Brest Feeding

1. Read and translate the words:

Breastfeeding

Balanced diet of children of the first year of life is one of the major conditions, providing both their adequate growth and development, and steadiness against the influence of infections and other negative external factors. Character of feeding on the first year of baby’s life substantially defines a state of health, not only at early age, but also during the subsequent periods of his life.

There is no doubt, that the mother’s milk is the best nutrition for the baby. Its structure is adequate to the feature of the baby’s metabolism, at early stages of development. It contains a plenty of biologically active connections and protective factors (enzymes, hormones, antibodies, lactoferrin, etc.), influencing on growth and formation of the immune status of children.

The structure of mother’s milk changes in process of baby’s growth, in accordance with his needs. Colostrum is produced at first time after childbirth, than mammary glands produce transitional milk and from second-third week mother’s milk becomes mature.

Female milk is specific. It contains the substances promoting development of baby’s brain, while cow’s or goat’s milk are direct to increase the weight of the body, mainly. The colostrum is very important. It’s rich of vitamins, enzymes, mineral substances and creates necessary conditions for microbic biocenose of the intestines (useful biobacreria). Just the colostrums in its pure state will help avoid a disbacteriosis. Besides the colostum is ideally for a sterile stomach of the newborn, as milk, on its own structure, is very close to tissue of the newborn.

There are a lot of fatty acids in mother’s milk, which are necessary for construction and adequate functioning of biomembranes, formation of the brain and an eye retina. Unlike the cow’s milk, there is elevated quantity of cysteine and taurine (amino acids) and less quantity of methionine in the breast milk. Taurine is necessary for bile’s salt connection and it serves as neurotransmitter and neuromodulator of the development of the central nervous system. Children are not capable to synthesize taurine, but this is an irreplaceable substance, and its absence or inadequate quantity cause irreversible damage to development of a brain and immune system, to the eye’s retina and the adrenal glands.

1. Understanding the Super-Size Sales Pitch

Words

get a good deal	=	find something at a good price, get value out of a purchase
retail	=	the sale of goods directly to the customer
soft drink	=	usually a carbonated drink like Cola, Sprite, etc.
consumer	=	the one who buys, the customer
negligible	=	very small or insignificant
soda	=	soft drink (sometimes called soda pop or just pop)
in a nutshell	=	summed up briefly

Photo by Rocko Rocko, from stockxchng.com http://rocko.groove.hu

America likes things big. Big cars. Big buildings. Big burgers. Americans also like getting a good deal. So very often retail outlets or restaurants offer large sizes of things for just a little more money than a medium size or a small size. For instance, if you go to a movie theater in the United States, you’ll find a small soft drink costs about $2, a medium $2.25, a large $2.50. A super-size or jumbo size—much bigger—costs $2.75.

So, the consumer thinks, “Well, it’s only a little more for the largest size.” The business thinks, “We’ve already made the sale, so why not try for a little more money.” The cost to them of that extra soda is negligible.

That, in a nutshell, is the super-size philosophy.

2. Write or Discuss

1. Do you like fast food? At what fast food places do you like to eat?

2. What do you think would happen to you if you ate only fast food?

3. Do you think Americans are fat? If so, why are they fat?

3. Spurlock’s Experiment: Listening Short Take (0:32)

Now you will listen to a short take that reveals the basics of an experiment conducted by Morgan Spurlock. Answer the questions.

1. What was the goal of Spurlock’s experiment?

2. How often did he plan to eat at McDonald’s?

3. For how long?

4. What were the three rules he planned to follow?