Diet Analysis Paper
The three-day was interesting. There were many positive attributes to it and definitely negative ones. Over the course of the three days, which were Friday, Saturday and Sunday: and figured this would give a good depiction of what I was consuming on a regular basis. In some places I was consuming more than I should be and in some I was consuming less than I should be. There were also those places were I was getting just the right amount. It is so interesting to me to be able to find out what I am consuming and how I am consuming it.
Being an active male, it was most interesting of what I ate, what my average of the three days were, and the plan on how I would correct the way I eat to make it a more healthier lifestyle. My Pyramid was not that shocking, when I saw Grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, and bean intake compared to the recommendation. Personally, it made sense of what I was meeting and what I was missing, yet, have done nothing about it. I love my grains, even though I am a celiac. I do not really follow the guidelines and still chose to eat a lot of grains.
This was at 10. Oz and I met the required intake for grains. The vegetables I tend to eat are broccoli, carrots, and from time to time I eat cauliflower. So, I was at 1. 2 cups of vegetables compared to the recommended intake of 4. 0 cups. I already knew I hardly reach the fruit intake that happened to be zero percent. I have never been a big fruit person, besides eating apples to keep the doctors away. Got milk? Of course, I always drink my milk when I eat all the grains out of the cereal bowl.
Thus, I was at 1. 5 cups compared to 3. 0 cups of the recommended intake. Lastly, meat and beans I was at 5. 5 oz and cheated, because I ate at taco bell! Overall, the above groups did not surprise me and did show me how far I still was to reaching the food-list compared to the latest USDA Dietary guidelines. My actual intake for Protein was at 83. 30 grams and exceeded the recommended by 8. 91 grams. When looking at the meal assessment, lunch was when I received the most protein during my three-day analysis.
I normally eat out during lunch, because I am either at school or work and it is convenient. I usually do not think of whether or not I am cooking the right foods that have a good amount of protein at dinnertime, and rely on fast-food chains. Since, I am over on my protein intake I am not worried about having to rely on fast-food to get the appropriate amount my body needs. Carbohydrates (carb) for me were at 206. 36 grams when it should be at 554. 37 grams, so not exactly where I need to be. Again, my carb intake was the highest during lunchtime.
The foods highest in carbs high in starch or sugar would be found in the grains (Cinnamon Toast Crunch), starchy potatoes (French fries), and any foods with added sugar. Low carb foods I consumed were the meat (lunch and dinner), eggs (breakfast), and the small portion of vegetables (broccoli and carrots). Total fat was 63. 9 grams compared the 125. 43 grams of total fat recommended. Also, my saturated fat was 18. 16 grams when listed at 40. 32 grams of recommended intake. Not too sure on fats, except from the fact that the key is to replace bad fats (saturated and trans) with good fats (poly and monouns) in our diet.
Knowing which fats will raise my LDL cholesterol and which ones will not is the first step to lowering my family’s history of heart disease. Cholesterol was 254. 51 mg, which was very close to my recommended intake. If there is one thing I learned so far this semester, it is to eat foods that are low in cholesterol, saturated fat, and free of trans fat. I have never had a screening done before, yet, seeing that my Cholesterol was fairly high, I might reconsider. Being an athlete I know I can use all the fiber I can get to keep my digestive system clean.
During the three-days, I only took in 17. 20 grams and I should be consuming at least 56. 44 grams. Fiber can be found in fruit (I did not eat during the trial), vegetables (I ate very little), and wheat foods that were most likely the main source I got the fiber from. On an infomercial with Montel was selling his new “Health Master” blending machine. During his spiel, he started talking about how the majority of us add salt to foods that already have a good source of salt. I found it interesting, because I know I do this when I get chips or chili.
From what I got, the key to healthy eating is choosing foods lower in salt, sodium, and try to not add extra salt to foods (unless your mother’s cooking is bland). Well, I had a very high intake of sodium of 2,730. 78 mg when it should have been at 2,300 mg. I usually stop by the blood pressure machine when at the grocery store and it tends to be good. So, I am not too worried about having to choose a low-sodium diet, unless it becomes a trend when being over my intake level. Astonishingly, my vitamin intake was really good, and I am somewhat surprised by that.
There were only two Vitamins I was low in enough to talk about were vitamin C at 69. 19 mg Folate, which was at 273. 60 mcg of my recommendation of 400 mcg. Minerals seemed to be average for me, with potassium, magnesium, and calcium (I have to take extra by pill form) being the lowest out of the eight listest on the report. Calories, calories from fat, and calories from Saturated fat were all low for me as well. I am a guy and unfortutely I do not count my calories, however, I have a cool application on the I-phone that is a calorie counter!
The diet analysis opened my eyes and realized that I do not know what I am really doing to my body. My feelings are different after finding out the true facts. Knowledge is the key to a healthier lifestyle, and the diet analysis program has helped a lot. Goals I need to set for myself are balancing out what I am eating, try to learn as much as I can on the subject of nutrition, and be more aware of what options are available to me when I go out to eat during lunch (smaller portions). Those are problems that I would like for my to correct.
