Eat Well, Live Well

RESOURCE
BOOK
B Y B I L L N G U Y E N
 Table of Contents

About the author 3

Chapter 1: Introduction & background 4
Overview 5
Findings 6
Poor eating habits lead to obesity for Chinese exchange students 7
Chapter 2: Eat Well 9
What is a well-balanced diet? 10
Tips for healthy eating 11
Healthy food options around the Ozarks 12
List of vendors around Missouri State University 13
Chinese f/v substitution chart 14
Chapter 3: Live Well 16
Maintaining a healthy weight 17
Physical activity and why it is important 18
Where to exercise 20
Trails & Greenways near campus 20
Hydration 21
How much water do I need? 21
Chapter 4: Dealing with culture shock 22
How to deal with culture shock 23
Clubs and organizations around campus 23
References 24
 About the Author

Welcome to the Eat Well, Live Well resource book. Im thrilled youre here
because I have so much I want to share with you. My name is Bill Nguyen.
First let me share a bit about myself. My passion has always been around
the health & fitness industry and educating others. My previous
experience range from teaching K-12 PE/Health in public schools to
working with special populations as an Exercise Specialist at Cox Health
in Springfield, MO. Currently, I am a graduate student pursuing my M.S.
in Health Promotion and Wellness Management at Missouri State
University. I am always on a mission to help others and promoting health
& wellness within our community.

Bill Nguyen
B.S. Kinesiology
DESE K-12 PE/Health
ACT Personal Trainer
Chapter 1
Introduction & Background
Overview: Establishing a need for this
resource book

In my graduate studies I have spent about a year looking at previously

published research articles that contain links between new college students
and obesity. In my findings, I have found that there are many associating
factors linked to obesity for new students such as; diet, stress, a lack of
knowledge, accessibility, affordability, and availability of fresh whole food
sources. While there is some data that looks at cultural differences and
culture shock, I did not find much relating to this particular target population.
Because of my findings, I felt this issue needed attention which is why I
decided to create this manual. The Eat Well, Live Well Resource book was
implemented to promote healthier eating habits and a healthier lifestyle for
new foreign exchange students in Springfield, MO. Eat Well, Live Well is
aimed towards new students who may be unfamiliar with American foods
and the culture of America and the Ozarks. While this program may be
tailored to a specific population, I do believe that everyone can still benefit
from it. The resource book contains an essential amount of information that
everyone can use. My goal is to promote health and wellness within the
population and make living a healthier lifestyle easier for everyone. I hope
you can take advantage of all that this book has to offer.
Findings
While there are research studies that involve preventing weight gain there is not
many for college aged adults let alone weight prevention programs for
international exchange college students. Most of the studies that included
Chinese students were usually for primary schools and the programs
developed were policies. The other studies that involved college students in
general dealt with weight prevention by a course intervention that guided the
students with knowledge of a proper meal plan along with a short exercise
program. While there are many needs to be looked at, the program can be
measured and evaluated by measuring the increase in fruit and vegetable
intake of the students. Similar techniques such as providing knowledge and
promotion of healthy eating habits and the benefits of maintaining a healthy
weight will be applied. Similar concepts and strategies from existing
interventions will be applied because it has been shown to have a high success
rate for college aged adults.
Poor eating habits leads to obesity for Chinese
exchange students
Obesity is a serious problem that we fail to acknowledge and do something
about it because of many factors that prevents a person from a proper diet
and exercise. In China, there is a growing problem of Obesity as well.
According to the World Health Organization, the percentage of Chinese
adults in China who are overweight and obese rose from rose from 2.5
percent in 2002 to 3.85 percent in 2010 in a population of 1.37 billion. The
areas with higher obesity rates are more urban and more accessible to fast
foods which are becoming more popular and can be found on every street
corner. We can see that having more access to fast foods can play a
serious role in gaining fat. This is a serious problem for students because
most spend their time studying and do not have much physical activity on a
daily basis. Now we know that fast food and bigger portion sizes contribute
to obesity in the United States, so will this mean that students who will come
to the States to study abroad experience an increase in weight gain if they
assimilate to the lifestyle of the culture here?

According to an article on Web MD, there was a study which showed that
8% of foreign-born survey respondents living within the U.S. were obese.
However for those living in the U.S. for at least 15 years: 41% were at
normal weight, 38% were overweight, and 19% were obese. Among U.S.-
born adults, 41% were normal weight, 35% were overweight, and 22% were
obese (Beijing 2015). That is a very close number that shows immigrants
who come over and live in the United States for more than ten years will
have a greater risk of becoming overweight. We can see that there is a
good chance for Chinese students to gain weight when they live in the
United States. If they plan to work or stay longer than a few years after
college than the health risks will arise. If the bad eating habits and not
participating in some sort of physical activity changes, there could be
serious health concerns for those individuals.
The World Health Organization predicts that 50 to 57 percent of the
Chinese population will be too heavy by 2015 in the urban areas rich in fast
food areas (Pang 2014). According to an article from China.org, over 80
percent of the Chinese obese population suffers from central obesity,
characterized by the so-called "pot belly", said Chen Chaogang, an
associate professor from Sun Yat-sen University, "Central obesity could
increase the risks at getting diabetes, hypertension, abnormal blood lipids
and cardiovascular diseases" (Pang 2014). The Chinese government
does address that obesity is a growing problem in China but they believe
there are other priorities that needs to be addressed above dealing with
obesity. As you can see from the figure below the rise in obesity has
grown dramatically.

Figure 1: Prevalence rate of obesity, overweight, and underweight in China

Theoretical Application
Previous research has shown that weight gain leads to obesity and is linked
to many cardiovascular diseases. It is simple enough to say that weight
gain is caused by consuming more calories than our body uses. In theory,
we can say that people are likely to gain weight from eating more junk food
and sweets and other small treats that pack a punch in calories. If we can
get more people to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, there would be
less junk food for people to consume. For example, eating fruits as a
substitute for a piece of cake would dramatically decrease the caloric intake
a week for an individual who normally has a slice of cake for dessert. We
can also add in that people with get more nutritional value from vitamins
and minerals from eating fresh fruits and vegetables as opposed to
traditional desserts.
Chapter 2
Eat Well
What is a well-balanced diet?
The World Health Organization defines nutrition as the intake of food,
considered in relation to the bodys dietary needs. But good nutrition needs
to be adequate, a well-balanced diet combined with regular physical activity is
the cornerstone of good health. Nutrition is important because poor nutrition
can lead to increased susceptibility to diseases, impair physical and mental
development, and reduced productivity. A balanced diet should include an
adequate amount of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and water. Now I
will not tell you to count and measure everything you eat unless you are
serious about meeting a certain weight goal. But for most of us, we dont
have that kind of time and commitment to track every little calorie. I will give
you some nice easy tips to follow for helping to maintain a healthy and well-
balanced diet. You can also refer to figure 2 below to get a better visual of
what an ideal healthy-balanced meal looks like.

Figure 2: Healthy Eating Plate chart from the Harvard School of Public Health
 Tips for Healthy Eating from the World Health Organization

1. Average caloric intake should be about 2000-2500

calories for Men, and 1500-2000 calories for Women.
2. Limit the amount of fat consumption. Try to eat more
unsaturated fats and less saturated fats.
3. Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. You
should include fruits/vegetables daily in your meals.
4. Try to consume as little simple sugars as much as you
can.
5. Try to limit your consumption of salt/sodium.

Now that you have your 5 easy tips for healthy eating, lets make sure you
understand them. Firstly, the caloric intake is just an average estimate
based on the average person. Please remember that everyone is different
so you may have to adjust your caloric intake depending if you want to lose
weight or maintain your weight. This topic will be discussed later on in the
resource book. The second tip refers to limiting the amount of fat
consumption. Now remember that we do still need fats in our diets
because they provide our body with energy and aid in nutrient transport, but
too much can be a bad thing. When consuming fats, it is important to eat
more unsaturated fats because these fats help reduce heart disease, lower
cholesterol levels and have other health benefits when they replace
saturated fats in the diet. A good way to remember the difference between
the two is that saturated fats will become solid at room temperature while
unsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature. Lastly I want to talk
about limiting your intake of simple sugars. Currently there is plenty of data
which shows that freshmen college students have been shown to gain some
excess weight upon attending to college (Block, 2013). The underlying
contributors come from many different sources such as poor nutrition, stress,
lack of physical activity, and other factors. When these lifestyle habits dont
change it can be difficult to ever initiate a behavior change throughout the
lifetime of the student. Now Im not telling you that you can never drink
another can of soda or eat a doughnut. But the keyword here is limit. Limit
your sugar intake and eat it in moderation.
Healthy food options around the Ozarks
When it comes to healthy food options, three important things to look at is
access, affordability, and availability of healthy food sources. All three of these
are available around the Springfield, Mo area which includes grocery stores,
Asian food markets, farmers markets, and other vendors of fresh foods who
can even deliver groceries. The issue is that not everyone is aware of this
which leads to reduced availability to a person based on lack of awareness.
Another area we want to touch on is access. Below you can find a list of
resources of fresh food providers and their information. We understand that
not all students have access to a vehicle and it is common in Chinese culture
to buy groceries daily to avoid fresh foods from spoiling quickly. Some vendors
even offer delivery of groceries to your home. In the following pages you can
find our list of vendors and Chinese fruit & vegetables substitution charts.

The Farmers Market is a good place to shop for

locally grown farm-fresh meats, milks, cheese,
and produce. For more information about the
Greater Springfield Farmers Market please visit
this link as the hours varies upon weather and
product availability.
https://springfieldfarmersmarket.com/index.cfm/locations/

The image above shows the locations of the 2 major Farmers Market
in the Springfield, MO area. Source: Google.com

"Saturday Morning". The photo above shows a crowded Saturday morning at the
Farmers Market in Springfield, MO.
List of Vendors around Missouri State
University
Chapter 3
Live Well
Maintaining a healthy weight
As part of a healthy diet, we should also try to fit in some
exercise to part of our daily routine. The combination of the
two will result in a better state of physical and mental well-
being as exercise has many great benefits for the body.
Being an exercise specialist has taught me many skills to
help people improve their lives through health and fitness.
First lets look at the Body Mass Index charts below
(Figures 3 & 4). What this calculated number will tell us is
where we are in a scale from being underweight to being
obese. Please keep in mind that this reading is not 100%
correct but it does provide us with a good base to go off of.

Figure 3: Body Mass Index calculator

Figure 4: Body Mass Index classification

Physical activity and why it is important
Physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your
health. There are many health benefits to physical activity such as
controlling weight, reducing your risk for cardio vascular diseases, reduced
risks of some cancers, improves your mental health, and increases your
chances of living longer. (Physical Activity, 2017). Sometimes when we
are starting exercise it is difficult to begin because we do not know where
to start. If you are interested in beginning a work out plan but dont know
where to start. Please look at the Places to exercise chart. Most gyms
will also offer a free orientation to get you started and on the right track.

Things to consider before exercising

1. Start out slow if you havent exercised in a long time. A good way to start
increasing physical activity is by brisk walking which is rated at a moderate
intensity aerobic activity.

2. Stay hydrated. It is a good idea to have a water bottle with you or at least
access to water when exercising. Staying hydrated is very important which
more is explained later in this chapter.

3. Dont be afraid of weights. In weight training, you are building not just
muscle mass but also bone strength. Research has shown that doing
muscular strength training plays a role in aiding with slow loss of bone
density when we age.

4. When performing cardiovascular exercises it is a good idea to keep track

of your heart rate so we dont overexert our bodies. The charts on the next
page will show you how to get an estimate for your maximum heart rate and
show you the areas you are working at according to your bpm.

5. Lastly, dont forget to warm up, cool down, and stretch. Always warm up
your muscles first before exercising and when you are finished exercising
perform a proper cool down such as a walk for a few minutes. After your
cool down you may begin with stretches. Performing these will help aid in
muscle soreness due to lactic acid build up and also reduce the chances for
injury.
When performing cardiovascular exercises it is a good idea
to keep track of your heart rate so we dont overexert our
bodies. Figures 5 & 6 will show you how to get an estimate
for your maximum heart rate and show you the amount of
effort you are working at according to your target heart
rate.

Figure 5: The Karvonen Target heart Rate Formula

Figure 6: Target heart rate zone

Where to exercise
There are many places in the Ozarks to exercise. Of
course as a student, we recommend that you check out
the campus recreation center. The campus recreation
center also offers a lap pool, lazy pool, hot tub, sauna,
and private showers as well. We do understand that the
gym may not be for everyone. But you can still get
exercise outside of the gym. Below you will find many
recreational activities, outdoor parks, and hiking trails
around the Springfield, MO area. So go for a nice walk
and enjoy the scenery the Ozarks has to offer. And dont
forget the water bottle and sunscreen if its sunny out!

Trails & Greenways near campus

Springfield Conservation Nature Center
4601 S. Nature Center Way, Springfield, MO 65804

Wilsons Creek Greenway

3825 W Farm Rd. 146, Springfield, MO 65807

Ward Branch Greenway

Shadowood Subdivistion to Rivercut Golf Course, Springfield 65803

South Creek Greenway

National Ave & Sunset St., Springfield, MO 65804

South Dry Sac Trail

North Grant Ave., Springfield 65803

Sac River Trail

Trailhead off Missouri 13, 3 miles north of I-44, Springfield, MO 65804
Hydration
Staying properly hydrated is very important
because we can lose up to a gallon of water each
hour during extreme heat and exercise. Symptoms
of dehydration include headache or light
headedness, fatigue, muscle cramps, and can
even result in fainting. Staying hydrated will help
reduce the chance of injury. Please refer below to
see how much water you should drink each day.

How much water do I need?

A simple way to calculate this is to divide you body weight
(in lbs) then divide by 8 to determine how many cups of
water you should drink each day.

Your body weight (lbs) / 2 = x

x / 8 = # of cups of water you should drink each day

Example: Tom weighs 160 pounds. Tom wants to

determine how much water he should drink each day by
following the formula above.

160 / 2 = 80

80 / 8 = 10

Tom should drink about 10 cups of water each day.

Chapter 4
Dealing with culture shock
Culture shock
Experiencing culture shock is very common for students who travel
abroad for a long period of time. This can result in feeling lonely, sad,
angry, fatigued, and detachment from reality (Thompson, 2017). The
best thing to do is to keep an open mind and stay positive. You can
follow these tips below to help cope with culture shock.

How to deal with culture shock

1. Accept the new culture and allow yourself to adjust physically and mentally.
2. Talk about it to someone in person. This can be a new friend abroad, a
teacher, or your host family can strengthen relationships and combat symptoms
of culture shock.
3. Stay connected to home. You can talk to family and friends back home and
read current news back home. But also be sure to get out there and make new
friends abroad too.
4. Be more social. Join clubs and organizations that you have interest in or
create a blog to share your experiences through pictures. You can connect with
classmates and see campus events when by signing up and using social media
outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
5. Travel more. Get outside and see the beauty of the Ozarks. You can also
travel to other places in the United States. Dont let culture shock prevent you
from traveling. We do recommend that you travel with a group and research the
areas you plan to visit for safety.

Clubs and organizations around campus

If you are interested in joining a club or organization around campus you
are in luck. There are over 350 campus organizations so you should
find something that meets your interests. Because there is too many to
list in this resource book you can find the Missouri State University
organizations directory by following this link:

https://missouristate.collegiatelink.net/organizations
 References
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