mCgRAW-HILL EDUCATION
CENTRAL TEAM
Welcome to the 2016-2017 MHE Central Team Page
As a Biology major with a Nutrition minor, I have had a quite bit of exposure to scientific information about the human body and how we metabolize, use and store energy from the foods we consume. I have also learned about things ranging from the complexity of cells to the impact of diet on our overall health. Although I am nowhere near being an expert on health, I do believe that sharing my personal health tips and tricks can be beneficial to other students wanting similar results (feeling energized, happy and getting sick less often). Therefore, I would like to share some of my top tips for staying healthy as a student. Remember that each person is different and although not every tip may apply to you and your health needs, it's never a bad idea to improve some habits here and there! Note: a lot of the reasoning behind my tips is coming from my textbook- Wardlaw's Perspectives in Nutrition, McGraw-Hill Education. 1. Carry around a reusable water bottleOur bodies contain more water than any other component- water is the most important ingredient for life (after oxygen). So it's no wonder that staying hydrated is going to help you feel alive and energized for that upcoming test! Think about this- each cell in the body contains and is surrounded by water and it makes up 50-75% of our total body weight. Although an individual's intake varies with functions like body size, physical activity, dietary intake and more, the Adequate Intake recommended per day is 15 cups for adult men and 11 cups for women. This can come from drinking water or from the foods we eat- remember that foods like potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, bananas, apples and oranges are over 75% water by weight! Drink/eat up! 2. Walk and bike instead of drivingThere are so many benefits of regular exercise- enhanced heart functions, better sleep habits, stress reduction and positive affects on blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels and immune function. To summarize- keep moving and you'll feel healthy and ready to take on the world! It is recommended that adults should engage in 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity for substantial health benefits. This can be as simple as going for a run twice a week, lifting weights once a week and biking and walking to all of your classes. Keep moving and you'll see those test scores rise in no time! 3. Eat more sweet potatoes!This one might seem silly, but I swear I live by it. I try to eat sweet potatoes at least 4-5 times a week- I like to bake them in oven or steam them over the stove, nothing too fancy! Besides sweet potatoes, other foods high in vitamin A are carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, acorn squash, peaches, mangoes and apricots. Why am I focusing on vitamin A? In North America, 70% of vitamin A intake comes from animal sources instead of plan sources. This is a topic for a later discussion, but the biggest takeaway is that people are not eating enough fruits or vegetables and are not getting all of the benefits that come with eating more plants. North Americans are overeating foods like margarine, cheddar cheese, and fat-free milk, which contain barely any vitamin A (0-20% of the recommended daily value of vitamin A per serving) and have a lot of potentially bad side effects. On the other hand, we are not eating enough plants, like sweet potatoes (over 200% of daily value of vitamin A in one serving- only half a cup!!). What is vitamin A good for? Just to name a few- vitamin A aids in growth and development, cell differentiation, vision, immune function and can even decrease the risk of certain eye cancers and diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Doesn't a nice side of sweet potatoes sound nice for dinner now? :)
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KotrynaKotryna has been a SA for MHE since January 2015. She is the Central Team Lead and loves helping other SA's make the most their experience with the program. Archives
April 2017
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