Journal 4 Trudy Christman

Mini-Lecture: Choosing a Nutritious Diet - 20 ways to cut 250 Calories really hit a cord. I am already doing some of the suggestions: the alternative to French toast. Others are in reverse: sometimes I use real butter. Then there are those that don’t work for me - pro and con: have to have - ice cream; not a fan - Alfredo sauce. Everything in moderation.

Health Tip of the Day: alcohol has a lot of calories. By reducing intake, you can loose weight.

Readings: I learned that dietary guidelines and the food pyramid go hand-in-hand for good nutrition while fulfilling the three functions of food: provide the chemical constituents of the body, energy for life,, and to be pleasurable. The seven components of food: protein, starches, etc and how they are processed by the body. Food labeling and food safety as well as types of diets, such as vegetarian diet.

In chapter 6, I learned how the body mass index measures (BMI) is important to the body’s balance of fat; how calories are counted and that they are a measure of energy. Being overweight is a life time challenge. It is better to control food intake and develop a program of exercise before the problem occurs. Fad weight-loss can be risky - it can cause long time problems like Diabetes II

Discussions:
I learned about The Science of Carbohydrate Loading by David Peterson: www.marathontraining.com/articles/art_39th.htm . The It can be risky because the glycogen created from starches can cause water retention
Another drawback to carbohydrate loading if performed incorrectly is gastric/intestinal upset. Very large amounts of ingested carbohydrate can affect the osmolarity of the intestine. In other words, carbohydrates (especially simple/processed sugars) in the intestine draw water into the gut by osmosis affecting the water balance and may cause intestinal upset and diarrhea. As mentioned, an athlete should aim to consume about 600g a day preferably in multiple meals/sittings to avoid overloading the
digestive capacities of the body.

This is all so children will beg their Mothers. A website that I found helpful when researching this topic further was,
www.media-awareness.ca/english/parents/marketing/marketers_target_kids.cfm . This webiste goes on to give great examples about how marketers target children. One of them I found to be most understanding was schools allowing corporations to sponsor them, because they are in need for cash, supplies, and support. They gave in and allowed Coca Cola machines in schools, allow Kraft foods to pass out "healthy eating kits" in Canada, and tey in return get computers and new equpitment that was needed. It is sad that things have come down to this.