Learning Outcomes
Demonstrate knowledge of human nutritional needs and the role of nutrition in improving individual health and the societal economic impact of food choices.
- From this course I have determined that the "diet" as Americans think of it today is typically thought of as the absence of bad foods. I feel confident that I now have the understanding that it's not the elimination of food that will lead to our improving health, but the inclusion of the correct types of food and fluid that will power our bodies without leading to the crashes that make us feel so ravenous when our quick energy diets wear off. As we can see, preparing our own meals from a grocery store (or equivalent) is beneficial to our health, and our pocketbook in cost savings per meal per person.
Relate technological advancements in medicine and food production to the advancement of the science of human nutrition.
- Just as with new technologies in medicine, such as pharmacology, radiology, and other aspects of growth through knowledge and manipulation of images and chemicals; so too has our understanding of how the components of our food been better analyzed. With the use of these same tools and methodologies not only do we know more today than ever before what components we need, how much is good for us, and how much is bad for us. We also know which foods have the nutrition within them and how to preserve thatcontent better than ever before.
Explain the impact that the food industry has on human food choices and the subsequent relationship to health and disease at the individual, societal, and environmental level.
- The food industry is first and foremost a group of for profit conglomerations whom seek minimizing expense and maximizing profits. By spending large amounts of capital on advertisement and directed marketing we as Americans feel that even when we are in fact making good and healthy purchasing decisions, we are often times basing our decisions on marketing information and not nutritional information.
- In essence, by not having ready access to the best information to make good decisions or by downplaying the harm that the fast food and other less healthy food options provide to us, as a society we are eating less well every year on average as it becomes the norm to not gather around the communal dinner table.
Provide examples of past and present nutrient and diet trends in modern society and the positive and/or negative implications on human health and the earth’s resources.
- In modern America, we are very focused on the "meat" of our diet. It seems you can't have Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner that doesn't have a meat portion. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing if it's of a proper type, cut, quality, and measure we don't need to have such a large percentage of our caloric or general food volume be in the form of meats.
- During the World War 2 era, a chicken in every pot was a slogan because it was a luxury to be able to have a whole chicken to prepare for a meal. Today it's how many buckets of KFC do you want?
- Today we eat more, and move less. Higher consumption is a drain on resources and also lends to waste as there is a common saying. "Eyes bigger than our Bellies", but I think our bellies are catching up too often.
Provide examples of positive and negative interactions of humankind with microorganisms regarding sickness, health and food production.
- Today almost everyone is aware that there are good Bacteria, and bad Bacteria. Humans need bacteria for our normal digestive functions.
- There are also the bad types of organisms that are trying to break down and consume our food even before we get the chance to. These types thrive if we don't properly handle, and store our foods. They lead to illness, and waste.
Address diet and nutrient issues and concerns for weight control, disease prevention, physical activity, food availability, and biotechnology.
- In essence, we have learned that as it has been suspected. A well balanced diet, with a proper amount of Meat, Dairy, Fruits, and Vegetables where we reduce as much pre-packaged products that are high in sodium and preservatives and have lost many of their nutrients by heavy processing that the faster from farm to table that we get our food the better for us it typically will be.
- If we can maintain our weight with diet and exercise some of the most preventable diseases which are caused largely by obesity such as Hypertension, and Heart Disease can be significantly reduced and allow us to focus more on our quality of life, instead of working on the quality we lose in our life by exposing ourselves to health issues.
The Assignment
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Nutrition Perspectives.docx Size : 75.123 Kb Type : docx |
Reflection
My reflection of this course is an affirmation that I felt when I enrolled in it that I knew many aspects of what a healthy diet should be. I was not as aware of the impacts from inception through the end of our life span of how all of our intake of Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals were so key in our well being, both physically and mentally.
It's a shame that this is a college course and not curriculum that we begin in K-12 and utilize to teach our future generations how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I feel that if all individuals were required to learn this material and could import some of the practices suggested into their daily lives it may reverse the trend of obese America.
Nutrition is essential, but if we don't include regular physical activity it's a one sided conversation that leads us all to the same unfortunate results of american's on fad diets, surgeries, and eating disorders to maintain a physique that good eating, and exercise will provide as it has in the past; so shall it do in the present, and future.
