The Last Blog

This is the last blog I am writing before summer vacation. We learned many things in Health class this year. There are three very important things I learned. One thing I learned is how to have a nutritious diet. I learned what foods have too many calories in them and how the Atkins diet works. The second thing I learned is how to help someone get over different addictions. You could send them to rehab or a support group. The third thing I learned is how to have fun outside. You could play sports and games like tag or running races.

One thing I liked was whenever a guest came to speak to the class. One thing I would change is doing certain projects like building things. One thing that surprised me was starting Health class because I thought we would be doing Careers class for the entire year. My two words of advice for this class is to stay healthy.

The Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is a diet that was created to help people lose weight and get a healthier heart and better memory. It was created by Dr. Robert Atkins who said that people who are overweight eat too many carbohydrates. People on the Atkins diet lose weight by not eating foods with too many carbohydrates in them. The body then burns its own fat in a process called ketosis. When someone is in ketosis they get less hungry and don't eat as much food as they would. Ketosis can also cause side effects such as bad breath and constipation however. The diet says that when you eat too much sugar, the body creates insulin which tries to store the extra sugar in the liver. If the liver gets filled to the brim, the body tries to turn the sugar into fat and we get more weight than we lose. That way by getting rid of carbohydrates the body doesn't create fat and we weigh less.

There are four phases to the diet. The first phase is called Induction, the second phase is Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL, the third phase is Pre-maintenance, and the fourth phase is Lifetime maintenance. In the diet you can only eat 54 types of vegetables like brocoli and spinach a small amount of meat and 4 ounces of cheese.

Definitions

The next Health class assignment was to define words that have to do with nutrition. Here are the words I came up with and their definitions:

Carbohydrate- The energy that is broken down when you eat food. They are found in forms such as sugars or fibers. Carbohydrates produce 4 calories per gram.This definition is from www.medterms.com.

Cholesterol- Cholesterol is a substance that produces vitamin D and protects nerves. It also helps cell structure. It usually comes from the liver but it also comes from the food you eat. Too much of it can give you cardiovascular disease. This definition is from http://nutrition.about.com.

Diet- A diet is what people and animals eat and drink. A diet of unhealthy foods can make you sick and a diet of healthy foods can help you to live longer and give you energy to do more things. This definition is from www.allwords.com.

Fat- Fat is a nutrient in the body that is used for energy. It produces 9 calories per gram. Eating foods with too much fat can be bad for your health and it can clog your arteries. This definition is from www.medterms.com.

Food- Food is an item that is eaten to help you grow and prevent hunger. Some foods are full of vitamins and nutrients and others are full of sugar and starches. This definition is from www.merriam-webster.com.

Protein- A molecule that is used to help keep the cells in the body functioning and keep their structure. Most protein is found in meat products such as chicken and pork. It is even found in peanut butter. This definition is from www.medterms.com.

Saturated fats- These types of fat are the fat that is found in unhealthy foods such as butter, pork, and high fat cheese. Too much of it can cause high cholesterol which will also give you cardiovascular disease. This definition is from http://nutrition.about.com.

Trans fats- This type of fat is when fats from liquids are combined with fats from solids and hydrogen and made into one. Too much trans fats can cause high cholesterol and heart disease just like all other fats do. This definition is from www.thelabrat.com.

Unsaturated fats- Unsaturated fats are fats that are actually good for cholesterol instead of being bad for it. They are liquid when they are at room temperature and are found in nuts and olives. This definition is from http://cholesterol.about.com.

A Healthy Life

In Health class we had to make a top five list of ways you can make your life healthier from a list of suggestions on www.hhs.gov. One of the five things that I picked was that you should only take at least 20 to 35 percent of calories. The second thing I picked was to do a type of physical activity regularly. The third suggestion is eat fruits, vegetables, and whole grains with a lot of fiber most of the time. The website said that if you drink alcohol then women should have one drink a day and men should have two a day. The last suggestion I picked is to make food with only a little salt and eat foods with more potassium like fruits and vegetables. If you do the other suggestions that the website reccomends then you should be able to lead a healthier life.

Pros and Cons

There are reasons that people think it is okay to smoke and use drugs and reasons why they are not okay. In health class we had to find five reasons for both sides. Five reasons why people smoke and do drugs are that they think it's cool, they try them once and get addicted, they are dared to, they have a family history of smoking and using drugs, and they would get teased by other kids who use them and start doing it so the teasing would stop. Five reasons why smoking and drugs are bad for you are they can make you sick, you can die using them, your friends might not want to see you anymore, you can get in trouble with the police for using drugs, and smoking can make your clothes smell bad and it can be hard to get rid of.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a deposit of fatty substances that build up in the inside lining of a person's arteries. This causes heart attacks, strokes, and death. It is usually called plaque and it can get harder as people get older. If someone gets atherosclerosis, it can damage the arteries and it worsens if that person smokes. Some factors of the deposits are obesity, cigarettes, and high blood pressure. It can be hard to spot because some people don't show symptoms. You can prevent atherosclerosis by leading a healthy life of exercise and never smoking.

Drinking Reasons

In Health Class we had to find five reasons why we think teens drink and why drinking is wrong. I think that teens drink because they want to have others think that they are cool, they get depressed, everyone in their family does it, they grew up in a tough neighborhood, or they are dared to have some alcohol and are too afraid to lose. Five reasons for why it is not okay to drink are it ruins your liver, you can die from an overdose, you will not remember what you did while being drunk, you can hurt someone else, and you will probably get lost from your home.