Projects

Semester 2 Final Presentation 

Fad diets are often severely lacking in key nutrients necessary for successful weight loss. They can be frustrating, useless and even dangerous to your health. The “fad diet” I selected in particular certainly falls into these categories. Not only is this diet intended to mimic the effects of starvation (which is horrible considering this is what true starvation looks like), but it is devoid of most nutrients. The idea of a cleanse is appealing: ridding your body of toxins in order to boost metabolism and liver function sounds like it would be nothing but beneficial to one’s health. However, there is a difference between a cleanse and a starvation diet.

Sad Liver by Hayley Grassler

The lemon and cayenne pepper “cleanse” ( AKA Master Cleanse) has several major voids in nutrition. By several, I mean that it is lacking in all the main food groups. There are no grains, no dairy, no protein, no vegetables and very little fruit.

Assuming that the subject in question is a woman eating an average of 1,800 calories per day (which is a healthy daily caloric intake for a young woman), this cleanse is already deficient by 1,150 calories. This is a flaw because the USDA recommends getting the following amounts of nutrients per day:

Fruits: 1.5 cups

Vegetables: 2.5 cups

Grains: 6 ounces

Meat and beans: 5 ounces

Milk: 3 cups

Oils: 5 teaspoons

Leaving out such a large volume of solid foods is not safe. The side effects of this fad diet often include lethargy, chills, and loss of muscle mass. Those who partake in this cleanse also often experience fainting and black spots in their vision.

by Hayley Grassler

 

These are just the immediate side effects; long term consequences of not eating enough protein include frequent infections, a lengthened healing process for wounds and other injuries, muscle deterioration and reproductive issues. Long term consequences of not eating enough carbohydrates include prolonged lethargy, muscle weakness, and even death.

Regretful Lemonade by Hayley Grassler

 

That being said, there are foods that have cleansing properties while still being nutritious. To improve the lemon cayenne cleanse, I have made a salad that is filled with foods that have restorative and cleansing aspects while still being fairly low in calories and high in nutrients.

by Hayley Grassler

 

The salad will include these superfoods for the following reasons:

Kale –  has a very large amount of protein, glutathione and insoluble fiber, both of which are essential for liver detoxification.

Cranberries – naturally cleanses the body of bacteria and viruses, especially in the urinary tract, and contains antibiotic and antiviral properties.

Grapefruit  – has pectin fiber which binds to cholesterol which helps cleanse the blood. Pectin fiber also binds to heavy metals, which makes grapefruit a great liver detoxifying food.

Avocado – has monounsaturated fatty acids, a fat necessary for nutrient absorption and glutathione. Glutathione not only detoxifies the liver, but blocks the absorption of fats that are responsible for oxidative damage.

Chia Seeds – like avocados, they are filled with Omega-3 fatty acids, high in fiber, antioxidants, and minerals, and can reduce insulin resistance.

With a lemon, olive oil and cayenne pepper dressing.

This meal covers all of the foods groups that had been previously skipped by the Master Cleanse. It is packed with protein, fiber, fatty acids and had no unnatural sugars or fats. This meal could be eaten with a slice of Ezekiel bread to tap into the grains recommendation of the USDA.

Happy Liver by Hayley Grassler

 

Nutrition Project Part IV

Infographic by Hayley Grassler

This portion of the nutrition analysis activity consisted of taking a hard look at my eating habits and analyzing the nutritional values behind what I was eating, and whether or not what I eat helps or harms by overall functions. By and large, there is a definitely room for improvement in my health. I am a little bit larger than my doctor would like for me to be, and I have a higher body fat percentage than what is considered healthy. A lot of this can be contributed to what I eat, because I am a fairly active person. I would really like to focus on making my diet more nutritious and less reliant on processed foods. Over half of my diet is carbs, and I eat too much fat. I am getting lots of protein, but not enough fiber to balance it out. I would like to significantly decrease the amount of fats and oils I eat, and decrease the amount of carbs I eat as well.

Eating better would definitely help me in sports. I would be able to perform better and longer without getting as tired. I take vitamins and drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit, so I am doing alright in the nutrients department. The biggest issue is cutting down the fat and carbs that I consume. I eat plenty of fruit, but it is really import to eat a balanced diet, and clearly mine is not. I plan on shopping at places like New Leaf and Whole Foods for more leafy greens, like kale, nuts, yogurt, granola and quinoa that provides more nutrients than chips. For me, this was a very useful activity as it showed me what areas in my diet are “strong” and which ones are “weak.” I will definitely be looking to buy healthier foods and improve all aspects of my diet, but I especially want to focus on eating only when I am hungry, and eating more healthy foods than I do currently.

 

Semester 2 Project ~ Nutrition

The Lemon Agave Cayenne cleanse, more popularly referred to as the “Master Cleanse” has been taking social media by storm over recent years. Growing popular amongst Youtube “Beauty Gurus”, it has trickled down through viewers to be especially popular with teenage girls and young women. While results are promised quickly, this fad diet is dangerous because it is nutritionally lacking in nearly all categories. The idea is that the only things you consume are 4 cups of salt water in the morning, 12 glasses of the lemon juice/pepper/agave nectar mixture, and a cup of herbal “detoxifying” (laxative) tea before bed. This is to be done consistently for 10 days, and at the end of 10 days you are promised to have lost 20 pounds. This diet only allows for 650 calories per day, and straying from this is likely to ruin any effect that it would have.

1. As I mentioned, this cleanse is lacking in really all areas.

Fruit: The juice of 1 lemon per 8 ounces, 12 times per day. That means you are lacking in fruit. Although you would be consuming a significant amount of lemon juice, the fiber and pulp will have been removed, thus negating most of the nutritional value.

Vegetables: None. There are no vegetables in this cleanse, unless if you count the dried herbs from the tea or the dried cayenne pepper.

Grains: None. There are no grains whatsoever on this diet.

Protein Foods: None. You will be eating no protein on this diet.

Dairy: None. You are actually specifically discouraged most highly from eating dairy on this cleanse.

Oils and Fats: None. The closest thing to an oil or a fat would be the agave nectar, or the maple syrup that could be substituted in.

The Cayenne pepper is used to speed metabolism, the lemon is used for detoxification and the “lemonade” is used as a food substitute. The laxative tea is pretty obvious and the salt water is used to dehydrate and encourage the loss of more water weight. There are carbohydrates in the agave nectar, but thats really the only thing on nutritional value in the entire cleanse.

Agave plant by Kimbery Hosey

2. I would never be able to do this. I love food, I love to eat. I tried this cleanse before prom Junior year, and I got through 5 days. On day 5, I was seeing spots in my vision and I felt dizzy all the time. Maybe I’m a wimp, but I feel it’s impossible for this to be safely done. It’s not worth starving myself to lose a few pounds of water weight.

3. There is minimal time or cost as all the ingredients are affordable and can be bought in bulk, and one simply dumps them into a pitcher and chugs it down as everything is liquid.

4. “Special” foods would be the Cayenne pepper and the laxative tea. There are 2 tablespoons of pepper per 16 ounces of “lemonade”, which is a lot.

Cayenne peppers by John Harding

5. Weight loss promised is 20 pounds in 10 days, but this is mostly water weight.  There is little long-term success, because consuming so few calories can kill your metabolism which makes weight gain more likely once you start to eat real food again.

6. The liquid is the only thing you can drink, so arguably everything and every food group is restricted.

7. Realistically, exercising while consuming so few calories is dangerous. However, exercise is recommended, especially running as this promotes sweating, which promotes further water-weight loss.

 

Clearly this diet is dangerous. It bothers me that celebrities and Youtubers promote this and swear by it when they need to lose weight quickly. Weight will come off very quickly, but it is highly likely that after the cleanse is over you will gain all the weight back and then some because it will have damaged your metabolism. This diet promotes extreme dehydration, which can damage the kidneys and put strain on the heart. It can lead to fainting and even convulsions. There is another, much milder version of this cleanse where one would only participate for 5 days, but even this could be damaging.

 

Semester 1 Project ~ Shadow Host

There are many branches of law, but both Medical Malpractice and Personal Injury law are closely related to the field of Sports Medicine, especially medical malpractice law. In this occupation, lawyers take on clients who have been been injured or neglected by their doctors, surgeons, or nurses. They then familiarize themselves with the case, research the injury caused to determine the severity of it, and then attempt to help their client get money for compensation for physical, emotional and financial distress that was caused by the injury.

I chose this occupation because I think I want to be a lawyer when I grow up. My shadow my host, Patti Holt, has had over 25 years of experience in this field. Before she was an attorney, she was a nurse, so she is also very knowledgeable about the body and why certain injuries are traumatic or even fatal. She is also my mother, which is both convenient and non-intimidating. I also like this occupation because I like to help people, and, quite honestly, I like the idea of sticking it to The Man (here being big medical companies and high powered doctors).

My shadow my host, Patti Holt, has had over 25 years of experience in this field. Before she was an attorney, she was a nurse, so she is also very knowledgeable about the body and why certain injuries are traumatic or even fatal. She is also my mother, which is both convenient and non-intimidating. I know she will do an excellent job of teaching me about bodily trauma.

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My final project is up! Read through it for more information about Medical Malpractice lawyers!