As per our discussion during our lesson you may choose one of the following topics to respond to:
Nature of Science: Evaluating claims – health claims made about lipids in diets need to be assessed
There are conflicting views as to the harms and benefits of fats in diets. How do we divide between competing views?
To what extent do the natural sciences provide us with certainty?
How does emotion influence knowledge gained through the Natural Sciences?
Springs Pacelli 
To what extent does our current scientific knowledge support certain views?
Lipids in diet are good for you to a certain extent. Too much and/ or too little does not give one a balanced diet, it may leave you being malnourished because of the imbalance in your nutrients. It has been shown through scientific research that too much lipids are bad for you. Trans fats and saturated fats will increase your heart rate and your blood pressure because they are narrowing the lumen in your arteries. This increases the chances of heart disease. Saturated fats are good for you however, too much of it will have the same effect of trans fats and saturated fats on your body. Any nutrient or substance is bad for you when in excess or limited supply.
In conclusion, I believe that we have enough scientific knowledge to support the health claims made about lipid in diets. We have enough knowledge and evidence to be aware of the effects that too much or too little fat consumption will lead to.
*unsaturated fats are good for you…
KQ: Is it ethical for a pregnant woman to make nutritional choices for the fetus?
Many people feel insecure about their bodies nowadays, or they feel very sympathetic to animals, so they go on a vegan diet. In this diet, they are completely cutting off any meat or dairy products. People are free to make their own choices concerning their diet, and the vegan diet in particular has been cleared as healthy (there are conflicting views about this). But, a topic of controversy is the topic of a pregnant woman undergoing a vegan diet.
In the Vegan diet, people limit themselves to basically fruits, vegetables among other foods. Many argue that during the time of pregnancy, especially in the early stages, it is absolutely necessary that the baby receive all nutrients from all food groups. This is essential for their growth of organs, limbs, and their body overall. The fetus deserves to be exposed to any and all nutrients that they need to grow properly in the womb. A pregnant vegan woman may find that when her child is born, they could be weaker and thus the diet may pose serious health risks not only for the baby, but the mother as well. They are sharing these nutrients, and therefore the mother needs more food than usual to stay up and healthy. Consequences for both the mother and child include lack of red blood cells, anemia, muscle weakness, and nerve damage. Some claim that for a mother to not allow her child the benefits of all food groups, and by making the choice for her child to be vegan, is unethical.
However, if the mother is careful, she can continue with her vegan diet while pregnant. She must check up with her doctor to make sure has a body that allows for herself and her baby to stay safe while vegan. While there are some nutrients that are exclusively found in only animals, a study in Tennessee showed that vegan pregnant woman can give birth to healthy babies if they take supplements that contain these vitamins such as B12, folate and iron.
Still, there are claims that the best way to have a healthy fetus is to give it all nutrients that it needs from natural, non man made sources.
Hey Alia,
I really like this topic you chose. But one thing I would like to challenge if it is possible for the pregnant woman to eat protein- non meat produce in a different form? I ask this question because you only mentioned meat produce as a form of protein and did not discuss non-meat produce.
Norah Tabsh IB1-2
How does emotion influence knowledge gained through the Natural Sciences?
Topic to be discussed: Evaluating claims – health claims made about lipids in diets need to be assessed
How does emotion influence knowledge gained through the Natural Sciences? Well, a great example for this question is the vegan diet. Those who chose to follow the vegan diet do not eat any animal produce, which includes animal fat. This diet is usually based off emotion because those who chose to follow it portably do not agree or support the way animals are treated before being slaughtered for humans to consume. Although animal meat (or produce such as milk) may contain beneficial factors and nutrients, vegans chose not to eat animal meat based off emotion, therefore they let emotion influence knowledge gained through natural science.
probably* (not portably)
I agree that emotion is a large factor in deciding wether an individual wants to be vegan or not because they may feel insecure about themselves, or they feel sympathetic or guilty for the slaughter of animals. Another thing you could mention is that the choice is also ethical.
How does emotion influence knowledge gained through the Natural Sciences?
A scientist is more driven by reason and intuition rather than emotion. They look for numbers, facts, and evidence. They know through reason and intuition. They present their data, analysis, and reasoning to give and gain knowledge. A scientist is always open to question knowledge claims and be questioned as they look for the up most certainty.
Scientists can spend years on a study so we can say that they have made a huge emotional investment in their work. Emotion can, to some extent, effect the knowledge gained through the natural sciences. I believe emotion plays a very small role when it comes to the natural sciences. Sometimes the scientists don’t get the results they were looking for and it’s unrealistic to expect them to be emotionally detached from their results. However, I believe emotions are excluded from their knowledge claims as they look for logical reasoning.
Dear Hanya,
Your post is very interesting, however I would like to think if a scientist were supporting a theory their whole lives, and trying to prove something were right, when there is finally proof-however they were wrong, wouldn’t emotion play a role?
There are conflicting views as to the harms and benefits of fats in diets. How do we divide between competing views?
By looking at different ways of knowing, we can interpret this question in a variety of ways. First, when we perceive this question by looking at reasoning and logic, different body types (endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph) require different amounts of fats in their diet and depending on their goal if it is to gain weight or reduce weight the amount of fat in their diet changes accordingly. However, if a person wants to gain weight the consumption of protein should be high and not the consumption of fat as a high consumption of fat can lead to health problems such as CHD. Therefore, we can say that there is a limit to how much fat should be consumed in each diet. Additionally, if the aim or goal of the diet is to lose weight then fat consumption should be reduced however that does not mean that fat consumption should be absolute zero. If we look at this point through the way of knowing of sense perception, if someone’s body senses that it isn’t getting the required amounts of fat, it will store excess carbohydrates and the body will not burn as many calories preventing progression towards the goal.Furthermore, emotion plays a great role in dieting as it can be the cause of success or failure of a specific diet. For example, if a person is pushing themselves to unrealistic measures to reach a specific goal with their diet, then stress levels on their bodies will increase significantly, and the rate of progression will come to a halt because the body is malnutritioned. Therefore there must be a balance because fat has very large benefits to the body and the body needs fat in order to be healthy but because people imagine (WOK) the word ‘fat’ as being unattractive and unwanted by others, then they feel certain negative emotions (WOK), which make them perceive fats as a negative aspect of a diet, leading to the assumption and mindset that a lower consumption of fat will lead to success. in conclusion, there are many different answers to this question that can be debated depending on the different situations and people and the type of fat being consumed.
There are conflicting views as to the harms and benifits of fats in diets. How do we divide between competing views?
There are many harms fats can bring to your body. Over consumption of fats can lead to heart diseases and obesity. However, that doesn’t mean that fats are harmful in general. Fats are an important necessity for a healthy body. There are different types of fats: saturated, unsaturated and trans fats. It is important to understand that there needs to be a balance of these fats implemented into your diet. Unsaturated fats are considered the good fats, as they are high in antioxidents and are good if a person is conscious about their cholesterol levels. This is an example of how a fat can be helpful when dieting. Since there are conflicting thoughts on including fats in your diet, it should be understood that not all fats are harmful substances. There are some that should be avoided, like trans fats. They are the fats that can cause harmful side effects if consumed in large quantitites. Saturated fats are needed in your diet as well. So in conclusion, only trans fats should be cut out of your diet completly, and these fats don’t encompass all the other fats.