World_Food_and_Nutrition

World Food and Nutrition

Obesity is a chronic disease that affects a substantial number of Americans. An estimated 97 million Americans-about half the nation-are overweight. This number includes people who are clinically obese, defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more. Obesity significantly increases a person’s risk of cardiovascular diseases and morbidity.

Morbid obesity means that the individual weighs anywhere from 50 to 100% percent more than normal weight or they are more than 100 pounds over normal weight. Morbid obesity literally means that the amount of overweight a person is carrying is life-threatening, due to its related health risks. Morbid obesity also often significantly hinders or prevents an individual from accomplishing many day-to-day functions.

Obesity is a chronic condition, associated with premature death, co-morbidities, risk factors for major cardiac disease, stigmatization and significant economic cost. Obesity has a multifactor origin, while genetic factors confer the possibility of becoming obese, the environment determines the moment of appearance and magnitude of the condition. Obesity results from cumulative ingestion of more calories than the body uses to meet its energy needs. Excess body fat results in a significant impairment of health.

Action must be taken to reduce the amount of obese people in the world. Eating healthier and exercising more being two main factors but in our society, we aren't design for this. As societies urbanize and people adopt new lifestyles, obesity increases. Economic modernization has systematically eliminated exercise from our lives. Unless we design a lifestyle that restores exercise to daily routines, the obesity epidemic-and the health deterioration associated with it-will continue to spread. Our fast paced society needs to take a detour, and get back to eating right, and exercising to ensure a healthier tomorrow.

Eating certain foods on a regular basis will tend to make you healthier. Not surprisingly, other foods have the opposite effect. Eating too many of these may well have long-term negative consequences. Foods may be deceptive. Something may appear to be healthful when, in fact, it is not. Another food may seem to be a poor choice when it is actually a better alternative. But even the healthiest food may carry a foodborne disease if it is handled improperly or inadequately prepared (see the previous chapter). Such foods have the potential to cause serious illness or death.

From the Web site of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one may download a publication entitled “Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000.” It presents a number of principles that are useful in the food-selection process. According to the guidelines, people should consume daily between 6 and 11 servings from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group; every day they should eat between 3 and 5 servings from the vegetable group and 2 to 4 from the fruit group. The milk, yogurt, and cheese group and the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group should each comprise 2 to 3 servings. Fats, oils, and sweets should be consumed sparingly. Here are some examples of serving sizes:

? Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group: 1 slice of bread or 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal or 1/2 cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

? Vegetable group: 1 cup ra w leafy vegetables or 1/2 cup of other vegetables or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

? Fruit group: one medium apple, banana, orange, or pear or 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit or 3/4 cup of fruit juice

? Milk, yogurt, and cheese group: 1/2 cup mi lk or yogurt or 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese or 2 ounces of processed cheese

? Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish or a meat alternative as follows (each item counts as 1 ounce of lean meat): 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, 1/2 cup of tofu, a 2 1/2 ounce soyburger, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, or 1/3 cup of nuts (U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site)

“Eating a variety of grains (especially whole grain foods), fruits, and vege tables is the basis of healthy eating. Enjoy meals that have rice, pasta, tortillas, or whole grain bread as the center of the plate, accompanied by plenty of fruits and vegetables and a moderate amount of low-fat foods from the milk group and the meat and beans group. Go easy on foods high in fats or sugars” (U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site).

While the guidelines advise consuming only “moderate” amounts of fat, they acknowledge that not all fats are alike. Saturated fats tend to raise blood cholesterol. Such fats are found in high-fat dairy products, fatty fresh and processed meats, the skin and fat of poultry, lard, palm oil, and coconut oil. Limit your intake of these foods. Foods high in cholesterol, such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks, and dairy fats, also tend raise blood cholesterol. Trans fatty acids, which tend to raise blood cholesterol, are found in many hard margarines and shortenings, which are common ingredients in some commercially fried foods and some bakery goods.

Unsaturated fats (oils), which do not raise blood cholesterol, occur in vegetable oils, most nuts, olives, avocados, and fatty fish like salmon. Olive, canola, sunflower, and peanut oils are high in monounsaturated fats. Soybean, corn, and cottonseed oils and many kinds of nuts are sources of polyunsaturated fats. Salmon, tuna, and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids. These are being studied to determine if they protect against heart disease. Eat moderate amounts of foods high in unsatu rated fats, taking care to avoid excess calories (U.S. Department of Agriculture Web site).

Bibliography:

1.Clark, Nancy. Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Champaign, Illinois: Human

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2.Klein, Keith. Weight Control for a Young America. Wilsonville, Oregon: Book-Partners,

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4.Brownell, Kelly, and Bonnie Liebman. “The Pressure to Eat: Why We’re Getting Fatter.”

Nutrition Action Healthletter, July–August 1998, 25(6): 3–5.

5.Mayna rd, Cindy. “How Does Your Diet Rate?” Current Health 2, March 1999, 25(7):

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