STUDENT ESSAYS
DIET AND NUTRITION


Sheeja
 
 


Sheeja Samuel
ESL 91
Spring, 2000

Explain how and why an understanding of the basics of nutrition is important for good health.

We need food to survive for the rest of our lives.  We get out nutrition like vitamins and proteins, but not all foods are good for us.  Some give us too much fat, cholesterol or sugar.  If we don’t control what we are eating, we can get into big trouble, because some nutritious foods also have things that are bad for our bodies, like too much fat and sugar. 

People need to be careful of what they are eating, otherwise they are going to regret it later.  Poor eating habits can lead to high cholesterol, for the rest of their life.  The only way you can control that is by taking drugs and carefully watching their diet.  People with high cholesterol can’t ever eat any fatty foods like pizza or cheeseburgers.  They also can’t eat any sweet foods like candy or cake.  People with poor diets often put their children at risk.  For example, my father has high cholesterol.  The main reason for him to have high cholesterol is because he ate foods that are harmful for the body, like potato chips and fast foods.  Because of that, I have to be careful of what I eat, otherwise, I will also have high cholesterol also.  I have to control my cholesterol by eating less pizza and fast foods or any other food that has high cholesterol. 

Poor nutrition can also lead to heart attacks.  For example, my neighbor Justin, died because of a heart attack.  He ate all kinds of foods that was high in fat and cholesterol.  His wife Jane, warned them not to eat those things but he didn’t listen to her advise.  He had two heart attacks.  When he had the first one, his wife took him to the hospital to treat him.  When he had the second one, his wife was at work.  When she came home, she found him dead in the living room holding French fries.  He was only forty years old.  He rarely exercised and didn’t have a job so he didn’t move around very much. 

On the other hand, there are some other foods like wheat cereal, bread and fish you can eat safely without worrying.  You can get vitamins and proteins from these foods.  Those things are very important in our life.  The vitamins and proteins will help our body to develop.  They will also protect our skin.  For instance, if you have a cut on your body, the vitamins and proteins will help heal it self.  The vitamins and proteins will also give you strong bones and fish is good for the brain.  It helps us remember things and solve problems.

If people care about their bodies, they should take care it by eating nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables and exercising.  You should treat your body as a temple and not abuse it with harmful foods.