What I learned at school - H

Did you know that 50% of Californians are overweight or obese? I think that's only 8% less than the entire nation. That really surprised me b/c SF was rated one of the healthiest cities after all. We're in our physio unit at school, and we just talked about nutrition. It made me realize again the importance of watching what goes into my body. Indulging once in a while is okay, but even then, don't let those trans fats in, and definitely don't let young kids have them! I learned that the reason they're so bad is b/c they actually increase the levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) in your blood stream like saturated fats, AND they also decrease the levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). DOUBLE WHAMMY! This will undoubtedly increase the chances of developing hardened arteries and heart disease later on. They're finding an increased incidence of heart disease in young people (teens) who often have grown up eating those processed foods laden with those trans fats (hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils)...and of course, we've heard over and over how obesity and diabetes are growing problems in young people as well as in the general US population. Someone was telling me about an article they read about a teenager who had a heart attack. Scary.

A plug for eating breakfast...
People who eat breakfast tend to eat less throughout the day b/c they remain satiated longer. It also gets your metabolism going and wakes your body up so that you're more alert and able to mentally engage in your work or tasks at hand. Of course we'd want to eat things that are good for you and that give a steady increase in blood-sugar.

I learned today how insulin works. It's absolutely amazing how the body is put together, even at the cellular level. The protein channels that allow glucose into the cells is actually below the surface of the cells. When insulin binds to the insulin receptors on a cell's surface, this triggers the protein channels to emerge on the surface, (They actually move!) to allow the glucose molecules to move through them and into the cell! Absolutely fascinating!

Teaching the curriculum at school has changed my life in 2 ways. I'm more aware of the environmental issues in general and those particular to the Bay area. It's made me turn the water on only when I'm rinsing my teeth and the dishes. I use dirty water to water my plants sometimes as long as there aren't chemicals in them that would harm the plants. I'm more conscious about recycling and taking my car to a car wash rather than doing it myself, etc. Now, it's made me really look into my degenerated eating habits and motivated me to change them and take better care of myself. Eating something in the morning really does help! No more mean Mrs. A at the end of the day. =D