N TIO AL EN E FO CASE TUD EACHIN N IENCE NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE HIN

A Light Lunch? A Case in Calorie Counting by Brahmadeo Dewprashad Department of Science Borough of Manhattan Community College The City University of New York and Geraldine S. Vaz Ambulatory Care Department Jamaica Hospital, Queens, New York

Before Class
A. Read the following case study. B. Locate and read the following article: United States Department of Health and Human Services and United States Department of Agriculture. 2005. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2005/2005DGPolicyDocument.pdf C. Complete the Pre-Case Study assignment individually and submit two weeks prior to …show more content…

To keep the same weight we have to eat about the same amount of calories we burn up. Calories are not the only thing to watch. You do watch your cholesterol intake and that’s great. Trans fats and saturated fats aren’t good either. Although that lady is skinny, the fried chicken and fries are not healthy choices, they have lots of saturated fats and maybe even trans fat,” Charonda counseled. Elizabeth nodded in agreement and then shifted the conversation to news about mutual friends during the rest of the meal. All the talk about diet and calories was making her feel depressed. “That was good,” Charonda observed as they got up to leave. Elizabeth complained. “Yeah. You know, I wish I had as high a metabolic rate as you. Then I could enjoy food like you do. We eat about the same amount but I’m so much bigger than you. I always feel guilty after I’ve eaten something that I really love.”

“A Light Lunch?” by Dewprashad and Vaz

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NATIONAL CENTER FOR CASE STUDY TEACHING IN SCIENCE “Don’t worry so much. We walked for about thirty minutes in the mall. I am sure we burned up about half of the calories we just ate,” Charonda opined. “We walked more like forty minutes. I bet we burned up all the calories we ate. We should come to the mall and window shop more often. It is much more fun than working out in a gym,”