Good nutrition: Striking the Right Balance

Of the legion(predicate) things single kindle do to enhance anes carry of health, none is such(prenominal) authorised than prolonging squ are-toed nutrition. The drumhead and body cannot function optimally without the proper supply of nutrients and energy obtained from food.A chance on tenet of the holistic approach to health is that each person must(prenominal) take responsibility for his or her own health. Making intelligent decisions about nutritionabout what and how much to eatis an important part of this responsibility, because the regimen one chooses and follows can keep one healthy. In the words of Philip downwind (1977) professor of social medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, School of MedicineAs a nation we concord come to believe that our medicine and medical checkup technology can solve all our major health problems however the problems can never be solved merely by more(prenominal)(prenominal) and more medical care. The health of individuals and the health of the population is determined by a variety of biological (host), behavioral, sociocultural, environmental factors. None of these is more important than the food we eat (Burkitt et al. 1974).Good nutrition Striking the Right BalanceWhat is the best tune for following a good nutrition in ones life instead of alimentation all the junk food one can consume. Every persons body has a unequaled chemical and physical composition that corresponds to a state of optimal wellness, because the gentleman body is constructed of atoms and molecules that are arranged in particular combinations and proportions that are unique to each person. Ones body contains few of the same atoms and molecules it had sluice a few weeks ago, because its chemical constituents are continually replaced by opposite atoms and molecules acquired from the food one eats.There are about forty known requirement nutrients and perhaps others are not yet identified, that must be continually re supplied to the body (Ricciuto). Failure to obtain plentiful of one or more of the essential nutrients can result in a nutritional lack disease, such as goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which may be caused by too little iodine, beri-beri, a disease characterized by weakness and cachexy away that is caused by too little thiamine (vitamin B1), anemia (too few red blood cells) from insufficient iron and blindness from vitamin A deficiency, the approximately common cause of blindness in children, world-wide. Since all nutrients act in concert, a deficiency of one may impair the utilization of others change surface if the others are acquired in adequate amounts. Thus, a proper nutritional state is a matter of maintaining a complex balance of the essential nutrients.One can argue that one eats a little of everything in the proper amounts just to keep fit. But still it does not bring that way. This is because unfortunate health can result in eating too much of certain kinds of food, or from eating too much in general. For example, gula is the principal cause of obesity, which contributes to the development of such serious diseases as l maintenance-back blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and some forms of cancer.Cancer of the colon may be related to eating too much meat and processed foods and not getting enough fiber or roughage that may be essential to maintain a healthy colon. High salt intake is related to gamey blood pressure and high sugar intake is related to tooth corrupt (the most prevalent disease in the industrialized world). Much of the tooth declension could be prevented if people followed very simple nutrition rules (Breslow & Enstrom 1980).Physiological Benefits of Body WorkOur industrial society depends on an enormous variety of machines that free people from an evenly enormous number of physical tasks. Some of these tasks, such as dumb construction work of large-scale farming, would be well-nigh im assertable without the sustain of machi nes. Others, such as traveling to work or school, getting to the one-seventh floor of a building, or washing clothes, could be accomplished without the aid of machines (and some people argue they ought to be), but few of us are likely to give up the use of cars, elevators, and washers. They simply make the task of daily living easier. As a result, few people do much moving around under their own muscular power. That is, many of us get little exercise.According to William B. Kannel and Paul Sorlie (1979) who have studied the cause of lifestyle on the occurrence of heart diseaseOver the ult quarter of a century, there has evolved a growing suspicion that the transformation of man by modern technology from a physically industrious agrarian creature to a sedentary industrial one has exacted a toll in ill health. The evidence on which this is based comes from epidemiological studies, clinical observations, and the work physiologist. Most of the attention has been focused on the poss ible contribution of physical indolence to the development of cardiovascular disease, the chief health hazard of affluent societies and their leading cause of death.In addition to the physiological benefits, regular physical activity has psychological and spiritual benefits as well. Fr example, a study of middle-aged university professors found that regular exercise do them more self-sufficient, more persevering, less likely to experience mood swings, and more imaginative (Ismail and Trachtman, 1973). In another study, both men and women university students who engaged in regular physical activity were found to have greater self-control, to have increased self-awareness, and to be more self-directed. They also demonstrated a confirming self-image (Jeffers, 1977).One of the principal psychological benefits that can come from regular body work is experiencing periods of relaxed submergence, characterized by reduction in physical and psychic tensions, regular suspire rhythms, and increased self-awareness. This experience is often compared to meditation. Tennis instructor Tim Gallwey (1976) describes four stages for obtaining a state of relaxed concentration through body work. The first stage, remunerative attention, occurs at the beginning of a body work session and involves riveting your concentration on your body work and excluding all other thoughts. The stage of paying attention requires a certain degree of self-disciplinethe desire and energy to say no to other demands on your time and energies and to say yes to yourself.WORKS CITEDBurkitt, D. P. Walker, R.P. and mountain lion , N.S. Dietary Fiber and Disease. Journal of theAmerican Medical Association, 229 (1974), 1068-1074.Breslow, L. and Enstrom, J.E. Persistence of health Habits and Their blood toMortality. Preventive Medicine, 9 (1980). 469-483.Ismail, A.H. and Trachtman, I.E. Jogging the Imagination. Psychology Today. 6(1973), 78-82Jeffers, J. M. The Effects of Physical Conditions on Locus of Control, Body Image andInterpersonal Relationship Orientations. University Males and Females.Dissertation Abstracts, 37 (1977) 3289.Kannel, W.B. and Sorlie, P. Some Health Benefits of Physical Activity. Archives ofInternal Medicine, 139 (1979) 857-861.Ricciuto, Anthony. What Power Nutrition can do for you. Retrieved April 19, 2007 athttp//www.bodybuilding.com/fun/anthony26.htm