We are given guidelines as to how much of each component of our diet we should eat. For example calories do vary from person to person depending on their level of activity, their gender, their size and so on. The averages for male and female are two thousand-nine hundred for males and two thousand-one hundred for females. Protein is recommended seventy grams for males and fifty-eight for females. Fat is ninety grams for a male and seventy for a female (Samuels & Henett, 1973). Although some amounts vary for male and female most vitamins are consistent for both sexes, like seventy milligrams of vitamin C. What types of food you eat determine whether your diet is healthy. By looking at the nutritional information of food packaging we can see what we get out of what we eat. Per one hundred grams of chocolate we are provided with four hundred and ninety-one calories, six point one grams of protein and twenty-three grams of fat. Where as per one hundred grams of cereal, such as corn flakes, we are provided with three hundred and seventy calories, six grams of protein and only one gram of fat. By comparing these two foods we can clearly see which one is healthier, as chocolate has and extremely high fat content. In this way could say that maybe what you eat is what you are because if you ate a diet rich in chocolate with few vitamins etc then your skin would not be as healthy and weight gain would be inevitable with such high levels of saturated and unsaturated lipids into your system. The absence of proteins, would cause weak bones, your cells would not operate so well as the vitamins needed are no longer present. Each vitamin and mineral has its own function with different organs and lack of these would cause the body to work less efficiently, it could become fatal if essential proteins we cut out of the body, whereas the non-essential proteins can be made by ourselves, if not present. Too much salt in our diets can lead to both strokes and heart attacks-the most common cause of death and disability in the UK (Food Magazine, Issue 57).
The main source of energy in the human diet is from starch. In the UK starch is 30per cent of what we eat. Links have been found between the amount of starch consumed and incident of colon cancer, resistant starch in particular (Indge, 2000). Food can also be used in a medicine, you can manipulate the way your body works to benefit you by what you eat. If you want to boost your immune system you can increase your intake of onions and/or garlic. If you get enough calcium as a teenager and young woman you will be less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life, were to bones become brittle and fracture. Folic acid, in addition to helping to prevent birth defects can also help you stay healthy now, as is good for overall development. Studies are also underway to research whether folic acid also may decrease your risk for stroke, heart disease and certain types of cancer (). Ginger root fights nausea caused by motion sickness and relieves migraine headaches. Cranberry juice is good for urinary tract infections because the juice inhibits a type of bacteria that clings to the wall of the bladder. Onions can be eaten to ease insomnia as a certain mild natural sedative called, quercetin can be found in them (). Science is indeed now validating the things that your mother told you, about ‘eating your green because they are good for you’ as plants in particular are swamped with beneficial vitamins, minerals, iron etc.
Estimates show that in the USA health costs could be significantly reduced, by as much as quarter of a billion dollars if only the large population of America listened to diet advice and carried out a healthy balance of food. The medicinal value of food has its roots from thousands of years ago in ancient civilisation. “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”. But modern society has pulled far away from those roots ().
The human races diet has changed dramatically over the past hundred years; we have entered a new era of ‘processed’ and ‘convenience’ foods. This leaves the foods lacking their nutritional quality, and this is sacrificed for quick and easy mealtimes. Also over these years, unsurprisingly, the number of overweight and obese population has shot up. I think that it is fair to say that what you eat affects your basic appearance, your well being and your future health.
Bibliography
Food Magazine. Published by Food Commission. ‘To much salt?’ Issue 57. P.3
Indge.B. Rowland. M.Baker. M. Published 2000. A new introduction to Biology.
Hudson.T. 1998. Science class book. Letts Education.
Samuels & Henett. 1973. The Well Body Book. Wildwood House