Chapter 8

By: Luke Frankel

Chapter 8 is about nutrition. Nutrition is comprised of everything related to the body and its nutritional needs. Nutrition covers everything from macro and micronutrients, to all of the digestive processes and otherwise.

The first important topic this chapter talks about is the digestive process, involving a six step process that starts and ends exactly how you would expect it to. Starting with food entering the mouth and saliva breaking down some of the carbohydrates. Eventually you can imagine how it ends, with food passing through the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and the now waste exiting through the rectum. This is the most basic version of the digestive process but it is so important to note because without this digestion, nutrition as we know it would be useless.

The second most important topic is about the macronutrient Fat. Fat is one of three macronutrients, the other two being carbohydrates and protein. Fat gets a bad wrap because of media attention and poor education. Fat is essential in every diet to some degree and is important for healthy hair and skin among many other bodily processes. There are so many different types of fats, saturated, unsaturated, trans, mono-unsaturated, the list goes on. Fat gives 9 kcals per gram is the highest caloric value per gram out of the macronutrients. “Triglycerides, which make up about 95 percent of total body fat, are the most common form of fat circulating in the blood. When we consume too many calories from any source, the liver converts the excess into triglycerides, which are stored throughout our bodies” (Donatelle 187).

The last topic I want to talk about is physical activity. Most people think of nutrition and they think of the food they ingest. However in the book it is noted that physical activity is just as important as the food you put into your body. “Strive to be physically active for at least 30 minutes per day, preferably with moderate to vigorous activity levels on most days. Physical activity does not mean that you have to go to the gym, jog 3 miles a day, or hire a personal trainer. Any activity that gets your heart pumping (e.g., gardening, playing basketball, heavy yard work, brisk walks, swimming, or dancing) is a good way to get moving” (Donatelle 195). Try to get moving every day or atleast once every few days and you will feel better and your body will process the food you eat much more effectively.