Learning Outcomes:
After learning from Module 3, you will be able to . . .
1. Clearly understand the importance of healthy eating to us.
2. Know how to make healthy diet choices.
3. Design a successful and reasonable diet plan.
https://www.biologyonline.com/tutorials/balanced-diet-minerals-and-proteins
The importance of healthy eating and Harm from unhealthy diet
With the in-depth research of diet on health in recent years, people are paying more and more attention to the impact of diet on health. An unhealthy diet will not only lead to rapid weight gain, but also cause emotional, mental and physical damage.
Mental impact:
Unhealthy diet can affect our mental health. For example, obesity can easily make people anxious, which greatly increases the probability of depression. our findings highlight the potential importance of the relationship between dietary patterns or quality and mental health early in the life span.(Public health , 2014)
Physical illness Impact
An unhealthy diet will bring many diseases to people’s bodies, and even many diseases that are terminally ill will cause people’s death, such as heart disease and cancer. Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the U.S., due to nutrition- and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.（Center of Science, 2016）
Risk Factors and the Number of Deaths in the US, 20161
| Risk Factor | No. of Deaths in 2016 | % of Total Deaths |
| Dietary risks (other than BMI) | 529,999 | 19.7% |
| Tobacco | 492,437 | 17.8% |
| High Blood Pressure | 481,501 | 17.4% |
| High BMI | 385,965 | 13.9% |
| High FPG | 376,498 | 13.6% |
| High Total Cholesterol | 233,233 | 8.41% |
| Impaired Kidney Function | 174,559 | 6.30% |
| Alcohol & Drug Use | 155,574 | 5.61% |
| Air Pollution | 105,084 | 3.79% |
| Low Physical Activity | 91,670 | 3.31% |
| Occupational Risks | 89,684 | 3.23% |
| Low Bone Mineral Density | 25,994 | 0.94% |
| Other Environmental Risks | 24,356 | 0.88% |
| Unsafe Sex | 13,465 | 0.49% |
| Malnutrition | 11,019 | 0.40% |
| Sexual Abuse & Violence | 2,458 | 0.09% |
| WaSH | 2,121 | 0.08% |
(Center of Science, 2016)
How to make healthy diet choices?
Our body needs to take in a variety of different vitamins, proteins and fats. We need to take a reasonable amount of nutrients that are good for the body.
1. Eating lots of vegetable and fruit.
Vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins, which are great for our body.
2. Choosing whole grain foods.
Whole-grain foods are rich in fiber and vitamins can help you stay fuller for longer
3. Eating protein foods.
Protein helps build and maintain skeletal, muscle and skin.
4. Limiting highly and ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods have added a lot of additives, and the food itself has also lost a lot of vitamins and ingredients that are good for the body.
5. Making water your drink choice
Water supports health and promotes hydration without adding calories to the diet.
(heartandstroke)
There are many suggestions from experts on the following website:
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-eating/healthy-eating-basics
Learning Assignment:
Students will share a healthy recipe of their choosing and then analyze the macro- and micronutrient content. Students will also discuss how this meal fits into a balanced diet and share it as a blog post for other students to see.
Reference:
Am J Public Health. 2014 October, Relationship Between Diet and Mental Health in
Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4167107/?mod=article_inline
Center of science, 2016, Why Good Nutrition is Important.
https://www.cspinet.org/eating-healthy/why-good-nutrition-important
Heart & Stroke, Healthy eating basic,
https://www.heartandstroke.ca/healthy-living/healthy-eating/healthy-eating