Nutritional Analysis
After I logged my food intake and physical activity for two weekdays and one day of the weekend, I could make conclusions about my overall nutrition. Out of the main food groups, including whole grains, vegetables, whole fruits, protein, and dairy, my data showed that I was under 70% intake percentage in two food groups and not over 150% for any food groups. The two food groups where my intake lacked a healthy amount overall included vegetables and proteins. This means I do not eat enough of these two food groups in my everyday diet. However, no food groups were above 150 percent, meaning I am not eating too much of any certain food group, which is healthy. I reached 100% for whole fruit intake, 90% for whole grains, and 85% for milk and yogurt in dairy. My protein and vegetable intake was under 70%, with 68% protein intake, and vegetables fell the shortest with only 50% consumption (Choose MyPlate). I, therefore, do not meet the recommended amounts for vegetables and proteins; however, I do reach the recommended amount of the other food groups.
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My recommended number of calories to intake per day based on my weight, height, physical activity, and age is 2,000 calories per day. Each day, I fell a little short of the calorie count. Wednesday, I consumed about 1,789 calories; on Thursday, I consumed about 1,606; and on Friday, I consumed about 1,879 calories. This is a good reflection of my calorie intake because the recommended weight for my group is between 122 pounds and 164 pounds (Choose MyPlate). Therefore, it makes sense that I eat a little under my recommended calorie count and weigh in the low end of the range. My BMI is in the healthy weight range of 20. This is found by taking the body weight divided by the height squared. Weighing a little over 120 pounds and having a height of around 5’8 brings me very close to a BMI of 20. The average BMI for a healthy weight is in the range of 18.5 to 24.9 kilograms/meters squared (Wardlaw).
I believe since my preferred method of physical activity contains mostly cardio with some weight training, the most important dietary element that I should maintain is whole grains. My regular physical activity includes going to the gym 4 or 5 days out of the week and running between one and two miles, followed by a couple of reps of a weight machine working various parts of my body. It is important that my body maintains a healthy number of carbohydrates, which are the main components making up whole grains, because they provide a powerful energy source. Carbohydrates can be simple sugars called monosaccharides, for example, fructose, glucose, and galactose. Carbohydrates can also be disaccharides, meaning two monosaccharides or polysaccharides, pertaining to starches, fibers, and glycogen. Carbohydrates, when ingested, are broken down by amylase, which mixes with the starchy products to break it down to further be digested (Wardlaw). Carbohydrates are important because certain tissues, such as red blood cells, can only receive energy from simple carbohydrates. When running, as physical activity, versus weight lifting, it is important to have more carbohydrates than protein because of how the body will then use the energy to fuel your actions and store the access food intake. Excess of one food intake will then turn into fat, or adipose tissue, which is then much harder for your body to burn off.
One thing that I need to do to enhance my diet would be to start eating more vegetables. I do not like many vegetables, which makes this hard to do, but to enhance my diet, I need to find ways to incorporate more vegetables. One way to do this would be to take a vegetable I like, such as broccoli, and incorporate it into more foods, such as making pasta with broccoli. I also enjoy smoothies, so adding kale or other nutrient-rich vegetables into smoothies with other fruit or dairy products would be a good way to eat more vegetables. I also need to eat more protein. This has only become a recent deficiency in college, where I make all of my own meals. I need to eat more meat in my meals to increase my protein intake, which is an essential source of amino acids, which are the building blocks of many body functions and processes. I need to eat more meat in my meals because I do not like eggs and beans, which are other great sources of protein.
Proteins give our bodies amino acids, which are used in the process of translation to make polypeptide chains, which then will become a cell protein (Wardlaw). Every cell contains proteins, and proteins are essential for body functions such as maintaining fluid balance, contributing to the immune system, and promoting healthy growth and development. While I didn’t have a super low protein percentage, it is still important that my average protein percentage is above 70 to give my body and cells adequate fuel.
I have reached the proper percentage of fruits because fruits are my favorite food group, which makes It easy to consume enough. I enjoy fruit smoothies often as well as raw apples, bananas, and berries that I eat either plan for breakfast or snacks as well as incorporated in different foods. Fruits do, however, contain a lot of sugar, which leads me to be close to the 50g of sugar a day limit. Each day, I consumed about 40g of sugar, which is just under enough to be healthy. My recommended amount of saturated fat intake was 22 grams; I also came close to that limit by consuming 17g, 19g, and 20g during my three-day food track. Saturated fats “can drive up total cholesterol and tip the balance toward more harmful LDL cholesterol, which prompts blockages to form in arteries in the heart and elsewhere in the body” (Harvard Medical School). This explains why it is important to limit saturated fats. In addition to limiting saturated fats and sugars, it is important to limit sodium. My recommended sodium intake was 2300mg of sodium. Wednesday and Thursday, I was very close to this limit, consuming 2064mg and 2100mg of sodium, and on Friday, I exceeded the limit (Choose MyPlate). Sodium is in tons of American’s everyday food in larger quantities than necessary, making it very easy to consume more sodium than needed. Sodium can increase blood pressure and, in extreme cases, cause heart disease.
The last food group I have not talked about would be milk and yogurt or the dairy category, which I had a healthy percentage of 85%. I consume enough dairy by eating lots of yogurt, drinking milk, and eating cheese in a variety of my meals and snacks. Too much dairy can lead to gastrointestinal problems, but the healthy amounts ensure probiotics and other healthy bacteria the body needs.
I am lucky to have grown up in Madison, Wisconsin, with a family that was able to provide me with proper nutrition to grow and develop. In many places in the world, with their physical location or socioeconomic status, families can’t give their children proper nutrition. Money becomes an issue in providing all the healthy food groups and quantities for many people across America, arguably leading to many cases of obesity. I am fortunate enough not to have economic factors interfere with my ability to buy, make, and consume nutritious meals. Without having any economic barriers, it leaves only responsible for my nutritional intake and the quality of my meals for my body.
During this three-day track of my nutritional intake and physical activity, I was able to learn a lot about my food consumption and restate some important knowledge. I am glad I am on track with the BMI and physical activity guidelines, as well as meeting the proper percent of intake for most of the food groups. I will continue to work on my vegetable and protein intake, as well as watching my sodium and saturated fat levels in the near future.
Sources:
Wardlaw, G. M., Smith, A. M., & Collene, A. (2015). Contemporary nutrition: a functional approach. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Text.
Choose MyPlate. (n.d.). Retrieved October 02, 2017, Website from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Harvard Medical School. The truth about fats: the good, the bad, and the in-between. Retrieved October 02, 2017, Website from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying- healthy/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good
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Question 
Part 1: Healthy Body WeightExamining your energy balance and factors that affect your appetite.
Part 2: Breaking Bad HabitsExamining your unhealthy eating behaviors and developing a plan to break them.
Part 3: Physical ActivityExamining your level of fitness and developing a plan to increase it.
Nutritional Analysis
SummarySummarizing your plan for gaining or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
To receive full credit all answers must be typed and in complete sentences to receive full credit. You will be graded for detail and specific information. Provide details that demonstrate your knowledge of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. Listing, bulleting, or short answers are not acceptable.
Remember to use full sentences and paragraphs when answering all parts. A well-formed paragraph consists of at least three proper sentences. A proper sentence is a complete idea and consists of at least one noun and one verb.