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Ways to Improve Your Nutrition

Tiffani Lang Final Portfolio 12/1/13 English 2010-F13

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Table of Contents Reflection Essay: My Time in English 2010 pg. 3 Argument Paper: Improving Nutrition. pg. 7 Works Cited: Improving Nutrition... pg. 12 Profile Paper: Mrs. Holly Knudson.. pg. 13 Works Cited: Mrs. Holly Knudson... pg. 18

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My Time in English 2010 I enjoyed this English class. This semester I have become a better writer as well as expanding my education with my writing abilities. One course objective is to work collaboratively on writing tasks with other writers. I really enjoyed doing this through the semester because it helped me to be able to see how other people wrote their paper and helped me to improve my paper. I also enjoyed being able to receive comments from my classmates to tell me what improvements I need to make. I picked two of my papers to show my improvement in my writing and inform my readers of our groups topic of nutrition; my argument paper and my profile paper. I was originally in group five but was switched into group four. I was happy about this because I enjoyed the topic of nutrition that our group had. I was not able to join in the group making decisions about picking our topic since I was switched into this group after they already had a topic but I really enjoyed the topic of nutrition, so I think it was a good thing that I was switched. Picking a topic to write on for the whole semester was a really fun thing. I think picking one topic lets the students explore and understand them better and helps to see how you can write in several different ways. Although we were writing about the same topic we were able to write several different papers and doing it on the same topic helped me to see the different ways of writing; giving us the ability to write in multiple genres which is another course objective. Another course objective is to adapt strategies of argumentation for a given writing situation. I chose my argument paper as my first paper in my final portfolio. I enjoyed writing the argument paper. I learned more about improving nutrition that helped to improve my life.

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Writing this paper I didnt get a lot of feedback from my classmates but I liked being able to read my other group members papers to see what I needed to improve on. I think this was a good paper to learn to write because these can be used to show and convince people of the information you are telling them. Reading my groups papers I was able to offer them suggestions to help improve their papers as well. I think I was helpful when it came to peer reviews because I gave one of my classmates advice to strengthen his paper by adding statistics about how many times a week families in the U.S. tend to eat out. I was able to help one of my other peers by offering them the advice to add an example of a chronic disease that is prevented by good nutrition in their paper to strengthen it. I enjoyed being able to receive and give peer reviews because I think when you receive reviews it helps you to make your paper stronger, so I hope the reviews I was able to give helped my classmates in improving their papers. Another course strategy was to approach reading and research critically, analytically, and rhetorically, choosing appropriate research strategies for a particular writing task. I was able to use this strategy in each of my papers. This was a very big strength in writing my argument paper. When using my research and stating a lot of facts it helped to show the credibility of my paper and helped convince the reader of my topic. I was also able to use this technique for my second paper a little bit also. I used this technique to research more on the topics I was discussing with Holly Knudson who I interviewed. I think this helped to strengthen the paper as well because it gave more credible information. I struggled with citing my sources writing these papers. It took me a lot of reviewing to be able to get it just right. Citing sources appropriately for the writing situation, including using

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an academic system of citation with a high degree of proficiency is another course objective. I have always had a hard time with citing sources, but after this semester of writing I was able to grasp it better and have more confidence in my citing. Writing my argument paper I put a lot of research into it. I liked how we were able to include pictures into this paper because I think it helped to interest the reader better. I think the image that helped my paper really well was the graph I used that shows the leading causes of death caused by bad diet and inactivity. I think this graph shows the reader the importance of good nutrition and shows the reader what can happen if they do not have good nutrition, this is a great way to help with my argument. The revisions I made for my argument paper was getting a better, more recent food pyramid image that helps to show how exercise is also important along with the food groups. This helped to add more important information to the paper. I also made improvements to the works cited so it meets the criteria. The second paper I picked was the profile paper. For this paper I interviewed Holly Knudson, a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. I enjoyed doing this paper because I was able to hear a professionals opinion on improving nutrition and she gave great advice. I think this was a good change from writing the argument paper. The profile paper gave me the chance to make it more personal since it was about another person. I think it was great to be able to interview a professional to see her point of view. I struggled a little bit with the use of description in this paper. My peers were able to help giving me good advice with how to better use description for this paper as well as seeing their papers and understanding how to write it better. Another way my peers helped with this paper was they gave good advice for more

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questions I was able to use in my interview. I got more good advice from one of my peers to add a graph where I mentioned statistics in my paper and this helps to explain to the reader better. The changes I made to my profile paper were fixing my works cited page along with adding more description throughout and more dialogue. I changed the beginning to have more description and dialogue in it as well as a few more times throughout to help strengthen it. I think changing the beginning helped to strengthen it I tried using a more of a show dont tell technique. Overall I enjoyed writing this paper and expanding my knowledge of how to better write a profile. Putting together my final portfolio I reviewed the chapter in our book to understand how to do this concept better. I also reviewed the instructions for the final individual portfolio and the final portfolio reflection essay. I picked my argument paper for it because I thought that was one of my better assignments. I was going to do my brochure for the second paper but I couldnt figure out how to put it into a portfolio so I picked my profile paper. I think my brochure was a better choice because it showed my ability to adapt style and design for a given writing situation which is another course strategy, and my brochure was a great example of that. I think my profile was the next best choice to show my skills and improvements in writing. Doing my final portfolio helped me to see how much I have improve in my writing since I first started college and I think this was a great way to display that.

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Improving Nutrition The typical American diet contributes to four of the six leading causes in death, consisting of high saturated fats, sodium and sugar with low amounts of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, calcium and fiber; this typical American diet increases the risk of numerous diseases (Nutrition Policy). According to Case Western Reserve University healthy eating is like a finely-tuned racing car, your body needs the right fuel (food) and regular maintenance (exercise, lifestyle and mental attitude) to achieve its true health potential (Why Proper Nutrition is Important). Even though we have learned the importance of nutrition growing up with the food pyramid (see fig. 1.1) there are still many Americans giving their bodies malnutrition.

Fig. 1.1- Food Pyramid designed to help a person get the right amount of nutrients needed per day, along with stressing the importance of exercise. Source: Food Guide Pyramid. Wikipedia. 29 November 2013. Web. 1 December 2013.

People tend to get caught up with lifes busy schedule; working, taking the kids to school, soccer practice, piano recital, cleaning the house, etc. With all these things going on in peoples life they use the excuse that they are too busy to eat healthy or make a home cooked meal so they tend to do what is convenient and easy, which a lot of times leads to eating out (Trent). Fast food

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places make it easy for people busy and on the go, accommodating us with drive-thrus, dollar menus, convenient locations and food engineered to taste good; making it hard to resist (Trent). Unhealthy Vs. Healthy Eating Unhealthy eating leads to diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, osteoporosis and many cancers (Nutrition Policy). (See fig. 2.1) Feeling sluggish, nonmotivated, and feeling poorly about yourself are side effects of eating unhealthy foods and having a lot of sugar (Mcintosh). There are many benefits of healthy eating. Maintaining a balanced diet by healthy eating can give you vitality and energy for life, help you stay at a weight thats right for you, boost your immune system, improve sports performance, delay the effects of aging, keep you active and fit into old age, help beat tiredness and fatigue, protect teeth and keep gums healthy, enhance your ability to concentrate and possibly alter mood, along with warding off serious illnesses like heart disease, certain cancers, mature-age onset diabetes, and gallbladder disease (Why Proper Nutrition is Important). Maintaining a healthy diet consists of 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta per day. Complex carbohydrates are provided with these foods which is an important source of energy. The next important thing is 3 servings of fruit per day. Vitamins are rich in fruits especially Vitamin C. 3-5 servings of Vegetables are needed per day as well. Vegetables provide fiber and Vitamins (especially A and C). Meat, poultry fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts are next on the list; 2-3 servings of this group are needed daily. This is a great source of protein, iron, zinc and B vitamins. 2-4 servings are needed of milk, yogurt and cheese group. Dairy products are rich in calcium and Vitamin B12. Fats, oils and sweets are last in the food groups. These foods are to be used sparingly for a healthy diet; they are high in calories but not very nutritious.

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Vegetable oil is an exception, providing a rich source of Vitamin E; using sparingly is the key (Why Proper Nutrition is Important). Seven major types of nutrients are required by the human body including macronutrients and micronutrients (Nordqvist). These nutrients needed are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, water, minerals and vitamins. These nutrients give nourishment to our bodies. Large quantities are needed of macronutrients and smaller quantities of micronutrients. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber and water. Micronutrients include minerals and vitamins (Nordqvist).
Leading Causes of Death6(Diet and inactivity are leading risk factors for causes of death shown in bold.)
1. Heart Disease 2. Cancer 3. Stroke 4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 5. Accidents 6. Diabetes 7. Pneumonia and Influenza 8. Alzheimers Disease 9. Nephritis 10. Septicemia 11. Suicide 12. Chronic Liver Disease/Cirrhosis 13. High Blood Pressure 14. Pneumonitis 15. Homicide 709,894 551,833 166,028 123,550 93,592 68,662 67,024 49,044 37,672 31,613 28,332 26,219 17,964 16,659 16,137

Fig. 2.1- In bold are causes of death from bad diet and inactivity; number of deaths per year. Source: Nutrition Policy: Why Good Nutrition is Important. Cspinet. Center for Science in the Public Interest. 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.

Low Income Affecting Nutrition When money is tight people have a harder time getting a balanced nutrition and this takes a toll on ones health. Low-income families get inexpensive food to last them longer which is

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generally refined grains, added sugars and fats; whereas healthy food tends to be more expensive (See fig. 4.1). Stretching food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy dense foods that are filling is important to households with limited resources. Obesity has been linked to this kind of eating because these less expensive foods typically have a lower nutritional value (Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable).

Fig. 4.1- Buying cheap, low nutritious, boxed foods such as macaroni and cheese is what lower income families buy as a result of having less money to spend on more expensive health foods.

Another problem that leads to malnutrition is the cycle of food deprivation and overeating. A way of stretching food budgets, low-income families may be eating less or skipping meals, and when food does become available they may overeat. Chronic ups and downs of food intake are a result which can lead to weight gain from promoting the body to store fat. According to CSPINET, almost two-thirds (61%) of American adults are overweight or obese. Although eating healthy may be a bit more expensive, it saves money in the long run with not having to pay for these types of health problems in the future (Nutrition Policy). Simple changes to improving nutrition Small changes in your lifestyle can help improve nutrition. Some ideas from family doctor include: Baking, grilling or broiling meat rather than frying it; taking the skin off chicken

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or turkey before eating it; eating fish at least once a week (see fig. 5.1); cutting back on extra fats such as butter, sour cream and dressings and buying low or nonfat of these condiments; reading nutrition labels on foods before buying them; drinking no or low-calorie beverages; eating plenty of fruits and vegetables; and when eating away from home watch out for hidden fats and larger portion sizes(Nutrition: Tips for Improving your Health). Fig. 5.1- Eating fish once a week can provide a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids which is good for a healthy heart. Source: Omega-3 in fish: How eating fish helps your heart. Mayo clinic. 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.

Keep track of your food intake by writing down what you eat and drink every day. This record will help you see if you need to eat more from any food groups (such as fruits, vegetables or dairy products) or if you need to eat less of a food group (such as processed or high-fat foods) (Nutrition: Tips For Improving your Health). Improving your nutrition is an important step for keeping your body healthy and preventing diseases. Eating healthy and getting active are the two ways to improve nutrition. Small changes such as the ones above can help in making a difference in the way you feel as well as overall health. For lower income families, growing a garden can always be an option to be able to get fresh fruits and vegetables needed for healthy nutrition. There are many different lifestyle changes to improve ones nutrition and all there are is good benefits to come out of improving your nutrition.

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Works Cited Food Guide Pyramid. Wikipedia. 29 November 2013. Web. 1 December 2013. Nutrition Policy: Why Good Nutrition is Important. Cspinet. Center for Science in the Public Interest. 2012. Web.18 Sept. 2013. Nordqvist, Christian. What Is Nutrition? Why is it Important? Medical News Today. 16 Aug. 2009. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Why is Proper Nutrition Important? Case Western Reserve University. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Mcintosh, Vicky. Junk Food vs. Health Food. College America. 8 May 2012. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Trent. Fast Food, Convenience, and Money. The Simple Dollar. 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity. FRAC. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2013. Omega-3 in Fish: How Eating Fish Helps Your Heart. Mayo clinic. 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. Nutrition: Tips for Improving your Health. Family Doctor. Dec. 2010. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.

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Mrs. Holly Knudson

Good nutrition is an important thing for all people to have and be educated about. Holly Knudson, a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner, living in a home near the base of Utahs majestic and breathtaking, mountains, knows a lot about nutrition. She was able to interview with me to teach me more about the ways people can improve their nutrition (See Fig 1). Holly specializes in helping people lose weight by balancing their hormones and digestive function with good nutrition.

Fig 1: Holly Knudson and her Grandson. Source- Facebook, Web.

I interviewed Holly on the phone. She greeted me enthusiastically with interest of how my day was going. We got to know each other in our conversation then I began to ask her the interview questions I had. Sorry I might be kind of slow because I have to write down our conversation I stated. Holly paused politely, giving me time to write down what she was saying. Her voice was gentle, kind and sincere. She was very thoughtful with being patient stating, We can take as much time as you need for our interview, I am in no rush. Seeing her pictures really match her voice, her radiant white smile show her caring attitude. Her grandson gazes up at her with admiration showing her nurturing side. Nutrition values are important aspects of the

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Knudsons life, making sure her family gets good nutrition to ensure their good health, showing her care, support, and loving family values. Background Throughout two decades of Hollys earlier life she went through her own health challenges due to her child like sweet tooth and carb addiction; these included hormonal imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, digestive issues, imbalanced brain chemistry and sleep disturbances. She became uncomfortable physically from increased weight and it began to take a toll on her mental health as well, making her struggle with depression, low motivation and low confidence. According to Medical News Today, people who have an elevated consumption of Trans fats have a 48 percent increase in the risk of depression (Poor Eating Habits can Cause Depression.).These struggles turned her to the interest of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. She was able to bring her body back into balance through education, diet changes and lifestyle choices. Her career has helped her and her family to live a better and healthier lifestyle by implementing everything she does with her clients for her family, such as detoxification procedures, exercise and stress reduction techniques and healthy lifestyle habits. Her and her family do a variety of things to have good nutrition such as eating organic and non GMO foods, sprout and ferment, exercise, healthy lifestyle habits and use proper cooking techniques (see Fig. 2). The education she received was taking a functional diagnostic nutrition program, taking the health excels metabolic typing program and going to school at the institute for integrated nutrition. She would not have been able to accomplish this without improving her nutrition and is encouraged to teach others that struggle the same information to help them feel better about their life through good nutrition.

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Fig. 2: Holly and her husband, four kids, and son in law. SourceFacebook, Web.

What can you do? Food is our medicine and it runs our body; we need proper nutrition for balanced hormones, states Holly. She believes that there are key factors for good nutrition: food quality, proper macronutrient ratios, proper food preparation, digestive support, chewing and hydration. Many families struggle with eating healthy on a low budget, Holly has advice for them, and many other families struggling with this same issue. She gives some options for low-income families that they should shop at CFA stores such as Bountiful Baskets, shop at farmers markets and have a garden to grow their own fresh food. She also says that it is important to buy clean meats, organic produce and healthy fats, not processed foods. Frozen vegetables can be okay with keeping about the same nutrition value especially if you freeze them yourself, but the best option is always fresh. There is also an importance of being aware of how much you are eating and what quality the food has. I stated, Many people think it is too expensive to eat healthy, what would you suggest to them? Her philosophy is that you either pay now or pay later in doctor bills, because unhealthy eating leads to many health problems in the future which can become expensive. Higher quality food can be more expensive but the nutrient content is much higher so it is better in the long run so you dont run into complications with your health.

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Today In Utah adult obesity rates are rising. In 2011 the rate of obesity in Utah was 23.8 percent rising to 24.3 percent in 2012 (Evans). Although Utah does not have the highest rate of obesity, the levels are still at a historical high. In 1980 no states had higher than 15 percent rate of obesity (Evans). Along with obesity, 8.3 percent of people in the U.S. have diabetes in 2011 (Diabetes Statistics). This percent of diabetes is also at a record high; in 1995 only 3 states in the U.S. had diabetes rates of 6 percent or more and since 2010 all 50 states reached that level (Reinberg). These high rates of obesity and diabetes show the importance of this problem needing to be solved before rates get any higher; these rates can be decreased by people improving their nutrition to live a healthier lifestyle. (See Fig. 3)

Fig. 3- U.S Diabetes Rates SourceDiabetes is Common, Disabling, Deadly, and on the Rise. CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 23 Mar 2009. Web. 21 Oct 2013.

Holly believes that simple lifestyle changes can make a big difference in their overall nutrition. A list of things for simple lifestyles changes Holly suggests is: buy higher quality food, stay away from processed foods, shop only the perimeter of grocery stores, drink pure water, begin an exercise program, ensure adequate sleep, make time for yourself daily and eat fresh whenever possible rather than frozen or canned (which contain BPA). Processed foods normally have a lot of sugar and are unhealthy for us, but cereal is portrayed as a healthy processed food,

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is cereal bad for us, I asked. Holly replied with an interesting fact, Anything that has flakes or a shape is put through an extruder that makes the proteins become toxic, so cereal is put through this process making it seem like you are getting nutrition from it but you actually arent. She doesnt recommend that people go on a diet, rather a healthy eating plan. The metabolic typing eating plan is a good idea for people to start to help balance their body chemistry. Along with these lifestyle changes she recommends taking supplements, along with proper eating but not in place of. The supplements that she thinks are important are, a good multi vitamin, mineral supplement, probiotics and vitamin d. Many people buy artificial sweeteners like Diet Coke or Sweet n Low thinking that they are good for their health, but this is not the case according to Holly. She states that they are actually more harmful than sugar because the body doesnt know what to do with it. It confuses the signals in the brain, becoming toxic, increasing appetite and deregulating blood sugar. Looking to the Future Eating healthy and exercising to many people is a hassle, but people need to change their mindset and realize that their heath needs to be a priority. If they dont make it a priority today eventually they will have to. Prevention is key, says Holly. Eating a healthy diet and exercising is not as hard as it seems and everyone can find ways to incorporate them into their lifestyle to make a better future for themselves.

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Works Cited Diabetes is Common, Disabling, Deadly, and on the Rise. CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 23 Mar 2009. Web. 21 Oct 2013. Diabetes Statistics. Diabetes. American Diabetes Association. 20 Aug 2013. Web. 14 Oct 2013. Evans, Whitney. Fighting Obesity: Utah 7th best in nation, kids are number 1. Deseret News. 18 Aug 2013. Web. 14 Oct 2013. Poor Eating Habits can Cause Depression. Medical News Today. 28 Jan 2011. Web. 14 Oct 2013. Reinberg, Steven. U.S. Diabetes Rates Soaring: CDC. US News.15 Nov 2012. Web. 14 Oct 2013.