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Diet and Nutrition
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the environment. Matter
and molecules flow in and out, casting themselves into its
complexities.
Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or who has even
skipped a meal, knows just how much time we save when we are not
provisioning and consuming meals. Of course, efficiency is not
our only concern when it comes to eating.
The cry of "I have no willpower!" often emerges from the
consumers who jokingly surrender to their lack of will when it
comes to eating something clearly unhealthy. However, scientific
nutritional research has identified that something much more
serious - much more dangerous - is often at work here.
The proliferation of fast food restaurants, convenience stores,
and vending machines in virtually every corner of residential
America has created a serious nutritional problem. "Snacking" - a
harmless-sounding verb that deceptively implies something
unobjectionable - has reached addictive proportions[i].
Unhealthy eating is a harmful problem in America, and contrary to
a very outdated perception, this harm is not limited to those who
suffer from obesity[1]. In reality, according to the Directors of
Health Promotion and Education, the majority of Americans exhibit
unhealthy eating habits, with just over one in four women and
only one in five men claiming to eat the minimum five daily
servings of vegetables and fruits[i].
Despite the fact that accurate nutrition information can be
accessed by almost anyone with an Internet connection or a
library card, the 21st century has picked up where the last one
left off: one dominated by poor eating habits.The reason for this
national dietary deficiency is not due to any single source or
kind of nutrition misinformation.
America's focus on nutritious eating began to receive national
attention in the 1940s when President Roosevelt introduced the
RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) model. This model,
which took on the shape of a pyramid in the 1980s (and hence now
goes by the term "food pyramid"), has gone through a number of
iterations since its inception more than 60 years ago[i].
The importance of protein in diet has been clearly established by
nutritional scientists, and widely accepted by athletes. Among
other vital functions, protein is indispensable for creating
muscle.
Images of "protein powder" containers with accomplished
bodybuilders on their labels help inform consumers that protein
is a critical macronutrient in strength training success. Yet
what is sometimes lost in this protein-bodybuilding link is that
protein is an essential component for everyone, regardless of
physical activity.
An American culture that is marked by a chronic lack of time and
the need to achieve is often in pursuit of the "best" something
or other. These "best" lists tend to improve time efficiency they
help people make quick decisions without a lot of research or
"trial and error".
Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a
work-life balance, which is still a luxury for tens of millions
of working parents, has been overtaken by an even greater demand:
a work-life-nutrition balance.
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk may be two of
the biggest culprits in skyrocketing rates of high cholesterol?
Cholesterol is actually being produced by our own bodies all of
the time as a natural mechanism to combat oxidation when our
bodies are diseased. Therefore, if we are not well, our
cholesterol levels are likely to be higher regardless of what we
eat that contains cholesterol.
Established in 1989 by Stephen DeFelice, "Foundation for
Innovation in Medicine" defined "Nutraceutical", as a food,
dietary suppplement, or medical food that has a medical or health
benefit, including the prevention and treatment of disease.
Today, it is hard to separate the definition of Nutraceuticals
and Functional Foods.
Get back to the basics - eat fresh at home and neutralize free
radical oxidation, which is rusting away your body, by eating a
variety of foods high in antioxidants every day.Why?
Antioxidants, as the name implies, help prevent oxidation, may
help increase immune function and possibly decrease risk of
infection and cancer.
Approximately 30 years ago, food manufacturers were competing
against the American Homemaker for consumable dollars. Women,
traditionally prepared food fed to the family and the food
prepared came fresh and cheap!Food scientists knew then that we
have glutamate receptors on our tongues.
More Articles from Nutrition for Life :
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3 | 4 |
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10 | 11 |
12 | 13 |
14 | 15 |
16 | 17 |
18 | 19 |
20 | 21 |
22 | 23 |
24 | 25 |
26 | 27 |
28 | 29 |
30 | 31 |
32 | 33 |
34 | 35 |
36 | 37 |
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