Characteristics of a Healthy Diet - Research Paper Example

? Healthy Eating Healthy Eating Connection between Nutrition and Disease There is a connection between nutrition and disease exhibited from infancy to adulthood. This is the reason why pregnant mothers face the compulsion of observing a balanced diet that can promote the growth of the unborn fetus. Mothers who lack sufficient knowledge risk giving birth to babies who are underweight. Such babies are susceptible to diseases since weight is the most critical indicator of a baby’s health. After birth, babies benefit immensely from exclusive breast feeding during the initial months(Diamond, 2010). Mothers have a responsibility of introducing foods at appropriate ages while making sure that that they supply infants with all the necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. A balanced nutrition boosts the immunity preventing diseases. As children grow, their nutritional requirements change, and need balanced healthy diets for effective development. Adolescents and adults also require a sufficient supply of all the necessary nutrients in the right measure to prevent diseases (Sizer, & Whitney, 2012). Unhealthy nutrition causes many diseases such as the non-communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Unhealthy nutrition from infancy through adolescence to adulthood serves to increase the susceptibility to chronic diseases. There is urgency of understanding the risk factors related to nutrition as a starting point to adjusting diets in order to prevent chronic diseases. In addition, lack of sufficient supply of some nutritional requirements or excessive of such leads to malnutrition. Moreover, poor diets have the potential of compromising the immune system(Diamond, 2010). Characteristics of a Healthy Diet A healthy diet comprises of the main food groups in the right measures according to weight and age. Many people often go wrong with portion control, making their diets unhealthy. Healthy eating should comprise of meals that have the right portions of carbohydrates, proteins, fruits and vegetables. A healthy plate of a meal should consist of a quarter of complex carbohydrates, and an additional quarter of proteins, while the remaining half should consist of vegetables. Moreover, healthy eating should include about six portions of fruits and vegetables because of the vitamins, fiber, and anti-oxidants they provide to the body(Sizer, & Whitney, 2012). Healthy eating also involves whole grains such as all types of nuts, oatmeal, pasta, brown rice and flour that have enough fiber and nutrients for the body, reducing many chronic diseases. Healthy eating also involves ensuring a limited intake of processed foods such as canned soups, breads, pastas, cereals, and snacks that contain increased amounts of sodium, salt and other ingredients used as flavor additives. Research reveals that such additives increase the susceptibility to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, healthy eating should comprise of diets with healthy fats. There is need for one to discern between unhealthy saturated and trans-fats and healthy unsaturated and cis-fats. However, many people are unaware of the right portions of nutrients for different ages and sexes, making it difficult for them to choose the right foods. Moreover, limited access to various food varieties poses a challenge in the choice of right foods(Sizer, & Whitney, 2012). Social, Psychological, Philosophical, and Physical that drive Food Choices Multiple factors determine people’s food choices. Social factors have proved very influential when making food choices. Different customs define food choices for people adhering to them. Other social factors that affect food choices include social gatherings that serve certain foods limiting the varieties of food available. Peer pressure is a powerful factor that influences food choices exhibited when an individual conforms to the motivation from peers to eat certain foods. Food advertisements available in the media exert immense influence on the food choices. Psychological factors also influence food choices among people. Some people exhibit poor food relationships that make it difficult for them to make food choices driven by nutritional requirements. Emotional eating is also common in society with people resulting to food as a solution to emotional instabilities(Michaelsen, 2004). In addition, both positive and negative food associations influence food choices. Boredom and habits are other factors that encourage people to eat certain foods. Moreover, physical factors influence food choices among people. Some people face certain food cravings that determine the food varieties they prefer. In other cases, hunger may drive an individual to eat the available foods to derive satisfaction with limited consideration of the nutritional value of the food chosen. 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans over nutritional guidelines for the American society in accordance to the current nutritional challenges affecting them. The document outlining these guidelines comprises of six chapters that highlight critical nutritional issues in the American society. The first chapter is an introduction that offers an overview of the current nutritional status of the American society. Chapter two of the document discusses how the Americans can strike calorie balances in order to manage weight. Apparently, overweight and obesity cases are at alarming rates in the American society because of lack of awareness of calorific requirements for different ages, weights and sexes(Michaelsen, 2004). This chapter seeks to enlighten Americans on how to balance calories from different food groups. Chapter three of the document highlights the foods and components that they should focus reducing from their diet. These include sodium, sugar, cholesterol, saturated fats, refined grain, alcohol and salt that increase the susceptibility to chronic diseases. The fourth chapter outlines food components that Americans need to include in their diets more often such as vitamins, dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, oils, seafood, protein foods, milk and milk products, whole grains, vegetables and fruits (Michaelsen, 2004). In addition, there are healthy eating principles offered in chapter five of the document. These principles emphasize on the value of making proper food choices based on the nutritional requirements. The final chapter of the document seeks to help Americans make healthy choices by ensuring availability of food varieties and placing emphasis on physical activity. All the recommendations offered in the documents are practical steps that Americans can adopt to improve their nutritional practices. Digestion and Absorption of Fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates Digestion of carbohydrates begins with salivary amylase in the mouth that breaks down monomeric units inherent in oligosaccharides and disaccharides while breaking complex starches into simpler ones. This occurs alongside mechanical breakdown of starches. In the stomach, pancreatic amylase progresses in breaking down of dextrin into disaccharides. Moreover, the intestinal villi produce sucrases, maltases, and lactases that break down disaccharides. The final stage of digestion and absorption occurs in the small intestine. The liver is usually the first organ to receive monosaccharaide. Monosaccharides are critical for the energy production processes(Sizer, & Whitney, 2012). The digestion of proteins occurs in the acidic environment in the stomach where proteases act on the protein foods. These enzymes break down the protein bonds releasing amino acids. Completion of digestion occurs in the small intestines by the pancreatic protein enzymes such as trypsin. Absorption into the bloodstream also occurs in the small intestines. The villi permeability is critical for the absorption of amino acids. Amino acids are critical for repairs in different organs. Finally, fats in the diet occur in the form of triacylglycerols (TAGs), a structure comprising of three fatty acids. Emulsification of the fats is critical in order to form water soluble emulsion droplets enabling the lipase enzyme to break down the fats. Digestion breaks the triacylglycerols into monoglycerides. After digestion, monoglycerides and fatty acids combine with phospholipids and bile salts to form micelles that transport the fat insoluble fatty acids. Micelles reach the enterocyte as their final destination. After this, the monoglycerides and fatty acids recombine to form triacylglycerols. Packaging of the TAGs, fat soluble vitamins and cholesterol into chylomicrons occurs in the enterocyte that finally find their way into the lymph vessels, then into veins in the chest. Bad fats are the saturated and trans-fats that increase cholesterol levels raising chronic disease susceptibility (Stanton, 2007). Good fats are the unsaturated fats and cis-fats that have the potential of protecting the heart and promoting good health. On the other hand, dietary cholesterol is critical for lowering blood pressure, glycemia improvement, fostering immune action and resolving gastrointestinal disorders. Role of Diet in Preventing Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity It is evident that most of the people consume either an increased or increased level of calories of different food groups than the recommended ages and sexes. People who receive a limited supply of the required nutrients are likely to be underweight because they lack the vital components for growth and development (Mateljan, 2007). Underweight individuals exhibit weights that are below the recommended levels. They should focus on a balanced intake of calories in order to improve their weights to the required levels. Overweight and obesity cases have increased at extremely disturbing rates with people consuming more calories that they can metabolize(Elliott et al, 2006). Most of the people consume foods without considering their calorific values, and end up taking in more than the body can handle. This compels the body to store the remnants of calories after metabolism, a factor that leads to overweight and obesity cases. Through a regulation of calorific intake coupled with physical exercise, these individuals can undergo weight loss to the recommended levels. Nutritional Recommendations across the Lifespan Nutritional requirements differ according to age from infancy to adulthood. During pregnancy, the mother should focus on taking in a balanced diet that will promote the growth and development of the fetus (Koletzko, 2008). The mother should focuson nutritional components that foster effective growth of the fetus. After birth, breastfeeding offers the baby all the nutritional requirements coupled with necessary antibodies that promote the baby’s immunity (Diamond, 2010). From infancy, the mother should provide the infant with the recommended calories. The growing child then enters into adolescence and faces an increasing demand for calories from different food groups to meet the body needs for the rigorous growth and development that occurs during the vital stage(Elliott et al, 2006). During this stage, the calorific needs increase and the adolescent should balance food intake while maintaining a healthy diet. During adulthood, the individual requires calories for energy production, proteins for body repair and other food components for promoting other bodily functions. Action Plan It is evident that there is need to adjust my dietary habits and adopta healthy eating routine. It is critical for me to strike balances in my calorific intake. There is urgency to reduce my carbohydrate calories because of the realization that they increase my susceptibility to being overweight (Elliott et al, 2006). Moreover, there is need for me to begin relying on whole grains and unprocessed foods for my carbohydrate calories. I also need to increase my portions of fruits and vegetables as they are sources of vitamins, fiber, and anti-oxidants that are invaluable for the body. There is need to increase my protein intake because I realize that the body needs an adequate supply of proteins for repair purposes. In addition, I need to minimize my intake of processed foods because I have been consuming salads, breads, cereals and fast foods that imply that I have been eating unhealthily. Through this,I will be able to control sodium and cholesterol levels reducing my susceptibility to chronic diseases (Gregory, 2013). After analyzing the 2010 nutritional guidelines for Americans I realize that I have to increase my intake ofpotassium, calcium, oils, seafood, protein foods, milk and milk products. It becomes evident that I should monitor my calorific intake because my weight is slightly above the recommended weight for my age and height. I have to rely on increased fiber intake to register a level of weight loss. On reflection and analysis, I realize that I have been consuming an increased rate of saturated and trans-fats that serve to increase my cholesterol levels. Since this increases my susceptibility to chronic diseases, I will cut down the intake of bad fats and concentrate on increasing my intake of unsaturated fats. References Diamond, A. (2010). Advice on eating for two should go beyond pregnancy. Nursing Standard, 25(1), 28.Retrieved from EBSCO host. Elliott, L., Molseed, L. L., McCallum, P. D., American Dietetic Association., STAT!Ref (Online service), & Teton Data Systems (Firm). (2006). The clinical guide to oncology nutrition. Chicago, Ill: American Dietetic Association. Gregory, H. (2013). Healthy eating. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press. Koletzko, B. (2008). Paediatric parenteral nutrition: A practical reference guide. Basel: Karger. Mateljan, G. (2007). The world's healthiest foods: Essential guide for the healthiest way of eating. Seattle, Wash: George Mateljan Foundation. Michaelsen, K. F. (2004). Feeding and nutrition of infants and young children: Guidelines for the WHO European region, with emphasis on the former Soviet countries. Copenhagen: WHO, Regional Office for Europe. Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2012). Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, MyPlate Update (12th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Stanton, R. (2007). Rosemary Stanton's healthy eating for families. Millers Point, N.S.W: Murdoch. Read More