My Literal College Class Project That I Was Proud Of But Can't Tell Anyone About Why I Am Proud Of It So I Will Put It Here
Background:
My professor was nice enough to actually offer alternatives to this project (for biology) because of people like us, but I was too scared to just go up to him and say "hurr durr i have eating issues". Like a responsible person I just threw it to the back of my mind and said "hey, I can lie about logging my food intake, no big deal!", but I started panicking when I finally began the project and then decided to just be honest.
Premise:
This project required students to log their food on mfp for two weeks and write a report on it based on this outline etc etc if ur reading this (I doubt anyone will tbh) you’ll see it lol. It talks about food and nutrients and shit so obvious tw and also a tw for my attempt at humor in writing and also for bad grammar ok coo
Nutrition Project
Paragraph 1: Introduction to the assignment/Explain what you did in the assignment. Why do you suppose this project was picked as the class assignment?
First of all, I would like to apologize. Both to myself and to the instructor. I executed an oversight; the abstract voices in my cacophonic brain all said the same thing in unison, “Lie.” And so, I brushed off my feelings to spare my ego, thinking I could just get this done and pass off as a normal human doing normal human things. This turned out to be insurmountably impossible, and it became too late for me to muster up any ounce of courage to consult anyone (you) about it.
So. The English version of the previous paragraph is: I have an eating disorder. I wanted to oh-so desperately hide and log meals that seemed normal, but even that proved difficult as I already use several apps to track what I eat quite meticulously. Despite this, I have decided to go ahead and display the “warts and all” of how I exist in a project. Will I regret it? Perhaps. Will it be unnecessarily lengthy and grueling to read? Possibly. Did I think about this before spilling out mountains of prose? Yes, but I have a feeling that the other submissions will be significantly shorter, so this might be the only one that stands absurdly at seven feet tall. Have I thought about getting a terrible grade because of this? Yes. Haunting.
Perhaps the intimate anecdotal evidence into a disorder will be something to hold your interest, like some sort of first-hand case study. And not to worry; I am aware that this whole thing might be cause for concern, but I am in treatment for this, among many other things. Progress takes time, and being honest about things (albeit, maybe not in the best way here) could be a step in the right direction. Be warned, for many details are present, not like they haven't been described on the internet, but still.
Now to move on, I believe this assignment was chosen in particular to maybe shine some awareness about an area many people don’t really think much of in college. I mean, we all know that:
- Parties = alcohol in copious amounts, pizza, snack food
- Poor time management = “easy breakfast” (e.g. the nearest drive-thru), no breakfast, prescription breakfast, chips for breakfast
- Lack of quality sleep → increase in cortisol levels → eating more (or sometimes less) than usual since cravings for foods high in “easy energy” increase
- Drugs (just keeping it “real”, as they say) can increase appetite exponentially or decrease/suppress appetite exponentially
Throw all of that together and combine it with the expectations of being a student; a heterogeneous mixture of chaos. Since you're finally free-ish and trying to balance many new life concepts for the first time, I wouldn't imagine nutrition being seen as a priority for many during college. In many younger people in general, health might be sitting on the backburner of the mind, even if having mindful habits early on might improve how one ages in the long run.
Paragraph 2: Discuss/analyze what the food guide suggests for your required daily serving of food. What types of foods could you eat to accomplish those food categories? Compare your diet to the Healthy Eating Plate. Were your results good or could you use improvements (if improvements- what areas were you lacking on?), what could you do to improve your eating habits, and did you watch what you ate because you knew it was being recorded? About what percentage of your diet comes from processed food, and what percentage of your diet comes from food that was entirely homemade.
The Healthy Eating Plate suggests portions of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy protein, healthy oils, and water to be the basis for a healthy meal. They also suggest staying active alongside consuming the balanced nutrition on the plate figure. As for me, I am only passing in the “water” portion of the Healthy Eating Plate, and I must say that it is staring at me in disdain as I analyze my habits.
Whole grains - I am gluten (and lactose, and egg) intolerant so I avoid wheat and grains as much as possible. Oatmeal is gross, I am sorry for having strong oat opinions but it reminds me of mucus. F-.
- Whole grains are foods with whole wheat, barley, oats, rye, and buckwheat (?). Whole wheat breads, granolas, or cereals are foods that could satisfy this requirement.
Fruits and vegetables - If I buy any fresh food I will simply abandon the mere idea of it existing. (Not on purpose; I have adhd.) At least some fungi get to enjoy a good meal in the fridge, am I right? I am also lazy. Cooking is just standing with extra steps and I already do not want to be standing for longer than I have to at work. It is fun to cook though, and I enjoy it on occasions but not on a daily basis. F-.
- Fruits and vegetables include cucumber, tomato, lettuce, spinach, kale, strawberry, blueberry, and the likes. I could add more of these via snacking on them, blending them in a smoothie, or putting them in something else like strawberry pancakes or a fruit parfait, which would fit into most of these groups.
Healthy protein - I do enjoy the occasional sardine, but most of my protein sources, which is most of what I eat, come from powders and flavored rectangular prisms encased in foil. Delicious. I will sometimes eat a burger, but very rarely. This is probably a C- score, which is better than the two above.
- Healthy proteins include proteins from lean meats, fish, eggs, milk, cheese (low-fat, probably), and other animal products, but there are plant-based options as well, like soy. I could put some soy milk into whole grain cereal, or eat more sardines.
Healthy oils - I am scared of eating oil. I dislike the mouthfeel, especially if I drink water afterwards. I need some acid (like a soda… phosphoric acid) to rinse that weird feeling off. It might be in foods I eat, but since they are packaged I don’t really have to interact with the oil too much. F-.
- Healthy oils include olive oil, vegetable oil, and other plant based oils (except for coconut). I could put some olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette on a whole grain baguette, if that exists, if my gluten intolerance didn't exist. Cooking with them is an option too, but I dislike oil quite strongly as stated above.
Water - I drink at least four bottles of water a day. This is my only A+ category, let me have my moment to shine.
- Water includes…… water. I think water quality might be important, and I try to get electrolyte powders or other things to help my body absorb the water more than just filtering it out immediately.
Yes. My results could improve. I lacked in almost every area except for the delicious and refreshing covalent bond between hydrogen and oxygen (H2O to be specific, not H2O2). I ate what I normally ate, but I know I could improve my habits, and my therapist is supposed to be helping with that. I also could make more time to cook things, but I barely have time to do things I like in my free time anymore, so that would be tough. I like fruits a lot, but sometimes it's “too old” or it has a funky spot and I get freaked out. Cutting strawberries takes me more time than the average person, as I use the smallest knife to cut off all the weird spots. They would rot, I mean, be consumed by fungi in the fridge anyway. I would have to think this over.
Processed Food - 100%
Homemade Food - 0%
I would rather not speak on this one. I already feel the tinge of embarrassment from the Healthy Food Plate, let me enjoy my Polar Covalent Bonded Beverage that comes with amazing properties of cohesion, capillarity, adhesion, and more, and my packaged food in the shape of a rectangular prism (encased in foil, of course).
Paragraph 3: Discuss your exercise habits, looking back at your 2-week log. Do you think you are getting enough exercise for what you are eating? Are you getting at least 30 minutes in a day? What areas are you working to improve with your daily exercise?
There is nil. Nada. Pandora's box is as confusing as this question, as enigmatic as the mere concept of me getting proper exercise.
I used to do track and field, but there are a plethora of factors keeping me from getting back into it. I do not think I even eat enough to consider exercising as something that is necessary. I know it has benefits, but I never got them anyway - the curse of anemia. Instead of a runner’s high I collapse immediately. I have passed out in the shower before because it was too hot! This barrier of entry is tough. I did, however, manage to get through a few years of high school track and field while getting really close to the sports-med people and always being covered in tape.
Actually, last year I got an elliptical machine for my house.
(edit: totally not for ulterior motives !!!) Going to the gym gives me anxiety, so I saved up for the gym at home. Where it can be nice and cool, and where I can pick the show to watch instead of watching some gym employee scrolling through the same five channels. The issue is time, mostly. There is no time. And 30 minutes isn't too long, but I prioritized having at least some personal time over exercise this year.
Paragraph 4: What did you learn about your own diet and exercise by doing this project?
Nothing newfound or particularly exciting, really. I already track everything I eat, measuring things with a food scale if I have to too. This was a normal thing I already did that turned into a project. Well, besides using MFP. My account got hacked in 2018, so I use a different app now.
I also learned that the Healthy Food Plate is probably disappointed in me. I pretty much only eat the same handful of foods on rotation for a long while until I get sick of them.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
All in all, my case presents pretty unique, doesn’t it? I am not trying to be a snowflake, really. I was too anxious to even inquire about an alternative project; my constant passive nature and glass ego got the best of me. I already know what I have to improve on, and so does my dietitian. I may not be the pinnacle of health here, and I may be suffering from forces as severe as a hurricane in my brain every passing day. Sure, this makes it difficult to have healthy relationships with not only food, but other things as well, but it means something if I'm still here, I guess. However, I can say that I drink plenty of water, and most people have a hard time even doing just that. I love the stuff. I mean, I should, since I am about 70% of it. I can also say that being aware of dietary choices at a young age could set someone up for better health and longevity in the long run. That just makes sense.
It also makes sense if the person reading this has gotten slightly frustrated with the length and lack of conciseness of this project; I do recall that there’s a lot going on on your end, and grading is probably a pain.
CARBOHYDRATES:
What percentage of your diet should come from Carbohydrates?
45-65%
What is the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex Carbohydrates?
Simple carbs = mono-, di-, oligo- saccharides; complex carbs = polysaccharides
Simple carbohydrates are “the bad guys”, the fructose, glucose, bread, candy type of carbohydrates, and complex carbohydrates are “the good guys”, found in whole and unprocessed foods like fruits and vegetables, whole grain oats, and beans, among other sources. Fibers and starches are complex carbohydrates.
I prepare for a triathlon. The night before the event, which should I consume; simple or complex carbohydrates? Why?
Complex carbohydrates; they take longer to be broken down in the body and fill up glycogen stores for the body to use later on, in this case the next morning.
During the event, what should I consume; Simple or complex carbohydrates? Why?
During the event, simple carbohydrates (and electrolytes, I learned when on the track team) are going to help the body have an immediate energy source to replenish itself quickly.
What role and functions do Nutrient Dense Carbohydrates play in the body?
Nutrient dense carbohydrates provide the body with a good amount of nutrients as well as complex carbohydrates, essentially giving the body energy and things required to process that energy at the same time.
What Nutrient Dense Carbohydrates (carb-based foods that also give lots of nutrients) do you find that you consume frequently?
I do eat some prepackaged heart of palm rice, which is a vegetable that has low net carbs and a lot of fiber. I’m not sure if this qualifies, but the canned soups I eat (Amy’s Lentil Vegetable Soup in particular) contain vegetables such as beans, tomatoes, and carrots.
What Nutrient Empty Carbohydrates do if you consume frequently? These are the carb-based empty calories, ie. beer or hostess snacks
Most of the food I eat has a low net carb count, or is more focused on protein. Even my favorite candy (Lily’s Sugar free Gummy Worms) is mostly fiber, and microwave popcorn is a whole grain, high carb snack, but it also has nutrients like fiber. I eat a lot of Jello, but it is sugar free and has 0g carbs. Not sure if any fit here; if it is a sweet food I will get the sugar-free version (yay for sugar alcohols), and if it’s a salty food I probably avoid it.
What are Simple Carbohydrates and name several disadvantages of eating a diet rich in simple carbs?
Monosaccharides:
- Glucose
- Fructose
- Galactose
Disaccharides:
Eating a diet rich in simple carbs would make you fatigued constantly, since the body would only depend on the available energy provided by food. To not be constantly fatigued, you’d have to consume a lot of these foods… a lot. They can cause obesity and heart disease, along with diabetes. Diabetes affects how you process energy because the body’s insulin response gets too overwhelmed to deal with the amount of simple sugars in the body, causing high blood sugar.
Name specific Simple Carbs that you should avoid or eat in moderation.
The added sugars to processed foods are ones that should be avoided or moderated. They include:
- High-fructose corn syrup: the stuff in sodas, candies, and other sweets that contribute empty calories and spike blood sugar.
- Brown sugar or raw sugar: high amounts of these added to baked goods and other sweet items can do the same. Cakes, cookies, etc. These ones are usually marketed as being “raw” and “natural”, which attempt to target the “health-focused” group. Ironic.
Name specific sources of Complex Carbs that could be found in your diet.
I eat a lot of foods high in fiber and low in net carbs such as:
- Fiber One Brownies
- Quest Protein bars
- Lilys’ Sugar Free Sour Gummy Worms
- Heart of Palm (riced): a vegetable with only 2g net carbs for one serving, hiding behind loads of fiber and nutrients
FATS: (edit: omg a whole section about me !! /j)
What roles and functions do fat play in the body?
Fats constitute an important part of cellular structure by creating the phospholipid bilayer that makes up the cell membrane!!! Not only are fats essential on the cellular level, they are also functionally important…. on the cellular level. Stored fat from extra calorie intake can be used as energy when the body has run out of immediate power; e.g. the burger that was eaten for lunch has been used up. This is also how weight loss works: to lose the fat stored in the body one has to burn more calories than they eat.
Fats are also important for proper absorption of nutrients. Some vitamins are fat soluble, meaning that without fat acting as a transporter (is this the proper term?), the vitamins will be rendered useless in the body and be processed like it never existed. There are water soluble and fat soluble vitamins, the fat soluble ones being: A, E, K, and D. They are stored in the fat within the body until they need to be processed for use. Vitamin D gets synthesized by sunlight exposure to the skin, for example.
Eating unsaturated fats can also help lower bad cholesterol levels.
What percentage of your diet should come from fat? _____unsaturated fat? _ and saturated fat?_ What type of fat should we avoid and is considered the most unhealthy? ___
About 25-35% of your diet should come from fat; only 5-10% of it should be saturated fat (fat that can stay solid at room temperature), while the rest can be unsaturated fats (fats that are liquid at room temperature), such as monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. The fat to avoid: Trans fat.
Name 6 examples of Saturated Fat?
Butter, lard, coconut oil, palm oil, dairy products such as ice cream and cheese, and fatty meats.
Name 6 Examples of Unsaturated Fat?
Olive, canola, and vegetable oil, nuts, seeds, salmon, and avocado.
Name Specific examples of fats that you should avoid or eat in moderation?
My consumption of saturated fats is on the higher end. I tend to only eat pre-packaged foods, because I know what's in them (mostly, I believe companies are allowed to be off by ~20% with nutrition labels) compared to eating a home cooked meal from someone else. The drawback is that packaged foods often have higher saturated fat content for longer shelf life and better flavoring.
This package label, for example, belongs to one of the foods I eat all the time. Almost daily when I can find it in stock, actually.
I underlined the ingredient (hopefully the only one, I think) that would be considered saturated fat (palm oil). There might only be 1.5g of it, but most of the food I eat is packaged and processed, so most of my fat consumption comes from saturated fats.
(edit: i review'd this its the strawberry legendary tasty pastry lmao)
Eating disorders often focus on fat consumption.
Define the following in terms of eating disorders:
Anorexia:
edit: i meant dsm 5 and omg roman numerals oops
This is something I can define without needing to cite any source but my own brain, but I will cite some anyway, for added “logos”. The clinical definition of anorexia nervosa is characterized by:
- Lack of appetite or constant attempts to reduce appetite
- Obsession with weight, measurements, and appearance
- Intentional reduced intake of food, avoidance of food due to fear of weight gain
- Noticeable weight loss: the DSM-IV lists several BMI categories:
- Dysmorphic attitude towards the body, even at clinically low weights
I personally dislike this definition. There are several subtypes of anorexia nervosa, and one that is called “atypical anorexia” is the same disorder symptomatically, minus the BMI category requirement. This can be incredibly invalidating and make those suffering at any size only feel motivated to get worse. As a mental disorder, I don’t think a physical requirement should be necessary to get the diagnosis, and it creates competition among an already competitive group of individuals. Even people with “failed” attempts of getting to the results of this disorder need help, as their thinking has already proven that they have an unhealthy relationship with food.
There are two habitual subtypes of anorexia:
(edit: i would bettttt that theres more. like way more.)
- AN-BP (binge-purge): the patient goes through periods of all the symptoms listed above, but will engage in binge-eating (the uncontrollable, impulsive urge to eat copious amounts of food in one or more sittings), followed by purging (getting rid of the food by throwing up, using laxatives, fasting, or excessively working out).
- AN-R (restrictive): the patient does not partake in any of the binge-purge habits
Not in the DSM-IV is Orthorexia, a type of anorexia that mainly focuses on eating as “clean” as possible. This subtype would definitely focus on fat intake while navigating their diet. I’ve been through many forums and talked to people in hospitals so I know this much is true: everyone experiences anorexia differently. Some people eat a few candy bars and call it a day, and others are crafting the most palatable oil-free, gluten free, butter free, dairy free, sugar free meal they can while using volume eating to make the meal seem large but keep the calories small. There exists a stigma of anorexics: skinny, only eats fruit, drinks coffee, etc. This simply isn’t true, and many people in this group do eat food. It May be via binge eating, or maybe by not cutting their intake as low as possible, but getting nutrients is getting nutrients when it can be difficult to even think about doing so in the first place.
To me, this disorder is hell.
Lose a bunch of weight still feel inadequate, overeat out of emotional challenge, feel distraught by the perceived corpulence of the soon-to-be corpse, binge again, feel worse, lose more weight, get hooked up to tubes, put in a place that makes you feel crazier than before, leave traumatized and start all over again.
Not only does the vicious cycle of the “food circle of hell” perpetually haunt me and my thoughts, it affects every aspect of my life. For example:
Friends want to go out to eat? What should I do?
- Eat nothing until then
- Make up an excuse
I had to leave the University (of redacted west coast state and large city even if its like famous lol) because I was in the hospital for a lot of it. These disorders are serious and awful, isolating, and life-threatening. This project could make people see the dangers of eating too little; how malnutrition (even through unaware habits) can affect a person. If it matters, yes, I am doing better; after a year and a half of being a ghost I am going to college again, meeting new people, and finding joys in things. I got ice cream with some people from this class the other day. Things are good.
(edit: this kinda spiralled me into a massive month long binge n i have been absolutely destroyed bc of it)
Bulimia:
Bulimia Nervosa is classified as:
- Partaking in sessions of binge eating
- Repeated attempts to get rid of the contents consumed in the session (edit: yall, get ur electrolytes in)
- Body image greatly influences the above two points
I already defined the terms here in “anorexia - binge-purge subtype”, and bulimia is very similar to that, without the pervasive anorexia criteria symptoms. One thing I did not do is specify the amount of food in a binge session, which is clinically defined as the lack of control in a 2hr window, according to the DSM-IV, over food portions larger than what most people would eat in that same timeframe. There is also a tendency to eat foods one normally would not eat, as the impulse is driving the individual strongly.
PROTEINS:
What role and function does Protein play in your body?
Proteins, my favorite nutrient, are made of amino acids. They have many functions:
- Muscle repair and maintenance
- Enzyme function (enzymes are catalysts that speed up reactions, and I did this last week in my lab class using catalase!)
- The lactase enzyme (I do not have this) digests milk, which contains lactose. Without the lactase enzyme, people are lactose intolerant and have trouble digesting milk. I will not elaborate on this “trouble”.
- Steroids and hormone production
- Provides energy when sources run out (source: we discussed sore muscles and lactic acid formation in class)
- Benefits cosmetic appearance; collagen is a protein that is a large part of skin and bone structure, (source: my mom takes collagen powder) and the keratin protein is a large part of nail and hair structure (source: I use keratin shampoo).
- Transports things like nutrients (source: that video we saw in class of the little guy dragging a vesicle in a cell)
Name 10 examples of protein rich foods?
Greek yogurt, cheese, meats, fish, protein supplement drinks, protein powders, and protein bars, (things I eat a lot), nuts, eggs, beans, milk, and soy.
Based on your activity level and weight, how many grams of protein do you need a day?
Using this formula for recommended protein intake (for a sedentary person, because I do not work out) from Mayo Clinic: (0.8g protein)(kg body weight) = (0.8g)(
redacted) =
redacted protein per day.
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