Americo Vespucio University Technology Institute

English II

Healthy Diet

Teacher: Miethe, Fred

Student: Jose Arellano

ID: 25.209.905

July 2020
The human nutrition is an important part of our daily life, the kind of food that we select
to eat everyday influences in our energy and health. The human body needs a balance
amount of nutrients, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and calories for a healthy
condition. We are attracted by variety in foods, and would find a diet containing just one
or two foods very monotonous. This might result in a smaller intake of the foods. The
converse is also true: when presented with a variety of foods, we move from one to
another and are likely to eat more.

Selecting several foods is, therefore, beneficial for our nutrient intake. Traditional meal
patterns can help us to decide on combinations of foods to make up meals, as well as
what foods to have at specific points of our day. In addition to deciding what foods to
eat, each person makes a decision about the quantity to consume. From experience we
have learned what is an adequate serving size for us and this obviously varies between
individuals.Our ability to assess how much of a food we would like to eat relies on
learned responses established during our childhood and added to whenever a new food
has been introduced.The sensations arising from the stomach when a particular serving
size has been eaten will be remembered and will help to determine our behaviour in the
future.

The variability of ‘normal’ serving sizes between individuals is a dilemma for those
studying food intakes in populations. There is no such thing as an ‘average’ serving
size, which would apply to everyone. However, for the sake of expediency, such a
measure is quoted and used in many contexts. However, in relation to this ‘average’, it
is recognized that different people will also have ‘large’ and ‘small’ servings.
Interpretations of these are also subjective and, therefore, variable. There is a
perception that only certain foods are healthy, and they should be included in the diet.
Linked to this is the belief that, when these foods are present, it does not matter what
else the diet contains. Thus, in practice, an individual might be eating all the wrong
proportions of macronutrients, but believes the diet is healthy because it includes a
high-fibre breakfast cereal and semi-skimmed milk. Clearly there is some confusion
here.
A single food or two cannotmake a diet healthy, although they can begin to redress an
unbalanced diet. Another example in this category is the inclusion of nutritional
supplements to correct deficiencies in the food consumed. Although the nutritional
content may well be improved by the supplements, especially in terms of the micro-
nutrients commonly found in supplements, the balance of macronutrients may still be
unhealthy. Again the consumer has a mistaken perception that they are eating healthily.
Including ‘organically’ grown products in the diet may reduce the level of chemical
additives.

A whole range of behaviours may be included

here. Some diet-related examples, which are

suggested by people as ‘healthy eating’, might

include:

■ eating regularly

■ having breakfast

■ cutting down on convenience or junk

foods

■ eating home-cooked foods

■ drinking water

■ losing weight

■ planning what to eat

■ eating organic food

■ eating less meat (especially red meat)

■ eating more fish/fruit/vegetables.

(A survey of your friends and family would pro-

duce many more.)

Lifestyle changes might include:

■ taking exercise

■ not eating late at night

■ giving up smoking

■ reducing alcohol intake

■ becoming vegetarian.

In conclusion, we need to acquire healthy habits for a better nutrition, around the world
millions of people have diseases and ills for a bad nutrition and irregularity in their food.

Bibliography:

Human nutrition, Mary E. Barasi, chapter 2.

http://nutrition.basf.com/global/en/human-nutrition.html