On Tuesday we had a guest speaker come to our class to tell us about the importance of healthy eating, and ways that we can eat healthier. The presentation included information on what foods to eat more of (like whole grains, fruits, vegetables), and which foods to eat less of (sugars, trans fats, etc), but also noted that we shouldn't completely cut out sugars or fats from our diets, because they are necessary as well, but that we should watch our intake of them and make healthy, balanced decisions.
This topic interested me and affects my life because I have been trying to make healthier eating decisions these past six months, especially in terms of hidden sodium contents in food. It really is shocking how much sodium is in certain foods, and I do everything in my power to avoid these foods and find low-sodium alternatives. I have also tried to cut out most salt from my cooking, and instead season with other spices and herbs. We do this back home at my house as well, and it's pretty surprising how much you actually grow to not miss salt at all. I am usually completely content with leaving salt out.
Knowing what to eat and in what quantities is important for public health because it allows people to make educated health decisions that will impact their future. It's important to be educated on what is good and bad in foods because you might be eating something you think is okay for you when in reality it is not, and it could be a simple fix of just choosing something else instead or removing it from your diet.
Remaining questions that I have on the topic are mainly just other ways I can make small changes to my diet to improve health, similar to watching sodium and trans fats, and checking for hydrogenated oils. I also am curious to learn more about artificial sweeteners, as I have heard bad things about them and I avoid them as well as I can at all costs - aspartame in particular. There are other sweeteners, however, that I do not know as much about and would like to be more educated on.
- Roxanne Luhr
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