Mitsutaka Udagawa writes:
It is good that Mr. Tanaka is thinking about his health. And it is good that he is reading
many different magazines and Internet sites to study the health
condition. I think he is far from good health, however. He has some problems
for his health. It seems that he doesn't understand all this information correctly and
can't make use of the information. So I want to suggest the following to
help him.
First, I must answer his question about RDA of vitamins and minerals. Although we must get much
nutrition, he is short of nutrition. Because he is very confused about
what would be the recommended daily amounts (RDA) of vitamins and
minerals for a man his age, I must say about them. Vitamins and
minerals need for human. We don't live without them. Vitamins help the
body turn food into energy and tissues. There are 13 vitamins in all:
vitamin A (750ug); the vitamin B complex, which includes thiamin
(1.2mg), riboflavin (1.8mg), niacin (20mg), vitamin B6, folic acid
(200ug), vitamin B12 pantothenic acid (2ug), and biotin; and vitamins
C (30mg), D (2.5ug), E (10ug), and K (140ug). (The man who is 65kg
needs par days.) Minerals are needed for growth and maintenance of
body structures. Plants and animals do not make minerals. Animals get
minerals by eating plants or plant-eating animals. The minerals the
body needs in large amounts include calcium (800mg), chlorine,
magnesium (350mg), phosphorus (800mg), potassium, sodium, and sulfur.
Other minerals, called trace elements, are needed in much smaller
amounts. Trace elements include iron (10mg), copper, fluorine, iodine
(150ug), selenium, zinc (15mg), chromium, cobalt, manganese, and
molybdenum. (The man who is 65kg needs par days.) Next I must say
about the real difference between carbohydrates and fat. Carbohydrates
and fats are the primary energy sources for body. Carbohydrates
include all starches and sugars. They are the body's main source of
energy. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. And most foods
contain carbohydrates. For example foods such as beans, breads,
cereals, pasta, and potatoes contain carbohydrates. But fats pack a
lot of energy. Each gram of fat provides 9 calories. Especially
saturated fat is often called "bad" fat. Saturated fats include animal
and dairy fats, which remain solid at room temperature. Protein is
important for man. Proteins provide energy at 4 calories per gram, but
they are more important as the body's building materials. Meat,
poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs, cereals, legumes, and nuts are
all good sources of protein. However high revel protein food cause
several diseases. So it isn't good enough that he pay attention to
eating red meat which has lots of high protein.
Second, I must talk about his eating style. It is unfortunate that he says he
is busy six and sometimes seven days a week, and he does not have time to
eat breakfast most mornings. And he takes fast food like hamburgers,
cheeseburgers, or udon at lunch and dinner. Also he relies on vitamin
supplements which he takes with four or five cups of coffee in the
morning and colas in the afternoon. And he really hates most
vegetables; on the other hand, he takes a lot of meat, beef and pork
mostly. Though first he should eat three times par day. Breakfast is
most important a day. Because breakfast supply lots of energy we need
for work. Second he shouldn't eat such food, but he should eat
vegetables in spite of his liking. Because fast food is not balanced
food, he can not take enough nutrition like vitamins, minerals and
fibers. That kind of foods has much fat, cholesterol and salt. Fat,
cholesterol and salt can cause many diseases. About these disease I
say after. Third he relies on vitamin supplements, so he had better
take vitamins from vegetables. Meet, beef and pork include some
nutrition like protein, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium and
zinc. But if he takes too many meets, his cholesterol level will
become high. Forth fiber is also important for the body. Fiber helps
reduce the rates of cancer. And fiber appears to have the ability to
lower cholesterol levels in the blood. A number of foods are good
sources of fiber, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and
whole grains. Certainly he says that he gets fibers from eating udon
and rice. But thinking on the point of whole balance, he should take
it from more variety foods. We get little fiber from udon and rice.
There are two kinds of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Fifth he often
drink coffee. It is serious problem. Coffee has too much caffeine.
Caffeine is a drug, which stimulates the central nervous system.
Caffeine supply water to the body initially, contain diuretics that
cause the body to lose the water. Water just may be the most important
nutrient because our body is more than half water. And coffee destroy
Ca. Ca is a kind of the mineral. It is important for us to make bone
and tooth. Colas reduce Ca, too.
Third, I must say something about his exercise and his stress. Certainly it is
good for him to run to keep his weight down, but that is not all. Even
if he is busy, it is too short a time when he exercises for only about a half an
hour once a week. In spite of our age, we need to exercise more and more; and if we do, we are
more and more healthy. So he should exercise more. Stress also affects
his cholesterol level. He has been feeling lots of pressure at work
lately, and most recently he finds it hard to relax even after work.
It is OK even if the time when he can relax is short. Doing relaxation exercises is
important.
Lastly, I must discuss his high LDL level. Low-density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol is bad. High levels of LDL in the bloodstream are
associated with an increased risk of heart disease. His LDL level is
measured at 172. It' high -- a normal LDL cholesterol level of
less than 130 is best. A LDL level of 160 or higher means you have an
increased risk for heart disease. Cholesterol is necessary to the
cells and helps the body make hormones, but too much cholesterol in
the blood can make its way to the arteries, where it stays in the form
of a thick, fatty substance called plaque. The buildup of plaque
narrows the arteries and makes it increasingly difficult for blood to
make its way through them. This creates a condition called
atherosclerosis. There may be no signs or symptoms of atherosclerosis
until a heart attack or stroke occurs. The lower his LDL cholesterol
levels, the better off he is. So he control the amount of his
cholesterol in his bloodstream. And he has heredity of diabetes. What
is the worse, he doesn't have correct knowledge about cholesterol.
Increase of cholesterol doesn't only depend on eating sweats foods.
The amount of cholesterol in bloodstream depends on heredity, diet,
and lifestyle. What should he do? He should adjust his diet. So he
must acquire correct knowledge about it, and control it. And he
reduces the saturated fat. Saturated fat affects his cholesterol
level; in fact, it's a worse offender. Keep his saturated fat intake
under 10 percent of his calories each day, and he is on his way to
lower cholesterol levels. These foods which contain saturated fat
indicate before.
Mr. Tanaka should think about his health more deeply. And he should change his lifestyle.
First he should take a rest as much as possible. Second he should eat
good healthy food and well-balanced food which has many vitamins and
minerals. Third he should exercise more. Last he should pay attention
to his health. So he will be healthy.
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