Biodiversity Reflection

Can nature and humanity flourish  simultaneously? Briefly explain your answer.


As times are changing and the quality of life is increasing, humans are now living in a state where we are given such comfort and provided with many privileges. However, it has caused such damage to nature. I think that it is possible although it is going to be very difficult for mankind to ensure that it happens. To me, it is not a matter of can we do it but the fact that we MUST do it, humans have to find some way in order to preserve the earth. Governments play important roles in this. They have to enforce stricter laws on how much of a land can be used up or how many cars a person can have etc. Of course at the end of the day, it comes down to us, being ordinary members of the society and if we can control ourselves, consume less and to just prioritize what should we place as important then it could happen.

Food Label

What is your food product?  Dutch Lady Full Cream Milk


1. What is the serving size? 250ml (per glass)
2. How many servings per container? 1
3. How many calories per serving? 153kcal
4. How many calories are from fat? 8.5g
5. What percentage of each serving’s calories comes from fat? 3.4%
6. What is the total fat percentage of your food? 3.4%
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? Low
7. What is the saturated fat percentage in your food? -
Is this content Low/High? -
8. How much of your diet should come from saturated fats? Less than 7% of the calories we get should be from saturated fat.


9. What is the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats?

Saturated fats are found in animal meat and has a low density cholesterol which if consumed too much can have bad affects to our health as it can jam up our arteries whereas unsaturated fats have a higher density cholesterol and is found in plants.

10. What is the percentage cholesterol in your food? -
Is that Low/Moderate/High -
11. How much sodium is in your food? -
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? -
12. What is the carbohydrate content of your food? 11.8g/ serving
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? Moderate
13.What is the sugar content of your food? -
Is this content Low/Moderate/High?
14. Why are sugars not good for you? Because if consumed too much, it will not just be absorbed by the body and give us energy but too much of it will just remain as fat in the body and can eventually lead to obesity or other diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure etc.


15. How much fiber is in your food? -
16.Why is fiber good for you?
 Fibre is a non digestable form of carbohydrate and acts as a cleaning agent for our guts so it can prevent constipation and also cancer.
17. How much protein is in your food? 7.5g/serving
Is this content Low/Moderate/High? Moderate
18. What is the Vitamin A , Vitamin C, Calcium, and Iron content of your food?
Vit. A 158 micro gram
Vit. C -
Calcium 275mg
Iron -


Are these amounts adequate? The protein and calcium levels are fairly adequate as milk is one of the important foods that contain these to help us have strong bones and and teeth. However, it is not very satisfactory that the iron and vitamin C levels of this food isn't stated but suggests that they possibly are in very small amounts which isn't very ideal as our body also really needs vitamin C and small amounts of iron. 



19. Overall, what would you say is the nutritional value of your food? Is it good for you? Why or why not? 
Overall, I think it is good for me because it gives my body a fairly high amount of protein which is what I need at this age where my body has to go through changes and protein is required to ensure a healthy growth. However, it does contain quite a high level of fat which I never realized before. It also has the necessary vitamins for me but the low fat milk might be a better option next time. It is good in providing these certain nutrients but it is important to also have other foods together with the milk so that we don't lack other nutrients.

Nutrition Analysis-Fit day

For this assignment, I went on fitday.com in order to evaluate and calculate the categories of a balanced diet that I lack or over-consume. It helped me analyze the kinds of nutrients my body needs which now helps me make better decisions regarding what I eat etc. Some results were a bit of a surprise but the information that I obtained is now helping me a lot.

Here is the food that I had input into the food log :

All of this food helped to generate this calorie graph below:

From the graph, I could tell that my diet contains too much carbohydrate and a very small percentage of protein which is what my body needs the most right now since I'm in high school and is something that I really should improve on.

Below is the nutrition graph calculated on the website :

It was obvious from the table that I lack certain vitamins such as vitamin D and vitamin E. It came to me as a surprise when I found out I actually consume 100% vitamin A as I always thought my body lacked in that category. However, there are certain vitamins and minerals that take up too big of a percentage from my diet which is probably something I should cut down on.

The website also presented me with a %-RDA/AI Graph that calculated precisely the nutrients that my body needs and the ones that I over-consume. Here is the graph :

This graph provided me with some unexpected results. For example, I never knew my diet consisted of such a big percentage of many different types of vitamins although I still lack vitamin D and vitamin E. However, the level of fibre in my diet is really low which is really bad as it can lead to constipation and other heart diseases. It also came to me as a surprise as I generally thought that since I always consumed quite a fairly big percentage of carbohydrate that it would automatically bring my fibre level up but it made me realize that I was wrong. Also, I should be drinking more water for proper digestion and as it plays some of roles that fibre does for the body such as " cleansing my intestines" but water is also important for many other reasons which is why I always try my best to consume at least 8 glasses of water a day.

Below is the calorie balance chart based on my diet: 

This graph shows that my body is not burning enough calories as it should be and that I should either cut down on consuming foods that contain big amounts of calories or start working out and performing proper exercise to be able to burn more of those calories. 

Assessment on my eating and activity:

After going through the graph and evaluating my eating habits, I realized that for someone who doesn't eat very much on a daily basis, I consume too much carbs and that I'm not doing enough to burn the calories that come with it. It probably has to do with the way I've been brought up. I've always been petite since I was younger, always the smallest in class. This had always worried my parents and it probably also has something to do with the more asian mentality and that is unless you look big enough for your age, you're not healthy. And so, ever since I was young, they would push me to eat as much as I can. And since we eat rice almost every day, that eventually adds up to a lot of carbs. Every time I finished my plate of rice, I'm encouraged to eat another plate of rice. That was only the way my parents and grandparents thought would help me grow. However, now when I think about it, all of that never really helped me in any way as after all, carbs only provide us with energy and not help with the growing process. According to the calorie graph, my body lacks a huge percentage of protein which is why I should be focusing more on eating what my body needs instead of just eating more in general which is what I've been doing all my life. 

Also, I'm not someone who exercises very often. Although I've joined the rock climbing group in school but its only once a week and isn't enough to burn the calories that I have to burn. 

Overall, based on the %-RDA/AI graph, there are fairly big amounts of different kinds of vitamins and minerals present in my diet. However, as stated before, my body lacks fibre and vitamin D. Fibre, just like water plays an important role in helping with digestion or " acting as a cleanser for intestines". As I've mentioned, I always thought that consuming carbs would automatically give my body fibre but now I realize that I was wrong and that I should pay more attention to the kinds of food that provide my body with fibre without me having to consume large amount of carbs as I've realized that the two are somewhat irrelevant now.  The other thing,  based on the calorie graph, there is also more fats in my body than protein which in my opinion wouldn't be the ideal situation for me as since Im not very tall, my BMI would be very unbalanced if I started to put on lots of weight which is why I always find it hard for me to try and consume more of the necessary foods needed in my diet without having to worry about putting on weight. However, by doing this assignment, I now have a better idea of what my body needs and doesn't need too much of and I'm going to make an effort to work on it in order for me to live a better, healthy and nutritious lifestyle.

Stress, Depression, Suicide Article

Stress, Depression, Suicide Article

Title: The darker side of Owen Wilson

Author: Rebecca Winters Keegan

Source: Time Magazine

Date: 29th August, 2007

Article link: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1657561,00.html

Summary:

This article is basically about how Owen Wilson, an actor well known for his comedic roles and happy-go-lucky lifestyle attempted suicide. Although he survived and is now in better condition than ever but it begged the question why. In the eye of the public, Wilson lived a very carefree, partying life, he was the kind of person every guy wanted to be. His fans were confused. People then later realized that Wilson was dealing with a lot of mental, emotional stress especially since the break up with his girlfriend and a fight he had with a friend. The actor slit his wrists in his Santa Monica home and nearly didn't make it but he was hospitalized and revived on time.

Big meaning:

The whole incident is an example of what any average human being could be going through. We put on a happy face and   live life as it is but if we continue to ignore the issues that bother us personally, we would eventually fall apart and do things that no one can control. Family is very important when it comes to dealing with things like this. It is our responsibility as mother, father, sister or brother to always be there for our loved ones and let them know that they can always come to us when they're having troubles. If small issues like this is not taken care of at home, it can also be a danger to society. For example, if the person gets overly stressed or depressed, it may result in them drinking or engaging in other activities and if this person say gets drunk and goes out to the street and drives, it would endanger the lives of many others. Therefore, it is important for us to have a good social circle or support system no matter what. Schools should also make an effort to be there for  students and help them deal with problems as they grow. Also, if these people continue to live like this, it may result in them harming their physical health as they might start to ignore their diet or drink too much etc. Our bodies will no longer be physically able to carry out daily life activities and we would just feel weak all the time. If we don't communicate and talk about it, we would also start throwing tantrums at our loved ones and have emotional ups and downs which will jeopardize our relationships with certain people in our lives. Therefore, it is really important to just have someone to talk to and be there for family to avoid such issues happening to us.

Personal Meaning:

This article makes me realize the importance for me to be there for my loved ones. Everyone deals with stress everyday and so do I but knowing that I have a purpose in life and just knowing that I have a place to go to whenever I feel down, that keeps me going everyday. Its important to just be optimistic and learn from mistakes. In general, I'm the kind of person who doesn't get upset easily and even if I do, I keep it to myself most of the time. However, Owen Wilson's story has taught me that if the issue that is stressing me out is really big,  I shouldn't just keep it all to myself and lock it up within me, I should let it out and just by doing that, life becomes a lot easier. I will now learn to improve my relationships with the people in my life and let the know that they can count on me the same way I know I can count on them no matter what.

Health Interview

Interview an older person (at least 25 years old) you know who seems to be especially healthy. Complete the questions below as a blog post in your own blog.

What is his/her relationship to you?
She is my friend's older sister.


1. Have you always been as healthy as you are now? Please explain.

No, I've had trouble keeping weight after the age of 13 because that's when I stopped playing badminton and swimming on a weekly basis. It has been a slow process but I have managed to stay healthy till today.

2. What particular health habits in the following areas do you practice, that contribute to your level of health

Nutritional Habits__I try to stick to the 2 fruit and 5 vege concept when I cook and eat meals at home,having a good breakfast is important I feel, it gives me the energy to start of the day. I also try to limit my sugar intake as hig levels are bad for the body. ____________________________________________

Fitness Habits__ I try to go to the gym or just 30 min evening walk at least twice a week.______________________________________

Coping with Stress I use an organizer to help me plan things out, so I have reduced stress levels.

Dealing with Conflicts_I usually take a step back and critically think instead of rushing into a problem blinded

Keeping a Positive Attitude__I have spiritual and cultural beliefs that help me stay positive as well as family support._

  Any Additional Healthy Habits Just healthy eating,regular exercise and having a good social life helps me keep mentally and health alert. 
__________________________________

3. How did you develop these habits? Please explain.
 I was determined to reach the same health level I had when before I was 13 and having friends who live the same sort of lifestyle helps me stick to the good healthy habits.


4. What motivates you to practice a healthy lifestyle?
Just the thought of wanting to live a long and healthy life without having to worry about sickness in the future especially when the time comes for me to start having a family.
5. Create a question of your own that you would like to ask regarding this person’s healthy lifestyle. Make sure that the question allows your interviewee to expand on his/her thoughts (not a one word answer).

Question: _Do you think you would still be able to maintain this healthy lifestyle in probably the next 20 years to come?

Answer: __My needs will constantly change in the next 20years ,and accordingly I will alter my lifestyle to fit in all my responsibilities as well as try to maintain a reasonably healthy lifestyle.