Chapter 10:

VITALITY, HEALTH, AND WEIGHT

MANAGEMENT“Life is not merely to be alive,

but to be well.”Marcus Valerius Martialis

Contents Vitality

Metabolic Health

Assessing Vitality

Body Composition

Current Issues in Weight Management

Goal Setting for a Healthy Lifestyle

Introduction In this chapter you will learn about the following:

1. Shifting from an emphasis on weight control to an emphasis on a healthy lifestyle

2. Making appropriate revisions to eating habits and activity levels

3. Using body composition as a guide to goal setting

4. Recognizing disordered eating patterns

5. The concept of caloric balance for weight control

Vitality

… all about having energy, feeling great, sleeping well, having a good appetite, and feeling confident

about one’s appearance and capabilities…

Vitality Concept Grew out of Health Canada’s strategy

Focus on health enhancing behaviours, rather than focusing on weight alone

Encourages:

A lifetime of healthy, enjoyable eating

To pursue physical activities that are useful, pleasurable, and satisfying

To take charge of one’s live and accept and respect oneself

To be critical of media messages that focus on unrealistic physiques

Metabolic Health

Healthy blood levels of fat and glucose and

a healthy blood pressure

Blood Sugar Levels Healthy person

Within normal limits Stay relatively steady throughout the day

Insulin resistant person

Don’t respond normally to insulin Abnormal blood amounts More often in fat people Genes do play a factor Major causes are lack of exercise and low

fibre, and high refined sugar and fat diet Associated with a high risk for type 2

diabetes and cardiovascular disease

From Your Doctor’s Files

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia)

Greater than normal levels of glucose in the blood

Symptoms include:

Thirst Frequent urination Hunger Sudden unexplained weight loss Fatigue

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Blood glucose levels drop too low Symptoms include:

Sweating Hunger Dizziness Confusion Blurred vision Increased pulse

People with diabetes experience these symptoms when they skip a meal or exercise too long

Remedy is a readily digestible snack such as orange juice

How Are Vitality and Health Linked?

Vitality HealthLower risk for diabetes, &

heart disease

Healthy eating

Active living

Safe BP level

Normal blood glucose and blood lipids

Improved quality of life

Increased longevity

Living with Diabetes: A Case Study

Diagnosis of diabetes can be life changing

Prick finger four times a day to check blood sugar Self-injection of insulin Rigid meal schedules Cannot consume alcohol Must carry extra food at all times Constant worry about consequences of low blood sugar

Possible amputations

Assessing Vitality

You can make judgments about a client’s need for lifestyle changes through personal record keeping and questionnaires, focused discussions and your

own observations.

Assessing Vitality Healthy eating

Food group method outlined in Canada’s Food Guide (see Chapter 9)

Activity levels Compare with the recommendations of Canada’s Physical Activity Guide and

public health programs such as ParticipACTION

Body image Simply by asking plus, Measurements of body mass, body composition, and body proportions

Assessing Eating Habits Based on Canada’s Food Guide

Five-day food intake record Count the number of servings from each

food group Keep in mind the serving sizes Calculate a daily average number of

servings for each food group

Make suggestions regarding areas for improvement

Encourage to:

Eat five or six small meals a day Consider any food group servings that

were missed when selecting an evening snack

Read labels to select low in saturated fats, trans fats, and sodium, and high in fibre foods

Issue How About You? Why It’s Important

Limiting fat intake

Do you limit your intake of high-fat foods (chocolate bars, doughnuts, muffins, granola bars)?Do you use fat-free or low-fat salad dressings?

Each gram of fat produces twice as much energy as a gram of carbohydrate or protein – it is twice as hard to burn off!Note: You need some fat because it carries vitamins A,D, E, and K; keeps your skin from drying out; and aids the immune system.

Limiting salt intake Do you limit your intake of high-fat, salty snacks (potato

chips, cheese sticks, corn chips)?Salt can increase blood pressure

Limiting saturated fat intake

Do you use margarine instead of butter?Do you trim the fat from beef, pork, and chicken?Do you drink skim or 1 percent milk?Do you limit your intake of bacon, sausage, bologna, cold cuts, hotdogs?

Fats from animal sources contain saturated fats, which can build up plaques inside blood vessels, causing heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure.

Limiting trans fat intake Do you limit the number of manufactured cookies,

cakes, and crackers you eat?

Trans fat is even worse than saturated fat!Many companies are changing to healthier fats – look on the labels.

Using healthy fats Do you cook with olive or canola oil?

Do you eat salmon, tuna, or mackerel regularly?

Monounsaturated fats counteract the build-up of fatty plaques in arteries. So do the omega-3 fats in coldwater fish (along with offering many other benefits).

Getting the vitamins, minerals, and fibre you need

Do you eat 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day?Do you eat whole grain breads and pastas?

Your body functions better when all the micronutrients are present – they act as catalysts.Fruits, veggies, and whole grains also aid in digestion, preventing constipation.

Issue How About You? Why It’s Important

Preventing osteoporosis

Do you eat calcium-rich foods each day (dairy products, fortified orange juice, broccoli)?Do you do weight-bearing exercise every day (walking, dancing, playing sports)?

You build your bones until you are 30. After that you only maintain them. Aging and menopause result in bone loss.

Hydrating your body

Do you drink 5 to 8 glasses of fluid each day (count water, juice, milk, tea, lemonade, soup, popsicles, coffee)?

Water is perhaps the most essential nutrient for life. Keep yourself hydrated!

Drinking nutritiously

Do you drink more milk and pure juice than pop. Coffee, and tea?

Limit empty-calorie drinks, caffeine, and alcohol.

Eating regularlyDo you eat breakfast?Do you eat five or six times a day?Are your eating habits better or worse on weekends?

“A starved brain don’t think too good!”Keep blood sugar levels steady to avoid that “afternoon slump.”

Avoid choking Do you sit down to eat? Eating on the run sets you up for choking.

Maintaining body image satisfaction

Do you weigh yourself no more than once a week?Do you have the energy and strength you need for your everyday activities?Do you discard clothes that don’t fit?

Modify your eating and exercise based on how you feel, how your clothes fit, and how much of you jiggles, rather than on what the scales or BMI charts tell you.Don’t obsess about your body size – it’s not the most important thing about you!

Ontario Launches New Toll-Free Service

EatRight Ontario telephone service launched in 2007

Connects callers with registered dietitians

A similar B.C. service generates 20,000 phone calls a year

The majority of callers are expected to ask about: Infant nutrition Ways to maintain a healthy weight Nutrition strategies for health conditions such as diabetes

Service available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-877-510-5102

www.eatrightontario.ca