Journey to Healthy Living

Alex Cluff

English III Honors Pd. 3

Mr. Piatak

February 23, 2017

 Cluff 2

Every time a dietitian or nutritionist walks into an office, a new challenge arrives, ready

for conquering. They examine the patient head to toe, taking into account the patient's age, and

physical characteristics. Asking the patient a few questions about their everyday diet and

exercise, ideas start shooting into the dietitians mind. They must determine the best diet plan

that will supplement the needs of the patient. The job does not end there, the dietitian must then

find the foods for the specific taste of the patient, and the proper supplements to helping the

client obtain their health goals. At one point in almost every persons life they desire to change

the way their body looks. Whether they intended to lose fat, or gain muscle, everything starts

with the diet. When formulating the proper diet, dietitians must create the appropriate balance of

macronutrients, while still allowing for the patients to take in the needed amounts of vitamins

and minerals for everyday brain function. Proper food choices and dieting proves important for

everyday health of the mind and body. The diet, often overlooked by people of all ages, holds

responsibility for multiple health issues. Exploring a career in nutritional science proves

important in understanding the way dieting has evolved throughout time, the education required

to understand how the proper diet affects the body and mind, and the way technology led to the

creation of the modern diet.

The history of dieting dates back 35,000 years when humans first started realizing they

could change the figure of their body through exercise and eating different foods. The first strong

sources of dieting came from ancient Greek times with works from Hippocrates and Socrates.

Works found in the ancient Greek Dietetica prove how humans first saw the benefits of food

through its healing powers. This idea of dieting persisted through medieval times, the first

evidence of the modern diet did not appear until the middle of the 19th century. This time period
 Cluff 3

introduced the first low-carbohydrate, and high protein diets, the earliest, known as the Banting

system. Many people around this time knew about the basic concepts of how lose weight. Their

ideas mainly revolved around eating less calories than their body burns, known as a caloric

deficit. However, this type of dieting seemed too basic, and a need for something more advanced

and successful had arrived. William Banting, the man responsible for the creation of the

low-carbohydrate diet, lived most of his life as a short, overweight man who could not even bend

over to tie his shoes. Complications with hearing due to his excess fat finally led Banting on a

search for help. Banting eventually decided to cut all starches, sugars, and alcohol from his diet,

only allowing him to eat meat, fish, and vegetables. Groundbreaking results occurred, and

Banting lost around 100 pounds and published his diet in a book called Letter for Corpulence.

Bantings book started the world-known low-carb diet still popular today. Results showed further

in the case of the E.I. Dupont medical section, a chemical firm in the United States, which took

up the ideas of Bantings diet after experiencing extreme obesity issues. Dr. Alfred Pennington

headed the mission to stop the obesity issues, Pennington discovered that the traditional

low-calorie had no effect due to the fact eating carbohydrates still stored fats. Pennington put the

employees of E.I. Dupont on a low-carb diet with no calorie restrictions, which resulted in an

average weight loss of 22 pounds per employee (Bowden 22). These results started further

research as people began realizing the new ways they could affect their bodies through the types

of food they ate.

More home-remedy type diets popped up across the nation including chewing each

mouthful hundreds of times, and wearing corsets to create a desired figure. Many women tied

corsets tightly around their abdomens in attempt to slim their figures. At this point, dieting
 Cluff 4

became a new trend, fashion models and celebrities began endorsing certain types of diets. With

pressures from media and public figures, problems began to arise with over-dieting eventually

starting the disease now known as anorexia. The shaping of the true modern diet appeared in the

decade following World War I, with skirts getting shorter and shoulders showing, the 1920s

urged a skinnier, more toned woman due to the styles of the flapper girl (Coe 168-169).

Known for their tall slim figures, flapper girls shook up the United States as women had never

before worn the type of clothing they did. This created new pressure on women, specifically

teens of this era. In order to take on the new popularized figure many women looked to dieting.

The low caloric diets of the 1920s scared medical experts who believed many of the women took

the diets to the extreme without enough research. Doctors at the time also believed the diets took

some feminine aspects away from society, making it less acceptable to live as a heavier woman

in society (Coe 168-169). During the mid-20th century, frozen meals became a staple in

American households. Most diet experts saw nothing wrong with this, so they did not worry

about where the ingredients came from as long as they contained the proper nutrient count. After

this period of frozen meals perished, cooking came back to life and people once again enjoyed

the flavors of their foods without care for the amounts of fat or sugar. During the late 1960s the

emergence of low-calorie and low-sugar foods brought back the importance of dieting and with

it, new flavors. This brought along the now well-known tastes of diet sodas, and low calorie

processed foods. Many popular foods have changed over time, with the influx of fat-free foods, a

steak today does not even compare to a steak from the 1960s. Hearing of vegetarianism for other

reasons than religion before the 1960s occurred rarely, and not eating meat became much more

trendy around this time (Child). In her article with People Magazine, famous chef Julia Child
 Cluff 5

talked about the changes in the trends of going to restaurants to eat. When I was young, it was

an occasion to eat out. There was a whole ceremony involved: The waiter explained the menu,

there was wine. Child further goes on to explaining the way 1960s changed eating out with the

introduction of fast food, making eating out more affordable and some families now eat out

every night. The quality of the foods eaten creates problems with these modern diets. Since the

introduction of fast food, the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption has dropped greatly

in developed countries (Quinn). The affordable fast food made with cheap ingredients, and poor

quality nutritional value creates more issues in impoverished areas of certain countries, including

the United States. Obesity affects over one out of three adults over the age of 20 in the United

States, meaning more people suffer from obesity than people who fit into the average weight.

These problems can attribute to the high poverty rates in many urban areas and the expense of

healthy food. Purchasing cheaper food, which contains no healthy content leading to higher

obesity rates in poor areas.

Multiple career choices in food science do not include any diet management. According

to Cornell University, jobs with a degree in nutritional science include physical therapy,

pharmaceutical careers, sports nutrition, and athletic training. This wide variety of jobs makes

earning a degree in nutritional science more comfortable and reliable with backing from other

career options. While earning a degree courses such as Nutrition, Health and Society, social

Science Perspectives on Food and Nutrition, Sports Nutrition and Supplements: Concepts and

Evidence, and multiple more health and science courses will need completion. Most courses

under the degree, deal with sciences and math over other forms of general education classes.

Based on Michigan States list of courses needed to complete a degree, the university requires
 Cluff 6

the passing of 120 credits. These courses include, the basic classes needed in obtaining a

Agriculture and Natural Resources for the Bachelor of Science degree, Biomedical and

Molecular nutrition, Global Nutrition and Health, and public health nutrition. Completing a

degree in nutritional sciences will provide knowledge about vitamins, protein, minerals, energy

metabolism, and the idea of disease prevention through exercise and diet. Learning the basic

information on how the diet affects the mind and body and using the diet to protect the human

body from disease makes students better prepared to understand patients health issues. Most

degrees take around 124 to 128 credits, making the nutritional science degree not very rigorous

compared to other science degrees ("Undergraduate). Western Carolina University,

University North Carolina at Greensboro, and North Carolina A&T University all offer degrees

in nutritional science ("North Carolina"). According to the admissions at UNC Greensboro

requires a 3.66 grade point average, and at 23 on the ACT for acceptance.

Dietitians must perfect their craft with continuing education classes in order to keep a

dietitians license. According to the Indiana professional licensing agency, practicing dietitians

must complete from 15 to 30 hours of continuing education per 2 years of practice. Based on the

expiration date of the dietitians certificate to practice, the required amount of hours varies. In

order to keep licences in the State of Washington, dietitians must show proof of 900 hours of

practice for every 36 months, which averages out to 25 hours of practice per week ("License

Requirements"). The continuing education requirements depend on the state, some allowing for

no continuing education as long as licensed dietitians accumulate the required hours of practice

per license period. The continuing education further teaches dietitians to create better plans to

help patients better themselves and achieve their best self. Continuing education also helps by
 Cluff 7

helping the dietitians keep up with current diets and trends. According to the United States Social

Security Administration, a dietitians salary in the United States averages around $48, 098. Based

on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website, the median annual wage for dietitians and nutritionist

comes in at just under $58,000 in May 2015, considered a comfortable living wage. Dieticians in

Charlotte, North Carolina average around $2,000 less than the countrys average. The amount of

money dietitians make depends mainly on the states in which they live. In a state such as

California, specifically southern, where dieting booms, average salaries come in at $72,000,

$14,000 more than the nationwide average. Producing the best product remains the most

important thing to focus on while working a dietitian. The more beneficial the product, the better

the yield. When patients see results they will continue coming back, once they maintain their

current goals they will want to make more and continue to improve on their life. Creating a

unique plan for each patient will also help, if the patient feels properly treated, they will

understand and care more about the final product.

When looking for jobs in science, many will enjoy the idea of working in a nutrition

related career with hopes they can impact other peoples lives in a positive way. Wendy Lessin, a

food scientist working at General Mills, said that while studying at Penn State she found an

internship with the company between her junior and senior years. Lessin explained how she

enjoyed the projects she completed during her internship because she could see how the projects

related to peoples everyday lives with development of nutritious and healthy products. Lessin

later talks about how the internship experience created much better experience than any lab

completed in the classroom. This type of real world experience produces the best exposure to
 Cluff 8

real world jobs. College students in the field of nutrition always need to look for opportunities

with companies to help them prepare for a career of bettering the diet world.

Modern diets have greatly evolved from the simple low-carb diet brought to life in the

1800s. To find out more about the proper diets, scientists have conducted studies on human diets

including how the timing of eating and the amount of food eaten can affect the body and mind.

The diet, often overlooked, creates a base for mental growth, healthier diets help create healthier

minds. In the late 20th century, scientists began experimenting with genetic engineering to make

foods taste better, last longer, or even repel certain insect populations. Much controversy has

arisen over the last few decades over the effects of GMOs in food (Parletta 10). Many concerns

due to the small amount of research done versus how widespread humans have used them. Many

people worry about the effects GMOs may have later in life due to no prior knowledge. The

increase in use of processed sugars and GMOs in food created a worldwide increase in obesity.

Australia's obesity rate doubled in the last 20 years and now affects 1 in 4 children and teenagers

(Parletta 10). Research proves that eating patterns and other health choices such as smoking and

drinking create negative effects on students performance abilities. For example, a nationwide

study conducted in 1995 showed higher alcohol use among students correlated with lower test

scores and more absences. When looking at test scores, researchers found the students who ate

the healthiest breakfasts scored higher. The rushed students often overlook breakfast, without the

proper nutrients breakfast provides, the students energy levels drop causing focus problems in

the learning environment. Breakfast Better test scores also correlated with sleep patterns,

students with the best sleep patterns scored the highests on their tests. College and university

students claim it impossible to keep a healthy diet due to time and budget constraints (Larson,
 Cluff 9

Warne). Many students struggle with time-management therefore look for the quick, cheaper

options. Although many higher-education institutions understand the importance of student

health, the amount of action carried out lacks. For these reasons education leaders must

understand the importance of educating the youth to better understand how health affects

education (Larson, Warne). Other studies show evidence of the way that eating patterns can

affect health in teens. The study in the difference in diets of regular day-students, and boarding

school students concludes that the boarding school students had only 2.5 percent of students

suffering from obesity while 4.5 percent of the day-students (Kucuk, Gunay). Due to the timing

and quality of the meals, most day-students only eat 2-3 meals a day and poor quality cafeteria

food does not help. Boarders eat 4-6 proper meals a day with better quality food. Like most other

issues, this goes back to wealth, the students who pay more for school, get better, healthier meals

in return. In contrast, the public school attenders get mainly frozen cafeteria meals made with

cheap additives, higher fat count, and less nutrients.

With new technology, scientists have formulated specialized diets including diets to

help prevent cancer. When formulating a diet, the consumption of fruits and vegetables needs to

hold the most importance. Studies show that the people that eat the least amount of fruits and

vegetables increase their chance of contracting cancer by two times. This even affects lung

cancer, reducing it by 20-33 percent. High intakes of salt, or salty foods can increase cancers in

the digestive system (Tandon 70). These modern studies have lead to the development of new

focuses on the best foods to eat for specific diets. People consume salty and high-fat foods now

more than ever with fast food restaurants popping up everywhere. Restaurants use processed

ingredients, packed with sodium and sugar creating some of the least healthy diets, increasing
 Cluff 10

peoples chances of getting cancer. Educators and physicians need to better prioritize the finding

fresh foods and quality ingredients in todays markets, in order for society to feel its healthiest.

The use of technology has helped benefit certain countries overall health. Studies have

shown effects of modern food sources on nations health. Before the introduction of fast food

chains, Japan only had 1 to 5 percent of males over 40 affected with diabetes. After the

introduction of fast food, 11 to 12 percent affected, a 10 percent increase based solely off the

type of food consumed. More common in high level meat diets, type II diabetes further proves

the importance of a high fruit and vegetable diet. The high fat, low nutrient foods caused

problems for the men, new cases of diabetes popped up all across Japan. With understanding of

this, many of the men affected by the diabetes then switched their diets to veganism resulting in

many symptoms going away and their fat count decreasing (Cychosz 1). Scientists research and

create supplements to diets that lack the proper nutrition. In Egypt, vitamin D deficiencies

caused many citizens to suffer from multiple sclerosis. Studies have shown that an increase in a

certain form of vitamin D can actually lower the risk of MS by up to 41 percent (Esmaela,

ElSherif, Elazzouny 177). Scientist then take information learned from these studies and can

create certain types of diets of food to help aid the people of Egypt with Vitamin D deficiencies.

By genetically modifying certain foods, scientist can create new types of foods, such as vitamin

D purified rice, and ship it out to these countries suffering from vitamin D deficiencies.

Diet patterns constantly change making new products pop up every few years. Fat-free

foods trended in the 90s due to research on high-fat diets showing higher risk of heart disease.

After these trends came the high fat and low carb diet. Research showed that eating more protein

and less fats caused less hunger, therefore less calorie consumption (Lessin). With fast food
 Cluff 11

chains taking over the world, new diets have recently arisen. The paleo diet dates back to the

hunter-gatherer diets of past humans. Before fast food, restaurants, and markets, humans had to

go out scavenging for anything they could find to eat. They had no breads or carbs, limited meat

sources and wild berries made up for most of their diet. The paleo diet cuts all grains and beans,

allowing only for followers to eat meat, vegetable, and fruit. Cutting out the grains and beans

cuts down on the intake of carbs, while still eating vegetables and meat keeps protein and

vitamin levels high. Nutritionist often recommend this diet to people trying to lose weight while

gaining muscle. The ketogenic diet takes some of the same principles, but cuts out even more

carbs with the idea that your body will used stored body fat as an alternative energy source.

While on the ketogenic diet, dieters must increase their their protein intake in order to make up

for lost energy with carb cutting (Stiefel). Multiple other types of diets focus on restricting

certain certain aspects of the diet while not worrying about the types of foods eaten. The carb

rotating diet focuses on how many carbohydrates one should intake per day. The diet encourages

eating high quality slow burning carbs such as yams, rice, oatmeal, and whole-grain bread

(Stiefel). Flexible dieting, also known as the macronutrient diet, only focuses on three categories

of the diet: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The macronutrient diet proves more effective in cases

where patients have tried more food-restricting diets and struggled to follow them due to the

types of food they had to eat. Studies have shown the energy used while people work out causes

them to consume more food after exercise. However in a recent study at Flinders University, the

subjects dropped almost all macronutrient intakes by 2 percent (Jackson). When the subjects

exercised, it lead them to make healthier choices when it came to meals. At the end of the study
 Cluff 12

the subjects who feared they would increase their food intake with regular exercise, then

understood that no such thing would happen.

Careers nutritional science and dietetics require patients and a vast knowledge of how the

human body collectively works. Whether helping people lose fat, or helping school institutions

better understand the importance of nutrition in education, nutritional scientists and dietitians

take on a wide variety of jobs. Diets have evolved from simple hunter-gatherer diets of

indigenous times, to the introduction of TV dinners and fast food. This all due to the inventions

of food scientists. The healthy living aspects of modern society include new diets based on

supplementation and macronutrients, and old diets like the paleo diet. Success in the job field all

comes down to the amount of hard work put in. The amount of hours studying, learning about

the human body, and understanding the proper foods to consume all attribute to having a

successful career.
 Cluff 13

Works Cited

Bowden, Jonny. "The History Of Low-Carb Dieting." Total Health 26.1 (2004): 22. MasterFILE

Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=hxh&AN=12586633&site=ehost-live&scope=site>

Child, Julia. "Slice Of History." People 51.21 (1999): 169. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 2 Feb.

2017.

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=f6h&AN=1916056&site=ehost-live&scope=site>

Coe, Sarah. "Calories & Corsets: A History Of Dieting Over 2000 Years." Nutrition Bulletin

37.2

(2012): 168-170. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=a9h&AN=75126733&site=ehost-live&scope=site>

"Continuing Education Requirements." Indiana Professional Liscensing. IN, Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.in.gov/pla/2409.htm+>.

"Division of Nutritional Sciences." Cornell University, Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.human.cornell.edu/dns/academic/nsmajor.cfm>.

"Freshman Students." Freshmen. The University of North Carolina Greensboro, Web. 19

Feb. 2017. <https://admissions.uncg.edu/students-freshmen.php>

Jackson, Kathryn A. "The Effects Of Exercise On Macronutrient Choice: A Weight Management

Context." Nutridate 24.2 (2013): 5. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.

 Cluff 14

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=hxh&AN=94603742&site=ehost-live&scope=site>

Lessin, Wendy. E-mail Interview. 22 Feb. 2017

"License Requirements." Washington State Department of Health. WA, Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdat

e/DietitianandNutritionist/LicenseRequirements>.

"National Average Wage Index." United States Social Security, Web. 2 Feb.

2017. <https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/AWI.html>.

"North Carolina." Food and Nutrition Information Center. United States Department of

Agriculture National Agricultural Library, Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

<https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/north-carolina>.

"Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2015." Occupational Employment Statistics.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291031.htm#top>.

"Overweight and Obesity Statistics." National of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

<https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesit

y-statistics.aspx>.

Quinn, Ian. "Obesity Linked To Fast Food Outlets In PHE Study." Grocer (2016): 57. Small

Business Reference Center. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=b9h&AN=119172280&site=ehost-live&scope=site>
 Cluff 15

Stiefe, Steven. "Live And Let Diet." Muscle & Fitness 77.5 (2016): 140. MasterFILE

Complete. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.

<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s845

5861&db=hxh&AN=114344744&site=ehost-live&scope=site>

"Undergraduate Degree - Nutritional Sciences." Office of the Registrar. Michigan State

University, Web. 19 Feb. 2017.

<https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/ProgramDetail.aspx?Program=5346>.