Category: Nutrition

Obesity is a rapidly growing threat to the health of people worldwide, and will most likely lead to other life threatening diseases if not treated. According to the WHO Consultation (2000), Obesity has been around since the end of the Persian rule in 332 BC, but insufficient knowledge was known about the present condition. Some indicated our metabolisms obeyed the laws of thermodynamics, and others thought it was caused by the presence of too many fat cells. However, obesity is simply defined as excess body fat, specifically someone with a BMI at or above 30. Now we know this unfortunate condition can simply be identified by the patients BMI and treated by diet, exercise, and therapy. An alternative treatment called gastric bypass surgery has been made available for long term treatment, but is costly and invasive. However, as our standards of living increase, obesity will consistently pose a threat to societies around the world.

Treatments

Obesity is genetic, metabolic, and physiologic. Some environmental factors play a huge rule in the condition. A report was made with over one-hundred variables “that directly or indirectly influence energy balance and body weight” (Thompson, J., & Manore, M. M., 2017, p. 374). According to Thompson and Manore, biology, physical activity environment, individual physical activity, individual psychology, societal influences, food environment, and food consumption are just a few of the variables stated and described in the report. With over one-hundred variables that influence obesity, it’s clearly a complex condition. For example, food consumption in America has an issue of oversized portions. In most restaurants both chain and non-chain, but it was found that “Meals from non-chain restaurants contained 1,205 465 kcals/meal…Ninety-two percent of meals exceeded typical energy requirements for a single eating occasion” (Urban et al., 2016). If obesity has a direct correlation with energy balance, then according to the energy balance equation, the patient must decrease energy intake and/or increase energy output. Obesity treatment is extremely challenging due to the overload of factors, and most people will become frustrated with their current state leading them to choose the worst possible solution, the fad diet.

The cabbage soup diet, lemonade diet, and the baby food diet, are just a few out of the hundreds of outrageous fad diets in our society. Fad diets can be easily spotted and avoided when taking caution. They sometimes promise a quick fix or imply their magic foods can quicken fat loss. Worst of all, they exclude important macronutrients, such as carbohydrates (“Weight Loss and Fad Diets”). Carbohydrates are the initial fuel source for your body, because they can be converted to glucose rather quickly. According to Professor Jennie Brand- Miller at the University of Sydney, “studies show that people following low carb diets do lose weight faster but they are not in a good mood, even after a year or more. So it’s a good idea not to avoid carbohydrate, but try to choose the best type.” The best type of carbohydrates refers to the rate at which they are digested; the glycemic index. “Foods with a low glycemic index such as legumes, pasta, fruit, and dairy products have been linked to greater weight loss and better weight control” (Brand-Miller, Jennie). In Europe, a study was conducted on 1,209 overweight adults from eight different countries. Over a 26-week period they were assigned to one of the diets listed: a low-protein and low glycemic index diet, a low-protein and high glycemic- index diet, a high protein and low-glycemic index diet, and a high-protein and high- glycemic index diet. This research found that the high-protein and low-glycemic index diet led to a maintenance of weight loss (Larsen, T.M. et al., 2010). In another study, “the results indicate that energy restriction is more important for induction of weight loss than macronutrient composition” (Wadden, Thomas A., Bray, George A.,2018, p. 315). Weight loss, and specifically obesity treatment is as simple as calories in and calories out. It’s important to provide obese individuals with options, and chose the one that fits their personal preferences and health needs (Wadden, Thomas A., Bray, George A.,2018, p. 315).

Possible Diseases to Arise

If a patient is unaware or unknowledgeable about being in a state of obesity, it can lead to several life threatening diseases such as: type II diabetes mellitus, coronary heart disease, and sleep apnea. Among the long list of diseases caused by obesity, Type II diabetes mellitus is crucial. Type II diabetes is defined as an individual who is insulin resistant, and their body ends up not controlling insulin sufficiently. The pancreas makes an excess amount of insulin to try and keep up with the added glucose being consumed, and over time the pancreas won’t be able to make enough to control glucose levels in the blood. In 1988, Dr. Richard S. Surwit from Duke University Medical Center conducted a study on diet-induced type II diabetes. The subjects consisted of two strains of mice, C57BL/6J and A/J. A sample size from each strain was given “ad libitum exposure to high-fat high-simple-carbohydrate diet or standard Purina Rodent Chow for 6 months” (Surwit, R. S., Kuhn, C. M., Cochrane, C., McCubbin, J. A., & Feinglos, M. N.). The study found “exposure to the high fat, high-simple-carbohydrate, low-fiber diet produced obesity in both A/J and C57BL/6J mice… the obese C57BL/6J mice showed clear- cut diabetes with fasting blood glucose levels of >240mg/dl” (Surwit, R. S. et al.). The data presented shows a clear connection between type II diabetes mellitus, obesity, and nutrition.

Conclusion

Among the several factors that contribute to obesity, socioeconomic status stands out. According to the CDC (2018), income and race was a significant connection. A pattern observed among Caucasian men and Hispanic men showed obesity was lower in the lowest and highest income groups compared with the middle income group. Among the several environmental, physiological, and genetic variables that contribute to the pandemic of obesity, nutrition and exercise are the primary treatment of obesity. Unfortunately, as the standard of living continues to increase, the presence of obesity will continue.

References

1. Adult Obesity Facts | Overweight & Obesity | CDC. (2018, August 13). Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
2. Akram, D. S., Astrup, A. V., Atinmo, T., Boissin, J. L., Bray, G. A., Carroll, D. K., . . . Reddy, D. S. (2000). Obesity. Retrieved April 20, 2019, from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=AvnqOsqv9doC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=obesity&ots=6VI58lZQbK&sig=KjPipwRTNUDO3plED7qWk1aR030#v=onepage&q=obesity&f=false
3. Brand-Miller, Jennie. Good Carbs, Bad Carbs. (2013, April 2). https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57e9ebb16a4963ef7adfafdb/t/59b685f7bebafbbecaec8bb5/1505134072234/Info+Sheet+25+-+Good+carbs%2C+bad+carbs.pdf
4. Larsen, T. M., Dalskov, S., Van Baak, M., Jebb, S. A., Papadaki, A., Pfeiffer, A. F., . . . Diet, Obesity, and Genes (Diogenes) Project. (2010, November 25). Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. Retrieved April 19, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21105792
5. Surwit, R. S., Kuhn, C. M., Cochrane, C., McCubbin, J. A., & Feinglos, M. N. (1988, September 01). Diet-Induced Type II Diabetes in C57BL/6J Mice. Retrieved April 20, 2019, from http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/37/9/1163
6. Thompson, J., & Manore, M. M. (2017). Nutrition: An Applied Approach (5th ed.). New York: Pearson.
7. Urban, L. E., Weber, J. L., Heyman, M. B., Schichtl, R. L., Verstraete, S., Lowery, N. S., . . . Roberts, S. B. (2016). Energy Contents of Frequently Ordered Restaurant Meals and Comparison with Human Energy Requirements and US Department of Agriculture Database Information: A Multisite Randomized Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(4). doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.11.009
8. Wadden, T. A., & Bray, G. A. (2018). Handbook of obesity treatment, second edition (2nd ed.). Place of publication not identified: GUILFORD.
9. Weight loss and fad diets. (2011, August 31). Retrieved April 19, 2019, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/weight-loss-and-fad-diets

A diet as an athlete has a critical role in their performance. The focus in today’s society is that meat makes people tough. Dieting is a universal stereotype. How can a plant-based diet give someone enough energy? People should support a plant-based diet because their performance will improve, it will prevent long-term damage to their health and will consume enough protein, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins if not more than an animal-based diet.

An athlete’s performance can improve by switching to a plant protein-based diet vs. animal protein-based diet. Many athletes have an outdated concept of nutrition. Their perception of an animal vs. plant proteins can sustain energy. According to Dr. James Loomis, Former Team Physician of the St. Louis Ram/Cardinals, ‘Actual power from exercise comes from carbohydrates that are glycogen which we store in our muscles. We sacrifice those carbs-calories for protein-calories in our diets. What happens is chronic glycogen depletion found in the tissue can lead to chronic fatigue and loss of stamina.’ Many athletes believe that in order to have the proper nutrition, we attain that from animal protein, particularly meats, to help get bigger and stronger to perform at high levels. All the protein that an individual consumes is from eating meat. Protein comes from plants that the livestock feed. Livestock is simply the middleman in our food chain. Meat eater’s vs. plant-eaters showed in various studies that not only do plant-eater get enough protein but attain 70% more than they need (4). Meat eaters roughly get half their protein from plants (4). If an athlete were to choose a plant-based diet, their athletic performance would skyrocket with the nutrition that they can benefit from plants.

Athletes do not realize that if they were to switch to a plant-based protein diet now, their health when they are older would reward them. Because of food, we eat daily in life can affect our hearts, lungs, and blood flow. Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn. Jr Director of disease, reversal program, Cleveland clinic’s said, ‘In the western organization there is nothing more common than Coronary Artery Heart Disease.’ His methods of changing to a plant diet are known to move heart disease backward in five years’ (Esselstyn). In the ‘The health advantage of a vegan diet: Exploring the gut microbiota connection study,’ ‘an animal meal can weaken blood flow. This study explored the stomach and found that plant-based foods have a different outcome on the endothelium by rising function and blood flow. ‘(Glick-Bauer M, Yeh). The endothelium has a lining of blood vessels that normalize blood flow through the body. If a particular organ or muscle group need more blood flow, it will dilate and open up. When the endothelium blood is compromised, it cannot open up as much and allow blood flow. This issue can cause heart disease, heart attacks, and ruin athletic performance. Athletes need to realize that if they were to switch to a plant-based diet, they could save the toll on their bodies when they get older.

Athletes can consume enough proteins, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins if not more than and animal-based diet. Plant-Based diets optimize the development of new blood vessels and tissues that may have been damaged. When the body analyzes the damages, it will create new tissues, tendons, and muscles. Plants help fight off infections by stimulating the immune system with all of the nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. Eating the right foods will speed up healing. In reference to the article ‘All about antioxidants,’ Antioxidants are found entirely in plants that have 64 times the antioxidants content than animal foods (Oliveira, Rosane). Agreeing to the ‘Journal of Geriatric Cardiology, ‘protein is essential depending on the packaging it is coming in. In plant-based, you are getting protein packaged with fibers, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that can reduce inflammation, optimize the micro bio, optimize blood supply, and optimize the body’s performance (Hever, Julieanna).’ By consuming animal products, we would be changing the micro bio in our stomach. Micro bio is a bacterial species that boosts inflammation development and start to create umpires of the inflammation. The quality of proteins lies with the chain of Amino Acids. Some amino acids our bodies cannot make, which is called the essential amino acids, which we have to get from food. One of the arguments is that plant-based protein cannot get all the Amino Acids. It has been proven that every essential amino acid is found in many, if not all, plants in different ratios. Although it has been an argument that plant-based diets cannot attain all levels of nutrient’s athletes can consume enough proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in various proportions.

In closing, by supporting a plant-based diet, it can benefit optimal performance, prevent long-term damage to health. Athletes can consume enough protein, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins if not more than animal-based diets in various proportions. Researching this topic has changed my aspect of meat vs. plan-based diets. I have always believed that you could only achieve the best nutrition through meats. I have learned that the greener you eat, the cleaner you are. Your optimal performance is going to improve and help you fight diseases. In hopes that many readers find this useful, ask yourself, ‘what can you benefit from a Plant-based diet vs. Animal based diet?’ Try not to fall into the stereotype and be the healthy change you wish the world could be.

Vitamin E is a soluble fat nutrient and acts as an antioxidant. Which means it protects the body from damage resulting from free radicals. Free radicals cause harm to tissues, tissues and organs. It prevents clogging of blood vessels. Vitamin E is important because it boosts your immune system, fight bacteria and viruses.

Causes and Effects of an Imbalance of Vitamin E

The effects of an imbalance of this nutrient result in vitamin E deficiency. If you have a weak digestive system or some liver damage it makes it difficult to absorb fats and vitamin E. Which then leads to Vitamin E deficiency. Vitamin E deficiency is very rare in healthy people. This imbalance is caused by fat not being properly digested or absorbed. This can also cause muscle and nerve damage, as a result you start to lose body control movement and even vision damage.

Treatments for an Imbalance

The best way to cope with lack of Vitamin E in your diet is Vitamin E supplements. There are two main types of supplements multivitamin-mineral supplements that contain 30 IU of vitamin E and vitamin E-only supplements which have 100-1,000 IU per pill. Large amounts of Vitamin E are found in nuts,vegetables, and vegetable oils. Studies also show that taking vitamin E supplements can slow the development of acute macular degeneration and Alzheimer’s disease.

Status of Vitamin E

As the required amount of intake for Vitamin E has increased over time so has the people’s view of much of it is required in their diet. While many lack vitamin E in their diet, some that maintain a good diet do not show no signs of deficiency. While others who take too much can suffer from minor damage such as increase of bleeding.

Where You Can Find This Nutrient

The types of foods you can find this vitamin include several oils, nuts, seeds and vegetables. Including vegetable oil, sunflower, and safflower oil, corn and soybean oils, peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds such as spinach and broccoli. Some companies even add vitamin E to juices and spreads. For teenagers they need 11mg.

Best Plan of Action

I believe that if you lack vitamin E in your diet, vitamin E supplements can aid you to be able to retain the proper amount of intake per day. Making you stronger and more prone to other diseases. By doing so you are more immune to muscle and nerve damage. Studies show that the higher intake of vitamin E supplements the less chance of you developing heart disease, cancer, and eye disorders.

Nutritional intervention is put into place to correct an issue at hand. The major concerns that are presented could be low birth weight children, school performance or etc. When nutritional intervention comes into place it provides support to overcome the obstacles at hand to make the situation better. Within this intervention, the ones involved and the people assisting the ones infected educated about the current circumstances as well. It basically cleans up the atmosphere of those infected. Per Andeal (2019) states that nutritional intervention goals provided the basis for monitoring progress and measuring outcomes. There are four different domains for nutritional intervention:

• Food and or nutrient delivery
• Nutrition Education
• Nutrition Counseling
• Coordination of Nutrition Care

When it comes to the process of intervention everything has to planned and implemented pe Andeal (2019). When it comes to planning there has to be a priority as to how things are accounted for, and how it would play into helping the people in need. The implementation of the intervention has to include goals. Right now we will look into the country Kenya and see what nutritional concerns that have at hand when it comes to the children in their country, and also attempt to discover what plans they have in place to overcome what they are faced with when it comes to their children.

When kids are involved, it is important to be sure they are able to see physicians and get their well-child care checkups.

Health Concerns

The children in Kenya when they are born they have many encounters with health concerns. Some of the health concerns that the children in Kenya are faced with has a negative impact on their growth and how they develop as children to reach adulthood. Back in 2003, there was a survey completed and it spoke about the mortality rose from 100 to 115 in 2003 per Unicef (2019) The illness in Kenya that causes a lot of issues for the children is called Malaria. Malnutrition is also another issue that takes place when it comes to health for children in Kenya. Children are also infected with AIDS/HIV and since the child is not receiving the proper care at home.

There are also orphans that are taken in by other families. The saddest part is some of the kids in Kenya are left out on their own and have to live on the streets or in other unsafe areas. Two areas that need improvement would be malnutrition and also the deaths of children due to the diseases that they have due to poverty.

When the child is malnutrition it is impossible for the child to grow and reach the normal weight. IMR stands for Infant mortality rates. Per the statistics there was 54 per 1000 live births in Central Province to 206 per 1000 live births in Nyanza Province and so forth. Kenya has a huge reporting for HIV and it seems that the ones affected are children. By the time some of the children in Kenya turns 2 they die from AIDS or HIV.

The government there in Kenya are attempting to develop a resolution to the problem to build better care based on the community level in the area. MDG is an area that we learned about within Public Health, and it wants to help reach certain goals, however, they didn’t. SO now SDG is assisting with any goals not met and plan to reach them by 2030. In Kenya based on the MDG report children are in school now, including elementary and also middle school age. In 2006 the rates went from 62% to 78% per Unicerf (2019).The governor in Kenya wants to make sure that all children receive a great education, and receive welfare and not live in poverty. Kenya did reach a few goals that MDG set forth such as education, HIV/AIDS, and is close to reaching gender equality.

Kenya has a lot of health issues and also other safety issues when it comes to children in Kenya.

• Poverty
• Health
• Education
• Violence against children
• Child Labour
• Child prostitution
• Child refugee
• Refugee camps
• Female genital mutilation
• Child marriages
• Right to identify

Conclusion

The children in Kenya are faced with so many challenges and it seems that there are more issues than the overall diseases and malnutrition issues. With the Millennium Goals that were set and not all were accomplished. It is possible that since the Sustainable Development Goals will focus on all countries and all areas to fix all areas around that fall into their goals. It is understandable that the children left to take care of themselves will become infected, malnutrition and abused if they had to take care of themselves.

Reference

1. Children of Kenya. Retrieved from https://www.humanium.org/en/kenya/
2. Nutrition Intervention. Retrieved from https://www.andeal.org/vault/2440/web/files/20140527-NI Snapshot.pdf
3. Overview. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/kenya/overview.html

A Nutritional assessment in its simplest format is the procedure of gathering data, which subsequently allows a conclusion regarding the reasons for nutrition-related health issues that affect an individual may experience. ( Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN), 2021)

For example, the reason that it is important to gather this data is to help somebody who may be vulnerable to malnutrition. In 2007-2008, the ‘NutriDay’ survey took place which involved 21,007 patients from 325 hospitals in 25 different European countries. (Reber et al., 2019) The findings of this survey showed that a nutritional assessment method existed in just 53% of the hospitals. As well as this, 27% of patients in the Southeastern region were believed to be at risk of malnutrition. (Reber et al., 2019) The survey showed the need for regular, consistent nutritional assessments around specific regions.

In terms of what a nutritional assessment involves, an example would be Anthropometry. Anthropometry measures body size, weight, and composition. Typical anthropometric measurements include weight, height, waist-to-hip ratio, and skinfold. (Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III Project (FANTA), 2016)

A certain type of anthropometric measurement is Body mass index, otherwise known as (BMI). The body mass index is the metric used to determine anthropometric height and weight traits within individuals, which then allows them to be placed into categories. (Reber et al., 2019)

An important part of nutrition assessment is to evaluate an individual’s nutritional intake. Information is given about the diet such as shifts in appetite, and allergies, as well as potential explanations for insufficient food intake because of illness. (FANTA, 2016) An example of a dietary assessment would be the 24-hour food recall. This is where an individual is expected to recall the food and drink that they had within 24 hours.

The body mass index is the metric used in order to determine anthropometric height and weight traits within certain individuals, which then subsequently allows them to be placed into certain categories. (Reber et al., 2019) These particular categories are separated by factors such as age, gender, and more. A typical healthy body mass index score would land anywhere between 18.5 and 24.9. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2021) As a result of my anthropometry findings when using body mass index, my body mass index result came to 21.6, which means that I landed in the healthy category. The next category is the overweight category, which is where people with a body mass index score of anywhere between 25 and 29.9 are placed. (CDC, 2021) Therefore, this shows that I am firmly cemented within the healthy category, as I remain far from the overweight category because of have a body mass index score of 21.6. In terms of body fat, an individual who carries anywhere between 14-17% body fat, would be placed within the fitness category. (Healthline, 2019) My findings show that my percentage of body fat came to 14.12%, whilst my estimated range was between 12-18%, and as a result, this means that I am within my estimated range. The percentage of body fat required to land in the athletes’ category is anywhere between 6-13%. (Healthline, 2019) Therefore, I can conclude that I am a healthy individual. In terms of overall kilograms, I was estimated to land between 64 and 73 kilograms. My actual total kilograms was 70kg, which meant that the estimates from the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis test were correct as I landed between the estimated 64 and 73 kilograms. As well as this, my water weight was also estimated to be somewhere between 54% and 64%. My actual water weight came to 62% which showed that the estimate was correct.

After reviewing the calculated data regarding my diet, I then compared it with the recommended values of dietary intake for specific nutrients. I found that even though in some areas I was roughly taking in the correct amount of nutrients, there were other areas where I was taking in more than the required amount necessary for my age range. For example, the recommended daily carbohydrate intake for males within the age range of 19-64 was 333 grams. (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2011) Compare this to my daily intake which came to 339 grams, this was only 6 grams over the recommended limit which showed that I was taking in the correct amount of carbohydrates. However, my results showed that I had been taking in too much protein at 150 grams per day, as the recommended intake is 55.5 grams. (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, 1991) I had also been taking in 957ug of Vitamin A, which was 257ug higher than the recommended value of 700ug. (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2016) However, I found that at 40 grams per day, I had been taking in the correct amount of Vitamin C, which was only slightly higher than the recommended 44 milligrams of Vitamin C per day. I also found that I had been eating too many grams of fat, as the recommended intake of fat stood at 97 grams per day. (Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2011) The data that I collected surrounding my diet showed me that I had been eating 188 grams of fat per day, which was more than half of the recommended intake. It is very easy to eat more fat than necessary as it is in a large percentage of popular foods, which was evident in my findings. My results also showed me that my daily intake of Iron stood at 11.5 milligrams, as opposed to the recommended intake which is 8.7 milligrams. (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, 1991)

After reviewing the energy and nutrient content of my recorded diet, and then afterwards comparing it to the Dietary Reference Values for energy, I have subsequently been able to conclude certain results within my findings. The first thing that I discovered was that the recommended daily Vitamin intake for males within the age range of 1964-year-olds was 40 milligrams. (FANTA, 2016) In comparison to my personal daily intake which came to 44 milligrams, my intake was only 4 grams over the recommended limit, which subsequently concluded that I was roughly taking in the correct amount of Vitamin C. In terms of my daily intake of Vitamin A, this was recorded as 957ug per day. The recommended daily intake of Vitamin A however was calculated at 700ug per day. (FANTA, 2016) Therefore, this shows that I have been taking in more Vitamin A than the recommended amount. However, Public Health (2005) suggests that adverse effects, such as osteoporosis, from high Vitamin A consumption occur when averaging over 1,500 ug of Vitamin A daily, over many years. In terms of Calcium, my results concluded that my daily intake is 1003 milligrams. However, after reviewing the recommended daily intake, I realized that I have been taking 303 milligrams higher than the recommended amount, which is 700 milligrams per day. (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, 1991) Regarding daily intake of protein, the recommended intake value was calculated at 55.5 grams. (Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy, 1991) I was very surprised to discover that my personal daily intake of protein was 150 grams per day, which is almost three times higher than the recommended value. This could be due to my having a diet that includes certain foods that are high in protein such as fish and peas. Regarding a case study, the OPEN and Beltsville cohorts study found that 48% of men, and 52% of women from the US, had similar levels of obesity to the levels which have been found in both Scotland and (BAPEN, 2021)

It is important to be physically active, especially today where the rates of people who live sedentary lifestyles are rising. (Hallal et al., 2012; World Health Organisation, 2016; Sport,2017) After monitoring my own physical activity, I compared my results with the guidelines for physical activity. Many believe that to maintain healthy levels of physical activity, adults should aim for around 2.5 hours each day of moderately intense activity. This could include anything from walking to mild cycling. (Sport, 2017)

In terms of more vigorous activity, adults should aim for just over an hour. This could include running or playing competitive sports. (Sport, 2017) After reviewing this, I was able to conclude that from my own results, I spend 4 hours a day on moderate exercise, and 3 hours on high-intensity exercise, which are both above the recommended amount. A positive of regular physical activity is that it benefits sleep. (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2019) I typically surpass the recommended amount of moderate and high-intensity physical activity, which means I average around 10 hours of sleep per night which is very beneficial for daily activities. Many people use public transport to get around, however walking or cycling is a good way to be physically active in a moderate fashion. (World Health Organisation, 2016) I average around 2 hours a day of walking, however, I often drive instead of cycling. Phases of inactivity such as sitting down for a while, could lead to poor health, and should subsequently be reduced. (Kwon et al., 2015) Despite being moderately active during the day, I also spend a lot of my time sitting down, whether I am eating a meal or watching television, I tend to spend a few hours per day doing this.

Overall, I can conclude from my findings that the different tests and methods that I used were very effective in terms of opening my eyes to factors such as nutrient intake, and how the supplied energy converts into levels of physical activity. In terms of the BIA test, I discovered that I was typically within my estimated range, which showed that my body composition was good. Regarding the 24-hour food recall, this allowed me to discover how my energy is supplied from the nutrients that I intake. When I compared my findings to the guidelines, I ultimately found that I endure a healthy amount of physical activity per day. I feel that these tests are important as they can prevent factors such as malnutrition and obesity.

Introduction: Examining the Rise in Bottled Water Consumption

Water is the most important and vital issue in our everyday life, it has a significant effect on our well-being , hence most governments have tried to provide clean and safe drinking water to its inhabitants. However, a rising global consumption of plastic bottled water has been noticed recently either in developing or developed countries regardless whether the tap water is drinkable or not. Globally, the total bottled water consumption topped 87 billion gallons in 2015, according to data from the latest edition of Beverage Marketing Corporation report , showing that more than 2.8 gallons are gained per capita among five years. Talking in depth about the annual bottled water consumption per capita, European countries as Italy, Germany and France have registered 36.8, 47.0, 37.6 gallons per capita respectively. Moving to U.S. residents, they have increased their annual consumption by more than 11 gallons, from 25.4 gallons per person in 2005 to 36.5 gallons a decade later. Middle east is also mentioned, Saudi Arabia has the ninth highest level of bottled water consumption in the world with the equivalent of more than 30 gallons for each resident in 2015. The highest rank in 2015 is recorded by Mexico as it listed by 64.5 gallons per capita1.

The Safety and Health Debate: Bottled Water Versus Tap Water

The problem is that there is a great debate about using bottled water instead of tap water, several arguments are supporting that it is safer, healthier and tasted better, besides that it is convenient and available when one is away from his home. The other side is opposing by presenting claims that bottled companies are deceiving us, although water resources are limited, they get their water from drought-ridden California and sell it with so expensive prices. Furthermore, issues as packaging wastes and toxic chemicals in the plastic bottles should be considered seriously.

First, let us consider the perspective “Bottled water is the safest and healthiest choice“2. A source which supports this claim is the article “Bottled Water or Tap Water? A Comparative Study of Drinking Water Choices on University Campuses “ published in 2018. The author demonstrates his survey to set the factors for Drinking Water Choices, a total of 406 questionnaires were collected from three universities in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, in the context of preferring bottled water over (filtered) tap water on campus, the majority chose “Safety and Hygiene”. As a result, the author poses that the health implications of drinking bottled waters and of drinking tap water are worth highlighting, as various studies have revealed that, relative to tap water, bottled water generally contains higher concentrations of essential minerals, like the study conducted in Sweden and it stated that bottled water with origin in especially limestone bedrock have higher concentrations of calcium and magnesium, along with HCO3 and some micro elements, than tap waters in Sweden. Both of Ca and Mg reduce tendencies of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and osteoporosis. Bottled waters from the European continent or other areas, where the bedrock is younger and contains more Ca and Mg, generally have higher levels of both. Moreover, a certain level of fluoride would protect us from tooth decay. The author points at the study of the North American community, which shows that drinking tap water is associated with 14% to 17% more gastrointestinal illness than purified bottled water.

Further evidence that bottled water is much better than tap water is the given in the research “Tap Versus Bottle: a Mixed Methods Analysis of Public Water Supply and the Bottled Water Industry in the United States”3, which stresses on the significance of water pollution due to the contamination, which is a result of decades of irresponsible management due to under-regulation of our natural resources and disposing of toxic waste by dumping untreated or partially treated waste into waterways . This could cause several problems because the water becomes no more safe. Two methods are employed in the research to assess whether water quality differences exist between public water supply and bottled water. 19 contaminants, chosen for in-depth examination in this study as they are standard indicators of drinking water quality due to their critical importance to human health. The contaminants are categorized into physical/chemical – mercury which is discharged from factories, runoff from landfills and crops or found naturally in water- this causes kidney damage. The second category is organic, as human and animal feces, and finally Lead & Copper category which cause children delays in physical or mental development plus kidney problems and high blood pressure.

Secondly, let us consider the perspective, “Think outside the bottle”, many studies and researches have claimed that we are victims of the bottled water companies. Based on the evidences given in the report “Take Back the Tap”4, a quick calculation comparing the average cost of one gallon of tap water to one gallon of commercial bottled water comes out to tap water is $0.002 per gallon, while bottled water ranges from $0.89 to $8.26 per gallon. He demonstrates detailed figures describing the sales of famous bottled water companies in 2005, Pepsi’s Aquafina brand -which is nothing more than tap water further purified- registered $425.7 million in sales, followed by Coca-Cola’s Dasani bottled tap water with a sales of $346.1 million. Meanwhile, Nestlé’s Poland Spring brand -which does come from spring sources- recorded sales of $199.7 million. Richard Wilk, in University of Indiana has commented on that issue by a dramatic quote “This is an industry that takes a free liquid that falls from the sky and sells it for as much as four times what we pay for gas”. A guide demonstrated by Boston.com5 reveals where bottled water comes from,

– Glacial: Water from a glacier, which is a dense body of ice. Icelandic Glacial is just a marketing term, as it uses spring water, and utilizes the word ‘glacial’ to grab the attention of the customers.

– Artesian: Water is collected from a drilled well.

– Mineral: Water is collected and bottled directly from an underground source without any treatment to change the natural mineral structure( iron, potassium, magnesium, silica, chromium, lithium, and copper)

– Vitamin: Water with some additives, as sweeteners.

– Spring: This water is collected at a spring or through a hole from a spring.

– Purified: Public water which is purified via the process form of distillation, deionization, or reverse osmosis. Famous brands Dasani and Aquafina , are initially purified.

Environmental and Economic Concerns of Bottled Water

Regarding being in a world paying much attention to conserving energy sources, an article “Energy implications of bottled water”5 poses bottled water as a threat to our energy. The author discusses the energy to produce bottled water, either for manufacturing plastic bottles, processing bottled water, cleaning, filling, sealing, and labeling bottles or transporting bottled water. The total energy required for bottled water will typically range from 5.6 to 10.2MJl−1. In comparison, producing tap water typically requires about 0.005 MJ l−1 for treatment and distribution . Mark Acosta, in “ENVIRONMENT TODAY MAGAZINE”6 has a different view point for a better world, although he considers bottled water convenient because it is portable, but that convenience comes with problems and a high environmental cost. The problems include: injuries to marine life from discarded bottles; and ugly garbage dumps filled with empty bottles, besides plastic water bottles are typically made from crude oil. During their production, pollutants such as nickel, benzene, and ethylene oxide are released. These harm the environment and pollute the air we breathe. It takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to produce the plastic water bottles we use each year. Additionally, trucks release more pollutants and use gasoline when they transport bottled water to stores.

Analyzing the Production Process and Risks of Bottled Water

Extending the idea of producing bottles from oil, “Take Back the Tap”4 report presents a study , which shows that bottled water sample contained a chemical commonly known as DEHP at higher levels than the federal government allows in tap water. DEHP is part of a chemical group called phthalate, which is used to produce plastic, including the ubiquitous disposable 20-ounce plastic water bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET, also readily identified with the numeral 1 on the bottom of the bottle). These chemicals are potential human cancer agents that can leach from the plastic into the water, even under normal conditions. The author stresses on the importance of testing and checking the quality on regular basis, he demonstrates that nearly 40 states in USA say they have bottled water laws and regulations, meaning one out of five do not. Some of the state regulations mirror FDA standards, some are more stringent, and some fall far short of ensuring consumer safety3. On contrary to tap water, which is checked and investigated to ensure that it meets or exceeds water quality standards.

Seeking Alternatives: Enhancing Tap Water Quality

After evaluating the arguments, I tend to think that both perspectives have weakness and strength points as well, however a compromise can be achieved. This solution could combine the advantages of the tap water and avoid the problems of the bottled water. Water sources can be classified into 4 categories; tap water, bottled water, boiled water and filtered water. Bottled water should be excluded due to the critics it has about energy, environment, risks and costs, on the other hand tap water should be enhanced to be a good competitive, so let us focus on the other types; filtered and boiled. According to “Take Back The Tap Guide to Home Tap Water Filtration”7; a fact sheet published by food and water watch organization, different water filter products use different technologies such as Ultraviolet (UV) Treatment, activated carbon, ion exchange units or mechanical filter to either reduce the most typical hard troublesome compounds or to decrease the unwanted solids. The sheet focuses on how filtered water is much cheaper than bottled water even when using the most expensive water filters in home as; carafe (pour-through), faucet-mounted, plumbed-in (under-sink) and point-of-entry (whole-house). Regarding the boiled water, it is recommended in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality (WHO, 2011)8 to heat the water, the investigation results show that bacteria are sensitive to heat – less than 1 minute per log (90%) reduction – are achieved at temperatures above 65 °C. Viruses are disabled at temperatures ranging from 60 °C to 65 °C. Poliovirus and hepatitis A is achieved in less than 1 minute, as temperatures increase above 70 °C. Boiled water should then be removed from the heat, allowed to cool naturally and finally filled into small portable glass bottles. This two phased tap water treatment will definitely guarantee the low cost, the purity, the safety and the portability of the water.

Conclusion: Advocating for a Shift from Bottled to Tap Water

In conclusion, the consumption of bottled water has been raised dramatically year by year, people spend more money doing that because they think it is safer than tap water, however this idea of purity is a myth. In fact, bottled water is neither cleaner, nor safer, nor healthier than tap water, and this could be monitored by government regulations to raise the awareness of the real face of the companies that focus only on their sales and profits. The bottled water production causes significant public health, energy and environmental problems, as polluting the environment due to irresponsibly disposing of billions of empty bottles and contributing to air pollution because of transporting bottled water over great distances. Switching from bottled to tap water must also go along with the government plans and strategies creating a clean water trust fund to maintain and improve drinking water and sewage systems. Alternatives may be introduced as educating people how to improve their tap water quality by simple steps as using home filters to get rid of the solid particles followed by boiling the water to kill the germs and finally filling small glasses to be portable and convenient.

According to an inquiry publicized in the journal PLOS (Public Library of Science) One, nutrition has a considerable result on bone mass and resilience than exercise. An estimation of more than 700 weight loss study that people see the biggest short-term results when they eat smart. On average, people who took the diet method without exercising for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds, while the exercisers lost only six over about 21 weeks. The majority of people in society attempt to exercise and eat right to stay healthy. The problem is that they worry more about exercising and not getting good nutrition. They do not realize that exercise is not enough to be healthy. To be healthy, people should be aware of what they eat since it is much easier to cut calories than to burn them off.

Good nutrition is more significant than regular exercise because it helps to lose weight, fuels the body, hinders the risk of getting diseases, and boosts building muscles. The human body also needs to have carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals, just like a car that needs gas to operate. When I was in grade 9, I started to work out and lift weights. After a few days, my body was encountering change but it was not totally what I was expecting. I realized that the reason my body was not eventually experiencing change was because of what I was eating. Eating organic foods can assist you to keep away from extra weight reap and keep a healthy body. Healthy ingredients more specifically organic ones are loaded with vitamins and decreased calories that control your weight. When the physique body is at a healthful weight the risks for heart disease, excessive blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory troubles will decrease. Then you will comprehend higher working out day-by-day tasks because the stress is taken off your lungs, joints, heart, and distinctive organs. Besides, the reality is that the chances of sickness are lower, your physique is greater energized, and feel freer to go since you don’t have some component weighing you down.

To sum it all up, healthy and smart eating helps to strengthen our bodies in different aspects. Nutrition can make the body feel productive. It helps reduce weight and lessen many major diseases and cancers. Though, exercise is also essential which benefits from having a healthy and happy life. Nutrition is the only cure that can bring full recovery and can be used with any treatment. Without it, one will never exercise effectively.

There’s a reason nutritionists recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water per day while limiting soda — or better yet, avoiding it altogether. Water is calorie-free, hydrating and the benefits are many. Soda is loaded with sugar and calories but does nothing for your health.

While the sweetness of the carbonated beverage may be enticing, ditch the soda pop and reach for water instead.

1. Water Helps You Stay Hydrated

Throughout the day, you lose about 8 cups of water from your body. If you don’t replace this lost water, it can lead to dehydration, which presents as thirst, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and dry mouth.

Soda doesn’t replace the water you lose, and caffeinated sodas can actually make dehydration worse by increasing urine production. A 12-ounce can of caffeinated soda contains 45 milligrams of caffeine — about half that found in an 8-ounce cup of coffee.

Tip

If you do drink soda, drink an extra glass of water for every can of soda.

2. Soda Isn’t Doing Your Waistline Any Favors

A 12-ounce soda contains about 150 calories, almost all of which come from sugar. Drink two sodas a day for 30 days and you’ll have taken in about 5 pounds of sugar and a whopping 9,000 calories just from the beverage alone.

Over time, this regular soda consumption can lead to weight gain and the health problems that come with it, such as fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome. The Harvard School of Public Health notes that diet sodas aren’t much better. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda may cause cravings for sweet foods and drinks, which can lead to an increase in calorie intake and weight gain.

On the other hand, water can help you control your weight. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, adults who drink a large glass of water before a meal eat about 75 fewer calories at that meal. Water is also devoid of calories and sugar.

Wondering how to calculate your calories for weight loss? Download the MyPlate app to do the job and help you track your intake, so you can stay focused and achieve your goals!

3. Soda Isn’t Great for Your Teeth

The sugar and acid in soda don’t just wreak havoc on your waistline, they also do a number on your teeth. The acids present in soda can break down the enamel on your teeth, increasing your risk of cavities and tooth decay.

The sugar in soda also serves as a feeding ground for the bacteria present in your mouth. As the bacteria feed on the sugar, they create enamel-damaging acids in the process.

Water that contains fluoride — like tap water or fluoridated bottled water — promotes dental health. The fluoride strengthens the teeth, making them less susceptible to damage from plaque and sugars.

Make the Switch from Soda to Water

If you’re a regular soda drinker, making the switch from soda to water cold turkey can be difficult. Start by upping your water intake by one or two cups per day without making any other changes.

As you get used to drinking more water, start cutting back on soda. If you normally drink two 12-ounce cans of soda per day, cut it down to one. If you drink one can, cut your intake down to 6 ounces.

Make the transition easier by jazzing up your water. Pour yourself a glass of sparkling water and flavor it with a squeeze of fresh lemon, lime or orange.

When we eat natural products, our stock of energy increments in a matter of seconds; this is one of the prime advantages of organic products that we can use in our bustling timetables. This is the motivation behind why competitors frequently eat organic product during and after exercise and why diets for pregnant moms quite often include natural products.

Heart Health

Organic foods like apricot, apple, banana, melon, berries, grapefruit, and orange, are unimaginable for securing your heart as they’re loaded in flavonoids, carotenoids, fiber, potassium, and metallic element. Organic foods likewise contain nutrients like nutrient A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, and folate, all of that facilitate in managing steroid alcohol levels and avoiding ailments like stroke, coronary artery disease, and metabolic process failure.

Diabetes

Type a pair of polygenic disorder could be a condition terrible a bigger a part of people round the world. Whereas natural food is healthy for everyone, those with additional distinguished carb substance aren’t prescribed for diabetics. Natural food like apple, avocado, cherry, banana, orange, peach, plum, etc., have an occasional glycemic record (GI) – below fifty-five, and that they facilitate in dominant the aldohexose levels. in addition, ready and canned natural food aren’t helpful as they contain pretend sugars, thus systematically eat crisp organic foods to receive most extreme rewards.

Malignant Growth

Nutrient made organic foods are unimaginable for preventing and treatment of various forms of illness like liver malignant growth and bosom malignant growth. These incorporate soursop, goji berry, camu and citrus organic foods like oranges, tangerines, and so on. Once eaten up systematically, natural food will indicate hepatoprotective properties that facilitate in heading out malignant growth.

Circulatory Strain

Potassium-rich organic foods like banana, apple, melons, plums, pear, apricots, and mango facilitate in delivery down cardiovascular disease. This mineral has been related to dominant circulatory strain thanks to its vasodilating properties.

Kidney Stones

Organic foods are rich in vitamin C, that aides in treating kidney stones. Citrus natural foods like oranges and lemons are unimaginable for decreasing your odds of experiencing urinary organ stones. In addition, organic foods are low in metal, that is unimaginable news for people experiencing the tough condition.

Bone Health

Organic foods like grapefruit and orange are plentiful in metal and nutrient K, the 2 of that facilitate to keep up sound bones and what is more help improve the bone mineral thickness.

Avert Diseases

The mix of wonderful flavonoids, cell reinforcements, minerals, nutrients, phytochemicals, and therefore the endless miniaturized scale and macronutrients create natural food exceptionally helpful for your successfulness. The day-by-day utilization of crisp natural food brings down the danger of strokes, cardiovascular disease, acid reflux, malignant growth, coronary unhealthiness, diabetes, and alternative endless sicknesses. Some natural foods, such as bananas, contain imperative artificial substances, for instance, potassium, that counteracts strokes, cardiovascular disease, and nervousness. Organic product utilization basically gets rid of nutrient and mineral insufficiencies and their connected aspect effects. Organic foods likewise have high amounts of water and fiber in them, that allows keep your abdomen connected tract to scrub and your weight leveled out.

Help in Digestion

Sinewy organic foods facilitate the digestive process in the body. The skin of bound natural food is likewise loaded in dietary fiber, that could be an important contributive part in applicable absorption, and thus the discharge procedure of your body whereas at constant time protective you from problems like rubor and blockage. Be that because it might, currently and once more, the skin is thick, as in lemons, bananas, melons, and oranges, and can’t be eaten up by folks. In those cases, the eatable piece of the substance within the skin includes a ton of fiber too.

The fiber content in natural product includes a splendid purgative impact also as causes you to feel full by adding mass nourishment to the ingestion routine. Sinewy organic foods in addition advantage conditions like heart maladies by decreasing hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease, DM and weight. Inferable from this stringy structure, natural food in addition have hostile to cancer-causing properties and are notable to anticipate colon malignant growth and battle entrail anomaly issue.

Weight Reduction

When you begin as well as tons of natural foods in your ingestion routine, you’ll begin to examine that your weight is being controlled and your successfulness is up. In any case, natural food alone can’t decrease your weight. You in addition have to be compelled to observe systematically.

Numerous overviews worn out America indicated viable weight decrease once organic foods were incorporated into the family’s diet. Dr. Joanne L. Slavin from the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Gopher State proposes that a private UN agency perpetually chuck organic foods are less disposed to possess bites and shoddy nourishments between dinners that scarcely have any dietary profit. In addition, organic foods are created out of 90-95% water, having a ground-breaking water pill impact on your body, on these lines flushing out the element squanders and undesirable poisons from the body.

One case of this is often leechee, an organic product that’s an unprecedented purgative with an unimportant live of calories, and no immersed fats or steroid alcohol. It likewise chops down overabundance weight. Except for one or two of natural foods, such as coconuts, avocados, and olives, organic foods are commonly while not fat.

Healthy Skin

Organic foods keep your skin supple and hydrous, and support it with basic nutrients, minerals, and cancer hindrance agents; on these lines holding your good skin for an in depth stretch of your time. Actually, on the off probability that you just are displeased utilizing the business hostile to symptom creams, merely take a stab at as well as organic foods like berries, apples, or bananas into your day-by-day diet and see the skin inflammation vanish chop-chop. Skin inflammation is one in every of the foremost exacerbating skin issue which will influence people of all ages. With a good live of organic product in your ingestion routine, you’ll commonly management this issue as opposition choosing expensive medicine creams. Skin inflammation for the foremost half happens from skin contaminations and medicine problems, nevertheless there are totally different functions behind such ejections conjointly. Apples are the most effective various for treating skin inflammation; eat the skin of the apple, that has an elevated level of gelatin that helps management stoppage, which may be a trigger for skin flee. Bananas in addition facilitate to cut back skin flee, as they’re high in fiber that once more soothes obstruction. Berries have good purging properties and keep you protected from skin issue. On the off probability that you just eat grapes throughout the day, it washes down your skin and body. Papayas restore your skin and fix minor hurt that you just might not by any suggests that see, lemon juice slowly wipes out the signs and scars from skin inflammation spots.

Conclusion

Aside from incorporating organic foods in the ingestion routine, we should to watch our alternative nourishment propensities too. Decrease alkaloid utilization since it expands bound hormones in our body and during this manner builds skin inflammation. Weigh down on chicken and farm admission conjointly, since they irritate our secretion age, delivery regarding skin flee. We need to likewise keep our skin clean by as usually as potential laundry with home full-grown formulation or mild face wash.

There are numerous vitamins and minerals that are essential for body development and preventing diseased called micronutrients. These are not produced naturally by the human body and need to be obtained through diet. Nutritional deficiency occurs when the body does not absorb or acquire the amount of nutrients it requires due to either a bad diet or an inability to absorb these nutrients, causing many problems. The amount of each nutrient needed depends on age and can be gathered from a relatively normal diet through sources such as cereals, bread and milk. The inability to absorb nutrients is known as malabsorption syndrome, and it can be developed as a result of birth defects, infections or from certain diseases.

What Are the Essential Nutrients/Vitamins? What Is Nutritional Deficiency?

Vitamins are essential in regulating metabolism and maintaining growth and functioning. Muscles, tissues, and bones are built up by vitamins. Lack of proper nutrition can affect health and growth of teenagers as well as brain power and athletic abilities. Vitamins are organic compounds that need to be ingested in small amounts to maintain normal functions. These are vitamins A, C, E, D, B, and K, which come in two types: water-soluble and lipid soluble. Vitamin C and B-complex are water-soluble, meaning they are dissolved in the watery parts of fruits, vegetables and grains. The human body consists of 70% water, which makes it easier for water-soluble vitamins to be absorbed as they enter the bloodstream during digestion. Lipid-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin K, are found in foods such as oils, dairy and butter, and travel through the stomach and intestine, where an acidic substance called bile breaks up the fat and allows the vitamin to enter into the intestine wall. Proteins help transport fat-soluble substances through the body, while water-soluble substances are passed out through the kidneys easily and need to be replenished on a daily basis. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the liver and fat cells, where these stay until they are needed to be used. Many B-complex vitamins help enzymes release energy from food by forming co-enzymes, while the other B vitamins help to use that energy. Vitamin C helps to fight infection and to make collagen, the most important protein in the body. Vitamin A forms white blood cells, which helps the immune system, as well as eyesight. Phosphorus and calcium are gathered by vitamin D, which then uses it to form bones. Vitamin E gets rid of damaging elements in the body by working as an antioxidant. The ability to clot blood is from vitamin K. Without enough of each of these vitamins, humans can face many problems, such as fatigue, nerve damage, heard disease, rickets, and scurvy. Overloading these vitamin levels with supplements is also not good as that will cause toxicity within the body so a balance must be achieved.

What Essential Nutrients Are in Fruits and Vegetables? How Can Nutritional Deficiency Be Avoided by Teenagers?

Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients, including vitamin A, C, E, magnesium, phosphorus, and folic acid. Folic acid is crucial as it can reduce homocysteine, a substance responsible for development of coronary heart disease. Studies have also shown that individuals who consume a plethora of fruits and vegetables also have lower risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, some cancers, and stroke (Hasler, 2002). It is important to consume all types of fruits, such as citrus, tropical and exotic, tomatoes and avocados, melons, berries, stone fruit, and apples and pears, since fruits are low in fat, sodium, as well as calories. All fruits have no cholesterol, which is also important for being healthy. Similarly, all types of vegetables and legumes should also be included in a healthy diet, such as leafy greens, roots, alliums, edible plant stems, cruciferous, marrows, beans and peas, legume flours, and soy products. Each group of fruits and vegetables have different nutrients in them and all are important for a healthy balanced diet. The best way to make sure that a variety is achieved is by consuming the fruits and vegetables which are in season at the time, ensuring all types of fruits and vegetables are consumed over the course of the year. Alternatively, by creating a rainbow of colors using fruits and vegetables during meals, all nutrients can be obtained on a daily basis. Instead of consuming junk food and empty calories, this is a much better alternative as it will keep you satisfied longer as well as being incredibly healthy and good for your body.

The colors of fruits and vegetables can reveal a lot about their nutritional value. Red foods such as apples, tomatoes, and watermelon are great at fighting heart disease and prostate cancer due to the presence of lycopene. Green vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, and kale contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help prevent eye diseases which are related to age. White foods such as cauliflower provide protection against certain cancers since they carry sulforaphane. All these are minerals which are vital in disease prevention and can be obtained through regular balanced consumption of fruits and vegetables.

While there are nutrients and vitamins in other foods apart from fruits and vegetables, a lack of these will not produce a healthy balanced diet. Vitamin A can be obtained from foods such as carrots, apricots, spinach, kale, and sweet potatoes. Vitamin C can be obtained through foods such as papaya, citrus fruits, strawberries, broccoli, and other dark leafy green vegetables. Asparagus, spinach, almonds, and bell peppers are all excellent sources of vitamin E. Vitamin K can be procured from broccoli, asparagus, kale, mustard greens, parsley. Vitamin B and D are generally not obtained through fruits and vegetables. Most variations of vitamin B are only obtained protein high foods such as meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs and milk, but Vitamin B-9 can be obtained from leafy green vegetables. Vitamin D is also not obtained through fruits and vegetables, but is obtained through foods such as certain seafood, milk and eggs. To have a truly balanced diet, there should also be plenty of lean meat, poultry, fish, wholegrain cereals, bread, rice on top of vegetables, legumes, fruits, milks, yoghurts, cheeses. Water is also very important and plenty of it should be consumed daily.

What Vitamins Do Teenagers Need Most and Are They Acquiring Them?

Teenagers have many nutritional needs. Minerals and vitamins can significantly improve hair, complexion, physical ability, and being healthy in general. Teenagers need to consume more food than other age groups and should be eating larger servings. Girls in particular need a diet very rich in iron to compensate for the amounts they lose during their menstrual cycle, through meals such as steak and vegetables. The average teenager requires 5-6 serves of grains per day. This keeps their diet healthy and balanced, as well as providing them with carbohydrates for energy throughout the day. Eating fresh fruits are helpful as they are abundant in vitamin C. Teenagers aged 16-18 need 300-450 grams of fruits per day and 300 grams of vegetables per day, but the diets of teenagers do not contain the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, and this should be improved. Vegetarian diets are taken by a minority of teenagers. However, though teens on vegetarian diets can obtain many nutrients, they have reported to having stunted growth, stress fractures, and fragile bones due to not getting enough nutrients while on a vegetarian diet.

Those who have high levels of fruits, vegetables, and legumes present in their diets have lower risks of heart disease, major cancers, hypertensions, type 2 diabetes, stroke, macular degeneration of the eye, and cataracts. Along with fruits, sources filled with zinc are able to help acne prone skin. Good sources for zinc include chicken and vegetables. Girls who are obsessed about body image may tend to restrict their diets. This is discouraged as it can affect the natural menstrual cycle, as well as disadvantage fertility levels and bone health later on. Another interesting point is that crash dieting is effective, however it should not be done as it can damage health later on in life. Skipping breakfast increases chances of cravings as well as slowing down metabolism. Dairy foods contain 10 essential nutrients, including: calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B-12, riboflavin, proteins, and carbohydrates. Calcium is the most important one for teenagers as it is directly related to strong bones. The stronger bones become during teenage years, the less chance there is in the future to develop osteoporosis, a disease which affects the density and quality of bones. The recommended amount of calcium for teenagers is 1300 mg per day, which is 3 servings of calcium. Calcium should also be obtained from natural sources like cow’s milk, not supplements. Research has also showed that incorporating dairy into diets can help with weight management and weight loss.

A survey conducted in a high school with cultural diversity showed that 22% of participants were not aware of nutritional deficiency. 23% of participants took iron supplements due to an iron deficiency. An alarming 86% of participants did not meet the daily dairy recommendation, of which 15% did not consume any dairy at all. 62% of participants did not meet the daily recommendation of 2 fruits and 5 vegetables, and out of the 62% that did not consume enough fruits and vegetables, 66% them consumed 3 or less vegetables each day (Scaria, 2019). As a result of the survey, we can see that a large majority of teenagers do not meet the daily recommendations for dairy, fruits or vegetables, which in turn deprives them of vitamins and causes nutritional deficiency.

Conclusion

Various extensive studies have shown that a healthy lifestyle can be created and maintained through diet and exercise. There are numerous vitamins that are needed for optimum functionality. Not eating nutritious food can cause nutritional deficiency as well as other problems such as obesity, osteoporosis, growth problems and eating disorders. Eating disorders can cause malnutrition, and can lead to other problems such as heart disease due to starvation, internal stomach bleeding, and depression (leading to suicide). It is important that healthy nutritional levels are achieved through foods instead of through supplements and vitamins. Teenagers often consume higher levels of unhealthy food (junk food, sodas, sweets) than recommended, especially when away from home. Junk food does not contain ample amounts of vitamins and eating these empty calories can over time lead to nutritional deficiency. Over 50% of teenagers do not consume the required amount of vegetables and fruits, while over 66% consume too much fat. Over 66% have also tried to lose weight but were unsuccessful. Many professionals have concluded that a strategy for choosing healthier options is to eliminate the unhealthy options. This has been proven as a successful method, however, it is important for teenagers to let themselves have a snack sometimes and eat some unhealthy food as completely avoiding certain foods can cause relapses. Nutritional deficiency in teenagers can be avoided through various factors, the most important one being the consumption of healthy and functional foods which contain the required nutrients and vitamins to be healthy and promote growth during the adolescent years.

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