, phosphorus, and iron are necessary or you will not be able to grow
the way you
should.
Calcium is the mineral that builds the hard parts of the bones and teeth.
It is sad to see
children who have not been given enough calcium. Calcium is found in other
foods like
oysters, cauliflower, oranges, and dandelion greens. But the quantity is
not as much as in
milk.
Phosphorus is used to build bones of the body. It is used in the cell
formation of all the soft
parts like nerve and muscle tissue.
If you drink your needed amount of milk, you will be getting your needed
amounts of
calcium and phosphorus. You can get it in meat and fish, dried peas and
greens, and other
vegetables and whole grains.
Iron is found in the red blood and muscles. If you have enough, you will
have an ivory
complexion, red lips, pink cheeks, and lots of endurance. When you lack
it, you get anemic,
your lips are pale, skin shallow, and you feel tired and listless.
So, you need to get iron every day. The best sources are all green
vegetables, egg yolks,
dried peas, and beans, whole grain cereals, meat and liver.
Vitamins
Vitamins live separate lives from each other, as they are found apart from
one another in
nature, and each makes a special contribution to the growth and development
of the body.
You need to have enough of each vitamin for proper growth.
Descriptions of each vitamin were already given earlier, so now I will
discuss vitamin
deficiencies.
Often, it happens that people will be getting enough of all the vitamins
except one and it is
very important for good health.
Vitamin deficiencies are caused by a lack of vitamins. Symptoms vary
according to the
missing vitamin.
Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and momentary blindness by
sudden exposure to
light. It causes dry, itchy skin, and in severe cases, leads to total
blindness or death.
It also promotes good health in that it helps you to resist infectious
diseases. It prevents colds
and running nose in the winter time.
You can find vitamin A in butter, cream, and milk. Also in green-leaved
vegetables and
many yellow foods. Cod liver oil is another source.
Vitamin B promotes growth. It promotes general good health. When this
vitamin is lacking,
you get a lack of appetite, constipation, irritability, and restlessness.
Vitamin B1 deficiency, also called Beriberi, causes swelling, damage
to nerves, and a
type of heart disease. It is widespread in many regions of the world,
especially in Asia,
where polished rice is a major part of their diet.
Vitamin B2 deficiency causes cracking at the corner of the mouth and
itching.
Vitamin B12 deficiency and lack of folic acid causes blood disorder.
Abnormal red cells are
formed, and the nervous system is affected.
Vitamin C deficiencies, also called Scurvy causes sore and bleeding
gums, slow repair
of wounds, and painful joints. The walls of the capillaries become so weak
that slight
pressure causes them to break.
Vitamin D deficiency, also called Rickets, causes an abnormal
development of the
bones. Calcium is not properly deposited in the bones. It leads to
knock-knees and chicken
breast.
Vitamin B is found in all fruits and vegetables, whole grain cereals, and milk.
I. The Amount of Coke I Drank in 2 Days:
Wednesday 11/25--1 coke with lunch
--was still thirsty for another one
--Medium coke from Jack-in-the-Box a little later
--1 coke with dinner
--9:00 pm--1 coke
Thursday 11/26--4 cups with Thanksgiving dinner
--Felt as though I needed more
--7-11 Big Gulp at 7:00pm--It was delicious!
--large glass coke with dessert--it felt good! Now I was full
Friday 11/27--I felt as though I ate too much on Thanksgiving Day. I felt
guilty about
drinking so much Coke because the books have sort of opened my eyes about
"junk food."
On the cognitive level, my body felt as though it were cheated into too
much Coke.
The Affective level is the deepest, that it made me carry a feeling of
guilt. The Coke was
very bad for my body and my mind could not unconsciously forget about the
mean meal.
On the Sensory-motor level, there seemed to be many things that coerced me
into drinking all
the Coke. I could not stop myself. My body felt as though it had been
abused the days
before today.
So, all in all, diet and nutrition are two important topics. Diet is the
daily fare of food and
drink selection with reference to good health. A normal or balanced diet
contains all the food
elements needed to keep a person healthy.
To stay healthy, one needs proteins to build tissue and fats, and
carbohydrates to provide
energy and heat.
Minerals and vitamins are needed for growth and to maintain tissue and
regulate body
functions. A diet that lacks any needed food element may cause certain
deficiency diseases.
Certain groups of people, such as children or adults, have different
dietary needs. Because
children grow rapidly, they need food to replace worn-out tissues to
provide energy and build
new tissues.
A well-balanced diet is as important to the adult as it is to the child.
Nutrition is that which nourishes, food; the science that deals with foods
and the way the
body uses them. Good food is essential for health and for survival.
Nutritionists try to solve
problems concerning nutrition. Through the use of various experiments, it
is known that any
deficiency in nutrition can result in diseases.
After doing this paper, I learned many valuable things about diet and
nutrition that I can
begin to apply to my daily life. To me, one's health is the most important
thing in the world,
and I feel very guilty because I have not been getting my necessary amounts
of nutrients
daily. I will really make an effort to plan my daily diet very carefully,
almost as if I were a
Dietician. I do not want to ever get those diseases and deficiencies
mentioned earlier. So, on
the Affective level, I feel very guilty, but I also feel very glad because
I learned, and now I
can do something about it. If I never did this paper, I would have never
known or even
thought about nutrition.
On the cognitive level, I feel that if I always keep these things that I
learned in mind, I will
be on the road to a healthy life! But I need to stay conscious/aware at
all times, of eating the
right foods with the right amounts of nutrients.
On the sensory-motor level, I know that sometimes my body will get the urge
to eat "junk
food," or grab a "quick bite" on-the-run, but I need to just stop these
tendencies and make a
balanced meal. And I know that sometimes I will get a craving for certain
things at times,
but I will have to just stop this immediate urge and gratify it with a
healthy meal/snack!
I think it would be most helpful to keep a daily record of the foods you
eat daily, and what
vitamins and amounts you receive with it, like the field study I did. This
will help you
regulate and maintain a healthy diet, and ensure that you stay healthy and
live long!
Malcolm, Rex. 1979. A Teacher's Guide for Nutrition. California:
cypress. pp.
2-26.
Renner, H. D. 1944. The Origin of Food Habits. London: Faber and
Faber LTD.
pp. 13-53.
Reeves, Grace, Trilling, Mabel, Williams, Florence. 1931. Problems in
the Food and
Family. London: J. B. Lippincott Co. pp. 1-55.
Richards, Ellen. 1904. First Lessons in Food and Diet.
Massachussettes: Whitcomb
and Barrows. pp. 9-50.
Wade, Carlson. 1988. Diet Tricks. Florida: Global Communications
Corp.
World Book Encyclopedia. 1973. USA: Field Enterprises Educational
Corp. 5:164.
World Book Encyclopedia 1973> USA: Field Enterprises Educational
Corp.
14:466-470.
To Home Page
|
Back One Page |
Continue with Tour |