Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Nutrition & Health Care

The definition of health

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) declaration, health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. We have chosen to work in the health industry because of our appreciation for life and our search for the meaning of human existence.
Major factors affecting health

10% social conditions; 8% medical conditions; 7% climatic conditions; 15% hereditary factors; 60% lifestyle.


Modern pollution

Food contamination

(1)Residual pesticides and fertilizers in fruit, vegetables, grains, and other foods
(2)Additives, pigments, and essences in instant and fast-frozen foods
(3)Antibodies, hormones, etc. in animal feed
(4)Destruction of nutrients during cooking


Pollution of the environment and air


(1)Industrial waste gases
(2)Home pollution caused by various interior building materials


Water source pollution

(1)Industrial waste water
(2)Accumulation of microbes in water
(3)Fertilizers, pesticides, white garbage
(4)Pollution in the process of heating tap water
(5)Unregulated drinking water.


Pollution caused by modern amenities

Television, radio, high-tension wires, microwaves, computers, mobile phones, pagers, strong light reflection, and low frequency radiation all affect health.


Noise pollution


Noises made by automobiles, machines, motors, human voices, etc. make one irritable and unable to concentrate.


Standards of Health


Health requires a balanced diet, sufficient sleep, moderate exercise, and mental soundness. A healthy person possesses the following characteristics:

1. Plenty of vigor, the ability to easily handle the pressures of daily life without getting overstressed, and the capability to do all what one desires.
2. Optimism with a positive attitude, a willingness to take responsibility for ones actions, strictness with oneself but leniency toward others.
3. The capability to handle emergencies and the ability to adapt to change.
4. The capability to resist the common cold and infectious disease.
5. A healthy weight and proportionate figure, with all body parts in the proper position while standing.
6. Bright eyes, quickness in response, and no inflammation.
7. Shiny hair with little or no dandruff.
8. Clean teeth with no cavities or aches, and with healthy gums.
9. Elastic muscles and skin, walking with an agile pace.
10. The ability to rest and sleep well.


The basic concept of nutrition


Nutrition: The process by which the human body assimilates and utilizes food or nutrients, and also the physiological process by which man takes in food to meet the organism's physiological needs.

Proper nutrition: A reasonable diet and the healthy cooking and processing of food, which provides the human body with a sufficient amount of thermal energy and various nutrients, while keeping the balance among all the nutrients, so as to meet the body's normal physiological needs and keep the body healthy.

Nutrients: In order to maintain normal physiological functions and meet the body's needs for normal growth, metabolism and work, humans must take in the necessary nutrients daily. These nutrients are divided into seven categories: proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats, sugars, water, and cellulose.
Nutrition and health

Man considers food to be of vital importance. Throughout the course of life, nutrition is the basic element that maintains life and provides cells with necessary energy so that various tissues and organs can take coordinated actions. Human life is like a small tree, which needs constant watering, fertilizing, and cultivating to be able to grow with vigor. Such is the importance of nutrition to human life. In the course of supplementing nutrition, only balanced nutrition can prevent the body from having an imbalance of yin and yang, which leads to disease. Nutritional supplementation should be reasonable and scientific. When one falls ill, one gets treatment; when one is healthy, one guards against disease. Therefore, disease prevention is the primary issue in maintaining health. Sound and balanced nutrition and improved lifestyle can adjust and increase the body's immunity. “Cherish life by preserving health.” An active healthcare regimen, based on disease prevention, obtains health from nutrition, thus raising the quality of life.

Undernourishment, overeating and unbalanced nutrition are major manifestations of malnutrition, which directly affects ones health. One must eat appropriately to live a healthy life. Health needs life-long cultivation. Nutritional supplementation mainly comes from external sources, that is, food. However, there are many types of eating: 1. Eating for survive; 2. Satiating one's appetite; 3. Balancing nutrition, i.e., eating with control what one likes and eating conscientiously what one dislikes. The key points in eating habits are moderation, vegetables, not eating over cooked foods, eating slowly, light taste, freshness; variety, coldness, separation, advance, and abstinence. Only then can one have a healthy body and live life in its truest sense.


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