The Story of Stuff Response

I believe that "The Story of Stuff" video brings important points about the issue. It is targeted to the consumer that is not fully educated about the topic of "stuff". I think that for this reason, the points that were introduced were informative and useful to the argument. Although the data that she used in the video were skewed toward her "left" point of view, they educated those who were unaware of the issue, and since that was the main intention, I don't find that the exaggerated data to be a large problem in the video.

Environmental Health

Can humanity and nature thrive simultaneously?

Humanity and nature can't simultaneously thrive due to a few different reasons. First of all, as humanity develops, we can assume that populations will tend to increase. We are already seeing strains on making the best use of land that we have. With increases in populations, the land will not be enough land area to make the best use and continue the path that we are taking right now, such as making palm oil. Another important point is the land required to grow and maintain crops for food and exports. This will continue to be a problem as we as a human race will develop. Our environment is limited with certain resources. We have become very dependent on these resources and thus will not be able to simultaneously thrive with nature.

Nutrition Label: Honey Graham Oh's

/20 points

Select a partner to work with. Use this site to help with the questions:

www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ConsumerInformation/ucm078889.htm#see1

Pick up a food product that has a food label from the front of the room. With the assistance of the internet food label guide, answer the following questions on your food’s label. These questions should give you a good idea of the nutritional value of your food.

What is your food product?
1. What is the serving size?
3/4 cup

2. How many servings per container?
N/A

3. How many calories per serving?
111

4. How many calories are from fat?
18

5. What percentage of each serving’s calories comes from fat?
(Do the math yourself.)
16%

6. What is the total fat percentage of your food?
16%

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
Moderate

7. What is the saturated fat percentage in your food?
8%

Is this content Low/High?
Low

8. How much of your diet should come from saturated fats?
Less than 10%

9. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?
No more than 10

10. What is the percentage cholesterol in your food?
0%

Is that Low/Moderate/High
Low

11. How much sodium is in your food?
166mg

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
Moderate

12. What is the carbohydrate content of your food?
22.6g

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
Low

13.What is the sugar content of your food?
11.6g

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
High

14. Why are sugars not good for you?
They only provide short term energy, that gives you a spike, then quickly dies off

15. How much fiber is in your food?
0.5 grams

16.Why is fiber good for you?
Cleans you out because it can't be processed

17. How much protein is in your food?
1.1g

Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
Low

18. What is the Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron content of your food?
Vit. A: 13%
Vit. C: 13%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 33%
Are these amounts adequate?
Yes except for calcium, but you're eating cereal which you put milk in...

19. Overall, what would you say is the nutritional value of your food? Is it good for you? Why or why not?
It is adequate. Its nutritional values are generally high or moderate, but the large amount of sugar, and moderate amount of fat offset the health value it may have.

Nutrition Analysis

Weekend Day

Nutrition Graph

Calorie Balance

Calorie Chart

Weekday:

Nutrition Graph:

Calorie Balance

Calorie Chart

Weekend Day:

For my weekend diet, I consume a sufficient amount of nutrients required for a nutritionally healthy lifestyle. Many of them, such as Carbohydrates, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C and Iron were all at high levels. However, there are some nutrients, such as Vitamin E and Fibre, that were below the average. Based on this graph, it indicates that my diet should include extra amounts of Vitamin E and Fibre and possibly also Magnes, which was just above the average line.

In terms of my the balance between my calorie intake and the amount of calories I burn on an average weekend day, the balance is at a good level. There is however a difference between these two categories of about 235 calories more in the amount I take in. This does suggest that over time I will continue to gain weight. However, my current weight is under my ideal weight. Because of this, the predicted weight gain does not prove to be a problem, so long that I control it later when necessary.

• For my weekend diet, my calories totaled about 3,512 calories on an average weekend day. In addition to that, my diet consisted of 55% carbs, 33% fat, and 12% protein. The suggested percentages are 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. The comparison between the two shows that my carbohydrates intake is over the recommended amount. This is mainly because on weekends my breakfast and lunch consist of carbohydrates. My fat intake is surprisingly close to the recommended amount, however my protein intake is significantly low compared to what is recommended.

Weekday:

For my weekday diet, much of it is the same as my weekend diet. The things such as Carbohydrates, Vitamin B-6, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C and Iron are still all at high levels. However, there are more things below the average in my weekday diet. In my weekday diet, I do not get enough of Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and Calcium. These four nutrients, in addition to Zinc, which is just above average, need to be an increased part of my weekday diet.

For the balance of my weekday diet, there is a slightly larger imbalance between the amount of calories i take in with the amount i burn through exercise. The difference is about 408 calories. Although weight gain is not a problem right now, I should try to balance out my calories with exercise to stay healthy.

My weekday diet consisted of 3,394 calories. On an average weekday, my carbs were at 49%, fat at 40%, and my protein intake at 11%. According to the Calorie chart, my average weekday carb intake is higher than the 40% recommended. My fat is 10% higher than what it should be and my protein intake is 19% lower than what it should be. This shows that my diet is very unbalanced on weekdays and should be changed according to what is indicated in this graph.

Comparison:

My weekend days tend to show a healthier aspect when observing the graphs. My calories are more balanced between what is taken in and burned during exercise. Also the fat, carb, and protein amounts are closer to the recommended percentage on weekend days. However protein is low on both days. I also tend to get more nutrients in my diet on weekend days as well. My diet is influenced by a few things, but probably the most important one would be the fact that I am a vegetarian. This is the main reason why my protein intake is lower than the recommended percentage as I do not get the amount of protein others get from eating meat. I do however, consistently eat eggs to replace meat as my main source of protein. From this activity, I have come to see that I surprisingly eat more fat than expected, especially on weekdays. I think this is because of my food choices when I eat at school. Overall, I believe that after analyzing the graphs, I am healthy in terms of my nutrition, but there certainly are aspects that I can improve my diet in.

Decision Making Model

Drugs

Choices:

• Take Drugs
• Don't Take Drugs

Consequences:

Take drugs: drug tests, get expelled from school, ruin family life, legal punishment

Don't take drugs: stay safe from the stated consequences

Informed decisions:

• Will not take drugs

Evaluation:

• Re-evaluate this decision every time the situation arises.

The Wellness Wheel area I would like to change or improve is:      

Physical Health

Pick a primary goal in your lifestyle within the above mentioned Wellness Wheel

area that you want to work on achieving.     

Sleep at least 8 hours a night

What health benefits would you receive if you made a change in this area?

•       Alertness
• Stable mindset

What difficulties might make achieving this goal a challenge  

Homework

Time management   

Three specific steps involved in making this change/improvement are (be specific)

a.   Prioritize what work should be done first   

b.   Get to work as soon as possible  

c.   Use weekend time to reduce pressure on the forthcoming week   

How will you record of your progress? 

Make a chart to record each day’s sleep amount

Date started: September 1, 2011  

Date you are going to complete: December 1, 2011

Note: This is the date by which I would like to sleep 8+

hours/night, however it will continue past this date.

The Wellness Wheel area I would like to change or improve is:      

Physical Health

Pick a primary goal in your lifestyle within the above mentioned Wellness Wheel

area that you want to work on achieving.     

Sleep at least 8 hours a night

What health benefits would you receive if you made a change in this area?

•       Alertness
• Stable mindset

What difficulties might make achieving this goal a challenge  

Homework

Time management   

Three specific steps involved in making this change/improvement are (be specific)

a.   Prioritize what work should be done first   

b.   Get to work as soon as possible  

c.   Use weekend time to reduce pressure on the forthcoming week   

How will you record of your progress? 

Make a chart to record each day’s sleep amount

Date started: September 1, 2011  

Date you are going to complete: December 1, 2011

Note: This is the date by which I would like to sleep 8+

hours/night, however it will continue past this date.