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University of Phoenix Material

First Messages

Week 1 First Messages

• Are we as a nation healthier today than 100 years ago? Why or why not?

• Do you think there is any connection between our current industrialized food system and chronic disease? Explain.

• Do you think there is a difference between eating an organic diet and a processed diet? Please explain.

• Do you think disease is caused more by heredity or environmental factors? Explain why.

• What are functional foods? How might they help fight disease?

• Do advertising, promotions, price, and coupons play any role in what you feed your family? What are some reasons why you would bring fast food home rather than cooking at home? Is it more cost-effective to cook at home or purchase fast or processed food?

• What information do nutritional labels contain that you can use to make educational choices on your diet? Please explain.

• Having seen the video on fresh versus frozen food, do you think buying fresh produce locally would have a positive effect on your health? Why or why not?

• Which is more easily digested and absorbed: carbohydrates or proteins? Explain. Based on your answer, how would that affect your effort to lose weight?

• What is an “empty calorie”? How many empty calories do you consume on a daily basis? How can that affect your health?

• In the “Fresh vs. Frozen” video, frozen vegetables are said to be more nutritious because they are picked fully ripe and flash-frozen. Which do you think would be more nutritious: local produce from a farmers’ market or frozen produce? Explain your answer.

Week 2 First Messages

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider cellulose (or virgin wood pulp) to be hazardous for human consumption and sets no limit on how much can be used in food products. Virgin wood pulp is processed into cellulose gum, powdered cellulose, and other materials, which are used to make pet litter, asphalt, detergents, and plastics. It is also used in fast food and the industrialized food production system as a filler in puddings and baked goods as well as ice creams and crackers. What nutritional benefit is there to adding cellulose to food? Do you feel it is ethical for the FDA to set no limits on how much cellulose can be added to your food?

• Chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, elevated triglyceride levels, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; excess uric acid levels (associated with gout); and atherosclerosis have been increasing at an alarming rate. Not surprisingly, as the dietary intake of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has increased, so has the prevalence of these diseases. Knowing that HFCS is associated with chronic disease, explain why you think the food industry still uses it. Do you think our industrialized highly processed food system is making us chronically ill? Why or why not? Is there anything you could do to raise awareness or enact change? Explain.

• In 2008, 730,165 of corn farmers received $4,194,188,347 in corn subsidies from the federal government, with an average of $5,744.17 per farmer. Much of this corn has found its way into the industrialized food system. Yet the government does not subsidize organic farming, which is vastly more nutrient-dense and healthy for you. Should the federal government also give your money to organic farmers? Why or why not?

• In the “Butter vs. Margarine” video, which do you feel is better for cooking? Explain why.

• Research has linked the artificial sweetener aspartame to diabetes, fibromyalgia, and certain forms of cancer. Should it be taken off the market? Why or why not?

• There are two major kinds of viral vaccines: attenuated live or heat killed. Based on your knowledge of antigen processing and presentation, which vaccine should theoretically be more effective? Why? Provide an example of each kind of vaccine.

Week 3 First Messages

• Should we filter our tap water? Why or why not?

• Every box of fluorinated toothpaste tells you to get medical help or call poison control right away if your swallow any of the toothpaste. The reason is that fluoride is toxic and causes many health problems. Should we continue to add fluoride to our drinking water? Why or why not? Do you feel all of the chemicals you are exposed to every day could affect your health? Why or why not?

• Explain what effects chronic dehydration may have on an individual’s health.

• What is meant by “diuretic drink”? What diuretic drinks do you consume on a daily basis? How can these affect your health?

• The recommended daily allowance of water is 64 ounces per person. If Amy weighs 225 pounds and Jane weights 100 pounds and they are both mildly active, are they receiving the proper hydration? Why or why not? How much water should they drink per day? Explain your answer.

• There are representatives in Congress trying to pass legislation that will make supplementation a decision of your primary care provider. In other words, you will no longer be able to choose to take a supplement; you will have to get a prescription from your MD. Do you feel the government has any right to limit your access to supplements? Why or why not? What do you think will happen to the cost of supplements if this bill passes? What do you think you would have to do just to get a prescription for any supplements?

• Taking too many vitamins can cause harm to your health, especially the fat-soluble ones A, D, E, and K. However, hypervitaminosis is not common, and very few if any deaths have been reported. On the other hand, about 106,000 prescription-drug-related deaths occur every year in the US. Do you think your medical doctor should be the only person who determines whether you should take supplements? Why or why not?

• How might taking vitamin supplements have positive and negative effects on your body based on your diet? What is the consensus among nutrition experts regarding supplements? What is your opinion on taking supplements?

Week 4 First Messages

• Why do you think the US has become more obese over the years? Why are people with lower income statistically more obese than the rest of the country? Is society to blame? Why or why not?

• Childhood obesity is an epidemic in America. Is there a relationship between poor nutrition and childhood obesity to chronic disease? Please explain.

• Do physically active people tend to suffer less from chronic illness? Why or why not?

• How might monosodium glutamate (MSG) affect a person’s weight?

• One-third of children in the US are obese. Who or what is at fault for this? Why?

• You are an employee at a large insurance company. An application for insurance comes across your desk from a local bodybuilder. This person eats well, is healthy, and works out, but because of the amount of muscle mass this person has, his body mass index (BMI) puts his in an extreme obese category. Company policy dictates that anyone with an obese BMI must be charged more for their health care policy. Is the BMI chart health care providers and insurance companies use to determine who falls into a healthy or unhealthy weight outdated? Why or why not?

• Why is slow weight loss better than rapid weight loss? Please explain.

• Pam has been drinking 12 12-ounce Coca-Colas® per day for several years. Is she putting her health at risk? Explain why or why not.

Week 5 First Messages

• Which life stage—infants, children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly—is most important when it comes to nutrition? Explain.

• What are some illnesses and ailments caused by lack of food safety? How might these problems be prevented? Provide an example.

• It is recommended that pregnant women take prenatal vitamins because of the nutritional needs of the developing embryo. Two of the most important vitamins needed by the embryo are B9 (folic acid) and B12 (cobalamin). These two vitamins are extremely important in reducing the occurrences of neural tube defects (NTDs), also known as spina bifida. Should a woman who refuses to take prenatal vitamins be held accountable if the fetus develops a NTD? Why or why not?

• On January 29th, 2014, the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Explorer of the Sea” returned to Bayonne, New Jersey with nearly 700 passengers violently sick with what the CDC determined an outbreak of norovirus. This virus is responsible for 400,000 emergency room visits and contributes to about 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations each year. It is also responsible for 570-800 deaths, mostly among young children and the elderly. Should more aggressive sanitation practices be implemented above washing your hands after using the bathroom? Why or why not? Have you ever witnessed a restaurant employee failing to wash his or her hands after using the restroom? How does that make you feel? Explain.

• Which is more nutritional for infants: breast milk or formula? Why?

• What effect does nutrition have on growth, development, and learning different during the various stages of life? Provide an example.

• What is the relationship between genetics and behavioral eating habits?

• It is common, socially acceptable, and protected under law in most other countries for women to publicly breastfeed their infant. However, in the US, even if the mother is being discreet, it is often met with ridicule and hostility. Women have been publicly shamed and threatened with termination for wanting to breastfeed or pump breast milk at work. Do you feel there could be a problem with our social norms? Why or why not?

• Pink slime is a name used for a controversial beef product that has been washed in ammonia to kill any bacteria on the meat. This product is used as a filler and most ground beef can contain up to 15 percent of the pink slime. Most of all ground beef in school lunches contains pink slime. You will not know if pink slime is used in your children’s school lunch, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not mandate it be listed because they consider it a process. Do you feel there could be any health care concerns from the use of ammonia in pink slime? Explain. How does this make you feel knowing that the USDA allows this product to be used in your children’s school lunch? Explain.

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