Chips, beans and toast – the diet that killed Scott

[Foxy Brown]

A BOY who existed on a diet of chips, toast and beans died of malnutrition, aged just 20.

[meowchi]

" "Scott did not seem to take his condition seriously, he was laid back about it. But when the doctors said they wanted him to have a liver transplant, he was terrified.
"He had to see a dietician and she gave him loads of special nutritional supplement drinks, but he did not like them. He tried them but did not like the taste and the more ill he got, the less willing he was to try to get them down. "

What the hell was his family doing; stuffing their faces too? Oh I guess he didn't like the fruits and veggies... lame!The apparent lack of physical activity kicked his kidney in the gutter too. The article should be called " Family kills son by lack of authority ".

As a Nutritionist and Fitness options student (my 4th year in getting my degree); some pointers about living a healthy lifestyle. (again, i emphasize living, because it's not just eating healthy foods):

-lose excess weight
Blood pressure increases (often) as weight does. Even if you lose about 10 pounds, it'll reduce your blood pressure by a considerable margin.
*find out if you're overweight. Check out a body mas index (BMI). In general, if your BMI is 25 to 29, you're overweight, and if it's 30 or higher, you're considered obese.
*talk to your doctor. Losing too much weight at once is unhealthy. Consult your doctor to determine your target weight, pre-cautions, etc.
*change. EXCERCISE. Get a POSITIVE attitude! EAT healthier! No late-night snacking on junk food! You won't lose weight if you eat more than you walk.

Excercise Regularly
Physical activity is the BASE of an overall stragety to control blood pressure and lose weight.
*think about your current activity level.If you aren't getting at least 30 minutes of excercise most days of the week; get your arse in gear.
*consult your doctor. Develop an excercise program for you to follow. Learn the pre-cautions and restrictions you have.
*cardio and strength training. Strength training can slow declines in strength and bone density as you age. Again talk with your doctor to find out if you aren't restricted for this.
*use a training log. Use it to assess your physical enlightment! Plus it's fun to see how much you've improved.

Healthy Diet
You are what you eat!
*evaluate your food habits. Personally, I use a food journal to keep tabs on what I eat, to assess my eating patterns and habits.
*learn the healthy basics. Basically, grains, veggies and fruits are the main part of a healthy diet, along with low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet is a good source to look into.
*make a shopping list. Generalize what you'd want to buy before heading into the grocery store, and STICK WITH IT! Read the food labels when you shop. Don't be tempted by the chips stand.

Reduce sodium consumption
Bigger cutbacks in sodium means lower levels in your blood pressure.
*evaluate your sodium consumption. This is where my food diary comes in handy! Most healthy adults need 1,500 and 2,400 (mg) of sodium a day. Read the food labels.
*no salt. 1 teaspoon of salt = 2,300 (mg) of sodium. Bottom lone. Salt is bad.
*fewer processed foods. Chips, frozen dinners, meats such as bacon, processed meats. All are high in sodium.
*more fresh foods. Fruits, veggies, unprocessed grains contain little sodium.

Limit alcohol consumption
Alcohol can be both good an bad for you. In SMALL amounts, it can help prevent heart attacks and coronary disease. Overconsumption is the bad part. It'll raise your BP by several points.
*evaluate your drinking patterns. Again, food diary comes in handy.
*don't gorge. Having four or more drinks in a row can cause large and sudden increases in BP.

No tobacco and secondhand smoke
I don't think I need to emphasize this.

Limit caffeine consumption
This is debatable. Drinking caffeinated drinks can temporarily cause a spike in your BP. Usually ppl who drink caffeine regularly have a higher BP, suggesting that caffeine has a long-term impact. But there are ALSO other kinds of people who can develope a tolerance to caffeine so it doesn't affect their BP. Check with your doctor.
*evaluate caffeine consumption. Food diary! Doctors reccomend limiting caffeine to 200 (mg) a day. Check your food labels.
*test your sensitivity. Not sure if caffeine is raising your BP? Within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee/energy drink, if your BP raises by 5-10 points.. You're sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.. Again, check with your doctor.

Reduce your stress levels
Stress or anxiety can temporarily increase BP.
*identify your stress sources. You need to know what pushes your buttons. Take time to think about it. Although may not be hard for some.
*reduce your stress sources. Once you know what's causing you stress, see which ones you can eliminate or reduce. Like, if you typically say yes to each favor asked of you, try saying no to some requests. If you get stuck putting in overtime everyday, talk to your boss about a more balanced work-load. Remember, your own health is important!
*learn better coping methods. There are some stress resources that are easier said than done, but at least you can cope with them in a healthier way. Take a break in life for a deep-breathing excercise. I myself use yoga, meditation and jogging. If self help doesn't work, seek out professional help.

Cultivate a support system
Supportive family and friends can help improve your health. Encouragement inspires!
*enlist support. Talk to your family and friends what your goals are, and about the dangers of high blood pressure. If they understand the complications and dangers, theyre more than likely to support your efforts in changing your lifestyle.

*join a support group. I'm actually one of the co-moderators at my local fitness club. A support group brings together people who share similiar interests or concerns. Joining a supprt group may put you in touch with people who can give you a boost, and offer tips, etc. Which gets me thinking... Should JPH!P have a support thread? I noticed a lot of peoples new years resolution was to lose weight.

The payoff: HEALTHIER LIVING!
I cannot emphasize enough, talk to your doctor about it. And by doctor I don't mean one of the fitness coordinators at your local gym. Doi!

[TheQuickening]

WARNING - THIS POST WILL BE MEAN (or at the very least, considered mean by some).  I'M NOT DELIBERATELY TRYING TO PISS ON THE GUY (I wouldn't waste my time or my piss), SO PLEASE DON'T SAY THAT I AM.  I MEAN, SOMEONE HAS TO SAY THIS:

I feel NO sympathy at all for this loser.  The guy's 20 years old.  Unless his family lives somewhere way out in the middle of nowhere he MUST have had access to SOME schooling, meaning that at SOME point he must have had some lessons on proper eating (like in a Health or Physical Education class).  Surely he must have learned (even just a little bit) about vitamins and minerals and about how your bodies NEED (i.e. REQUIRE) them to survive.  How much of a stupid moron do you have to be to refuse all food except fries/chips, beans and toast???  :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

Also, where the fuck was mom and dad and what was going through their heads during the early years of this guy's life? They are just as responsible as the guy is/was for his bad eating habits.  I mean, no one just one day wakes up and decides "I'm only going to eat this, this, and this for the rest of my life. Fuck all other foods".  This guy's eating habits would have been established at a early age.  My personal guess is that, as a kid he was probably a picky eater, and mom and dad must have kept on caving in and cooking only what HE wanted.  By spoiling him like that they weren't setting good eating habits for him early on in life.  Actually, now that I think about it, mom and dad should be held MORE responsible because they were IRRESPONSIBLE by allowing his eating habits to get as bad as they did.  Now I'm not saying that they should have forced him to try new foods or anything like that, but there are ways to introduce new foods to kids, and there are creative ways to get them to eat, IF the parent knows/is willing to look and learn, for the sake and more importantly, for the health of their child!  Kids will learn (on their own), to like a variety of foods if they are consistently exposed to it.  Curiosity WILL eventually get the better of them, and they WILL try new stuff.

When I was growing up, I was a very picky eater too.  I hated veggies like this guy did. If I didn't think it smelled or looked good, then I automatically hated it, regardless of whether or not I had actually tasted it.  But you know what?  My mom persisted and got me to try new foods from time to time.  Sometimes she would disguise a food I wasn't fond of so that I wouldn't recognize it.  If I didn't like something cooked a certain way, she'd try doing a different dish that used the same ingredient(s).  For example, I wouldn't eat pumpkin in any form until my mom gave me my first slice of pumpkin pie, now I love the stuff.  Sometimes she would "rename" a dish so that I wouldn't know what was in it, then, when I she knew that I loved it, she'd tell me what was actually in it (usually when I was older, like 12 or 13 so that I wouldn't freak out).  Now I'm proud to say I'll eat just about anything.  I'm known as a adventurous eater, to the point where it's scaring some of my friends, believe it or not.

The guy did it to himself.  He was stupid, he fucked himself over and his death is BY FAR, no loss whatsoever to the world.

[meowchi]

The guy did it to himself.  He was stupid, he fucked himself over and his death is BY FAR, no loss whatsoever to the world.

THANK YOU! A person with that kids mentality screwed himself over; given the CHOICES he had for prevention!

Heck, when I was a kid I didn't even have a choice to eat Mcdonalds over veggies. I remember I'd get a light smack on the back of my hand if I even tried to grab one too many cookies and soba from our annual shogatsu!
Thankfully my mom drove me steer clear away from that stuff. Over time I grew up to hate fast/junk food in general as I started to understand the cons and dangers of a unhealthy nutrition lifestyle..
I'd hate to find out how this guy lived.. His lifestyle, yeuch. See ya in your next life chips bean guy~

[daigong]

Yaw. I was raised like that too. Just health foods, low fat oils to fry food. I used to just sneak Junk Food behind my Mom's back  

Scott...WHY? WHHHY?

[elgie]

Also, where the fuck was mom and dad and what was going through their heads during the early years of this guy's life? They are just as responsible as the guy is/was for his bad eating habits.  

That's why I don't want to have kids. My eating habits aren't that bad, but still I should take more vegetables and less fat.. It's been a luck that both me and my bf have extremely low blood pressure and a fast metabolism (though mine's been screwing up lately ), so we can afford a little less control in our diets (still, no foie gras for me, and I have to donate blood every 3 months to keep my iron levels low). But I know I'd have a hard time trying to get my kids eat some healthy food.. hell, I didn't even know how to make a salad until recently!

[gocha]

im surprised that he could survive that long