Masako Imamura writes:
Mr.Tanaka is a 29-year-old computer specialist. Though he pays
attention to his energetic and healthy life, I don't think
he has a good grasp of information about healthy diet. Also
he is preoccupied with his business, which leads to a lot
of problems in his basic lifestyle. Now let us check his
problems.
1. No appropriate information about health.
2. Taking no breakfast most morning.
3. Intaking high-calorie like fast food at lunch and dinner.
4. He relies on vitamin supplements with too much coffee in the morning and colas in the afternoon.
5. He hates most vegetables and eats a lot of meat, beef and pork.
6. He thinks that getting fiber from udon and rise is enough.
7. He has no refreshing way after work.
8. He do exercise only because keeping his weight down.
9. His LDL level is measured at 172, it is higher than dangerous level 160.
10. History of diseases.
First, I'll advise him about recommended daily amounts (RDA) of
vitamins and minerals for a man his age. Though there are 13
vitamins in all ( vitamin A, the vitamin B complex, vitamin
C, D, E, and k), we should take them from a meal because
the body cannot manufacture or synthesize them, also they are
needed to help the body turn food into energy and assist
in forming bone and tissue. For example, vitamin A from
vegetables like carrots is essential for growth and
development, maintains healthy vision, skin, and mucous membranes.
Of course it's desirable he should take well-balanced vitamins
with a meal, but especially I recommend he should take
vitamin C from fruits and green vegetables, and vitamin E
from safflower oil or vegetables. Vitamin C is essential for
the conformation of the collagen, so the lack of it leads to
broke blood vessels. And recent research says that vitamin C
and vitamin E play a similar role, that is, they prevent
oxidation of LDL , which results in the prevention of
arteriosclerosis, also they help reduce some risks of cancer.
Generally, vitamin C is needed 50mg in a day and vitamin E
is needed 1.51IU. Further he makes a great mistake that he is
relieved to take only vitamin supplements. It's because
vitamins can be assimilated only when they are taken with
other food. Also minerals are needed for growth and
maintenance of body structures, so he should take minerals
like calcium, chlorine, magnezium, and iron etc. He can take
them from daily products, grain products, meat, vegetable, fruits
and nuts. For example, calcium from skim milk or yogurt can
maintain his bone strength in later years. Iron taken from
clams, oysters and soybeans is important for healthy red blood
cells, which deliver oxygen throughout your body. It's said
that iron is needed 10mg for his age.
Also he is confused about real difference between
carbohydrates and fats, so let me tell him appropriate
information. Carbohydrates are the body's main source of
energy, also fats and proteins supply energy to the body.
Though both are primary energy sources, carbohydrate provides
4 calories whereas fat provides 9 calories, so fats are
suitable to pack a lot of energy and more high-calories than
carbohydrates. Also fats are categorized into saturated fat
and unsaturated fat, and excessive taking saturated fat isn't
desirable because saturated fats raise cholesterol levels in
the blood while polyunsaturated fats lower them. And recent
research said that monounsaturated fats is effective in
reducing LDL levels while keeping HDL levels the same. It's
true that proper amount of cholesterol is necessary to the
cells and helps the body make hormones, but too much
cholesterol forms fatty substance called plaque, and it stays
and narrows the artery, which can results in arteriosclerosis,
heart disease and another diseases. Though all cholesterol
aren't bad ones like HDL, we should keep lower total
cholesterol level and not take excessive ones. So I'd like to
recommend he replaces meat intake into unsaturated fat like
vegetable fats and fishes. Also he had better change eating
red meat which has lots of high protein to lower cholesterol
food like natto, tofu and grain bread in terms of his LDL
level that is much higher than dangerous LDL level (160). Now I
propose some ideas to lower his LDL level as follows.
Some ideas to lower his LDL level: 1. Diet; Avoiding high
cholesterol foods such as egg yolk, beef liver, cottage cheese
and taking lower cholesterol foods such as fish, all
vegetables and fruits is important to keep proper total
cholesterol level. To select lean cuts of meat and replace animal
fats including cholesterol with appropriate substances like
vegetable fats or fish fats is also important. 2. Exercise;
Physical activity is effective not only to consume body's fats
and keep his weight down. It's believed to increase level of
good cholesterol (HDL), which is believed to remove excess
cholesterol from the body and lower his bad (LDL) cholesterol
level. Only walking for a few minutes everyday is O.K, so I
propose he walks some distance to his office. It must be
effective to control his total cholesterol level. 3. History of
diseases; Some families have a tendency to high cholesterol
levels. He may have genetic factors of diseases because both
his grandfather and father have diabetes, also his mother is
ill with heart, so he had better pay attention to his health
more than others.
Last, I advise him about something related to his basic lifestyle.
One important thing is that he should eat breakfast every
morning even if he is very busy and lessen fatty foods at
dinner because eating balanced breakfast is very important to
get energy to the body at the beginning of the day, also
we don't need so much nutrition at night. Too much intake
at night results in only getting fat. So I suggest that he
should eat cereals with salad, fruits in the morning. Cereals
is not only convenient but also well-balanced, which includes
rich carbohydrates, fiber and variety of vitamins and
minerals. Of course he should eat well- balanced food,
especially taking vegetables and fruits, which supply us lots
of nutrition like variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber,
is lacking for him. Though he thinks that to take fibers from
only udon and rice is enough for him, it's not enough. Some
studies have shown that fiber help reduce the rates of some
forms of cancer, so he had better to take a number of foods
including more fiber like fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole
grains.
I know rapid changes are difficult and dangerous. Though
people say cholesterol or oily foods are bad for the health,
you never take them zero. So I advise him to try to change
his basic lifestyle gradually and sometimes do his favorites,
which make him happy.
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