Final Blog Post

By taking this course, I was able to learn just how much food can impact lives.  The articles we read all throughout the course gave examples as to how food is not just something that tastes good, but also a strong indicator of culture and family ties.  I also learned much more about the production and nutrition of food.  I really enjoyed watching Food Inc. and learning what actually we are eating in our world today.   This all matters greatly because food is such a substantial part of everyone's lives.  Before this course, I had thought about possibly researching a career as a nutritionist. I didn't know much about food, or all the aspect and characteristics it entails, but after taking this course, my desire to pursue a career as a nutritionist has definitely become stronger.  I wasn't sure what to expect by taking this course, but overall, it greatly increased my interest in the food world.

EE2 Rough Draft: Athlete's Eating Manifesto

The Athlete’s Eating Manifesto

            My pre-race butterflies begin to consume my stomach.  I take deep breaths, as I keep warm, jumping up and down and shaking out my legs to stay loose.  The sun beats down on me, but I stay covered up, with my hood up and warm-up pants on.  I watch as the heats in front of me slowly start to take their turn.  My sprint cleats grasp the track as I continue to do my exercises, running quick, 10-second sprints up and back, waiting for my turn.  Finally, the heat before me takes off as the starter’s gun cracks into the air.  I take my mark on the track, setting my blocks, and slipping off my warm up gear.  I bounce around some more, focusing on the race ahead of me.  Finally, I hear, “Runners! To your mark!”  I take a deep breath, jump a few more times, and slowly back into my blocks. “Set…” My heart beats frantically as I mentally prepare myself to explode out of my blocks. “BANG!” The gun fires and I burst forward with immense power.  My legs stride out, each powerful step bringing me closer and closer to the finish line.  My body is a machine, pushing forward with all of its might.  One hundred meters pass, and with one hundred more to go, I begin to hold my stride, pushing on and on.  I surge past my competitors, looking straight ahead, as the finish line gets closer and closer.  I’m sprinting, harder, faster, and holding on as much as I can until finally I step across the finish line and my body fueled for performance begins to relax as I tiredly smile at my victory. 

            Ever since I was a little girl, I have been a sprinter.  Each year, I became more and more competitive, and my routine became considerably more serious and regimented.  I have competed in over 60 track meets throughout my life, including high school and club from the time I was 9 until my senior year.  During my four years of high school, I won 4 state championships in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and the long jump.  Athletics have been a significant part of my life, and my family and I have always taken them seriously including routines of both the mind and body.  Thus, the meals that I ate during my numerous track seasons were an integral part of all my successes and overall athletic health.  Thus my eater’s manifesto is that of food as fuel for athletic performance.

            Before every track meet I would eat a breakfast consisting of some form of meat (sausage or bacon usually), along with eggs, and a carbohydrate, such as a piece of toast or a bagel.  My father has always been a competitive person, and strove to keep me as in-shape and prepared for my races as he possibly could.  On the morning of every single track meet of my life, my father would say the exact same words to me: “Make sure you get plenty of protein.”  Protein is essential to an overall healthy diet, and has been argued to be even more important for athletes.  That is certainly what my father always preached to me, explaining that, “my body needs proteins”, for top performance especially on days of a track meet.  Even now that I am in college, I make sure to eat protein every day, and on days that I am planning on doing something active, I am sure to eat a little more than usual.  So what is it about protein that makes it so important for athletes?  Or, is there actually no benefit from consuming extra protein before athletic performances? According to the majority of scientific studies, protein may not be as much of an enhancer as many people may have thought (Case, 2013).

Proteins and amino acids are crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, whether you are an athlete or not.  They are vital for critical functions of the body, including maintaining hormones, fighting against illness, and most importantly, repairing cells in our muscles (Eitel, 2013).  Athletes constantly use their muscles to the extreme, whether they are jumping, running, dribbling, swimming, or any other physically taxing endeavor.  With all of this intense stress placed on their muscles, protein is a critical part of their diet in order to maintain muscle strength.  That is not to say that non-athletes are immune from needing protein.  In general, by ingesting solid amounts of protein, our body is able to create new cells to keep our muscles strong. 

Additionally, proteins help with hormone stability and create a defense against bacteria and viruses.  Our bodies are made up of white and red blood cells.  The main responsibility of our white blood cells is to destroy harmful bacteria in our blood stream in order to avoid illness.  Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles stated, “People who consume too little protein have low immunity and are at risk of getting sick more frequently.” Thus, more protein in the body is able to create more healthy white cells that fight off more bacteria.  Again, proteins help with muscle growth, including HGH (human growth hormone) and testosterone, which are “two of the most important hormones for muscle development” (UCLA, 2013).  Therefore, not only are proteins vital for athletes who constantly strain their muscles, but they are also important for young, growing children, in which strong levels of HGH are imperative for their muscle growth.

            Now, it is clear evident that proteins are vital for our bodies in general.  However, the question still remains: Do athletes need larger amounts of protein in order to demonstrate key performance and to maintain strong, healthy muscles?  This question is not something that has a definitely answer, unfortunately.  The amount of necessary protein intake is a subject that has been debated by several scientists throughout the years.  Some have the same perspective as my father, stating that athletes generally need more protein in order to be successful in competitive activities, and to maintain strong muscle structure.  On the contrary, others say that athletes need just as much protein as everybody else, but no more.  For athletes, being in top physical condition is key.  When I was in track season, I had two to three hour long workouts almost every day, consisting of extensive amounts of running, along with heavy, strenuous lifting.  As one could imagine, my muscles constantly ached from the stress I was putting on them.  However, because I was so active, I also increased my protein intake.  I completely avoided sugars and greasy fats, and mainly ate vegetables, meats, cheeses, and other foods with high protein contents. 

Professional athletes do this as well, to an even higher extent that I did.  For instance take Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix for example.  At one point considered the fastest woman in the world, Felix’s diet obviously is an imperative part of her life and running career.  “Like all sprinters Allyson concentrates on intense workouts on the track and in the weight training room, with a focus on explosive power using plyometric training. Therefore her diet needs to be high-calorie and high-protein to ensure that she maintains muscle weight and also has enough energy for intense training workouts. She consumes around 3000 Calories a day and has said that she loves to eat chicken, fish and lots of fruits”, (Wade, 2013).  “Chicken, fish, and fruits” are all high in good proteins that help to mend the body, and because athletes are so active, mending proteins is what keeps them strong and healthy. 

For Allyson Felix, maintaining strong arm and leg muscles are what bring her success on the track.  However, all sports require sufficient amounts of protein for different reasons.  Along with being a muscle mender and disease fighter, proteins also help with weight balance.  Unlike carbohydrates and fats that increase body weight, protein works to sustain a healthy weight, and even aids in weight loss.  One sport in which weight loss is a key component is wrestling.  Growing up, my younger twin brothers were wrestlers.  During wrestling season, they would cut weight at extreme measures, sometimes not eating for days.  However, when they did eat, they would only eat foods high in protein, such as rolled up slices of turkey and ham, or small slices of cheese.  Jennifer A. Case, a doctoral student at Kansas State University, highly researched this phenomenon for her dissertation.  The studies she found “examined endurance performance, not anaerobic or strength performance, which is the prevalent type of activity performed in weight restricted sports.” Dipla as cited in Case (2013), “reported that isoenergetic diets composed of higher protein did not impact resistance-performance parameters, indicating that anaerobic performance may not be inhibited when on a hypocaloric, higher- protein diet”.  Earlier in her dissertation, she explained that other diets with less protein intake and high levels of carbohydrates and fats actually hurt performance.  Thus, by consuming more protein-based meals, Case (2013) found that athletes were more likely to perform better, without any detriments caused by their diets. 

While the above argument makes sense, stating that high-protein diets help athletes to enhance their performance, there is still the opposing argument to examine.  While one side places proteins on a pedestal for “increasing” athletic performance, and declaring that athletes need more protein than their less-active counterparts, the other argument is that athletes need no more protein than any other person, and that increased protein intake does not help or hurt their athletic performances.  This brings up another question: What is the appropriate amount of protein a person needs?  The Journal of Sports Sciences took an in-depth look into this question in the article “Proteins and Amino Acids for Athletes” by Kevin D. Tipton and Robert R. Wolfe (2013).   “The most commonly used definition for the nutritional requirement for protein is the minimum amount ingested that will balance all nitrogen losses and thus maintain nitrogen equilibrium (Millward as cited in Tipton & Wolfe, 2013).  This being said, it can be concluded that not all athletes are the same, and their required protein intakes are different.  “[Coaches and athletes] simply wish to know whether a particular athlete’s performance will be enhanced by consuming more, or less, protein”, (Tipton & Wolfe, 2013).  In fact, the appropriate definition of protein requirement – that is, the optimal protein intake – will vary depending on the training and competition goals of the athlete.”  (Tipton & Wolfe, 2013).  From their research they concluded that it cannot really be accurately determined whether more actually “enhances” athletic performance because protein intake varies depending on the athlete.  While a sprinter like Allyson Felix may need a certain protein intake to repair her muscles after intense sprint training, a professional football player like Payton Manning may need a differing protein intake to repair his muscles from intense weight lifting.  Their sport, training, meals, and goals may be different, but for both athletes, protein is central to their overall athletic lifestyles.  With that argument in mind, my personal food choices are reflective of their model.  If it works for the professionals, it should work for the amateur athlete as well.   

Speaking from this athlete perspective, I am completely pro- protein.  While it has been a much-argued topic by many sports medicine scientists, both sides agree that protein is monumentally important to us all, whether you are an athlete or not.  Although research shows that larger amounts of protein do not actually boost athletic performance, without it, athletic performance could be lessened and muscles hampered.  As I stated previously, I make sure to eat plenty of protein in my daily life, and especially on days where I have an athletic related event.  I will continue to eat good, protein-loaded breakfasts, such as steak and eggs, or sausage, along with incorporating protein into my other meals, from a snack of rolled turkey slices to a chicken and vegetable dinner.  Living a pro-protein lifestyle is engrained in my food values.  An athlete’s goal is to be the best that they can possibly be during their performance.  As I grow older and branch out my interests, I see that this tenet crosses over into all aspects of life including, not only athletics, but all physical and mental activities.  Feeding the mind and body is essential to overall health and wellness.  My food values are foundationally set in the assurance that I put good, quality foods into my body.  Just about everybody has heard the saying “You are what you eat.”  This can apply to anyone.  If people choose to eat healthy, muscle-mending, protein-packed foods, then their bodies are likely to be in tip-top shape.  Essentially, the main message to take away is this: while protein meals may not physically “enhance” an athlete’s performance, they aid in repairing muscles, and cannot hurt an athlete’s goal.  I am an athlete, and I am pro-protein.  What about you?

           

 References

Case, Jennifer A. "Protein Intake, Body Composition, and Athletic Performance." Diss. Kansas State University, 2010. 2010. 21 May 2013. http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/603189971

Eitel, Joseph. "What Does Protein Help in Your Body?" LIVESTRONG.COM. Live Strong, 11 Oct. 2011. 21 May 2013. http://www.livestrong.com/article/546662-what-does-protein-help-in-your-body/

Tipton, Kevin D., and Robert R. Wolfe. "Protein and Amino Acids for Athletes." Journal of Sports Sciences 22 (2004): 65-79. 21 May 2013. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0264041031000140554

UCLA

Wade, Jon. "Allyson Felix Training and Diet Regime." MotleyHealth. Motley Health, 21 Aug. 2009. 21 May 2013. http://www.motleyhealth.com/athletes/allyson-felix-wins-womens-200m-final-in-berlin-2009

Post 9

The pieces by Pollan and Dupuis discuss the nutrition side of what we eat every day and the “advice” we receive on what to eat in order to be an overall healthy person.  Nutrition is something that has been constantly brought up when discussing diets and healthy eating.  The Food Pyramid, which comes in several different appearances and has adapted over the years, is an indicator for the nutrition we should eat to have a truly healthy diet.  The Dupuis piece discusses this idea, when he brings up the ideas of healthy eating and “advice” that was given to people in history in regards to eating.  Dupuis discusses the advice given by angels, who spoke of what should be eaten and not eaten to be a pure, healthy person.  This, in turn, tied food in greatly with religion.  Red meats were to be stayed away from (as they are today), along with alcohol and caffeine.  Supposedly, John Smith received wisdom-filled advice in regards to eating and being overall healthy:  “Smith received “The Word of Wisdom,” a set of recommendations about healthy living, including abstinence from coffee, tea, and alcohol and the “sparing” use of meat” (Dupuis,36).  Additionally Benjamin Rush created advice, including eating several vegetables, avoiding alcohol, and having adequate exercise.  Although these ideas are very similar, the advice is not the same.  The same applies with food pyramids today.  They are constantly changing, and may not have the same information.  One may say to eat more grains, while another says to eat more vegetables.  So, what is actually a healthy diet?

            The Pollan piece also discusses the differing ways in which we are advised to eat as well.  Diets, food products, and pretty much anything you can buy in a supermarket is constantly advertising their nutritional value on the products.  Nutrients vary for everything we eat, no matter what it is.  So how do we know what nutrients we actually need to be an overall “healthy person”?  As Pollan stated in his article from a nutritionist at the New York University, “Most nutritional science involves studying one nutrient at a time, an approach that even nutritionists who do it will tell you is deeply flawed. “The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient nutrition science, is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of food, the food out of the context of diet and the diet out of the context of lifestyle” (Pollan, 6).  Basically, yes, something may say “low-fat”, “low-sugar”, “high in fiber”, and so on, but that just a single aspect of the food.  So is the advice labeled on what we eat today something that makes it healthy, such as “low-fat”?  Actually, there seems to be a greater level of gained weight from products in low fat, low carbs, and so on.  So what, really, makes a healthy person?   I am no expert on the subject, but in my opinion, a healthy person is someone who eats a good amount of vegetables, grains, healthy sugars, such as fruits, along with eating a good amount of proteins and healthy fats, along with regular exercise routines.  If I were to give food eating advice, just as Pollan and Dupuis discuss in their pieces, that is what I would advice.  However, that may not be the advice someone else has to give in regards to food.  Overall, the decision on what to eat in order to be a “healthy person” is up to you, and what your idea of healthy is, and how you interpret different forms of advice from our world today.  

In class post 5-15-13

I am constantly thinking about what I eat.  I am an athlete and I workout almost every day, so I don't always eat extremely healthy foods, but I am well aware of what I am eating, and the
"consequences" that might follow.  When I am hungry, I normally eat whatever sounds good to me, whether it is fries from McDonalds or carrots and dip.  This has never really been a problem, but I am going to try to eat healthier.  In college, I have definitely become more of a snacker, and I eat much more than I did in high school.  I am very aware of my weight and appearance, both of which are important to me. I think that people should be able to eat everything they want, within moderation, if they are also active like I am.  However, eating healthy meals and getting proper amounts of exercise are definitely the best route to go for overall health. The two go hand in hand: if you eat healthy meals, getting your daily fibers, proteins, fruits, and vegetables, and you are an active individual, then your health will be top-notch.

The Cycle of Stress and Snacking: SE5

The Cycle of Stress and Snacking

People in today’s world face stress every single day.  If you are a parent, you have the stress of making sure your children are taken care of, and that they are where they need to be, whether it’s football practice or school play auditions.  If you are a businessman or a politician, you are faced with extremely important decisions on a regular basis.  If you are a college student like me, you are constantly loaded with homework from different classes.  Stress is something that comes with every day life.  The question is this, however: How do we deal with stress?  I know for me, and several other people in today’s world, snacking on generally unhealthy food always seems to alleviate some of the anxiety.  

From our blog posts in class last week, I noticed that there were quite a few people who mentioned snack-type foods in their food journals, including my own.  We are all in college and are responsible to keep up our grades by getting all our work done on time and with good quality, in 3-5 classes, which is tremendously stressful.  Almost every time that I am working on a large project, an important paper, or studying for a test, I have some type of snack while I’m working.  Sometimes I eat beef jerky and cheese, or chips or candy: basically any food that is easy to snack on, tastes good, and is not overly healthy. Having something to munch on while working away is something that seems to make the overall work load more manageable.  However, this phenomenon is not a good solution when it comes to dealing with stress.  In fact, the two are very much correlated in a negative way.

An article from the Buffalo News out of Buffalo, New York gives examples and detailed information regarding the enormous amounts of stress that most Americans have on a regular basis, and how this makes us the “fattest” country in the world.  While people may think that snacking on junk foods while working on something important helps to alleviate their stress, the article approaches the fact that actually, the excessive eating due to stress circles around and creates an even higher stress level.  For example, the article gives examples of accounts from a few people in regards to their snacking habits in relation to stress.  One interviewee named Christina stated that, “You have your pizza or whatever -- it doesn't solve the problem, but at that point, because it tastes good, it seems to calm you down." This may be the case, but ultimately the stress is not alleviated at all, and unhealthy eating habits begin to form, which in turn, lead to more stress.

The article then goes on to explain how this phenomenon of using food as a reward or stress reliever has been taught to us from a very young age.  A nutrition teacher from the Sisters Hospital in Buffalo named Ms. Goeger was interviewed in the article, and said, “From day one, we cried, we got fed. That alleviation of stress is just ingrained in our personality…physical gratification is tied in with an emotional response right from the beginning.”  I can relate to this, just as most people probably can.  Whenever I got hurt, from when I was a toddler, to the time I broke my arm in 6^th grade, to my senior year when I had to get knee surgery, my parents have always taken me to get ice cream.  In these cases, it makes more sense because ice cream is something that helped to make me feel better in times when I was very upset and recovering from an injury, but it is the same idea as snacking when you’re upset. 

This fact that our country is generally over-stressed leads to our growing problem of obesity in America.  Stressors are constantly eating away at us, in work, school, and just life in general.  Turning to food is an easy way to temporarily fix our problems.  However, this seemingly harmless solution to our high stress levels is actually making our lives more stressful, and we begin for enforce unhealthy eating habits and begin to gain weight.  It is a vicious cycle: a person is stressed, so they eat.  The more they eat, the more weight they gain.  The more weight they gain, the more stressed they develop, which adds onto the stress they already had to begin with.  So they eat more, and the cycle goes on and on.  There needs to be other methods taken in regards to handling stress.  The article gives some worthy ones, including being aware of the problem, and eating when you are actually hunger, and also participating in other, healthier activities that make you happy, such as exercising, going for a walk, or playing games.  If American could steadily attempt to try other approaches when trying to help lower their stress levels, our eating practices would get better, and America would be a less-stressful, happier place. 

Sources

"What's Eating You? The Complex Connection Between Stress and Snacking." The Buffalo News (1998): 0. 16 June 1998. 14 May 2013. http://0-search.proquest.com.bianca.penlib.du.edu/docview/381355791