Reading Summary

Pages 73-100 talk about several things: functional foods, dietary supplements, and the role that nutrition has as it relates to complementary and alternative medicine.

Functional Foods

A functional food is defined as a food that may provide a health benefit beyond the benefits of basic nutrition.  A key component that defines and separate something as functional foods is phytochemicals.  Basically, a phytochemical is a substance in a plant that is not essential for life but it promotes good health and also can assist in preventing diseases such as hypertension, cancer and diabetes.  Functional foods contain antioxidants which can be found in things like berries, vegetables, some types of beans, oats, peanuts, pecans, cinnamon and many others.  The book also discusses food additives.  Additives are put in foods for several different reasons.  Some of the things they are added for include keeping food from spoiling, maintain the nutritional value of the food, and enhance flavor or give it the desired color.

I’ve had some things instilled in my head about being conscious of things going into my body whether positively or negatively.  For example I’ve taught the dangers of high fructose corn syrup.  I also am obviously starting to learn about some of the things that can positively affect my body.  It would be interesting to try and attempt to supply my body with high amounts of functional foods.   I would like try to implement some omegas, antioxidants, and fibers consistently and see positive results because of them.  I use to think additives were really bad for me.  There is still some controversy about some, but I feel a little better about additives than I did before reading the book.  The whole talk about Sweet ’n’ Low is interesting to me.  I know that when I was younger they talked about how Sweet ‘n’ Low is bad for me.  The way your social surroundings help you perceive something is true.  I had this idea that it was bad for me.

Dietary Supplements

                The reading assignment also discusses dietary supplements.  Dietary supplements provide vitamins, minerals, fibers, fatty acids, or amino acids that are missing or not consumed in sufficient quantities in a person’s diet.  The sources for them include things like herbal products, enzymes, vitamins, minerals and several others, with the most popular being multivitamins.

                I don’t consistently take vitamins but I have taken some gel ones on and off this semester.  They were multivitamins that my roommate gave me.  However I don’t pay enough attention to know what kind of nutrients I am successfully or unsuccessfully getting. 

                The regulation for dietary supplements is a lot different than that of a drug.  Dietary supplements are not subject to as rigorous of testing as a drug would be.  A manufacturer of a dietary supplement can claim the effects or benefits without having to really back them up with a lot of testing. The FDA really doesn’t regulate dietary supplements much either.  They wait until the supplement is actually on the market before they really even assess the effects of the supplement.  As far as labeling is concerned you must state ingredient information and supplemental facts but they can claim other things about the product as well.

                The thought that there really isn’t much regulation on supplements is kind of scary.  I feel that I need to be extremely cautious after reading that, as there could be some negative effects without my knowledge.  I will definitely take the advice of the book when determining my supplement choices.   I will definitely seek advice from trusted websites and online medical journals and look for the USP’s stamp of approval on any of the supplements I take.  Also, if it’s too good to be true, I won’t believe it.  I know as I get older this information will be valuable to me.  Especially if I continue to progress in my concern for living a healthy balanced life as it pertains to my consumption of food. 

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

                Complementary and Alternative Medicine or CAM are therapies or treatments that are mostly based on observation or anecdotal evidence as opposed to solid, controlled research.  It’s any form of healing practice that doesn’t fall into the realm of conventional forms of medication.  Complementary essentially means that is with the conventional choices of medication or therapeutic practices.  Alternative mean that instead of the modern forms you are using the alternative.  Complementary and Alternative Medicines have vast amounts of therapies and remedies.  Some of them are based on folk knowledge, spiritual beliefs.  However some of them are rooted in solid medical practice.  Perhaps newly formed ideas that have yet to be well established or approved. 

                I tend to be more on the cautious side with this as well.  The same way I want to know what I’m putting into my body as far as medication or nutritional supplements are concerned, I’m going to tend to lean towards going with the conventional forms of treatment.  I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe God does heal.  However, I’m not going to solely rely on that.  God has created treatments and blessed certain people with the ability to help people become well.  I remember this story about a guy that was in the middle of a flood on his roof.  He denied three boats saying “My God will save me.”  When the man died and went to heaven he asked God why he didn’t say him, and God said “What’re you talking about I gave you three boats!”  That’s just a joke, but it’s applicable to this situation.