Shouhei Ishida writes:
Hiroshi Tanaka is a 29-year-old computer specialist who lives and
works in Sendai. Mr Tanaka says he is "health-conscious", but his LDL
level is 172 and his lifestyle is bad for his health. He is very busy
with his computer business and he doesn't have time to eat breakfast
most mornings, and he also intakes fast food like hamburgers,
cheeseburgers or udon at lunch and dinner. Moreover, he takes good
nutrition not from vegetables but from the vitamin supplements, and he
eats a lot of meat, beef and pork mostly. And he knows he should be
eating foods that are rich in fiber, but he doesn't takes fiber by
only eating rices, udon, and he thinks that is enough for keeping his
health. He doesn't know the difference between fats and
carbohydrates. More troubling, he has been feeling lots of pressure at
work lately, and most recently he finds it hard to relax even after
work. He doesn't like to exercise, and says "Even a young man needs to
run to keep his weight down -- that's the only reason I do it!" Since
Mr Tanaka is so busy, he exercises for only about a half an hour once
a week. Both his father and grandfather have diabetes, and his mother
is currently ill with a critical heart condition.
There are two major problems. One is his lifestyle and the other is a
risk factor. In his lifestyle, problems are, for example, eating fast
foods, eating a lot of meet, taking good nutrition not from vegetables
but from the vitamin supplements, taking fiber by only eating
carbohydrates. And a risk factor is his family history of illness.
Then, what he should do in order to be a healthy person?
He should eat varied and balanced diet. First, he should eating more
vegetables. Vegetables contain various vitamins and minerals. And it
is less effective for health to taking vitamins and minerals from
supplements. Vitamins and minerals work little by themselves. But by
taking with various foods, vitamins and minerals work effectively.
Vitamins help the body turn food into energy and tissues. 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.
RDA of several vitamins and minerals is as follows: vitamin A is
2000IU and iron is 12mg. He should take meals with thinking of RDA.
Second, he should take fibers from vegetables. Getting fibers from
carbohydrates is not enough for health. Fiber can be partially
digested by the body. Only fiber appears to have the ability to lower
cholesterol levels in the blood fiber can be found in a wide variety
of foods, including apples, oats, guar gum, dried beans, and green
vegetables. Third, he should understand the difference between fats
and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates include all starches and sugars and
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. To the contrary,
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. Moreover,"bad" fat increases LDL level.
And, he should do exercise every day even if only a little. Exercise
is done for reducing the fat in the artery and vein rather than for
keeping one's weight down. His LDL level is 172. LDL-Cholesterol
Categories: Less than 130 mg/dL equals a good or desirable level; 130
to 159 mg/dL equals a borderline-high risk; 160 mg/dL or above equals
a high risk. Exercise helps increase your HDL-cholesterol level, which
is effective to reduce the LDL-cholesterol level. He certainly has a
risk factor of diabetes and heart disease, but, if he makes an effort
much, he can keep his health.
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