Eating For Health

According to the textbook (Marotz, 2012), carbohydrates, particularly complex carbohydrates such as those found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains,  are the body’s best source of energy and should make up the majority of food consumed.  This advice is echoed in a WebMD.com article ( http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/carbohydrates ), which notes that 45-65 percent of adult’s calories should come from carbohydrates.  The article further notes that the fiber in complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains) take longer for your body to digest, prevent the ”peaks and valleys” in blood sugar.  This longer digestion process also means people feel fuller for longer, according to the article. Another article about carbohydrates on the Mayo Clinic website (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/carbohydrates/MY01458) notes that some studies have shown that whole grains and fiber can help reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.  

Introduction:   In the child nutrition class I teach, students were asked to respond to and prepare a convincing argument on the statement, Carbohydrates are bad for you .   One of those students, Brittany Ekvall, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.   Her paper on Good Carbs-Bad Carbs is below.   Are Carbohydrates Bad or Good for You? Many people think that all carbohydrates are bad for you.   While WebMD will partially agree with you that some carbohydrates are indeed bad, not all carbohydrates are created equal.   Our bodies require anywhere from 45-60% of our calories from carbohydrates.   Knowing how to choose the proper carbohydrates rather than reaching for the refined and processed foods is the key to staying healthy without packing on the pounds. The main reason we need carbohydrates in your life is because they provide energy.   Once we ingest our food, it gets broken down into simple sugars and absorbed into th...

Introduction:   In the nutrition class I teach, students are asked to respond to some questions concerning childhood obesity.   One of those students, Sarah J. Miller, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.   The questions on childhood obesity and her responses are below. 1.  Do you think childhood obesity is a problem?  I believe that childhood obesity is a daunting problem that faces the U.S. today. It is a known fact that twice as many children are obese as they were thirty years ago. Our society has changed such as to encourage our children to stay inside and inactive, away from danger and firmly within the clutches of the mass media. A half an hour with Cartoon Network, Disney, or Nickelodeon will tell you that many of the advertisements being directed at our children today are for food products that are not in the least bit healthy.  And since more kids are staying inside with the television these days, advertisers are having an ...

Introduction:   In the nutrition class I teach, students are asked to respond to some questions concerning childhood obesity.   One of those students, Ashleigh Patterson, has been asked to be a guest author on this blog site.   The questions on childhood obesity and her responses are below. 1 .  Do you think childhood obesity is a problem?  I believe childhood obesity is a problem because there are not many children that exercise on a daily business. For many school-aged children, the only way for them to get their “daily” exercise is at school, and sometimes that is not always enough for them. When children only have school to rely on for their exercise, their diets begin to go downhill in a spiral. Their diets are can be connected not only to school but to how they eat at home, or in many cases not inside their home physically. Parents, when they arrive home from work sometimes declare that they are either too tired or it will take too long...