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| Jacky 1 |
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Julio Cardenas
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
ESSAY TOPIC: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives?
According to the Science of nutrition, nutritionists from the article
The Basic of Nutrition in Interdisciplinary English suggest that
we should know the importance of a good knowledge of Nutrition, for the reason
that “Nutrition interferes with our way of life in all aspects”. Numerous
nutritional specialists have related in different nutrition books and Internet
research such as ACE personal training program, that nutrition is important for
fuel and for our overall nutrition is the way in which the parts of our body
use food for sustenance and for maintenance of proper functioning. Without a
proper diet and nutrition, our body cannot grow up and function properly, and
we can be more susceptible to chronic illnesses or disease, and in some cases
premature death. For these reasons, Nutritionists suggest seven rules for
healthy eating, which are appropriate for the basics of nutrition.
Nutritionists from The Basics of Nutrition recommend that we eat a variety of foods; these foods have different amounts and types of nutrients. For that reason, when we plan meals, it is important to select food from each of the major food groups. The major food groups include; grain and cereals, vegetables and fruits, meats, poultry, and fish, milk products, fats and oils.
Nutritionist suggest that we have to eat foods low in cholesterol and fat because the higher the cholesterol level in our blood, the greater the chance that we develop disease such as cancer and heart disease. We should decrease foods high in cholesterol; these foods include meat, whole-milk dairy products, egg yolks and butter. For these reason nutritionists suggest being careful with the amount of fats in our diet because fat affects our cholesterol levels. For example, we should know the two main types of fats that we eat. These fats are called saturated and unsaturated fats. The saturated fats are solid at room temperature and come from animal and some vegetable products; for example, meat, eggs, cocoa butter, butter, ice cream, coconut oil, and palm oil. Unsaturated fats are generally liquid at room temperature (an oil) and come from vegetable or plant sources. We have to use these foods in limited amounts.
In addition, we have to reduce sodium and sugar in our diet because great quantities could be dangerous. If we intake excessive sodium this may cause us to hold fluids in our body and increase our blood pressure. We should reduce our use of table and seasoning salts, use less processed and prepackaged foods and pick snack foods intelligently. For example, if we eat from the school cafeteria it is better to avoid canned meat, frozen foods, and snack foods like potato chips because are prepackaged, salted, and heavily processed. Rather, we should to pick nutrients low in sodium such as more natural foods and fruits.
In addition, nutritionists recommend not eating more than the necessary calories to maintain a desirable weight. Our body takes in calories when we eat and uses calories when we are active. If we have more calories than we spend, the excess is stored for the most part as fat. Even if we take in just a few too many calories over long a time, it can show a slow but sure weight increase and our heart must work hard to take and support the excess weight. To lose weight, we need to consume a smaller number of calories than we need.
To maintain a good weight we need to talk to a doctor or dietitian about good eating habits, losing weight, and weight management. Dietitians recommend losing no more than two pounds per week, because when we lose weight too fast, we gain more weight easily. We must also follow a regular program of exercise. Doctors recommend asking them what type and amount of exercise is right for us before beginning an exercise program. These programs should have at least three times per week of regular exercise such as gym workouts or aerobic programs for example walking, jogging, swimming, and racing bikes. I believe if we follow all these recommendations, in a shot time, we may feel and see the benefits of a regular exercise program. These include a decrease in our cholesterol levels, weight management, diabetes control, and stress management. A regular program is also a good way to maintain our energy level for daily activities.
One of the reasons why I suggest a good healthy plan and why I was interested in this research is because I graduated in sports, fitness and nutrition, from where I learned how to manage a healthy life. However, during the time that I spent doing this research, I feel that I have improved my knowledge in this topic, the basics of nutrition. In addition, I would recommend or encourage people who can read this paper to participate in different exercise programs. For example jog, do aerobics, weight train, dance and do sports. If any person that is interested in exercise, I recommend that she/he come to the school gym. Here in the school the students have free access and the right to use the college fitness center, basketball gym, and swimming pool. The sports and health department of all community institutions as college and recreational department of New York City recommend that students get involve in sport activities. For this reason the entrance to the recreational area in the community colleges is free, without any charge to students. All this information in this paper is very important to me, because I do sports that require a good nutrition and healthy life. I am a professional boxer and track and field runner. For this reason I want to use this knowledge about the basics of nutrition to improve my sports skill and exercise stamina. In conclusion, after I did my paper I believe that we do not have any excuse to not take advantage of the basics of nutrition to be healthy and in good body shape.
In summary, the science of nutrition and nutritionists recommend the basics of nutrition that we need to know for a healthy eating plan. This plan consists of seven rules for a healthy diet. These rules include eating a variety of foods, choosing foods low in cholesterol and fat, reducing sodium in our diet, maintaining a desirable weight, following a regular exercise program, cutting back on sugar, and eating more foods high in starch and fiber. In addition, doctors suggest to us a prescribed exercise program together with a diet plan.
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Jacky Wang
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives?
Understanding the
basic principles of diet and nutrition is important to us because it helps us
in our everyday lives. It affects our bodies to be healthy or unhealthy.
Nutrition is linked to just about every part of our body condition. Attaining
and maintaining optimal health is everybody’s dream. To optimize our
health we need to consume an adequate and balanced amount of nutrients that is
beneficial to our body.
According to the
text, “Core Concepts in Health” by Paul M. Insel and Walton T. Roth, The food
choices you make will significantly influence your health-both now and in the
future. There are so many different foods and nutrients that our body needs.
These nutrients are classified as macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients are proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These three nutrients
provide energy to sustain our working efficiency, and this energy is measured
as Kilocalories (Kcal) or Kilo-joules (kJ). Protein forms important parts
of the body’s main structural components: muscles and bones. It also forms
important parts of blood, enzymes, some hormones, and cell membranes. We can
find it in fish, beans, eggs, meat and milk. Fats are the most concentrated
source of energy. They have 9 calories per gram. Carbohydrates and fats are the
body’s preferred sources of fuel for energy. Carbohydrates have an average
value of 4.1 calories per gram. We can get carbohydrates from rice, bread,
cereal, and potatoes. The fats stored in our body represent usable energy; they
help insulate our body, and support and cushion our body organs. We can find
fats in foods like butter, margarine, oil, and corn. Vitamins are organic
substances required in small amounts to help promote and regulate the chemical
reactions and the processes in the body. We can find them in some fruits, milk,
and cheese. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals required in minute amounts
by our body, but are very essential for normal healthy bodily functions.
Vitamins often help in digestion and minerals are constituents of bones, teeth,
soft tissue, muscles, blood and nerve cells. Vitamins and minerals are supplied
by a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, and
low-fat animal products.
In America, we
have a lot of food to eat but what foods are healthy? Which are good for our
body? Food directly influences our health and body. However, women’s and men’s
body structures are a little bit different. Women tend to be smaller and weigh
less than men, meaning they have lower energy needs and therefore need to
consume fewer calories. Men’s bodies tend to be bigger and stronger than
women’s, so they need more foods to make the energy. In the growth period,
teenagers and children should eat more than what they need for growth. During
their growing time, the protein is good for their bones and muscles. They
should get more nutrition from meat, milk, cheese, and fish.
During the time
that I started growing up, I was addicted to my Pc. I always used it to go
online and played game with it; in the meantime I never paid attention to my
diet. Pc was more likely than my meals. I never paid attention to what kinds of
food that were healthy for me, and that could help me grow up faster.
Sometimes, I only ate one or two meals in a day. I think that directly affected
my growth. If I had eaten better before I thought I could have grown taller.
Also my appetite was so bad. I didn’t like to eat vegetables and fish. I only
liked to eat meat. That made me even unhealthier.
Understanding the basic principles of diet and nutrition is so important to every one of us because recently lots of people have not been eating properly, especially in America. Many people don’t balance their nutrition. They eat too many fatty foods, like butter, ice cream, and fried foods. That will cause them to become overweight. To eat in the healthy way, nutritionists advise that breakfast be our largest meal of the day. This gives our body the whole day to burn those calories. Dinner should be the smallest meal. Eating large amounts at night would not be a smart thing to do because our body doesn't have time to burn the calories. In our daily diet, we need to divide our plate into thirds. Two of the thirds should be a carbohydrate source, for example, rice or potatoes and one third should be a protein source, for example, meat or fish. We also have to stay away from junk food and limit our eating of refined foods that have fat, salt and sugar in them. If we can follow these guides, we can make our body much healthier.
Nutrition is important for our health and body because it can influence our life directly; for example, nutrients are important for normal organ development and functioning, normal cell production, growth and maintenance. We can’t miss nutrition in our everyday life. We should consider what kind of nutrition is good for our health. However, no nutrient works alone; each is dependent on another for best efficacy. We can’t miss any one of them. We should consider what kind of nutrition is good for our health and eat in the healthiest way.
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Yakov Kovalev
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives?
Nutrition education is so very important, because our life depends on it. As it says in “The Basics of Nutrition” by Loretta F. Kasper “Providing ourselves with good nutrition is critical in sustaining both physical and mental health” page# 167. According to the studies from the National Institutes of Health one person in 20,000 does not receive even the minimum nutritional needs on a daily basis. When our body does not get enough nutrients, it begins to malfunction. High blood pressure, virus, heart diseases, cancer are only the beginning of the list of problems we can get from poor nutrition. To avoid all of this, we have to educate ourselves by reading articles about diet and nutrition and learning about food nutritional facts.
All nutritional articles are here to give us information about our body’s nutritional needs, the processes involved in our growth, and our mental and physical health. But, we have to be careful choosing this information. Much like our bodies are different in biology, the articles are different in the information they provide. In other words not every person can rely on the standardized, regulated by government, nutritional guide. Our body is a very difficult and sophisticated mechanism which we have to get to know better, nourish and obey. To start doing so, we have to read a lot.
We can learn about food and nutrition in many different ways. The one, and I think, the most important, is the food pyramid that shows “four basic food groups”. Different foods contain different nutrients and other substances needed for our body. Everybody knows that we cannot get all needed nutrients from a single type of food. For example, oranges give us vitamin C and folate, but no vitamin B12; cheese is a source of calcium and vitamin B12, but no vitamin C. To make sure that our body gets all nutrients such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and other substances, such as minerals and vitamins, we have to start using the Food Guide Pyramid as a starting point. However, as I said earlier, as all people are different, so is the food they like. There are many different factors which affect our food choices: cultural, family and religious backgrounds, moral beliefs and much more. Therefore, every person has to use his or her own food pyramid. For example, Mexican food lovers might choose tortillas from the grain group and beans from the meat and beans group; while those who like Asian food can eat rice from the grain group and tofu from the meat and bean group.
There are
many ways to create a healthy eating pattern, but they all start with the three
food groups at the base of the Pyramid: grains, fruits, and
vegetables. Eating a variety of grains (especially whole grain foods), fruits,
and vegetables is the basis of healthy eating. We should enjoy
Fats supply us with energy and essential fatty acids. According to the article “Choose Sensibly” from Dietary Guidelines “Fats help people to absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, and arytenoids” pg 65. We need some fat in our diet, but we should choose sensibly. Some kinds of fat, especially saturated fats, can increase the risk for coronary heart disease by raising blood cholesterol. In contrast, unsaturated fats, found mainly in vegetable oils, do not increase blood cholesterol. However, eating lots of fat of any type can provide excess calories.
In order to burn those calories, we have to perform a physical activity like walking, jogging, working out regularly. To be at our best, we need to avoid gaining weight, and many need to lose weight. Being overweight or obese increases our risk for high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, certain types of cancer, arthritis, and breathing problems. We must choose a lifestyle that combines sensible eating with regular physical activity. A healthy weight is the key to a long, happy life.
In my personal experience I introduced myself to the food
pyramid about a year ago. Back then
I weighed 198 lb and I felt
that I was overweight. My waist was 36 in; I had a belly, and a second chin. I did not like that. I
started looking for articles about diet and nutrition. This is when I found out
about the food pyramid. It
helped me to understand how badly I was treating my body. I realized
that I was paying too much
attention to one group of the pyramid and very little to the others. I was eating a lot of food from
the meat and beans group, which is high with proteins and fats, and as a
matter of fact, I gained a
lot of weight. When I learned a healthy concept of diet and nutrition, I started to eat more food
from the fruits and vegetables and the grain groups. As a result, I lost 23 lb and 7 in off my waist.
I feel great and healthy like never before, thanks to the food pyramid.
A nutritional guide is essential for maintaining a healthy body. Our health affects every aspect of our life including our energy, moods, mental and emotional health, and our effectiveness in communicating with groups and individuals. Balance and control of our nutrition always begins with education. Nutritional education is the key to better understanding ourselves and the needs of our body. Who knows what kind of doors we might open with this key. They might be the doors to ultimate health and prosperity.
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Ewa Samborska
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives?
Nutrition is a study of how food affects
the health and survival of the body. People require
food to grow, reproduce, and keep good health. Food is vital to the health of
all people
of all ages. Without food our bodies could not stay warm, build or repair
tissue. The most
important things that the human body needs are nutrients. Nutrients are
classified as
carbohydrates,
proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. You can get all the nutrients from
the food you eat. The body uses nutrients to supply energy that keeps your
heart beating,
your brain active, and your muscles working. If we have poor results of
nutrition we wouldn’t
have any energy to do anything. Our activities would go very slowly.
The human body needs to eat meat, fish, and dairy products. These foods have every proteins which include all essential amino acids. The amino acids need to be used by the body in the same proportions. However we also need to eat fruit, vegetables, and nuts to make our diet more healthy. Alongside fresh fruits and vegetables there are so-called junk foods – foods that are rich in sugar, fat, and salt. These foods make people fat, and if they eat a lot of “junk food”, they usually have health problems. Eating the right foods can help us to eliminate certain diseases or recover faster when illness occurs. Also to stay healthy people should eat healthy food, and it is very important to eat regularly.
People should try not to eat a lot of
salt because it makes their blood pressure higher. Eating
right can help to reduce the risk of several diseases, including heart disease,
high blood
pressure, cancer, and osteoporosis.
According to the text “The Basics of
Nutrition”, by Loretta F. Kasper, food energy is expressed
in calories. For example: carbohydrates have 4.1 calories per gram, proteins have
5.7, and fats have 9.3 calories per gram. We all need calories to be strong.
Our body needs nutrients to be healthy. We
have five categories of essential nutrients: proteins,
fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals. Three of these (proteins, carbohydrates
and fats) provide energy to the body. Protein is also important to have healthy
muscles,
bones, skin, hair, blood and internal organs.
Vitamins and minerals are very important
to the structure and function of our body because
they build bones and muscles. Minerals are in almost every food, and you can
get enough
minerals by eating a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. The
most abundant
mineral in the body is calcium. Calcium is needed to maintain a strong, hard skeleton.
We also need calcium to build bones and teeth and to ensure normal grow.
It is necessary to have vitamins in our
diet because our body can’t live without them. We
need vitamins to grow and to be healthy. You can get all the vitamins you need
by eating
a healthy, varied diet; however you can buy some of the vitamins in the store. Vitamins
often are called micronutrients.
According to the text “Using Diet to
Lower Your Blood Pressure”, by Dr. Kotchen, vegetables,
fruits and diary products are high in electrolytes, and in naturally occurring minerals
such as potassium, magnesium and calcium. He said if we eat foods high in potassium
for example food like bananas, dates, potatoes and raisins, we will have lower blood
pressure.
People should know more about The Food
Guide Pyramid because their food should
be
selected. The food groups in the pyramid are arranged to show how easy it is to
eat
healthy. Food guides can help you to
get all the nutrients you need by eating a variety of foods.
The most important in that diet is to eat a lot of breads, cereals, rice,
pasta, fruits, and vegetables.
Also we can eat products from milk and low fat meat. We need to remember not to use a lot of fats, oils, and sweets.
They are not healthy for our body if we use them
a lot. Eating a diet that is varied, balanced, and moderate can provide you
with all the nutrients the body needs.
In my opinion using a food pyramid is
very essential because we can have better physical
comfort and we can avoid many illness like as heart attacks. People today are concerned
about staying healthy, so my suggestion to them is to eat healthy food and to
do it regularly.
Enjoy eating a variety of foods. Get the many nutrients your body needs by choosing
foods you enjoy from these groups: grain products, vegetables, fruits, milk products,
protein – rich plant foods (beans, nuts), and protein – rich animal foods
(meat, fish, poultry
and eggs).
It is essential to know about diet and
nutrition because you can understand how and what to
eat. Your body needs nutrients to be health and to have energy for all
activities. It is also very
important to be engaged in some sport like swimming because when you exercise
you feel
better and more energetic. You will feel younger and more active. Also your
sleep will become
deeper and healthier.
Cigarettes and alcohol are very dangerous
for our health. Cigarettes destroy our lungs and the
results of smoking can be cancer. Also drinking alcohol can destroy people’s
brain and liver.
All people should think about the consequences before they smoke their first
cigarette or
drink their first alcoholic drink.
My response:
I enjoyed learning about nutrients and
the food pyramid, because I found information about
how to use a healthy diet in my everyday life. In my opinion it is very
essential to know
about nutrients because we should know how to eat. We should know which foods
are healthy
for us and which aren’t. We need food to grow, reproduce, and to keep good
health. Also
it is very important to know about the food pyramid because I know from my own experience
that it can help us use a diet properly. I discovered food diet a few years
ago. Before
that time I ate a lot of fat, and unhealthy food. And I had health problems. In
a certain moment
I realized that my diet was not healthy for me. I changed it to more fruits and
vegetables.
Also now I eat a lot of diary products, fish, and sometimes chicken. After I started
that diet I felt much better and stronger than ever before, and I don’t have
any health
It is very important to know about diet and nutrition because people should know what and how to eat. Food provides the fuel for muscular activity and exercise; it also supplies energy for all the other functions of the body, including emotions and thoughts. People need to eat healthy food rich in nutrients, like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. It is very significant to have the proper proportions of nutrients in our diet. We need to eat a variety of foods to give our body all nutrients. Also it is very important to eat healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat, fish and milk products and eat regularly.
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Jacky Wang
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain the meaning of homeostasis. Why is maintaining the
body in a state of homeostasis important to our general health and well-being?
Some of the problems resulting from a body out of homeostasis were mentioned in
the textbook reading. What other negative consequences can you think of?
The maintenance of constant conditions in the body is called homeostasis. Homeostasis refers to any process living things use to actively maintain fairly stable conditions necessary for survival. There are thousands of automatic reactions that take place in our body. These reactions all work to keep our internal environment in the right conditions.
According to the text Converting Food to Energy in Interdisciplinary English by Loretta F. Kasper, metabolism is the term used to describe the chemical reactions by which the cells of an organism transform, or change, food into energy. Metabolism also maintains the body’ s temperature and changes complex chemicals into simple substances. There are two metabolic processes: anabolism and catabolism. Balancing these two processes is important for our body and health. Otherwise, the body would become unhealthy.
Anabolism is the constructive metabolism or the process of growing new cells and maintaining all tissues of the body. When people become taller or fatter, they need to grow new cells. Those are part of the process of anabolism. Catabolism is the destructive metabolism, the process of spending energy for all external and internal physical activity. When people are doing exercise, or the heart is beating, they need to use energy. Those are the catabolism processes. The food that people take and the energy that people use should be in a balanced amount. When anabolism is greater than catabolism, then the body gains weight. When catabolism is greater than anabolism, then the body loses weight or becomes unhealthy.
Carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, lipids (fats), and water are all classified as nutrients. When the body performs activities such as muscle contraction, energy is needed. The nutrients supplied by eating should equal the amount of energy the body needs in order to maintain homeostasis or balance. Homeostasis maintains the internal environment of the body to stop imbalance. Our body factors such as temperature, salinity, acidity, and the concentrations of nutrients and wastes affect the healthiness of our body fluids to maintain life. These properties affect the chemical reactions and keep our body organs working and alive. We have to build the physiological mechanism to maintain them at a fit level; for example, sometimes we can feel that our body needs something because we ran out of some things. When we are running, we start to breathe harder and sweat because the body needs more oxygen and water. Our body runs out of water because we are burning the water inside our body. When we feel hungry, our body is giving us an alert that lets us know that energy is needed.
Our body’s organs and tissues that maintain homeostasis are control systems. They respond to change. When a change occurs in the body, there are two general ways that the body can respond, through negative or positive feedback. In negative feedback, the body responds in such a way as to reverse the direction of change. Because this tends to keep things constant, it allows us to maintain homeostasis. An example is the body’s temperature control mechanism. Normally humans maintain body temperature within 1oC of 36.5. If the temperature rises too high, the resulting increase in blood temperature is detected by receptors in the hypothalamus in the brain. The heat loss center, also in the hypothalamus, sends impulses to arteries and sweat glands, which eventually results in a fall in temperature. On the other hand, positive feedback is also possible. This means that if a change occurs in some variable, the response is to change that variable even more in the same direction. So it does not result in homeostasis. An example for a positive feedback is if our normal body’s temperature is 37C, when the negative system is lost control or takes over by positive feedback. The increased temperature speeds up the body chemistry, which causes temperature to rise even more. That’s how we get a fever. And this cycle of positive feedback can only end in death if not stopped because our bodies are losing homeostasis.
My response is that I think it is so important for everyone to understand more about homeostasis. Homoeostasis is related to our every single day and life. For example, I was not getting enough sleep because I always played with my computer and the Internet. The consequence of that is I always felt tired and sleepy during the daytime. So my body was losing homoeostasis; that’s why I felt tired and sleepy during the daytime. It was not a smart thing to do. After I understood the importance of keeping homeostasis of my body, I started getting more sleep, and now I feel much better than before.
Maintaining homeostasis is important to our health and well-being and allows the systems in our body to function within normal parameters. It can support the growth of new cells, maintain the tissues of the body, and produce energy to spend in the physical activity. It can also maintain the body’s weight and reduce some diseases. It keeps the body normal.
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Ewa Samborska
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain the meaning of homeostasis. Why is maintaining the
body in a state of homeostasis important to our general health and well-being?
Some of the problems resulting from a body out of homeostasis were mentioned in
the textbook reading. What other negative consequences can you think of?
Homeostasis is the maintenance of equilibrium, or constant conditions. Many body functions seek homeostasis. They attempt to maintain physiological functioning in a state of balance, or equilibrium. Homeostasis is significant to our general health and well–being. When two processes of metabolism, anabolism and catabolism are balanced, then body is in state of homeostasis or dynamic equilibrium.
According to the text “Converting Food to Energy” by Loretta F. Kasper, metabolism is the most important chemical reaction in our body. We have two metabolic processes: anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is a basic term for the synthesis of cell structure. It is an energy consuming constructive metabolic process. Catabolism, or destructive metabolism, produces energy and reduces power that can be used in part to grow. Catabolism also involves the maintenance of body temperature. When catabolic processes exceed anabolic processes, then we lose weight. The causes of losing weight can be starvation or some diseases. When anabolic processes are bigger then catabolic processes then we put on weight.
Balancing the diet and exercise could help the body to balance the two processes of metabolism. When we exercise and use oxygen in our bodies more quickly, our breathing and heart rate automatically increase to deliver more oxygen to our cells. That is homeostasis. Heat makes the body warmer and after that our activities slow down; cold makes us shiver, which raises body temperature and again we can see homeostasis.
Balance is important because it affects the body’s balance at a basic physiological level. The human body is a very flexible organism. During our lives we have variety a of threats, including disease, physical injury and stress. The body is able to adapt to many of these threats on its own, healing and returning to a normal state. The body seeks to maintain a balance in heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, water content and blood sugar level. This natural equilibrium, or homeostasis is like an automatic mechanism within the body. For example, the human body maintains a normal temperature of 98.6 degrees F. In hot weather the body perspires to cool it and prevent damage from overheating; in cold weather it shivers to make better muscle activity, thus burning nutrients and producing warmth. The human body can automatically regenerate, or replace most damaged cells on a regular basis. For example when skin is cut, new skin cells are created to replace those damaged by the injury, and new blood cells are regenerated to replace those lost during bleeding.
When change occurs in the body, there are two general ways that the body can respond: negative and positive feedback. In negative feedback, the body responds in such a way as to reverse the direction of change. Negative feedback is the most general type of control system. In the positive feedback system, the stimulus (the item affecting body) is sensed. The body will react to the stimulus; the reaction will become stronger and stronger until the stimulus is removed. Things maintained by homeostasis are: blood ph, water potential, blood glucose, body temperature, oxygen and CO2 concentrations.
My Response
I enjoyed learning about homeostasis because it helped me to realize how important it is to know how metabolism works in our body. In my opinion homeostasis is very important to our health and well-being. We need to know about metabolism, which is the most important chemical reaction in our body. Metabolism transforms food into energy. Metabolism together with a dynamic equilibrium or homeostasis maintains us good healthy balance. For example: good weight control maintains our immune system to be able to fight diseases. In addition those functions are driven by two metabolic processes called anabolism and catabolism. Our body needs homeostasis to be healthy.
Homeostasis is the maintenance of equilibrium or constant conditions. When anabolism and catabolism, the two processes of metabolism, are balanced then the body is in state of dynamic equilibrium or homeostasis .It is very important for the body to be in state of dynamic equilibrium because the processes of anabolism and catabolism need to be balanced in the organism. Homeostasis is very essential to our general health and well-being.
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Yakov Kovalev
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain the meaning of homeostasis. Why is maintaining the
body in a state of homeostasis important to our general health and well-being?
Some of the problems resulting from a body out of homeostasis were mentioned in
the textbook reading. What other negative consequences can you think of?
All living creatures require energy to live. This energy is obtained by the oxidation of the primary foodstuffs, carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. In humans, no cell or tissue acts independently or in isolation. For us, who live upon an intermittent eating and not eating schedule, energy is still required at all times by the cells to perform their normal functions. Energy is required in particular to maintain a cell intact and alive. Energy must also be utilized by cells to perform their specific functions and to grow and multiply. Because we only eat intermittently, the fuels must be stored for future use when plentiful and then later made available for homeostasis. According to the article “Converting Food to Energy” by Loretta F. Kasper “When the two metabolic processes are balanced, the organism is said to be in a state of dynamic equilibrium, or homeostasis” ( pg 172). Achieving metabolic homeostasis is a primary concern of all human beings.
According to the First Law of Conservation of Energy: “Energy cannot be
created or destroyed. Energy can only be converted from one form to another or
transferred among carriers. No creature creates energy but all creatures need
it and transform it among states.”
Production of energy, degradation of food, and construction of
macromolecules is always occurring. The totality of these events is metabolism.
Metabolism is the entire set of chemical reactions that supports life by transforming
food into energy.
Metabolism includes anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the assembly
side of metabolism, which is responsible for the growth of new cells and
keeping all tissues in a desirable condition. Catabolism is the opposite, the
taking things apart side of metabolism,
the so called destructive metabolism. For example, digestion is
catabolic, that is, food is eaten and the matter, say meat, is degraded into
amino acids, minerals, and lipids. Tissue generation or regeneration is
anabolic because the amino acids, minerals, and lipids from the meat are the
building blocks to produce muscle and connective tissue. Energy content of
molecules derived from the meat is also converted into Adenosine Triphosphate
(ATP) to fuel the entire process. This elegant integration of anabolism and catabolism is essential to
sustain life and it also defines life.
I would like to present an example of homeostasis based on body
temperature. As you might know: heat is sensed by the skin and the
hypothalamus, as both contain thermoreceptors. External temperature is sensed
by the skin, and internal temperature is sensed by the hypothalamus. When it is
cold outside, messages are sent from the thermoreceptors in the skin, via the blood,
to the cerebrum and hypothalamus. The cerebrum makes the person aware of being
cold, and can cause behavioral changes. For example, the person puts on a
sweater or a coat. When the message, that temperature has dropped down outside,
has reached the hypothalamus, a series of reactions follow. TRH (thyroid
releasing hormone) is released by the hypothalamus; its target is the anterior
lobe of the pituitary gland. When TRH reaches the pituitary gland, it releases
another hormone, called TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), into the blood stream.
The target organ of TSH is the thyroid gland. Upon receiving TSH, the thyroid
then produces thyroxin. Thyroxin increases cellular metabolism to make heat, in
order to equalize with the drop of the temperature outside. In other words, our
organism is trying to reach the homeostasis in body temperature.
Here is an example from my own life.
I used to work out a lot. I was
hooked on bodybuilding. Well, the main
concern of every bodybuilder is muscle
mass. Muscle mass by itself, when your organism is in homeostasis, grows very
slowly or doesn’t grow at all. Even if
you exercise (workout), it still grows relatively slowly. You see, in order to
get bigger muscles, I’ve got to reduce the breakdown (“catabolism”) of the
muscle I already have, and increase the building (“anabolism”) of new
muscle. Everybody knows that when
anabolism exceeds catabolism, the result is a net gain in muscle mass. For that purpose I was using Lean Protein
with Pepti-Lean developed by SportPharma Co. It included a specific blend of
peptides shown to help you strip off body
fat and a correct anabolic and anti-catabolic protein blend. After a month of using this product, I started
to see results, I always wanted to see.
I gained 10 to 15 lbs in muscle mass. My arms, legs, shoulders got
bigger, rounder, more defined; my bench press went up from 200 to 325 lbs
(within a month, can you imagine). I
was happy. But, after four months I
began noticing some bad signs. My body energy went low (I always felt tired). I
had constant pain in my joints. I was getting sick much more then usual. My body was out of whack. I reached the point when I had to stop that
nonsense because in the pursuit of one thing ( a great body), I totally forgot
about my health. And in order to be
healthy the homeostasis of metabolism has to be established. It means that catabolism and anabolism have
to be equally balanced. So, I gave up
using those products and any product in that matter. I’m still exercising though, to keep myself in shape. Little by
little my body returned to normal. I
feel better now. One lesson I learned for sure from all of this is that being
healthy is much more important then being handsome.
As you can see, it is undeniable that metabolism is one of the most
important processes in our organism. Without it any living creature would die.
It is obvious that being in balance or homeostasis, is a major goal for us.
Being in balance means being healthy. And being healthy means living in harmony
with yourself and nature.
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According to the text, “Converting Food to Energy”, metabolism is one the most important chemical reactions in our body it is distributes energy to our body. According to an Internet home page by Penn Valley Community College, “homeostasis is the maintenance of equilibrium, constant conditions, in a biological system by mean of automatic mechanism that counteract influences tending toward disequilibrium.” Metabolism homeostasis is so important to our body because it helps us to maintain a stable weight control, and in good healthy balance keeps us away from diseases.
Metabolism homeostasis maintains our body in balanced metabolic process and chemical reactions. The processes that are responsible for the body’s metabolism can be grouped into two categories, anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the build up of complex molecules; catabolism is the complex molecule breakdown. To make molecules and continue life, the body needs energy. It gets this energy from the breakdown of nutrients such as glucose and fatty acids. Then, for molecular construction to occur, molecular destruction must go at the same time and at the same rate to release the energy required to drive the biochemical reactions.
In our class discussion with
professor Loretta L. Kasper, we talked about the different relationship between
anabolism and catabolism reactions to for body homeostasis. The differences are that anabolism includes
the chemical reactions that cause different molecules to combine to larger,
such as enzymes, proteins, cells and tissues. Anabolism is necessary for
growth, maintenance, and tissue repair. According to the text, “Converting Food
to Energy” in the second paragraph page 172 it says, “When anabolism exceeds
catabolism, growth or weight gain occurs.” On the other hand, catabolism
consists of the chemical reactions that break down complex molecules into
single molecules for energy production, for recycling of their molecular
components. As Kasper states, in my group of diet and nutrition discussion that
when our catabolism processes is outbalance and go over anabolism, we starting
to loss weight control and maintain us in a malnourishment process.
Homeostasis helps the body
to stay balanced in a stable weight control. In addition, a good homeostasis
makes our immune system strong to fight diseases, and at the same time keep us
away from congenital metabolism disease such phenylketonuria, Galactosemia, and
anemia.
The Congenital Metabolism
Errors such as Phenylketonuria or PKU and Galactosemia are recessive disorders
caused by homeostasis problems in the body does not have equilibrium and there
is absence of an enzyme and an error in the metabolism of amino acids. The results
of PKU are an IQ less than 50, small head, and mental retardation. Galactosemia
is another homeostasis problem where the body has an imbalance of nutrients
caused by a deficiency in one of three that are response that are responsible
for metabolizing galactose, the compound of lactose found in animal or human
milk. The effects of Galactosemia are damage to the brain, motor or mental
retardation, cataracts, and growth failure. In addition, according to the Texas
Department of Health and New Screening Program, the New Born Screening shows
that PKU and Galactosemia diseases have increased during the 1965 to 1988. PKU
and Galactosemia have increased as result of change in the nutritional habits
of women during their prenatal period.
In addition, when the body
loses balance or is out of homeostasis, the risk of health problems increases
easily. These risks are related to diseases such as Congenital Metabolism
Errors caused by genetics defect that impede the metabolic process. For
example, an effect of the risks of losing metabolism homeostasis is “Genie’s
case” Genie was a little girl blocked from her “critical period of language
acquisition” when she was locked in a closet by her father a man with emotional
problems like schizophrenia. She was locked in a room from the age of 18 month
until 11 year later when her father died and she was 13 and she was 13 year
old. During this time, Genies grew up with out an appropriate nutritional diet.
As result, of bad nutrition she developed some problems. For example, now she
still does not have clear pronunciation and she is mentally retarded.
In my response, after doing
this research I feel I got sufficient knowledge, so that can suggest to the
people how to manager their health and their lifestyle by managing their diet
according to balanced metabolism. Moreover, I do not see this research as
simple assignment because during the time that invested in this project I feel that I have improved in all
aspects, educationally, mentally and personally. As professional boxer and
track and field runner, I want to use this information to maintain a healthy
sports life. I believe that maintaining a homeostasis or balance in m
metabolism can help me to perform well as an athlete. In addition, I would
encourage people to the doctor for a physical exam where they can find the
correct analytical ideas of what the balance in their body is.
In conclusion, converting food to energy is a metabolic process that involves body balance or homeostasis. Homeostasis refers to the processes by which the internal environment of an organism tends to remain balanced and stable. Metabolism happens in our muscles and organs and the results are what we commonly call burning calories. In addition, metabolism is essentially the speed at which our body’s organs are running and keeping us in a state of homeostasis. There are two biochemical reactions called anabolism and catabolism; both are fundamental and have to work together to keep a balance between themselves. Moreover, a good knowledge of how to keep these two metabolic reactions in homeostasis help us to treat chronic diseases such as congenital metabolism Errors, like phenylketonuria and Galactosemia.
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Natalya Napreyeva
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
ESSAY TOPIC: Explain why it is important to understand the basic principles of diet and nutrition. How does this understanding help us in our everyday lives?
Proper diet and nutrition are very important for a healthy and long life which is disease free. How we feel and look are in many ways the results of what we eat. “Making the right dietary choices can reduce the toll that stress takes on the body and helps build its disease resistance’’, says Dr. Elson Haas, a physician in San Rafael, Calif., and author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition. Everybody should have some basic knowledge about diet and nutrition to help promote health and prevent disease. We should know how to choose everyday foods that can provide a healthy eating style and help us to manage our weight.
Nutrients play a very important role in our everyday diet. There are five major groups of nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Proteins support muscle growth and normal function of cells. Carbohydrates are an important source of energy and also are important for such organs such the brain and liver. All vitamins are essential for cell function through the body .Vitamin A helps vision; vitamin C builds immune system and reduces stress; vitamin B helps heart function as well as blood cells to prevent anemia; vitamin E helps protect cells from everyday damage and is also important for healthy hair and skin; calcium helps with bone strength. The proper diet for a healthy body and normal weight should avoid excess amount of fat and carbohydrate intake and every body should be aware of the importance of vitamins and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.
The relationship between healthy eating habits and health is critical to staying disease free. Proper eating may help prevent cancer, the risk of heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and even Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why people should be educated about diet and nutrition that would help them to promote health and prevent disease. For good health it is also important to make calories count. According to the Food Guide Pyramid, for an average person the total calories per day should not to be more than 2200; older and inactive people need fewer calories (1600) and pregnant women and active men need more calories (2800).
Healthful eating is also when you measure and weigh your portion size. People don’t need to do it every single day, but they need to have an idea of the right portion size. People should avoid eating late in the evening and eating large portions of meals. When eating out it is good to divide the meal and take half home or share with your friend because the food usually ordered has many more calories than we actually need.
In today’s life, many families depend on ready- to eat food because of their limited time. At the same time doing the menu planning, preparing more healthful meals and making more nutritious food choices for their family could help people to feel better and lose weight, especially when they have health problems. People should include more fruits and vegetables in their meals, eat fewer fried foods, and spend money for meals more wisely. They need to change their lifestyles and be more active. Instead of watching TV or using computers they should exercise a couple of times a week and try a different types of activities that could help prevent conditions such as obesity, clogged arteries and hypertension.
Overweight is a serious health problem for many Americans, increasing their risk of developing a number of serious illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. According to the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service United States Department of Agriculture, African- American, Hispanic and Native American populations are more susceptible to obesity than other population groups, because of lack of the health education and the medical care. A variety of factors influence our weight, including our genes, physical activity, age and the foods we eat. Too much food and too little exercise are the main reason for being overweight. People should eat less and eat wisely and start thinking about healthier food.
My response:
During this research about diet and nutrition I have learned a lot of new things about healthy living including the importance of eating a proper and healthy diet. For example, I learned what kind of different types of food we should eat to prevent or reduce the risk of diseases. I didn’t know before that tomatoes may help to prevent cancer and that canned tomatoes are more nutritious than fresh and that bananas can lower the risk of high blood pressure. I have found that for a balanced diet it is necessary not to limit food intake but to eat enough food and get the proper amount of nutrients without excess sugars and fats because supplements can not be used as a replacement for nutrient rich food.
For a healthy body and longer life, a person should eat a proper diet including proper amounts of vitamins C, B, zinc, Calcium, Magnesium and potassium. Good nutrition should be part of a healthy lifestyle. By making changes in our habits, including eating, physical activity, not smoking or drinking alcohol excessively, we can take a step to healthy nutrition and disease prevention.
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Natalya Napreyeva
ESL 91
Spring, 2003
Essay Topic: Explain the meaning of homeostasis. Why is maintaining the body in a state of homeostasis important to our general health and well-being? Some of the problems resulting from a body out of homeostasis were mentioned in the textbook reading. What other negative consequences can you think of?
Maintaining the body in a state of homeostasis is extremely important for the people’s general health and well-being. According to the text “Converting food to energy” in “Interdisciplinary English” by Loretta Kasper, homeostasis is a state of dynamic equilibrium or balanced state of organism. Homeostasis is achieved when two metabolic processes like anabolism and catabolism are in balance.
Metabolism is the process of transformation food into energy by chemical reactions. This process keeps the organs of the body working and keeps people alive. People are dependent on anabolic and catabolic reactions as a source of energy for life. Anabolism is constructive and catabolism is destructive metabolism. If anabolism is more than catabolism we gain weight and new cells grow, because If catabolism is more than anabolism we lose weight, because catabolism is the process where larger organic molecules are broken into smaller constituents. Keeping these two processes in balance is necessary for the normal functioning of organ systems.
Food is the source of energy used as fuel by cells throughout the body. All the three food groups such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are converted into carbon dioxide, water and energy by chemical reactions. The process where these reactions occur is called the Citric Acid, or Krebs Cycle named for a British biochemist Sir Hans Adolf Krebs. The cells of the body use some source of energy for their activities during chemical reactions. The name of the main source of this energy is Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP). Maintenance of a proper ATP in muscle cells is necessary for the muscle to perform at maximum ability including the speed and strength of contraction, limitation of fatigue, protein metabolism and growth. Also proper ATP in the cells helps people to keep their body in the state of homeostasis. During activities more ATP is produced to supply enough oxygen to muscles and other organs; during resting ATP is much less. And excess ATP can be used as a reserve of energy in a muscle and brain cells of the body.
Metabolism plays a significant role in weight management. The faster the metabolism, the more calories people burn and the less chance that they will be overweight. “The speed at which body burns up calories is called metabolic rate”, says Shames, who is the co-author of the book “Fire it up!” How can people increase their metabolic rates? According to the research there are no certain foods that can raise metabolism enough to help weight loss. Some people believe by eating grapefruit they can drop weight, but this is wrong . The best way to increase metabolism is through physical activity. Increased activities, like walking, jogging, aerobic exercises or sports, increases catabolism by which will help to reduce weight and keep the body in healthy weight and in the balance of homeostasis. Inactive people tend to gain weight and become obese because they don’t burn up enough calories which leads to an unbalanced state of homeostasis.
Age is the main factor that affects metabolism. In early ages of life (children and active adults) the rate of metabolism is high, so they are able to maintain weight even if they eat more calories. As children grow they need more calories and good nutrition because of their high anabolic state . Otherwise they can’t maintain the body in a state of homeostasis and end up losing weight. As people get older their ability to burn calories degreases and the result of this is weight gain. A slower metabolism is a natural part of aging. That’s why older people should eat fewer calories, otherwise homeostasis will be disrupted and they will gain weight. Also as people age catabolism becomes more than anabolism, so older people need to take more calcium, vitamin D and other vitamins and proteins to maintain homeostasis of bones, eyes, skin and other organs.
My response:
During my research and while writing this essay on metabolism and homeostasis I learned a lot of new things. For example, I learned the importance of homeostasis, the meaning of anabolism and catabolism. I also learned that maintaining body in a state of homeostasis is necessary for healthy living in our everyday life. From what I learned, I will eat healthy foods, intake a proper amount of calories and do regular exercise to keep my body in state of homeostasis.
Homeostasis is important for normal body functions and organs including heart, liver, brain and all the body cells. If the body is out of homeostasis (for example, when chemical reactions cannot occur), it causes some negative consequences such as diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, high blood pressure.
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