MODULE 8

MODULE 8:

NUTRITION, HEALTH AND WELLNESS

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Discuss basic concepts in nutrition, health, and wellness.

2. Review balance diet.
3. Understand mental health.
4. Prepare a cheap but nutritious food.
5. Participate in the programs to improve health/safety.

OVERVIEW

Health is wealth is an old but a worth saying. Health is considered as one of the valuable treasures of
many people. We cannot achieve our dreams in life and render our service to others if we are sickly.
Good health is holistic — it includes physical, mental, emotional, social as well as spiritual well-being of
every person.

When God created the first man and woman, He provided everything to sustain their body needs.
He provided them with plants and animals, the sources of their food, to make them healthy and strong,
so they could perform their duties to one another.

In our modern days, young people like you are too much exposed with foods which seem to be the
source of nutrients your body needs, and yet may cause to damage your tissues and organs of your body
system.

Aside from this, mental and emotional aspects must also be healthy, so you may enjoy the fullness
of being a college student, who, in anytime, is ready to extend your services as volunteers for others.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), health is "a resource for everyday life, not
the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as
physical capacities”

On the other hand, the University of California defines wellness as a dynamic and active process
of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life." It is a conscious, self-
directed and evolving process of achieving full potential “ as the National Wellness Institute defined the
term.
Importance of Studying Health and Wellness

As NSTP student, it is good to have basic knowledge on health because:

 As medical records reveal, Filipinos have moderate to poor health practices. It has been
recorded that Filipinos are so seldom to consult health practitioners. Increasing awareness on
health concerns will lead to improved daily lifestyle.
 Filipinos' attitude and practices towards health does not lead to hygienic living. It is a customary
way among Filipinos to take self-medication if sick.
 Filipinos' basic knowledge about health is poor. As far as the studies are concerned, health
matter is the least among the priorities of many Filipinos in terms of budgeting. This kind of
mindset needs to be corrected among college students.
 Having a well-rounded understanding about health may promote longer life.

Why do you need to stay healthy?

 Health condition affects your ability to study well and interact with other students. Having a
good health makes you a productive individual.
 If you are healthy, you are giving yourself greater opportunities to improve your skills and
knowledge which in turn will make you be valuable and honorable to others.
 Being healthy allows you to participate in many academic and non-academic activities that may
lead you to excellent performance.
 A healthy mind performs well during examination period and lets you concentrate on your
studies and projects leading to improved grades.
 Healthy body and mind keeps you away from hospital.
 A healthy lifestyle keeps you in good shape and boosts your confidence as a student. College
activities range from moderate to heavy tasks, hence having a healthy lifestyle is highly
essential.
 Healthy mind and emotions helps to overcome depression, anxiety, and stress. Your physical,
emotion, mental, social and spiritual components are interdependent. The condition of one
component affects other components and vice versa. Hence, you have poor physical condition,
it affects your way of thinking, which in the long run, may affect your emotions and social
interaction; positive outlook in life produces healthy body, mind, and emotions.

Ways to Improve Your Healthy Lifestyle

Since you are preparing yourself to be a better person someday who is able to extend help to others
in terms of volunteerism, improving your healthy lifestyle is essential. Take note of the following.

1. Make your healthy diet intake your priority.

2. Include exercise to your daily routine.
3. Keep a regular sleep schedule.
4. Learn to manage your stress.
5. Activate your intellectual health.
 6. Always check your emotional health.
7. Be conscious with your mental health.
8. Practice a wholesome body-soul-spirit relaxation.

Make your healthy diet intake your priority.

Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) published on November 29, 2017 that to maintain
good health, the body needs more than 40 different nutrients every day and no single food can provide
such amount of nutrients.

To keep the public aware of this requirement, nutrition experts led by FNRI-DOST revised the
Nutritional Guidelines for Filipinos.

Generally the three major food groups are the go, grow, and glow foods.

 Go foods give us energy.

 Grow foods build and repair body tissues that make children grow tall. Grow foods also
make the muscles strong.
 Glow foods, like fruits and vegetables, help regulate body processes by providing
vitamins and minerals. Glow foods also give fiber that makes our digestive system
healthy.

Aside from these groups of food, our body needs plenty of water too. Since 60% of our body
composition is water, experts advise us to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Liquids like water
and beverages are very helpful in regulating body processes as they play an important role in digestion,
absorption, metabolism, transport, and utilization of nutrients. Water and beverages also help us
excrete waste products and toxins from our lungs, skin, kidneys, and large intestines.

Things to avoid:
  Skipping of meals. Despite the hectic schedule and too much school projects and activities,
taking your meals on time is highly essential. Taking your breakfast is very important for your
brain cells to be active and productive.
 Highly sugar content and cholesterol foods. Experts advise to have a minimal amount of sugar,
salt, and fat in our body. One of the major issues among Filipinos in terms of food preferences is
the average to excess amount of seasonings which is not good in the cells and tissues of the
body.
 Street foods and fast foods. Millennial and Generation Z generation live with instant and fast-
phased" system. Avoid -instant or easily cooked food. Based on studies, street foods are not
healthy due to exposure to street dust and insects that bring bad bacteria and virus to our body.
Street and fast foods are also high in cholesterol.
 Foods with high content of additives and preservatives. Due to chemical composition of food
additives and preservatives, food nowadays are full of chemicals which are harmful to the body.

What to Do:

 Take your meals properly and accordingly. You have to take your heavy breakfast since you are
facing number of activities as early as first hours of your day in school. Body system becomes
productive if it receives adequate and required nutrients. Like the old saying says, "Eat breakfast
like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper."
 Let fruits and vegetables always present in your meals. Studies have shown the vitamins and
minerals in every fruit and vegetable help the body to be in good condition. Most youth belong
to the young generation seldom eat fruits and even vegetables. It is the right time for you to
change your food eating habit.
 Go organic and locally available food. Organic foods like fruits, vegetables, and meat are more
safe and healthier, local, and seasonal foods are cheaper.

Include exercise to your daily routine.

It has proven many times the benefits of exercise to human body. Some of the benefits you may gain in
doing regular exercise every day in.

 Reduces the risk of a heart attack.

 Manages weight better.
 Helps maintain a lower blood cholesterol level, thus promoting normal blood pressure.
 Lowers the risk of Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.
  Helps in have stronger bones, muscles and joints, and lowers risk of developing osteoporosis.
 Recovers better from periods of hospitalization or bed rest.
 Promotes more energy, a better mood, feel more relaxed, and better sleep.

Keep a regular sleep schedule.

Having a good and enough sleep leads to an active

and productive preparation of our body. Peaceful and
enough sleep promotes healthy condition and
reduces the possibility to acquire chronic diseases.
Getting enough sleep each night is directly related to the
level of productivity and well-being the next day. On the
other hand, internal diseases like diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression, and like are
associated with poor sleeping habit.

As recommended, seven to eight hours of sleep

per night rejuvenate the body and ready to work the tasks
of the day. The National Institute of Health reiterated the
importance of staying on a consistent sleep schedule,
having a quiet and comfortable environment, turning all gadgets off, and avoiding eating large meals
before bedtime.

Learn to manage your stress.

Not all stressors give harmful effects to the body because there are
different types of stress. Hans Selye differentiates eustress from
distress. Eustress is a positive stress which motivates a person and
improves one's performance. It also lets a person feel the excitement and
perceives as within the coping abilities. Taking educational classes or
learning a new hobby, receiving an award or promotion, taking
vacation, and the like are examples of activities or condition of
eustress.

Distress, on the other hand, causes worries and anxiety that may result to unpleasant feelings
and decreases performance. If a person is unaware of his or her condition, it may lead to mental and
physical problems. Death of a family member, being abused or neglected, interpersonal relation-ship
conflicts and schools related problems are examples of conditions producing distress.

Here are simple P-E-A-C-E tips in managing stress in college life:

 Prioritize and learn to manage your time for personal, study, family, and friends. Start your day
with a joyful heart despite all the odds.
 Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly even if you are facing many deadlines.
 Accept the social support of your love ones during tough times and needs.
  Change your routine as need arises. Be creative in using your time, talents, and skills.
 Enjoy connecting with nature and enhance your spirituality.

Activate your intellectual health.

As one of the major parts of our Central Nervous System (CNS), the brain controls and coordinates our
thoughts, memory and speech, movement of the arms and legs, and the function of many organs in our
body. With such delicate functions of the brain, maintaining its healthy condition is highly essential.
From the scientific studies conducted, scientist-researchers have found that brainy activities like word
puzzles, solving math problems, engaging with drawing, painting and other crafts works stimulate new
connections between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate new cells.

What other activities may help your brain healthy? Enough sleep, take balanced diet meal, and manage
your stress are still the fundamentals activities. Feed your mind with positive thoughts that would
produce sound life decisions. Always remember, "An idle mind is the devils workshop."

Always check your emotional health.

Emotions may build you up or ruin you.

Healthy emotions bring healthy relationships with family,
friends, classmates, and time will come, with
colleagues in the workplace. Emotions are our
expressions in relating to other people. Through our
emotions, we express our likes, dislikes, joy, love,
hatred, anger, depression, and the like towards other
people.

Our mind, body and emotions connect.

[Link] reports that "the mind and the body are
linked. When you improve your physical health, you'll automatically experience greater mental and
emotional well-being. For example, exercise not only strengthens our heart and lungs, but also releases
endorphins, powerful chemicals that energize us and lift our mood. Try to maintain a balance between
your daily responsibilities and the things you enjoy. If you take care of yourself, you"II be better
prepared to deal with challenges if and when they arise"

Being emotionally healthy does not mean you are free from any stress and worries or you are
happy all the time. No person is free from negative emotions, but a person who is emotionally healthy is
aware of his/her emotions and can deal with them accordingly. People who are emotionally healthy
know how to manage negative feelings like anger, worries, and sadness. They even know when to tell
they can still manage their problems or not. They also know when to seek help from their friends or
doctor.
 How to keep our emotional wellness? Based on the studies, exercise is one of the best ways to
keep our emotions healthy. Exercise may change the levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin,
endorphins, and stress hormones. Lastly, surround yourself with people who have positive outlooks in
life. Listen to their stories of how they overcome negative emotions in life.

Be conscious with your mental health condition.

Like emotional health, mental health condition also affects our daily life, relationships, and even
our physical health. Good mental health condition enables person to enjoy life, having a balance
perspectives between life activities and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.

What is mental health? According to Medilexicon's Medical Dictionary, "Emotional, behavioral,

and social maturity or normality; the absence of a mental or behavioral disorder; a state of psychological
well-being in which one has achieved a satisfactory integration of one's instinctual drives acceptable to
both oneself and one's social milieu; an appropriate balance of love, work, and leisure pursuits"

The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the
individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community"

 Early Warning Signs of Mental Health Issues

 How do you know if your friend or yourself has a mental health issue? Here are some early
signs:
 Eating or sleeping too much or too little.
 Pulling away from people and usual activities.
 Having low or no energy.
 Feeling numb or like nothing matters. Having unexplained aches and pains.
 Feeling helpless or hopeless.
 Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual.
 Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared.
 Yelling or fighting with family and friends.
 Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships.
 Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head.
 Hearing voices or believing things that are not true.
 Thinking of harming yourself or others
 Inability to perform daily tasks or getting to work or school

Teenagers have all the chances to live joyfully and productively. With all your talents, skills and
gifts, you have the ability to decide wisely on how to perform in excellence level for yourself and to
others. But life challenges are inevitable, and if not handled properly, may lead to stress, anxiety or
depression, which are categorized as common types of mental illness.

As reported by the Department of Health that 3.3 million Filipinos suffer from depressive
disorders, with suicide rates in 2.5 males and 1.7 males per 100,000,"
([Link] As humans, we all experience feeling down, stressed or
discouraged; but most of the time, we overcome them. How if extreme feeling of sadness, anxieties,
frustrations, discouragement or depression may come in our way? Here are some tips from the mental
health experts:

 Call a friend or a love one and confide your feelings. Keep in touch with your love ones.
Communicate with them face to face or through text, messenger or simple notes. It helps.
 Keep yourself active. Again, regular exercise keeps you alert and helps you to concentrate,
sleep, and feel better.
 No matter what, maintain your healthy eating habit. Balanced and nutritious diet is good not
only for physical health but as well as for mental health. Drink enough water too.
 Take a break. Go to a place where you can unload your feelings and burden.
 Divert your attention to something you love to do that makes you creative and productive.
 Accept who you are and your uniqueness. Do not compare, you are different but you are special.
Help others too, listen to their stories.
 Seek professional help. Consult your school guidance counsellor or clinical psychologist.

Practice a wholesome body-soul-spirit relaxation

Composed of body, soul and spirit, a healthy lifestyle will be complete if the totality of a person
is considered on the process of wellness. In terms of stress coping mechanisms, a significant number of
studies has found out those spiritual activities like meditation, prayer, attending religious studies, praise
and worship services and reading inspirational books help them a lot. As a Christian nation, some
experts have proven the benefits of meditation in the body, soul, and spirit relaxation.

Jones (2018) enumerated some benefits of meditation in reducing stress.

 Meditation increases the secretion of serotonin, the happy hormone in our blood.

 It lowers blood pressure. During meditation, the body is relaxed and breathing slows down,
which gives peace and keeps blood pressure at normal level.

 Meditation is one way of fighting heart diseases.

 For regular meditation, our brain becomes healthy. From the study led by a Harvard
neuroscientist, those who meditated for over eight week's experienced growth in five different
parts of the brain. This included the parts of the brain that are responsible for learning,
emotions, empathy, compassion and kindness, and self-awareness. Meditation also shrinks the
amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for anger, anxiety, fear, and paranoia.

 Meditation helps a person to fight addiction and vices. In one study, people who were trying to
quit smoking were found to be more successful if they meditated.
  It improves blood flow all over the body. This is a side effect of lowering blood pressure. During
meditation, the body is relaxed and the blood vessels open up and a person can take deeper
breaths. This allows oxygen to get to every cell in the body.

 It improves sleep. Many studies have shown that people who meditate fall asleep easier and
stay asleep longer.

Jesus, the Master Teacher's Invitation

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon
you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." — Matthew 11; 28-30

Saint Peter's Advice

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." —1 Peter 5:7

The Role of Government Concerning Health

As stipulated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution,

"The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health
consciousness among them (Art. II Sec. 15, 1987 Philippine Constitution).

The State shall protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology
in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature. (Art. I Sec. 16, 1987 Philippine Constitution).

While the State is doing its part by providing programs on health on consciousness through the
Department of Health and other allied agencies of the government, we should also take an active stand
by extending our unwavering support to make each program meaningful. We should care for our health
more than what the government could offer. We should be aware, ready, and willing to adopt and abide
by the procedures, health, and safety rules, particularly those who are in the working place.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1:

Local Food Exhibit

1. Group yourself with 10 - 15 members each.

2. Prepare a simple nutritious menu with the Go, Grow, and Glow groups of foods which can be
promoted among the Day Care Centers.
3. Describe on the space below the ingredients and the simple procedure for your low cost local
source menu.
4. Get ready for the class presentation and evaluation of the panel of judges.
5. Your NSTP instructor will give the details of this activity.
Name of the Menu:

______________________________________________________

Ingredients:

______________________________________________________

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Procedure:

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Allocated budget:

Items Cost
 Total Expenses

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2:

Managing Your Stress

For the past two months, which of the following have you experienced?

Extremely Moderately
Statements No
Felt Felt
Life is somewhat exhausting for me.

It is hard for me to relax and just be.

 I feel overwhelmed by life's responsibilities.

I rarely exercise.
Frequently I feel the need to get away from it
all.
I am easily angered or annoyed.

I feel powerless over my situation.

I have a very little time for myself.

I feel a sense of urgency most of the time.

I am suffering from a chronic illness.

Adapted from: [Link]

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3:

Health and Wellness Plan

To improve or maintain your health and wellness status, what activities would you like to remove,
maintain, improve, or add to your daily routine?

Activities Need to Activities Need to Activities Need to Activities Need to

Remove Maintain improve Add
LEARNING ACTIVITY 4:

Wellness Community

1. What can you contribute make the people become more aware wellness and conscious of their
health?
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2. If health is wealth. What kind of sports and wellness program will you promote to your
community? Why?
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REFLECTIONS

In this module, I learned that:

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APPLICATION

This week, I will demonstrate my commitment to be a good citizen of my town/city throug