Food Label: Minute Maid

TYPE OF FOOD

Orange juice

1. What is the serving size?

240 mL
2. How many servings per container?

1 cup


CALORIES

3. How many calories per serving?

103kcal

FATS
4. How many calories are from fat?

0g
5. What percentage of each serving’s calories comes from fat?
(Do the math yourself.)
0g
6. What is the total fat percentage of your food? 0g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? Low
7. What is the saturated fat percentage in your food? 0g
Is this content Low/High? Low

8. How much of your diet should come from saturated fats?
20 grams or less
9. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
Unsaturated fats have carbon double bonds and less hydrogen

CHOLESTEROL
10. What is the percentage cholesterol in your food? 0%
Is that Low/Moderate/High  Low
11. How much sodium is in your food? 0g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? Low


CARBOHYDRATE

12. What is the carbohydrate content of your food?

Per serving: 25.4 g

per 100 mL: 10.6 g
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? 

Low

SUGAR

13.What is the sugar content of your food?

Per serving: 25.4 g

per 100 mL: 10.6 g

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Moderate

14. Why are sugars not good for you?

Sugar is a sticky substance and if left in the bloodstream (instead of being burned as energy) the particles will start to stick to the cells causing many health problems for example dry brittle nails and hair, lack of movement in the joints etc. 

FIBER

15. How much fiber is in your food?

16.Why is fiber good for you?

Fiber is good for us because it slows the rate of the sugar absorbed into the bloodstream, makes your intestines move faster, cleans your colon acting like a scrub brush and also helps keep you regular (easy toilet, no constipation)

PROTEIN

17. How much protein is in your food?

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?

Low


VITAMINS
18. What is the Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron content of your food?
Vit. A:
Vit. C:

Per serving: 6.0 mg

per 100 mL: 2.5 g

Calcium:
Iron:
Are these amounts adequate?
Not enough for a healthy nutrition.
19. Overall, what would you say is the nutritional value of your food? Is it good for you? Why or why not?

I would say it is okay as it a fruit juice. In addition, there are no fats involved and there are fibers and a lot of vitamin C as it contains orange. 

FitDay: Nutrition Analyses

Weekday analysis:

Graph 1: Calorie (%) intake by fat, carbohydrate and protein

Grams Calories %-Cals Calories 1,823 Fat 60.6 540 30 % Saturated 17.1 153 8 % Polyunsaturated 12.7 112 6 % Monounsaturated 24.6 220 12 % Carbohydrate 192.3 765 42 % Dietary Fiber 27.2 Protein 128.0 514 28 % Alcohol 0.0 0 0 % Fat   (30%) Carbs   (42%) Protein   (28%) Alcohol   (0%)

In my diet, I have 46% carbs, 29% fat and 25% protein. As seen in the graph, my diets are balanced as most of the three parts have a similar portions. However, I am surprised and worried of having a 29% of fat whereas the average fat % of women is 25. So instead of eating beef or meat I would change my eating styles by eating boiled foods rather than the fried ones. I am quite satisfied with the amount of intake I have in proteins as I usually eat scrambled egg and fish. I should also take action of increasing my carbs and reducing the fats.




Graph 2: Average daily nutrition





Mainly I am above the nutrition level but there are some nutrition that I am not getting enough of. I am low in Vitamin E, calcium and Vitamin D therefore I should consume more of foods that are high in calcium (Eg. dairy products- milk), vitamin D (egg yolk, salmon) and E (almonds dried, apple with skin). Overall, my nutrition level is satisfying. I have high Vitamin B, proteins and in other minerals.


Graph 3: Balance of calories eaten and calories burnt

Calories Eaten (1,823 calories)

Calories Burned (2,296 calories)

My calorie balance is a bit off. Playing golf (without buggy) and doing lot of (delayed and the following week) homework might be the reasons why I burn my calories. In order to make a balanced calorie I should consider taking foods with high carbs.


Weekend analysis:
Graph 4: Calorie (%) intake by fat, carbohydrate and protein

Grams Calories %-Cals Calories 2,091 Fat 93.5 838 40 % Saturated 43.2 387 19 % Polyunsaturated 6.8 60 3 % Monounsaturated 34.8 312 15 % Carbohydrate 201.4 809 39 % Dietary Fiber 31.6 Protein 110.9 442 21 % Alcohol 0.0 0 0 % Fat   (40%) Carbs   (39%) Protein   (21%) Alcohol   (0%)

In my weekend diet, I have 39% carbs, 40% fat and 21% protein. Compared to the weekday graph, this graph has higher percentage in basically everything especially there is a dramatic increase in the fats. During the weekends I have free time and tends to eat a lot of non-healthy foods like ice cream, hamburgers, potato chips, chocolates etc. This is the reason why I have a high percentage on fat.

Graph 5: Average daily nutrition

Compared to the weekday average daily nutrition, the weekends are lower in most of the minerals and vitamins. I lack in Vitamin D, E, calcium (all same like the weekdays but in addition I am also low in manganese and Pant acid. In order to make my manganese high I should consume foods that have spinach and drink tea (with unsweetened powder).

Graph 6: Balance between calories eaten and calories burnt

Calories Eaten (2,091 calories) Calories Burned (2,295 calories)

My calorie balance is even. During the weekends the amount of calories burnt is almost same as the calories eaton. There I can retain my normal weight without any significant increase or decrease. Hence, I am quite healthy pertaining to the calorie balance.


Weekdays VS. Weekends

I am more healthier in the weekdays than the weekends. During the school days I eat "school food" (usually Ko's kitchen) which are healthy food and in home my mum gives me a lot of foods that contain rich vitamins and minerals. However in the weekends as I have more free time, I eat outside where foods are unhealthy and in house I tend to eat whatever is there in my refrigerator (like ice cream, bread with butter, candies, etc) as my parents go out and play golf or shop. In order to reduce the amount of fat during the weekends I play 9 or 18 rounds of golf which maintains a healthy body.

Health In the News: Stress, Depression & Suicide

Title: Six Teenagers Are Charged After Classmate's Suicide

Source: The New York Times

Date: March 29, 2010

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30bully.html?_r=1 

What does this article say? (Summary)

The article from the NYT is about a freshmen at South Hadley High School in western Massachusetts who faced different kinds of violence from a cluster of fellow students aged from 16 to 18 including stalking and statutory rape.  Phoebe Prince a 15 years old girl is from Ireland who moved to the United States and was "new" and unfamiliar to the culture of the school. She kept her depression within her for three horrifying months when she finally committed a suicide.

What does this article mean? (Big meaning)

"The rate of suicide in the U.S. is increasing for the first time in a decade", according to a new report form the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center. In the case of Phoebe Prince, she committed suicide because she was a foreigner and was new to the culture of the American school. There are two points of view in Phoebe's suicidal: her point of view and her loved ones point of view. Phoebe might have been through the toughest part of her life but the question is, was suicide the real solution that would solve the problem? It would have been much more effective if she shared her difficulties with her friend or even her mother. However, it might be a dilemma for Phoebe as she might have thought it was embarrassing to talk about this topic or she just ignored the fact that its only the new school year and things happen. In my personal opinion, the 'bigger meaning' from this article is that suicide should not only solved by death but through expressing one's emotion and trying to put effort not to get bullied by people around you. 

Why do I care? (personal meaning)

I have chosen this article because I had a time when I was extremely depressed because of a personal issue and at some point in my life I even thought of taking my own life. This article was relevant to what I  felt and I could comprehend her (Phoebe's) mind because sometimes even if you try talking to someone its useless and meaningless because they can't completely understand your situation and that makes you feel more depressed. But later I realized something, it was the unconditional love from my family and friends and by thinking of them I felt taking on my own life wasn't the right choice.  In the above paragraph I have emphasized two perspectives, this is because if you were in both side of the situation they are both true and agreeable. In fact, if one keeps a positive attitude and tries to focus on something that would keep them away from their problem and would be progress shown for the benefit of the life. 

Health Interview

Health Interview

What is his/her relationship to you?

My mum.

Question: Have you always been as healthy as you are now? Please explain.

Answer: No, three years ago my health had not been as good as I am now. I got tired easily and my condition wasn't good; I frequently had headaches and my body felt heavy.   

Question: What particular health habits in the following areas do you practice, that contribute to your level of health?

Answer: 1. Nutritional Habits: I try to have balanced diet of food like eating fish, various kinds of vegetables,  meat, and mixed rice. I usually have a 2 capsules of dietary supplement (vitamins) per day. 

2. Fitness Habits: I like sports such as swimming, golf, streches and running in threadmill. I swim and play golf once or twice a week, I try to do streches whenever I have time, and I'd like to run in the threadmill while watching T.V. or listening to music or talking with my friend through my cellphone.

3. Coping with Stress: I try concentrate on something, for example when hitting golf balls at the practicing range or washing dishes or cleaning my house, swmming or staying among crowd people in the market.

4. Dealing with Conflicts: First I consider the cause of my conflict and then study the way of solving the problem. I usually get my friend's advise, read some books about conflicts or just solve it by myself. My personal policy of dealing with conflicts is that I don't give up and continue to think them positively because I believe that realising the cause of a problem gives a higher possibility of solving conflicts.

5. Keeping a Positive Attitude: In order to keep up with a positive attitude, I try to think of some situation positively even though the situation might be frustrating. I know that a negative attitude never helps to improve it.

6. Any Additional Healthy Habits: In my personal opinion, the most important and basic health habits are the interest and care for oneself. The more you keep reading books or surf on the internet or talking about your health with others, the more you earn information and increase your interest and you are able to make your life healthy and  happy without being ill and sick.

Question: How did you develop these habits? Please explain.

Answer: I developed these habits by doing exercises as much as I can every day and I also try to enjoy them by thinking positively.

Question: What motivates you to practice a healthy lifestyle?

Answer: I have always hated going to the hospitals because I had a shocking experience in my early childhood days. When I was about six years old, my father was admitted in a hospital because of a serious car accident and that was the day I last saw him. Another incident was my brother's sudden cerebral hemorrhage. As a high school student (freshmen), his appearance after the surgery was uncomfortable and I witnessed that his recovery would take a long time and I felt how much pain my family had suffered. These two motives led me to keep a healthy lifestyle. 

Question: Earlier in the first question, you mentioned that you weren't healthy although you knew that health was a crucial part in life. Could you explain more specifically?

Answer: Good question! (smiling) I unconsciously realized that it was important to live a healthy life but I didn't recognize the details such as how to maintain my health and doing exercises and eating balanced food in daily my life and so on. I gradually found out all details through T.V. programs, internet, lecture or books regarding health. I would also like to mention that being healthy is to eat right, sleep right, treat others right and most importantly having a positive attitude towards oneself.