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You are what you eat

If you’ve ever seen a suit of armor from the 1600’s in a museum, you may
have noticed how small it was. That’s because people of that time were
much shorter due to their poor nutrition. Our eating habits have greatly
improved over the centuries. But in modern times, the change hasn’t
always been for the better. (Think about the phrase, “junk food.”) Today’s
lesson is about the ways many people have tried to improve their eating
habits—for their health and for the health of the planet.

Vocabulary
a) junk food 6 1. To water something
b) Hydrate 1 2. To establish the truth of something
c) vegetarian 3 3. Fruit, veggies, dairy ok; no meat or fish
d) instrumental 7 ? 4. Eats fruit, vegetables and fish
e) Environmental impact 8 5. A vegetarian—but no dairy food allowed
f) Greenhouse gas 9 6. Food with no nutritional value
g) Deforestation 10 7. A vital part of accomplishing something
h) Confirm 2 8. Having an effect on climate
i) Vegan 5 9. Traps the heat that evaporates from air
j) Pescatarian 4 10. To cut trees for grazing or development

How What You Eat Can Improve Your Health

Earlier this year, researchers from Oxford University published a study to
determine whether eating less meat could lower a person’s risk of cancer,
as well as the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. They studied
nearly 500,000 people between 2006 and 2010.

A little over half were regular meat-eaters, the rest were limited meat-eaters
(they ate meat less than five times a week), 2 percent were vegetarians,
and 2 percent were pescatarians.The results found that low meat-eaters
had a 9 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to regular meat-
eaters. Furthermore, women who ate a vegetarian diet had an 18 percent
lower risk of breast cancer in comparison to regular meat-eaters.

They also found evidence that suggested eating greater amounts of fruit,
vegetables and whole grains improved health. Similar studies by the
American Heart Association and The National Institutes of Health confirmed
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these facts. Additionally, they showed that people who ate more animal fat
were linked to having a higher risk of stroke.

How What You Eat can Improve the Environment

A growing factor in saving the environment is “growing” the food needed to
feed our population. And the kind of food we like to eat is instrumental in its
effect on climate change, according to a recent study endorsed by 11,000
scientists in England.

The Yale School of Forestry says that meat and dairy farming uses around
80 percent of available farmland, and has lead to 60 percent of greenhouse
gas emissions. Cows contribute to global warming through the production
of methane, a greenhouse gas that leads to climate change. Cows emit
methane as they digest their food, then pass gas. A study out of the
University of California, Davis shows that belching is a primary source of
methane from cows.

If you’ve ever been within two miles of a large cattle farm, your nose will
confirm the fact.

In addition, in a world where water shortages are continuing to rise, meat

production uses vast amounts of water. The United States Geological
Survey, a science bureau that’s part of the U.S. Department of the Interior,
estimates that it takes 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to produce a juicy
hamburger, depending on conditions that cows are raised in. The water
doesn't go directly into your burger; rather, it is used to feed, hydrate and
service cows.

Discussion Topics
The topics in this lesson can provide much food for thought and may even
convince some to “go veggie” and become vegetarians.

- Are you or anyone you know a vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan? Yes, lots of friends
- What are a few of your country’s national dishes; do any have meat? Asado, Guiso,
- Would vegetarians have problems eating out in your counties? Locro, Empanadas
- What’s your favorite recipe? Guiso de lentejas, Pasta, No, there’s always veggie options
- What’s your favorite junk food? Pollo al horno con papas,
tartas, empanadas
potatoe chips,
peanuts, coke
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Eating Habits
Take a minute to list the food you ate yesterday—
Which ones were healthy and which were not?

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack

Some humorous sayings about eating

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread,

and pumpkin pie.”

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables

smelled as good as bacon.”

“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.”

Breakfast

Avocado toast (homemade bread)

Banana
Blueberries
Trail mix
orange juice
Coffee with milk

Lunch
Brocoli balls
Spinach and mushrooms pie

Dinner
Chicken with vegetables and rice
Herbal tea

Snacks
Clementine
Small piece of banana bread