Personal Health Risk Assessment Paper

During the past decades, health awareness has been rising tremendously in every part of the world. In our daily life, weight control and eating a balanced diet are everywhere in the media. We also constantly read articles in the news that feature a new technology that can improve one’s health in some way. This phenomenon has changed our society and created a sensation that we have never seen before. There are also a lot of people, especially women, who are supporters of an anti-aging lifestyle. Most of us wonder how old we are in biological terms. The RealAge Test was created by Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz and it has been around since 1999. It is a health measurement of how old one’s body is based on categories like general health, fitness level, emotional state of mind, and diet habits.
After I took the RealAge Test, I was very shocked and surprised. My calendar age is 21, but my real age is 28.2. I was actually hoping to see a number close to or below 21 based on my answers on the test. Apparently, my mind and my body do not think alike when it becomes to health awareness. Here are four risk factors that are most important to me based on the test: consuming more grains, varying my vegetable intake, taking vitamin D, and getting my cholesterol tested.
A grain product is defined as “any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or another cereal grain” (ChooseMyPlate.gov). It is filled with carbohydrates, which give us energy and keep our stomachs feeling full. As a stable in any diet, it consists of two different types: whole grains and refined grains. Adults should eat “at least half of their grains as whole grains”, so about three to five servings of whole grains per day (Whole Grains Council). It is important to consume sufficient amount of grains because they contain protein, fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, and vitamin B (Whole Grains Council). All of these nutrients are substances that our bodies need daily,