CalorieLab

Hello Health students!

CalorieLab is a wonderful website that can prove helpful to many of you looking for more calorie-counting resources. It provides nutritional information for popular foods and restaurants. The site covers quite a bit of data, so you should be able to cover what you're looking for.

REMEMBER, this project is not meant to be difficult and does not require a large investment of your time. Use the resources on this blog to help you along your way and to keep things as simple as possible!

Also, remember that you are only accounting for the calories you are consuming. You SHOULD NOT be eating less or eating more based upon the numbers you are observing. You are only counting calories, and nothing more. Good luck!

Movie: Super Size Me

Hello Health students!

Today, we will be starting the award-winning documentary "Super Size Me," which takes a close and personal look at the obesity epidemic from the perspective of a man who eats nothing but McDonald's menu items 3 times a day for one whole month.


There will be a worksheet to complete, based on the information presented, at the close of the film next week. Also, the film material is fair game for the exam next Friday, so keep that in mind as you watch!

Calorie Counting: Estimation

Hello Health students!

A quick word regarding your Calorie Counting project: it's okay to estimate!

When you are unable to find the exact caloric value of the foods that you are eating, consider what you know about the ingredients and serving size, and take an educated guess. Estimating in this way will ensure not only that you will do well on your project, but that you will be reinforcing a positive behavior that will help you live a long and healthy life!

To help you out a littie, in the column to the right is a very useful Calorie Calculator that you can use to create a rough estimation of the caloric content of the foods you are eating. You it wisely, and you will do extremely well!

And remember, making an educated guess is NOT making numbers up. Don't sell yourself and your health short, and do the best you can in being as accurate as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know!

"Super Size Me"

Hello Health students!

Today we received a good sampling of what to expect from the movie we will be watching in class tomorrow, "Super Size Me." If you missed it, the film is a documentary that follows the life of it's director as he partakes in a diet consisting only of McDonald's fast food menu items.

His experimental eating behavior and resulting metamorphosis ties perfectly into our studies on obesity, and should get you thinking deeply about the cause of our nation's over-weight epidemic.

When we finish the film next week, there will be a worksheet to for you to complete on Wednesday. So as you watch, please give the film your undivided attention. It may not be a bad idea to take notes while you watch!

If you missed the video clips we watched in-class today, or would like to see them again, they can be found below. Enjoy!

Obesity Facts and Statistics

Hello Health students!

Whew, we covered a lot of information in class today, didn't we? Congratulations on handling it all so very well. It was great to engage in such meaningful discussion, and I hope you look forward to more of them as I do.

Below are links to a couple of websites that contain some very important information (hint: that means they contain likely test material!). Take a quick look through them now, and you'll notice that the information is quite familiar, as we have already discussed them in class. Once you receive your review sheets for next week's examination, you'll definitely want to give the sites attention once again, so keep their URLs handy.

Good luck studying!

U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Obesity Information

Obesity Statistics

Health Project 1 - Calorie Counting

Hello Health students!

Today, we will be talking about your first major project this semester, the Calorie Counting project. It is an ongoing procedure, meaning that it will be continued throughout the term and have due dates or checkpoints at the end of every week.

You will need a Composition Book for this project, with your name and period on the front and inside cover. For any amount of food you eat each day, you will write down the time of consumption, the type of food, and the number of calories consumed based on the number of servings you had to eat.

Entries should look similar to this:

8/26

7:15 a.m.

Bagel...............................140 calories
Cream Cheese..................200 calories
Orange Juice.....................160 calories

12:30 p.m.

Del Taco #4......................1520 calories

5:45 p.m.

In-&-Out
Double-Double..................670 calories
Chocolate Shake...............690 calories

3380 total calories on the day

This should be done DAILY, EVERY DAY, AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND. Points will be rewarded at the end of each week for completeness.

And remember, this project is for YOUR benefit above all else. Be as careful and complete as possible so that you can accurately measure your eating habits--a very important part of a healthy lifestyle!

Good luck, and if you have any questions, please let me know!

Welcome!

Hello Health students!

Welcome to another year of school here at LLA! To those of you who are returning, welcome back! And for those of you that are new to the school this year, hello and welcome--it's good to have you with us!

For many of you, this class will serve as your introduction to specific health-related topics and issues that apply to your everyday life. As the class progresses through the semester, we will be covering a great deal of information pertaining to individual/personal health, social health, and public/community health. The information is substantial, and it is my goal this year to help you all to see just how important these matters truly are, not just later in life, but right here, and right now.

If you are worried because it sounds like a difficult task, don't stress! This class will be challenging, but keep in mind that you have a great deal of resources to consider! This blog, for example, will play a vital role in your day-to-day studies and is here to help you stay organized along the way. Be sure to check it daily for updates, assignments, and course documents, which will be posted regularly. Infact, you can see the Course Syllabus linked in the column to the right, for example.

Also, to help deal with any questions you may have, feel free to email me anytime and I will respond as soon as I can. Keep in mind that the sooner you email me, the better chance you have of receiving a response in a timely manner. In other words, don't wait until after dark to send me your questions!

I am confident that with some effort, you can all do very well. I look forward to seeing the challenges we face as a health-seeking community together, and I hope you do too.

Welcome to LLA Health, 2008-2009!