The book ‘Fit and Well’ by Fahey is considered to be one of the most reliable sources in the field of fitness and wellness literature. It covers a lot of topics, such as endurance, flexibility, stress, nutrition and others.
I have chosen the topic of nutrition, as it is very important to have right eating habits – no sport activities can substitute a healthy diet, because all the positive effects of sport will be destroyed by wrong kind of nutrition. What you eat not only affects your health greatly, but also your energy level, and, thus, either helps you to achieve your goals in life or prevents you from doing it.
This book helped me to learn more about a healthy diet, that enables a person to avoid nutritional deficiencies, and reduce a risk of diet-related chronic diseases, and it also provided me with good practical tips for putting together a personal nutrition plan.
As Fahey, Insel, and Walton note, ‘choosing a healthy diet is a two-part process. First you have to know which nutrients you need and in what amounts. Second, you have to translate those requirements into a diet consisting of foods you like that are both available and affordable’ (224).
As to nutrients, they say, that there are six classes of essential nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water, that ‘provide energy, help build and maintain body tissues, and help regulate body functions’ (224). It is a well-known fact, that proteins are highly important, because they form muscles and bones. But the fact, that there are complete and incomplete proteins was new to me. Incomplete proteins are: nuts and legumes; complete proteins are: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk cheese, and soy (Fahey, Insel, and Walton 226). We should also take into account, that low-fat diary products are considered to be better sources of complete proteins, than high-fat ones (“Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition” 24).
As to calories, Fahey, Insel, and Walton claim, that ‘a person needs about 2000 kilocalories a day to meet his or her energy needs’ (224). Alton L. Thygerson and Steven M. Thygerson amplify this idea, declaring that ‘estimates range from 1600 to 2 400 calories per day for adult women and 2000 to 3000 calories per day for adult men, depending on age and physical activity level’ (180).
It is a matter of common knowledge, that many Americans have a diet, that is too high in calories, fats, added sugars, and they consume too little fiber, fruits, and vegetables. An interesting fact, mentioned by Fahey, is that ‘a minimum of 9 servings per day — 4 of fruits and 5 of vegetables — is recommended’ (223).
In conclusion I can say, that this book helped me to examine my current health habits and make evaluation of my lifestyle. It made me think about future and get more serious about my health, and it is very important for young people, as they seldom think about future. They suppose, that if they do something wrong, and they do not feel any health problems, then it does not affect them. But this book will help young people to know the consequences of the choices, that they make. The decisions, that they make now, and habits, that they develop, will influence the length and quality of their life.
Works Cited
Encyclopedia of Foods: A Guide to Healthy Nutrition. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 2002. Print.
Fahey, Thomas D., P. Insel, and R. Walton. Fit & Well: Core Concepts and Labs in Physical Fitness and Wellness Loose Leaf Edition, New York City, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2012. Print.
Thygerson, Alton L., and S. M. Thygerson. Fit to be Well: Essential Concepts, Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2013. Print.