Hiromi Hayashida writes:
Mr. Tanaka says he is "health-conscious", and he reads many different
magazines and Internet sites to get some latest information about
healthy and etc. However I seems that he doesn't understand them
correctly and couldn't make use of these many things, because of his
confusion. I think he seems to have some problems in his life. Surely
his lifestyle has some issues, but he doesn't know what he should do.
So he should know the essential things for his body, and should change
his diet and lifestyle habits, patterns.
Food provides the body with
the nutrients it needs for energy, growth, repair, and reproduction.
Nutritionists divide nutrients into two main groups: micronutrients
and macronutrients. Micronutrients, or nutrients required in only
small amounts, include vitamins and minerals. Most foods contain a
combination of the two groups. Macronutrients, so called because the
body needs more of them, include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
These are the foods our bodies use for energy and growth.
First of
all, think of Vitamins and Minerals, daily amounts (RDA) of these two
for a man his age. Both vitamins and minerals play some important role
for our body. Vitamins help regulate metabolism, convert fat and
carbohydrates into energy, and assist in forming bone and tissue. Also
vitamins are essential to the normal functioning of our bodies. They
are necessary for our growth, vitality, and general well-being.
There
are 13 vitamins in all. For example; vitamin A maintains healthy
vision, skin, and mucous membranes. Vitamin A contains Vegetables,
eggs, milk, fish oil, liver oil. Vitamin C is necessary for healthy
bones, teeth, and skin and helps in wound healing. Vitamin C contains
fruits, vegetables (tomatoes, green peppers, cabbage), leafy green
vegetables. Vitamin D Fortified milk is essential for formation of
bones and teeth, helps the body absorb and use calcium and fortified
milk. the vitamin B complex, which includes thiamine, riboflavin,
niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12 pantothenic acid, and
biotin; and vitamins C, D, E, and K. On the other hand, Minerals are
needed for growth and maintenance of body structures. They also help
to maintain digestive juices and the fluids found in and around cells.
Unlike vitamins, this minerals are not made by plants and animals.
Plants get minerals from water or soil, and animals get minerals by
eating plants or plant-eating animals.
The minerals the body needs in
large amounts include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium, sodium, and sulfur. Other minerals, called trace elements,
are needed in much smaller amounts. Trace elements include iron,
copper, fluorine, iodine, selenium, zinc, chromium, cobalt, manganese,
and molybdenum. For example: Calcium is essential for building bones
and teeth and maintaining bone strength and important in muscle
function. It contains dairy products, sardines (with bones), salmon,
dark green leafy vegetables. Copper is essential for making hemoglobin
(oxygen carrying protein in red blood cells) and collagen (a protein
in connective tissue), essential for healthy functioning of the heart,
helps in energy production and helps in absorption of iron from
digestive tract. It contains whole grains, nuts, liver, oysters. Iron
helps in energy production and helps to carry oxygen in the
bloodstream and to transfer oxygen to muscles. It also is contained in meat,
poultry, fish, dried beans, nuts, dried fruits, whole-grain and
enriched grain products. In the end, the best way to get the vitamins
and minerals you need is by eating a varied, balanced diet, rich in
fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Second, Tanaka needs to be thinking of the real
difference between carbohydrates and fats. Carbohydrates and fats are
the body's primary energy sources. Carbohydrates include all starches
and sugars. They are the body's main source of energy. Each gram of
carbohydrate provides 4 calories. Most foods contain carbohydrates.
The main sugar in food is sucrose, which is everyday white or brown
sugar. Other sugars include lactose (found in milk) and fructose
(found in most fruits and many vegetables). Starches are a more
complex form of carbohydrate. They are more filling and contain more
nutrients than foods with lots of sugars, fats, or oils. Foods
containing starches include beans, breads, cereals, pasta, and
potatoes. On the other hand, Fats pack a lot of energy. Each gram of
fat provides 9 calories. There are three kinds of fat: saturated,
monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Animal and dairy fats, which
remain solid at room temperature, are saturated fats. Saturated fat is
often called "bad" fat. Unsaturated fats include vegetable fat and
oils; they remain liquid at room temperature.
So let Tanaka start thinking more about his
diet. He is a computer specialist and very busy six and sometimes seven
days a week. This situation cause stress. Also recently it is hard for
him to relax. Stress rise to lose his appetite. Then this is bad
rotation for his condition. I suggest that exercise is the best way to
dissolve these problems. Certainly, he exercises for only about a half
an hour once a week. He feels this enough to keep him from becoming
fat, but I think he should exercise little by little every day during
pause in the business. After exercise, maybe he will fall asleep and
next morning he will not feel tired.
Also he thinks " but even a young
man needs to run to keep his weight down -- that's the only reason I
do it!", I couldn't think its only reason to exercise. As follows,
solving stress also is reason to exercise. In addition, his LDL level
is measured at 172. It' high, because normal LDL cholesterol level of
less than 130 is best. An LDL level of 160 or higher means you have an
increased risk for heart disease. I suggest that it is important for
him to exercise. I n his diet, because of overwork , he doesn't spend
enough time to eat breakfast most mornings. Also he needs to intake
fast food like hamburgers, cheeseburgers or udon at lunch and dinner.
In addition, I regret that he relies on Vitamin supplements. Thinking
of healthy eating, eat regular meals and balance your food choices
over time, maintain a healthy weight, eat a variety of nutrient-rich
foods. Based on these, he is short of fibers and other nutrients. And
his diet is large amount of fats and oils. May be these foods cause
high LDL. He should eat more fruits and vegetables, eat more broiled
or grilled fish and skinless chicken and less fried meats, choose lean
cuts (pieces of meat containing little visible fat) when he eats beef,
pork and lamb. Also, cut down on the amount of meat he eats, eat a
variety of fiber rich foods, like oats, whole grain breads and apples.
Fiber helps reduce cholesterol levels.
Fiber rich foods can also help
when he is trying to lose weight, because they make he feels full.
These provide Vitamins A and C, are excellent sources of fibers, are
low in fat naturally. For example, he eats dry bran cereal for
breakfast. Cereal provide complex carbohydrates and important source
of energy. Eating cereal, he can drink milk. But, he should check
labels on the packages for the mounts of dietary fiber in each brand.
Some cereals may have less fiber than we think. Although he think
that" I get good nutrition from the vitamin supplements I take, and I
when I can",. And he thinks "I get my fiber from eating udon and rice,
and that's all I need to think about." I think that it is not good
idea, and only its couldn't be enough for his body. Many foods contain
dietary fiber. And eating foods that are high in fiber can help
relieve some problems with constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticulosis
and irritable bowel syndrome. Dietary fiber may help lower your
cholesterol. It may also help prevent heart disease, diabetes and
certain types of cancer. You might try the following ideas to increase
the fiber in your diet. Each bay, he should eat at least five servings
of fruits and vegetables. Also he had better to eat brown rice instead
of white rice.
Thinking of his family history of disease and high LDL
level, he may suffer from diabetes or heart disease in the future. For these
reasons, as I said many times, he should be more conscious of his diet. He should eat three regular
meals and eat well chosen food; low fats, oils, sugar, etc. Also he needs to do more
exercise every day.
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