Question

At family gatherings, Wesley notices that his parents, uncles, aunts, and older siblings tend to be overweight. His father has had a heart attack, as has 1 of his aunts. Two of his uncles died before the age of 60 from diabetes. His grandfather died of prostate cancer. Wesley wonders if he is destined to become obese and develop heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. What advice would you give Wesley?

Using what you learned from this week's readings answer the following questions:

1. Identify the factors that might be affecting Wesley's food choices.

2. Explain how Wesley could identify, and use, reliable sources of nutritional information to make better food choices.

3. What advice would you give Wesley in regards to the following nutritional concepts; balance, variety, and moderation?

Answer 1

Ques 1. Identify the factors that might be affecting Wesley's food choices.

Answer: Many factors can affect weight and lead to overweight or obesity. Some of these factors may make it hard to lose weight or avoid regaining weight. Following factors will play major role that might be affecting Wesley's food choices:

· eat and drink a lot of foods and beverages that are high in calories, sugar, and fat.

· drink a lot of beverages that are high in added sugars .

· spend a lot of time sitting or lying down and have limited physical activity.

Ques 2. Explain how Wesley could identify, and use, reliable sources of nutritional information to make better food choices.

Answer: In order to identify, and use, reliable sources of nutritional information to make better food choices he must:

1. Get personalized nutrition information based on his age, height, weight, and physical activity level.

2. Use a smaller plate at meals to help control the amount of food and calories you eat. Take time to enjoy smaller amounts of food.

3. Choose foods like fat-free and low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, and fortified soymilk to help strengthen bones. Be sure morning coffee includes fat-free or low-fat milk.

4. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes.

5. Sip water or other drinks with few or no calories to help maintain a healthy weight.

6. Learn what is in foods, use both ingredient and Nutrition Facts labels to discover what various foods contain.

Ques 3. What advice would you give Wesley in regards to the following nutritional concepts; balance, variety, and moderation?

Answer: Below is some information that will help Wesley in regards to the following nutritional concepts; balance, variety, and moderation.

Balance

Balance the foods in your diet. Achieving balance in your diet entails not consuming one nutrient at the expense of another. For example, calcium is essential for healthy teeth and bones, but too much calcium will interfere with iron absorption. Another example is that while sodium is a vital nutrient, an overabundance of it can contribute to congestive heart failure and chronic kidney disease.

Moderation

Eat in moderation. Moderation is crucial for optimal health and survival. Burgers, French fries, cake, and ice cream each night for dinner will lead to health complications. But as part of an otherwise healthful diet and consumed only on a weekly basis, this should not have too much of an impact on overall health. If this is done once per month, it will have even less of an impact upon overall health.

Variety

Variety involves eating different foods from all the food groups. Eating a varied diet helps to ensure that you receive all the nutrients necessary for a healthy diet. One of the major drawbacks of a monotonous diet is the risk of consuming too much of some nutrients and not enough of others.