Eriko Katsuta writes:
I think Mr. Tanaka has many problems for his diet and lifestyle. First, he
doesn't have time to eat breakfast most morning. This is bad for his
health. He should eat breakfast everyday even if he is busy. In
addition, he intake fast food at lunch and dinner. About lunch it is
not so bad, but about dinner he needs to intake many varieties of
food. The best way is that he intakes 30 varieties of food a day. If
it is difficult for him, he has to make an effort for it.
Second, Tanaka
has an unbalanced diet. He really hates most vegetables, and he eats a
lot of beef and pork mostly. And he gets his fiber from eating udon
and rice. In addition, he relies on vitamin supplements which he
takes with four or five cups of coffee in the morning and cola in the
afternoon. The worst thing is he thinks it has no problem. He should
be eating more vegetables. Vegetables contain various vitamins. And it
is less effective for health to taking vitamins from supplements.
Vitamins work little by themselves. But taking with various food,
vitamins work effectively. Moreover 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.
And he intakes too much caffeine. This is bad for his stomach. He should
drink water or tea instead of coffee and cola.
Third, 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!" But exercise is done for reducing the fat in the artery and
vein rather than for keeping one's weight down. Exercise helps
increase your HDL-cholesterol level, which is effective to reduce the
LDL-cholesterol level. So, he should exercise everyday. If he is busy,
it is all right to walk to his office or short time exercise. 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.
He wants to know the
difference between carbohydrates and fats. 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. 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. And he also wants to know proteins and
minerals. Proteins provide energy at 4 calories per gram, but they are
more important as the body's building materials. Muscle, skin, bone,
and hair are made up largely of proteins. In addition, every cell
contains proteins called enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions in
the body. Cells could not function without these enzymes. The body
uses proteins to make antibodies, or disease-fighting chemicals, and
certain hormones such as insulin, which serve as chemical messengers
in the body. (Other hormones, such as the female hormone estrogen, are
not made from proteins.) Meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs,
cereals, legumes, and nuts are all good sources of protein. 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, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, 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.
Finally, he has been
feeling lots of pressure at work lately, and most recently he finds it
hard to relax even after work. They make him tired. He needs to relax
except at working. And it is better that he enjoys his work. Judging
from his family's illness, the posssibility he might contract diabetes
or heart disease is high. The most significant thing for him is to
change his lifestyle and his diet as soon as possible.
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