Nutrition Blog #2

Hello all! I'm back with another post, this time talking about carbohydrates and sugars. 

So with no further ado, here are the questions requested!

1) Define the differences between foods that are high in carbohydrates and foods with added sugar. 

Actually, the added sugar that we know as "sugar" would be classified as a carbohydrate; in fact, it's a simple carbohydrate. They are comprised of either a single sugar molecule (monosaccharides) or a double sugar molecule (disaccharides) and are usually derived from fructose/sucrose. Since they have such an easier way of getting digested into the body, it is easier for the pancreas to absorb, produce insulin, and quickly increase blood sugar...which can have a negative effect on the body. Therefore they should be kept in moderation. Examples of added sugars are molasses, maple syrup, and granulated sugar. 

Foods high in carbohydrates as we define it, on the other hand, are known as complex carbohydrates. These are more complex sugar molecules, which means that it takes longer to process the blood sugar. Thus the blood sugar they produce wouldn't be ramped up as quickly as if they were simple carbohydrates. Furthermore, foods high in carbohydrates are categorized by how high on the glycemic index they are; basically the higher they are on the glycemic index they are, the more refined carbohydrates there are in the product. The higher they are, the higher blood sugar that is produced from said food. Foods high in carbohydrates include bread, rice, and crackers.


2)One of the negative effects of eating too much sugar is the increased chances of obesity. In 2017 NCBI published a study where an increased intake of sugar was linked to obesity. They concluded that the study showed "a significant association between sugar and artificially sweetened soda consumption and obesity (Ruanpeng, Thongprayoon, Cheungpasitporn, & Harindhanavudhi, 2017).

Another negative effect is the risk of heart disease. A study published in 2014 found a link between cardiovascular disease mortality and the consumption of artificial sweeteners (Yang , Zhang , Gregg , Flanders, & Merritt, Hu, 2014)

3) A whole grain is a grain that contains all of it; namely the germ, bran and endosperm. Whole grains can include rice, wheat, and barley. They are healthier than more refined grains, but will go bad faster due to keeping its essential oils. 

4)A diet in whole grain would be high in insoluble fiber, which helps against heart disease by preventing obesity and improve blood cholesterol. Another benefit of eating whole grains is decreasing the risk of developing diabetes. By eating them, it allows the body to slowly absorb the glucose instead of rapidly increasing blood sugar, thus regulating your insulin production. 


5) 
i)
Sugars added are white and brown sugar


ii)


6)Recipe: Irish Soda Bread

References

D. Ruanpeng, C. Thongprayoon, W. Cheungpasitporn, T. Harindhanavudhi; Sugar and artificially sweetened beverages linked to obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis, QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, Volume 110, Issue 8, 1 August 2017, Pages 513–520, https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcx068

Yang Q, Zhang Z, Gregg EW, Flanders WD, Merritt R, Hu FB. Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(4):516–524. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13563

Intro and Entry for Nutrition Class: Blog #1

Intro



Hello! This is Vanessa, and welcome to my blog!


I'm a baking student at George Brown college with a bunch of things to share with you! However, other than talking about my adventures here at GBC, I also need to answer some questions that have recently come up...all pertaining to nutrition.


So! Let's begin!


1. State one topic in nutrition that interests you and one that you would like to learn more about.

You want me to be honest? Fad diets.

No, no, no...hear me out! What I'm interested in is the way they work. 

• What makes people try them in the first place? 
• What do they do?
•  And what are the scientific processes that are involved in said diets?

The variety of diets that people create to have a "healthy" body intrigues me, and thus, I think it would be a topic that merits more researching into. 

Another topic that really interests me is nutrition in a variety of cuisine. For instance, how different countries supplement their nutritional needs through their country's national cuisine. 

2. Do you feel, currently and in the future, nutrition will play a more important role in the culinary industry? Explain why or why not?

Yes! Absolutely!

Want to know why? Because now that people are becoming more and more informed on possible health disorders, they will also be becoming more informed on how to prevent it; namely, through lifestyle changes. The biggest change: diet. 

For example, we now have credible resources that give us tips on how to eat more healthy on a limited budget. There are even tips on how to get meat alternatives on a budget, having "dried or canned beans and lentils, tofu, eggs, and peanut butter 1 or 2 times a week" (HealthLink BC 2018). As we become more informed about food and health related issues, the more the culinary world will be directly impacted through these changes. 


3. Choose a credible nutrition website (from the list provided below) and a website that may not be credible (from your own research) and compare 2 ways how you can determine the credibility of the website.  (Hint:  who wrote the website, what are the qualifications of the author(s), how do the author(s) reference the information in the website?, is the research provided anecdotal or research based?)

One of the sites I chose was from a fashion/lifestyle magazine called Elle. Elle pontificates some diets as gospel with anecdotal evidence, such as saying "Turns out dropping acid is as much a stop-feeling-like-crap life change as it is a weight-loss strategy. Three weeks in, I feel peppy and look debloated." (Elle 2018). Since it is anecdotal evidence, it cannot be considered as credible as a site such as unlockfood.ca, where it mentions that an uncredible source is one that "Gives you nutrition advice that is based on testimonials rather than scientific evidence"(Unlock food 2018). Since the second site uses scientific evidence corroborated by several dieticians, it is much more credible. 

Furthermore, Elle is a fashion/lifestyle magazine that is not written by a medical or health professional. Unlockfood.ca, on the other hand, is a website directed and written by professional dieticians who are certified to give health advice based on nutritional needs. Thus, unlockfood.ca is more credible than Elle in this aspect. 

Works Cited

“Eating Well on a Limited Income.” HealthLink BC, 14 Aug. 2018, Web. 

Dieting. Photography. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016. 
quest.eb.com/search/132_1251233/1/132_1251233/cite. Accessed 9 Oct 2018.

ELLE. “The Biggest Losers: Battle of the Fad Diets.” ELLE, ELLE, 10 Oct. 2017, www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/advice/g8691/most-popular-fad-diets/.

“Get the Facts on Fad Diets.” Get the Facts on Fad Diets - Unlock Food, www.unlockfood.ca/en/Articles/Weight-Loss/Get-the-Facts-on-Fad-Diets.aspx.

Using pestle to pound basil leaves and garlic in mortar. Photograph. Britannica ImageQuest, Encyclopædia Britannica, 25 May 2016. 
quest.eb.com/search/118_795789/1/118_795789/cite. Accessed 10 Oct 2018.