Nutrition and Physical Activity

Health Skill Standard

Find the food labels for 5 of your favorite foods (name the food you chose). Read and analyze the information.

Pizza, cottage cheese, and vegetable juice are among some of my favorite foods. I consider Pizza a multi-ingredient dish because it contains ingredients like sauce, dough, cheese, and processed meat. In addition, I view cottage cheese as a good source of calcium and a major source of protein while consumption of vegetable juice is a simple way for me to get my veggies. While these foods are rich in some nutrients, they can be sources of unhealthy contents like fat and salt. For instance, cottage cheese has always been part of my diet because of its calcium and protein contents. I have made it a staple in my diet because it contains other nutritional elements like choline, vitamin B6, copper, and zinc (Pletcher, 2017).

When buying cottage cheese, I normally do not check the food labels. I assume that all cottage cheese products are low in calories and a good source of calcium (Brennan, 2020). However, a review of food labels shows that some varieties of cottage cheese have high levels of calories and saturated fats. Therefore, consuming high amounts of cottage cheese implies a high intake of calories and saturated fat, especially if the product is not low sodium or sodium-free (Healthline, 2018).

1. Reflect and share. Will you continue to make this a staple in your diet?

From reviewing my five favorite foods, especially cottage cheese, it is apparent that some of them are unhealthy despite being sources of nutrients. The food labels have shown that my favorite foods are high in fat and salt contents. While these foods have essential vitamin and minerals for a healthy diet, they contain saturated fats and calories. I have mostly consumed these foods for various reasons including convenience, taste, and with minimal regard to their nutritional contents and value.

2. If you need to change, share what you plan to substitute.

My plan will involve looking for sodium-free or low-sodium varieties of my favorite foods. When buying these foods such as cottage cheese, I will look for varieties of the products that are low sodium or sodium free. Additionally, I will limit my consumption of these foods in order to maintain my health and fitness. I will review my consumption habits every week to ensure that I constantly limit my intake of these foods. Finally, I will also keep a regular physical exercise regime as part of achieving my health and fitness goals.

3. Identify 3 positive things that you can do to add more activity.

Since adding physical activity is one of the ways to achieve my health and fitness goals, I will adopt different strategies for it. First, I will create a daily schedule in which I engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes. During the initial periods, I will focus largely on intensity exercises. Secondly, I will start doing high-intensity exercises after I become familiar with regular physical activity and after establishing an exercise habit. Third, I will embrace physical activity in my daily work routine such as walking to work and taking breaks during the day for activities like stretching.

4. Then identify 4 obstacles that might get in your way.

The first obstacle that could get in my way is laziness because maintaining a regular schedule of physical activity requires discipline, which is not easy. Secondly, the obligations of life are likely to derail me, especially demands at the workplace/school. Third, the lack of a support system to keep me accountable could make it difficult for me to follow through with my plan. Finally, the tyranny of the urgent could be a major hindrance, particularly when faced with numerous demands and competing needs.