Health is Wealth - Case Study Example

 «Health is Wealth» Little Things, Big Effects Pepsi and Coca Cola are constantly at war with each other, fighting to gain market share and market value. Why? It involves large amounts of money because almost everybody loves the taste of a carbonated drink. Thus, we see commercials with many “big” personalities sponsoring the softdrinks. However, from this course I have learned that the seemingly harmless habit of drinking a soda (2 servings of 12 oz for my case) can actually have large effects on a person’s health. The “soft” in soft drinks is actually a misnomer, probably a marketing campaign to make the product more appealing. Yet the hard fact is that it gives the body tremendous amounts of calories and an aching kidney in the long run. Lasagna, the commercially available one, is fat to a large proportion. Burgers too are largely fat. Combine burgers, soda and add in fries as well and you’ve got McDonald’s. All those accusations about how unhealthy the food store is actually based on hard evidence. On the more positive light, those tiny beans and grains actually are large sources of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. They are actually better sources of protein than meat. Remember Popeye? Those spinach that he ate are actually good sources of vitamin and it can make somebody really able but not as exaggerated as what happens to the cartoon character. In a word, big things come in small packages and we must be aware enough to discern them. Effort Many articles have been written on how obese people are getting. These people blame the food that they eat and some would actually whine on how they have been driven to obesity by the media hype and marketing of products without telling them its effects. The fact, however, is that they live a sedentary lifestyle. Much of the population is averse to exercise and they don’t exert effort to at least know the ingredients and its corresponding calorie content. In the same way as making money and gaining somebody’s trust and love requires effort, being healthy begins with a conscientious assessment of our daily activities. Changing lifestyles is a tedious process. There are some who tried staying away from unhealthy food but in the end, they reward their efforts with large servings of their former food making the process ineffective. Some of them ended up more addicted than ever. It all begins with learning tocare for the body, for ourselves. We must have the resolve to stick to our decisions as all struggles are fraught with difficulties. Right Frame of Mind Many people have a negative outlook in life. They claim that health is a luxury they can’t afford. Though it is indeed a likeable idea, it is a romantic one realized only by those who can afford. However, taking a stroll or jogging is free for everyone as much as choosing between soda and lemon juice. Health is achievable if only we have the right frame of mind. Those people we perceived as healthy actually started somewhere and it is about time that we do the same. What it takes is not a leap of faith. Nutrition is becoming an increasingly exact science. Every people have the opportunity to be healthy. Weight Management and Plan of Action My calorie uptake for March 11 was 2680 kcals and 3066 kcals for March 18. This is above the recommended nutrient uptake of 1903 kcals. That translates to almost a thousand (on the average) of unused calories which will be stored as fat. An indication of my need to lose weight is that certain portions of my body are lumpy with evidence of fat as the culprit. Though the body needs a certain portion of stored fat as reserves for emergency use, a build up of a thousand calories is not a good prospect. This would mean that for two days, what I have eaten is good for three days. On my 4th week where I made efforts to improve my food choices, my calorie uptake was 2097 kcals- very close to the recommended 2078 kcals. I have cut down my calorie uptake by a thousand just by substituting low fat cheese in lasagna and eating more grains, fruits and vegetables. However, I still need to lower my soda intake to reduce phosphorus and sodium. Reducing soda intake would reduce my calories intake but I plan to substitute it with eating more rice, grains and lean meat. Reducing my calorie intake would not necessarily translate to a lower body weight since there is still the problem of the fats that accrued during m y non-awareness stage. I plan to complement the food plan with an exercise plan. The exercise would include a stroll for about an hour for the first month gradually progressing to jogging. If my daily activities would hinder me from taking it early in the morning, I plan to conduct it later in the afternoon. To tone my muscles, I would conduct a morning habit of routine exercise such as imitating those exercises on recorded media (CD). I also plan to set a maximum time of activities which tends to make me lazy such as watching the television. I recognize that with this stress on my body, there is a need to complement it with sufficient rest. The recommended time of sleeping is between 6-8 hours for my age so I would make sure to fulfill this by accomplishing my activities in the allotted time. To make this possible, I will make a schedule and post it to the refrigerator or some place which could always remind me of my plan. The refrigerator is a good place since all the foods are stacked there. I remember this strategy about a person who wanted to exercise by biking but could not do it because he always found excuses not to do it. To fix things up, he stationed the bicycle in the front of his house. Each morning when he woke up and took the papers, he sees the bike and remembers his plan to go biking. He became a regular morning biker. The moral of the story is that certain actions can help discipline us. Looking at the list before opening up the fridge can make me remember my goals. I also plan to conduct research on books and the internet on what are the foods that are healthy and how to prepare them. This will greatly improve my choices as I can now have many alternatives and combinations. In the search that I have done, there are actually many resources about the topic. There are also many self-help tips and many inspiring stories. In essence, my plan is to reduce my weight is to watch out for my food uptake, exercise regularly and rest sufficiently. I will do this for myself and hopefully influence my family members as well. Reference: Chu, R (2003). Eating Right. Prentice Hall: London Read More