Nutrition paper

How do you feel about the dietary intake for the day you recorded?

A feeling of both happiness and sadness flows within me as I study my dietary intake for the day. When we study my vegetable intake, I was able to take in a substantial amount; but barely enough to meet the required food intake. Happily I was able to take in more than enough fruits and milk to meet the expected requirement. When it came to my Meat, Beans and Grain intake, I was overwhelmed to see that I was able to take in more than double of what was expected. Also when it came to the fat intake, I was able to take in more than enough but still in the norms. Basically when we look at the over all food intake that I had, I was able to eat more than the daily requirement for almost all the food groups in the pyramid; which makes me happy. I was happy because I know that I have met most of the daily requirements.

Did you consume the recommended minimum number of servings from each of the food groups of the food pyramid?

Unfortunately, when it came to my vegetable consumption, I was only able to eat 75% of the required amount. Meaning I lack 25% of the vitamins and minerals that I could have acquired from various vegetables that I should have consumed on that day. Happily I was able to eat more than the required amount when it comes to meat, beans, grains, fruits and milk for the day. Which means I am compensated for what I lack in vegetable consumption; at least I’d love to think I am.

c. Which groups of foods are underrepresented or overrepresented in your diet? If you did not consume the number of servings from each group, discuss some reasons why you did not consume the number of servings.

As was mentioned earlier, I lack vegetables in my food intake. And I barely passed when it came to the appropriate amount of fruits in the food pyramid that I should have consumed. In addition, when it came to Beans, Meat, and Grains, I ate two times the requirement. Grains are readily available in any meal, whether it be pasta, bread or rice.

Therefore, unless I decide to follow a certain diet that prohibits me from eating carbohydrates, it is impossible for me to avoid eating a substantial amount of that food group in every meal. Grains in itself lacks appropriate taste that is why it is always a good idea to add another food group to it; Meat or Vegetables. Whether it be crab meat, fish meat, lamb chops, poultry, pork or beef, it is most definitely more palatable than vegetables. Any type of grain tastes much better when eating it with a type of meat since it is more palatable and tasty. Since meat contains enough salinity to give taste to any type of grains, and it may be cooked in a various number of ways that vegetables cannot.

Aside from this, vegetables aside from tomatoes, eggplants onions and potatoes all taste monotonous. It is very hard to distinguish one from the other, which is why it is so dull to eat. Vegetables would be great to eat when you add salad dressing or cook it with a type of meat. Although vegetables are healthy and refreshing to eat because of all its vitamins and fiber, it is simply hard to get a person to eat it. On the other hand, fruits are very sweet and delicious, that is why it is so easy to include it on my diet. Fruits are very hard to make it into a full meal, but it is very easy to include it as a dessert in every meal, or a snack when hungry.

d. Did your diet provide an adequate variety of foods, or were your choices monotonous? See how you met the various food pyramid groups. If you did not eat a variety of foods, how can you expand your field of choices?

I can never say that my food intake was monotonous, because in one day, I was able to eat Vegetables, Meats, Grains, Fruits, and Milk. All food groups are present in my daily diet, there fore none of them are unrepresented, but simply Overrepresented if not underrepresented.

The things that I need to improve with my daily diet are increasing my vegetable intake and also decreasing the carbohydrates and Proteins that I eat. But then again, my intake of food may be considered normal since, I may eat a little more than what is required for my daily nutrition, but I can never say that it hasn’t been enough for me to live a healthy lifestyle. My food intake can be summarized by saying that it is High Protein, High Energy and Low Fiber Diet.