Science And Society Essay, Research Paper

WHERE’S THE PROTEIN?

You can live without chocolate and get by without sex (for a while). Like it or not, you cannot live without protein. Muscles, skin, tendons and bones are made from proteins. Your body makes antibodies to fight infection, hormones and enzymes to drive body functions, and repairs cuts and breaks — it couldn’t do any of them without protein.

Amino acids are the ‘building blocks’ that connect together to make proteins. Ring a bell? Amino acids are made from carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen elements. Sound familiar? If not, look it up later much later. Right now, you’re hungry. You don’t care if protein is made of building blocks or wooden blocks. You just want to eat, right? There are two rules to follow: the food should be healthy and it has to be inexpensive. Now you’ll get the healthy side, click back soon to get more low-budget info.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?

Each day, you need about 8 GRAMS of protein for each 22 POUNDS of lean or ideal body weight (blubber pounds don t count). Weigh 110 pounds, you ll need about 40 grams protein daily. Weigh about 165 pounds, you ll need about 60 grams protein. Athletes require up to twice the normal amount of daily protein.

COMPLETE PROTEINS

COMPLETE PROTEINS have all amino acids (building blocks) including the eight ESSENTIAL amino acids that the body cannot make for itself. Which foods have the best quality protein?

Meats — expensive and have a lot of fat

Fish — expensive but healthy

Poultry — expensive, skinless chicken lower in fat

Eggs — Gold Standard of High Quality protein! Hard-boiled eggs: remove the yellow (yolk) center and you remove the high cholesterol (bad fat) portion. PERFECT PROTEIN REMAINS! Pretty cheap too.

Milk/Cheese/Yogurt — eat low-fat varieties for excellent protein source.

SOY UNSUNG PROTEIN HERO

Soy protein is considered a COMPLETE protein. Soy comes in many varieties including SOYBEANS, SOY CURD (tofu), SOY MILK, and TEMPEH (tastes great in stir fry).

Best of all, SOY products are pretty inexpensive compared to beef and fish. Soy fat content is lower and of healthier type than in animal meats. (Click back for huge chunks of soy info in the future).

FOODS WITH 7 TO 8 GRAMS OF COMPLETE PROTEIN

1 cup MILK

1 ounce CHEDDAR or SWISS CHEESE

+ cup COTTAGE CHEESE

1 EGG

1 ounce MEAT (lean meats – less fat)

1 ounce POULTRY (chicken, turkey)

1 ounce FISH (including TUNA)

1 cup YOGURT

+ cup TOFU (SOYBEAN curd)

+ cup SOYBEANS

FOODS WITH 7 TO 8 GRAMS OF INCOMPLETE PROTEIN

2 tablespoons PEANUT BUTTER

1/3 cup MIXED NUTS, + cup ALMONDS

+ cup LEGUMES (lentils, navy beans, peas, black beans, other dried beans

2 + slices BREAD

1 + cups cooked RICE, PASTA, CEREALS, or other GRAIN foods

2 cups cooked VEGETABLES or 4 cups RAW VEGETABLES

2 BAKED POTATOES with skin

A Few COMMON FOODS PROVIDING ABOUT 8 GRAMS PROTEIN

1 Slice CHEESE PIZZA (12 inch diameter)

1 Bagel with 1/3 cup cream cheese

+ cup 100% bran cereal with milk

+ cup Kellogg s Raisin Bran with milk

+ cup Total raisin bran with milk

2 croissants

7 pieces of bagel chips

+ cup uncooked peanuts

1 + soy-based garden (veggie) burgers without bread

COMPLEMENTARY PROTEINS

RICE lacks some essential protein building blocks; Cooked dried BEANS have those essential amino acids but lack other essential protein building blocks. Mix the two together and you have a COMPLETE protein meal one containing all essential amino acids. Sounds great but new research shows eating complementary protein foods in a twenty-four hour period is fine. As an example, you would not have to eat both rice and beans in one sitting to get the benefits.

Other complementary protein combos:

PEANUT BUTTER and BREAD

SPLIT PEA SOUP and CORN BREAD

PEAS and CORN

PEANUTS and RICE

WISE UP BEFORE GUZZLING DOWN

Alcohol is a drug.

You know that.

Alcohol is addicting.

You know that.

Drinking and driving can be fatal.

You know that.

What you also know is that alcohol relaxes you after a brutal week of exams. And alcohol loosens you up when you want to meet a guy or gal. Alcohol feels good going down. Just follow this advice so feeling good doesn t turn into feeling bad.

DRINK SMART

+  Vary your drinks: one shot of liquor (high alcohol content), one beer (low alcohol concentration), one glass of wine (moderate alcohol). It s less intoxicating than chugging all hard liquor.

+  Take alcohol-free breaks when drinking. Your body removes alcohol from your system at a snail s pace (about one drink per hour) even if you re sprint-drinking.

+  Fill up before drinking. With food in the stomach, alcohol takes longer to get into your blood and exert its familiar effects.

+  Avoid carbonated drinks like soda while drinking. Carbonation (for example, rum and coke) can speed passage of alcohol into the blood.

+  Women beware! The same amount of alcohol might affect you more than a similar-sized guy.

+  Shower and use deodorant before heading out. Consider wearing perfume or cologne. About one of twenty sips of alcohol goes right back out through your lungs, urine and sweat. With enough to drink, you might smell like an open liquor bottle. Talk about intoxicating body odor!

+  AVOID BINGE DRINKING! Depending on your size and tolerance for alcohol, drinking more than four to six drinks one after another can lead to many immediate health problems (click back for binge drinking info in the future).

+  When drinking, avoid aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin), and Aleve. These can irritate the stomach as can alcohol.

+  Avoid acetaminophen (Tylenol) when drinking. The two drugs can damage the liver. It s called acetaminophen-alcohol syndrome. Rare but deadly.

+  Do not use downers (sedatives/hypnotics) or antihistamines with alcohol. Downers and liquor make for one deadly mix! Many prescription medications also interact badly with alcohol.

+  Alcohol increases the euphoric feeling from cocaine, but also increases cocaine s toxic effects including risk for heart problems (heart attack).

+  Eat small, frequent meals or snacks beginning soon after partying. Alcohol saps your body s sugar supply. This can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) to develop from 6 to 36 hours after drinking.

+  DON T DRINK IT unless a good friend bought it and handed it to you. Better yet, buy your own drinks. Roofies or other date rape drugs have been known to turn up in a drink.

Simple Stuff First Before Seeking Medical Care

You feel like crap. You know you’re not dying or anything. Pounding headache won’t let you study. Morning orange juice feels like nuts and bolts scraping your throat. Bout of ‘the runs’ keeps you sitting .on the can, that is. Better bolt over to the student health service or family doctor, right? Wrong!!! Try simple stuff first.

Rule Number One: Most minor illnesses are ’self-limiting’ meaning it hits, wreaks havoc, then splits all on its own. Can’t stop it. Can’t cure it. Can’t ignore it. For nuisance illness that is not possibly serious or life threatening, all you’ll get from your healthcare provider is a pat on the back and instruction to try simple stuff first. In fact, that is exactly what you should get.

Rule Number Two: Always try simple remedies first. Your healthcare provider will take you much more seriously. What’s a simple remedy? Easy. Have pain — use a household pain reliever. Fever? Use a fever reducer like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Have cold symptoms — use an over-the-counter cold remedy. Feel weak and tired — drink fluids and rest.

Rule Number Three: Earn Credibility. Time heals all wounds. Give it some time for your nuisance illness to go away. Upper respiratory illness (URI) lasts 10 days and can cause lingering symptoms for 2 to 4 weeks. Use a cold remedy. Use an antacid for heartburn and cut out the beer. If things are bearable, give the illness a few days to turn the corner.

Rule Number Four: How do you know if your illness is serious? After all, that’s what you pay your doctor the big bucks for. You wouldn’t be in school if you had a medical degree, right? Bull! You can usually tell what’s serious and what’s not. Can you continue your daily routine? Less likely to be serious. Can you eat or drink fluids? Less likely to be serious. Can you breathe, poop, pee, get out of bed and walk? Probably not serious. Do simple remedies help? If yes, you’re doing okay. Is the pain or puking constant and unrelenting? Perhaps you need help. Is what you feel the worst ever without question? Get help immediately unless you can easily do your routine, eat, pee, poop, get out of bed and walk.

Rule Number Five: Get your facts straight! Know what medicines you take or have tried. Know when your last period was. Sneak a peek at the color of your snot-gobs and watery poop. Don’t tell the doctor you are not sure why you have that six-inch scar across your belly! Patients must work with healthcare providers to get the best outcome.

Most importantly: While you’re sick, can you use your cell phone to make plans to go out with friends? Nothing to worry about.

Pizza, tacos, burgers, fries, and shakes. Technically they cover all the food groups, but scarfing them down on a steady basis is just not sound nutrition. In a study at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, researchers found that college students were unaware that their dietary habits were so unhealthy. “The problem is that if students think they eat well, they have no reason to change their habits,” says study author Linda Stonecipher, an associate professor at the university. She presented the findings at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition in Washington.

In the study, 105 students were asked to estimate the number of servings of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and grains they ate the previous day using a 10-point scale. Most said their food intake was the same or better than usual. On average, the students reported they ate 1.7 servings of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables, 2.8 servings of dairy products, and 3.8 servings of grains. Stonecipher says that using the recommendations described on the food pyramid created by the federal government, the dairy category was the only one that the students came close to fulfilling.

Students were also asked to evaluate the eating habits of other students. On average, Stonecipher says, most students thought that they ate better than their friends did. “Sadly their perceptions don’t equal reality,” Stonecipher tells WebMD.

“Eating habits start at a young age,” Lonny Horowitz, MD, tells WebMD. “With the proliferation of fast food joints and parents shoving quick meals into the microwave this is what they have learned.” Horowitz specializes in treating obesity and eating disorders at four clinics in Atlanta. “It’s compounded when they’re on their own. They believe it’s healthy to eat quick and tasty and heavy on the carbohydrates. After all, that’s what they did at home.”

Both Stonecipher and Horowitz believe nutrition education should start early. “Also, parents should try to set a good example,” Horowitz tells WebMD.

Concern over college eating habits isn’t restricted to Western Oregon University. “I think we’re representative of students across the country,” Stonecipher tells WebMD.

Well aware of the problem, experts at Duke University in Durham, N.C. have compiled a list of tips to help students — especially for incoming freshmen whom they estimate gain 10 to 20 pounds the first year:

+ Study in the library away from alluring sights and smells of food and socialization.

+ Plan what you are going to eat when you have a study break.

+ Keep tempting high fat, high calorie foods out of your room.

+ If you splurge on a late night meal/snack, cut back on portions for the next day or two.

+ Balance your eating — don’t get mad at yourself.

+ Do not compare yourself to anyone else who may be lucky enough to eat everything they want without gaining an ounce.

+ Take responsibility for your health by eating sensibly without skipping meals and exercising regularly.

I believes that part of the message college students should receive is that sound eating today is consistent with their long-term goals. Typically, college students think they’re going to live forever it’s hard for them to understand that what they do right now will affect the quality of the life they’re studying in college for.

Anal Fissure

An anal fissure, also called an anal ulcer, is a single shallow crack in the lining of the anus (the lowest region of your intestines, which also opens to the outside). A fissure begins just inside the anal opening and extends 1/4 to 3/4 inch along the anal wall. An anal fissure can be excruciatingly painful. Passing stools irritates it, and the anal sphincter muscles, at the anal opening, may respond by going into spasm. These combined effects cause extreme pain that is made even worse if the stools are either hard or watery. Despite the pain, a fissure is not dangerous and will probably heal with simple treatment. Don’t ignore it, however: If a fissure becomes chronic, scar tissue can form and impede bowel movements, and you may need surgery to correct the problem. Symptoms + Drops of bright red blood on bowel movement, toilet tissue, or clothing; rarely the bleeding is more profuse.+ Tearing or burning pain in the anal region during a bowel movement; dull ache may continue for several hours.+ A small piece of skin at the end of the fissure (called a “sentinel pile”) that may show outside the anus.+ Hard or infrequent stools, usually from deliberately retaining painful bowel movements.