TheESOL Health Literacy (Nutrition)

Nutrition

We have learned that nutrition, defined �as a process of nourishing by which an individual takes in and utilizes food material,� plays a very important role in our being healthy or unhealthy.

We are convinced that nutrition is fundamental for maintaining or improving our health. Research has shown that some foods, such as a variety of fruits and vegetables, have beneficial nutrients that may help protect against health problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and constipation, and diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Food is the basis of nutrition, so it is imperative to pay attention to our eating habits. Let�s be conscientious about what we are putting into our body.

We suggest taking a look at one of our favorite websites: Medline Plus.

Good Friends: Fruits and Vegetablesby Elba Duarte

You should eat fruits
You should eat vegetables
From a range of varieties
And colors available

Some are sour
Some are sweet
They�re nutritious food
You should eat

Some taste good
Some taste bad
Train your soft palate
Don�t be mad

Eat tomatoes, bananas and strawberries
Mangos, apples and all kinds of grapes
Plums, pears, papaya and blueberries
They�re healthy and taste great

Eat tomatoes, avocado and beets
Corn, brussels sprouts and broccoli
Peppers, cabbage and green peas
Sweet potatoes, carrots and celery

Adding salad dressing?
Just think about
What the contents are
And the amount

You should eat fruits
You should eat vegetables
From a range of varieties
And colors available

They contain cancer fighters
And may prevent heart disease
And other health problems
Not included with these

Eating 5 to 9 servings
Experts have said
Consume their flesh and skin
To get a better effect

I have something more to say�

When I was a child
I didn�t like broccoli, beets or spinach
Now I�ve learned to eat them fast
Until I�ve finished

Healthy Changes

I always try to be careful about what my husband and I eat, but sometimes my husband is not quite sure about the difference in flavor between white bread and whole wheat bread or a milk shake made with organic plain yogurt instead of ice cream. Therefore, now I make decisions about food. I don�t ask him. He doesn�t know. He just eats it, and he likes it. As a result, we eat healthier every day.

-Claudia Lopez

I guess I have learned something about nutrition in the class. I used to eat potato chips on a daily basis; but, once, while we were working on our biographies for this website at the computer lab, I was eating a banana, which is something that I started eating instead of chips. �Oh my god,� I thought. I was caught by my classmates. They even took pictures of me eating the banana.

 -Rene Hernandez

Eating a cheeseburger and french fries on the street while I was walking to my job, I decided to sit down somewhere to be more relaxed. I went into Union Square Park and I sat next to a guy. I didn�t tell him hello, but he said �Hi� to me. We started to talk, and he suddenly explained to me how fast food that he loved had hurt him. I got up and went straight to a garbage can near us and threw away the rest of the food that I had in my hands. I looked at him and said, �Thanks.� I left him, thinking about what he said.

 -Zida Moussa

I woke up visualizing myself eating juicy and red pieces of watermelon for Sunday�s breakfast. I took a big piece from the refrigerator and started cutting off the rind. When I finished it, I had the whole red piece in front of me.  As I was contemplating it, the beautiful watermelon fell straight to the floor exploding like a water balloon. I was soaked with watermelon!

 -Sonia Portugal

Since I started studying health I made some changes in my diet. I used to eat a lot of fast food like pizza, hamburgers, potato chips and more. I stopped doing that, and now I try to eat more fruits and vegetables because I already know that they are good for my health. Also, when I went to the supermarket I used to buy food without looking at the nutrition facts, and now I do because I am aware of the importance of the amount of protein, fiber and saturated fat that the food contains. I am trying to eat healthier food in order to have good health.

 -Jorge Brea

When I saw the movie �Super Size Me� I decided to buy it for my children and it worked. Every weekend they had wanted to go to McDonald�s, and the youngest one when we passed in front of that place always wanted to eat there. But now, after they saw the movie, their reaction was that they don�t want to go to McDonald�s because they don�t want to get fat.

 -Miriam Zarzuela

Since I have been studying about health, I have begun to eat more vegetables. Leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach were the only vegetables that I used to eat. After I learned about some benefits that vegetables provide like blindness prevention, I realized that I definitely have to eat more vegetables even though they taste horrible and smell terrible. Sometimes, I have eye problems, and my doctor recommends that I should eat more vegetables. So, I started looking for recipes that contain vegetables. When I�m in the cafeteria with my friends now, they encourage me to eat vegetables. Right now, I eat not only lettuce and spinach but also tomatoes, baby carrots and some broccoli!

 -Neide Godinho

One of the changes that I have made in my life is to try to eat healthier food such as cereals with lots of fiber, so I can prevent constipation and I may be able to have a healthy body.

 -Nereyda Jimenez

Because I didn�t like some fruits and vegetables such as melons, strawberries, broccoli, or spinach, I always prepared the same things. However, studying about nutrition I learned that each kind of fruit or vegetable does not have the same nutrients.  So, I tried to use more variation, and I found ways in which to prepare them and make them taste better like steaming broccoli in a covered pot and pouring a bit of chicken or fish broth on it. I also prepared them by adding some lemon juice or vinegar with a pinch of salt and vegetable oil. The first day I made that recipe, my second daughter told me, �You know what, mom?� I said, �What?�  And she answered,� I don�t like broccoli but today it tastes good. From now on, I�m going to  eat every thing you cook. �

 -Elba Duarte

While I was in Italy for a mission, my co-workers and I used to share the house keeping responsibilities such as mopping, laundry, dusting and cooking. I have never been nor will I ever be a good cook; thus, when it was my turn, I decided to cook a special recipe�a famous Italian pasta recipe. I spent the whole day preparing it, and I was proud of the sauce. It tasted and smelled delicious. I cooked it following the instructions carefully, but in the end, I failed the test because I didn�t pay attention to the pasta label. My co-workers said, �Alfredo, everything is perfect, but there is something strange about the pasta.  We are not dogs!��  Instead of cooking a pasta made for people, I cooked a pasta made for dogs. That day we didn�t have a nice lunch, but we had a great time laughing about my mistake.

 -Alfredo Mu�oz.

Watch out for labels!by Sonia Portugal

I went to buy my yogurt last night
I was starving after work
My partner said to me:
�Watch out for its label!
That one isn�t light!
Look at the fat content
That simply isn�t right!�

Then, I should find a light one
Soft like this night
Creamy like the moon light
Healthy, tasty,
And smooth
For my mood

I love yogurt!
It is so sweet!
Yummy, Yum-me
Yogurt is my favorite sweet stuff!
Light!
At night!