What are the Implications of Body Fat? (Overweight, Underweight, Prevention & Disease)
Implications of Underweight, Overweight, & Obese On Our Health There are risks when it comes to managing weight. Being underweight is a concern because excessively underweight people are more at risk to die from starvation. They lack body fat and nutrient reserves which can lead to extreme deterioration and death especially when trying to combat sickness […]
How have Food Portions Changed Over Time and How Can We Portion Control?
Change in Food Portion Sizes Over Time Research data indicates that U.S. food portion size has continuously increased since the 1970s and is greater than the federal dietary guidance standard. Multiple causes can be attributed to this increase. 1.) The food service industry has grown more prominent, and people eat out more, 2.) Marketing has become […]
Should We Eat Carbohydrates and Fiber?
Importance to Our Health Fiber, the indigestible part of plant foods (Sizer & Whitney, 2017), helps maintain bowel health by helping to add bulk to stool and absorbing water. Fiber helps decrease the chance of constipation. Carbohydrates play a significant role in energy for the body, but that is not their only function (Sizer & Whitney, […]
How does Digestion of Nutrients Impact Our Health and Wellness?
Six Classes of Nutrients and How They Help Us to Maintain Our Health Status There are six classes of nutrients that are vital to the function of our bodies. These nutrients become fuel for the human body through food consumption and digestion. The infographic below shows how food and the human body are both made up […]
What Drives Our Food Choice?
Cultural and Social Connections to Food Many social and cultural factors contribute to why we eat food. Enjoying traditional cultural cuisines can be a celebration of heritage (Sizer & Whitney, 2016). Sharing ethnic foods can be symbolic of shared values (Sizer & Whitney, 2016). Other than cultural connections to food, sociocultural environments also play a role. […]
What’s the Connection Between Disease, Nutrition and Our Kids?
Linking Diet & Health. After living more than six and a half decades of life, by the age of 65, we will eat more than 70,000 meals, and our bodies will discard enough waste to total the weight of half a house, that’s 50 tons! The food we eat supports our body to grow, maintain, and […]
Grounding for Truckers
Hey MOTOvator, I know what your first thought is, “walk out onto the truck stop urine saturated grass barefoot! Um… hard pass!!”. Listen, I get it, and no, I am not talking about exposing your feet just anywhere. I am saying that when you find a really nice rest area or shipper and receiver, find a […]
A Personal Diet Modification Plan for a Truck Driver
Nutritional Strengths & Weaknesses, Behavior Changes & Dietary Guidelines PERSONAL CHALLENGES I FACE CONCERNING DIETARY BEHAVIORS As an over-the-road truck driver, the main challenges I have are occupational. Finding nutrient-rich food is extremely limited. Having time as a team truck to participate in healthy lifestyle activities like physical movement or cooking is also difficult to overcome. […]
Nutritional Requirements Across a Lifespan — from Pregnancy to Childhood, & Adolescence to Adulthood
Pregnancy: Many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients from foods are essential for developing a baby and for the mother during pregnancy. Pregnancy requires different stages of increased calorie intake and nutrient intake. During the first trimester, not much needs to change in ways of diet except for more vitamins and minerals. The second trimester requires […]
Digestion, Absorption, & Metabolism of Macro-Nutrients (e.g., Carbohydrate, Protein, & Fat)
The digestion process begins at the mouth and oral cavity, including the tongue, teeth, and salivary glands. Next, the pharynx, specifically the epiglottis part of the larynx, esophagus, specifically the walls of the alimentary canal, guides the food to be digested. Then, the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine finish digestion and eliminate the unusable […]
Macro & Micro-Nutrients & Their Impact On Our Health & Well-Being
“As your body moves and works each day, it must use energy” (Sizer & Whitney, 2016). Food is this energy; it is necessary to survive for the body to grow, repair and function. Finding the best food to promote optimal health is then a duty, to give every cell and body system the best tools […]
Nutrition Controversies & Cultural Differences
EXAMINING THE FACTORS (e.g., SOCIAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL & PHYSICAL) THAT DRIVE OUR FOOD CHOICES. I have had many different connections with food that changed at various points in my life. Growing up, I ate primarily Mexican food because, like you, my mother would monitor the types of food I ate. She was my primary caregiver […]
Connection Between Nutrition & Disease
In the book Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (14th ed.) by Sizer and Whitney (2016), they define food as: “Medically, any substance that the body can take-in, and assimilate that will enable it to stay alive and to grow; the carrier of nourishment; socially, a more limited number of such substances defined as acceptable by each culture.” And […]
Life Coach vs. Personal Trainer; Who Inspires Real Change?
Life coach or personal trainer? Can either truly motivate a lasting change in you? If you’ve been working with or paying for a life coach or personal trainer to help you, but you’re not getting positive lasting results in your life, it might be because your coach isn’t qualified to motivate or teach you how to […]