Kaori Mori writes:
Mr Tanaka thinks he is "health-conscious". But he actually has
lots of problems, such as risk factors of diseases, behavior problems
and misunderstanding of self-health conditions.
At first, though he gets much information about staying trim,
energetic and healthy, yet he is confused about too much information. So
his biggest problem is misunderstanding. He thought
that he could get fiber from udon and rice. But those foods don't
contain enough fiber in reality. Good sources of fiber are fruits,
vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains. He wants to know the real
differences between carbohydrates and fats. Nutrients are divided into
two main groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients
include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which are the foods our
bodies use for energy and growth. The biggest difference between
carbohydrates and fats is the amount of energy; each gram of
carbohydrate provides 4 calories, while fat does 9 calories. On the
other hand, micronutrients that help the body turn food into energy
and tissues or maintain body structures include vitamins and minerals.
Most foods contain a combination of the two groups. And we have to
gain all of nutrients by many kinds of food souses. So it is not good
enough for him to pay attention only to red meat. Also he wants to
know about the recommended daily amounts (RDA) of vitamins and
minerals. For example, RDA of fiber is 25 to 30 grams. To meet that,
eat oatmeal, bran cereal, or whole-grain bread, and plenty of fruits,
vegetables, and dried beans. RDA is not the same for everyone; it
means the necessary amounts are different by sex, age and each
personal condition. Well, I should tell him another
vitamin's RDA; Vit. A-2000IU, Vit. B1-1mg, Vit. B2-1.4mg, Vit. C-50mg,
Vit. D-100IU, calcium-0.6g, niacin-17mg.
Next we have to think about his behavior. Most of Mr Tanaka's problems are
connected to his busy life. He doesn't have time to eat breakfast, and
to make matters worse, he eats fast foods or udon at lunch and dinner.
That makes him poor nutrition and he takes too much fat, especially
unsaturated one. Excess cholesterol and unsaturated fat becomes
clogged in the blood vessels, reducing the blood flow and oxygen
supply to the heart muscle. It may cause chest pain called angina,
heart attack atherosclerosis and stroke. And it is not good for his
health that he relies on vitamin supplements. Because these
supplements are unbalanced in terms of thinking whole diet and they
are artificial. Another problem in diet is taking too much caffeine.
Large doses of caffeine can cause restlessness, sleeplessness,
palpitations, and diarrhea. In addition to that, he has almost no time
to exercise. Exercise has effects to keep him from becoming fat and to
reduce his cholesterol level. Besides it can get rid of his stress
which he has been having at work and even after work. So he should
make time to move his body. Though he is busy, I think he'd better
become physically active and use time to go to work and so on.
At last but not least, he has already had severe risk factors such as
family history of diabetes and heart disease. Moreover his LDL level
is 172, which increase his risk of heart disease. Though he thinks
that only sweet foods make LDL level high, he needs a diet low in
saturated fat and cholesterol. So he has to avoid eating fast foods
first of all. Also fiberrich foods would make his LDL level low.
Moreover he should raise HDL, that's because HDL removes cholesterol
from the blood vessel and helps maintain good blood flow. To raise HDL
levels, he has to exercise more and change his eating habits.
The most important thing is for Tanaka to understand is his real health condition
and to gain information for himself and change his life style following an
expert's advice.
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