Ch. 8 – Nutrition

This chapter was a nice return to a directly applicable topic to my health aspect. I would generally say that this chapter was previously known information for me, however, that did not stop me from learning some new things and taking a great deal of important information out of it. The first major piece of information from the chapter was that “Most experts believe that Americans should double their current consumption of dietary fiber” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 183). This surprised me, as they state right after this quote that a high-fiber diet can lead to obesity. However, I think the important point that they are trying to make is that we do not get enough fiber, however, there is still a limit that we need to maintain while increasing our own intake. Fiber is, after all, a key factor in the movement of food through the digestive system.

The second thing that stood out to me in the chapter was the benefits of vitamins. I previously knew of the importance and the general function of vitamins, but the chapter highlighted some new information that was intriguing to me. Vitamins “help maintain nerves and skin, produce blood cells, build bones and teeth, heal wounds, and convert food energy to body energy” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 186). This section of the chapter provided a plethora of functions of vitamins that I never knew and proves just how essential these vitamins are. In particular, vitamin D is highlighted greatly, as it regulates blood calcium levels, maintains bone health, and assists cell differentiation. Despite the great importance of this vitamin, it is not difficult to obtain, as 5-30 minutes of sunlight twice a week can do the trick.

The final thing that made an impression on me was the depth of the information on organic food. I never knew the rules to organic food labels, which I guess is partly due to the fact that I have never eaten organic in the first place. However, it was incredibly interesting to me that organic foods do not necessarily provide a greater nutritional benefit than normal food. As state in the chapter, “While organic meats provide higher fatty acid levels, consumer bran preferences, appearance of packaging, and texture appear to influence consumer perceptions more than actual nutritional benefits do” (Donatelle, 2019, p. 197). This is interesting to me, as the argument for organic versus non-organic seems much more heated than a simple packaging and “curb appeal” type of approach that studies have proven choices at the store to be.

My health aspect has been relatively the same this week. No crazy improvements have come, but I am beginning to accept that it is not what is most important. I have started to gain weight, which has been one of my biggest fears since high school. I think that the lense I view my health through has changed as I have matured, however. In high school, I was under 125 pounds until my senior year, due to the fact that I ran everyday for cross country. I was always afraid of being heavier than that, but now I am much heavier than that, yet I still think that I am in shape and I do not look at myself and think that I am overweight. That has had a direct impact on my health aspect, as well as the implications of nutrition on my aspect. As much as I am comfortable with the shape I am in, I still would like to generally lose a little bit of weight. This has generally led to me not getting the nutrients I need on a daily basis. In terms of my health aspect directly, I think that I am beginning to realize that I am not the runner I once was (and I haven’t been for a while). I can not run the pace that I use to run on a daily basis, but I should not expect myself to since I am not running the way I used to or for the purpose I used to. I am definitely still finding joy in running when I do, but I feel that I am beginning to accept the changes that have occurred and am finding it easier to not be so hard on myself.

This week was another tough one to find a picture of myself that accurately represented how I feel, as well as the fact that I did not want to constantly post pictures of myself running of a treadmill, as that is all I can do at the moment. Therefore, I chose a picture of a relay race I ran in high school. The race I ran with some of my best friends, and the picture reminds me that as much as I am focused on cardiovascular health, running was also a benefit because it gave me some things that are bigger than the work I put in and the health I hope to get out of it: Friendship.