Download Analytical essay - Jana Wolff, The Sage Colleges

ANAYLYTIC ESSAY
JANA WOLFF
THE SAGE COLLEGES
JANA WOLFF
NTR 201
ANALYTICAL ESSAY
MACRONUTRIENT ANALYSIS
Carbohydrate
My food analysis indicated that my fiber consumption was 107% of the DRI for fiber. I’m very
conscious of including fiber into every meal by adding vegetables, fruits, seeds and whole grains.
In addition I drink adequate amounts of water which is important when consuming fiber. On the
third day of analysis, I consumed 32.3g of fiber, which was the highest amount over the three
day period. The foods that provided the highest source of fiber that day were blueberries (1 cup
at 6.16g), chia seeds (.5oz at 5.3g) and chickpeas (1/2 cup at 7g).
Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber both have different effects on the body and probable health
benefits. Soluble fiber lowers blood cholesterol by binding to bile and slowing the absorption
and travel of food through the upper GI tract while increasing satiety. Some health benefits of
this soluble fiber include the lowered risk of heart disease, diabetes, and colon and rectal cancer.
Insoluble fiber provides bulk and a feeling of fullness and can also help alleviate constipation.
This type of fiber can also lower the risk of developing diverticulosis, hemorrhoids and colon
cancer.
If one is looking to increase fiber in their diet, several changes include greater consumption of
raw vegetables and fresh fruit, adding legumes to any meal (soups, salads, side dishes) and
sticking to whole grains. For example, swapping out white rice with brown rice or quinoa and
looking at the fiber content on the food label when comparing whole grain foods such as bread
and cereal. Adding oatmeal into the morning routine is a cheap and easy way to increase soluble
and insoluble fiber – both of which prove importance for overall health.
Protein
The AMDR for protein is 10% to 35% of your total energy intake. My average intake was
20.2%, which fell within the AMDR. The RDA for my gender and age is 0.80 g/kg/day. After
calculating what I actually consumed, it fell above the RDA recommendation at 1.45g/kg and
according to the analysis, 208% of the DRI at 95.8g. I noticed that each day I ranged anywhere
from 81-114g of protein. This is probably due to the fact that I typically eat animal protein at
lunch and dinner (e.g. tuna salad, chicken, grilled salmon). To better align with
recommendations I could reduce both of the portion sizes and/or save animal protein for either
lunch or dinner, instead of both. I enjoy legumes, which provide healthful protein, but just a bit
less. I typically like to add protein to meals so I feel satiated. Adding a ½ cup of legumes instead
of chicken, tuna or salmon could be a practical solution.
Lipids
The AMDR for fat is 20-35% of total energy intake. My total fat was above the AMDR at
35.4%. The Daily Value limit for saturated fat is <10% and my intake fell below that at 7%.
The DRI for cholesterol is <300mg and my intake fell below that at 188.7g. Without even
looking at the food analysis I know that I eat too many almonds and peanut butter (albeit, all
natural, just peanuts), as well as tuna salad (w/ full fat mayonnaise). Then, after looking at the
analysis, I discovered that I was indeed correct. Reducing my consumption of almonds, peanut
butter and tuna salad would help to lower my percentage to meet the AMDR. Since the almonds
and even peanuts provide a good amount of monounsaturated fats and fiber, I would reduce the
frequency of eating tuna salad. In addition, I did have fried calamari and deep fried tofu which
impacted my overall average fat intake. Overall, it’s good to limit fried foods. Because it’s not
realistic for me to eliminate them completely, I would continue to limit things such as fried
calamari and fried tofu to once every few weeks or cook them at home by sautéing with canola
oil and/or baking with herbs.
Dietary cholesterol is a sterol found in all animal derived foods. Foods such as chicken, beef,
milk, butter and eggs all have cholesterol. It is possible to consume a diet high in fat but
cholesterol-free because there are also unsaturated fats such as monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats derived from plants that do not contain cholesterol. You can eat seeds,
almonds, avocados, and olive or canola oils, which all contain fat, but still have a cholesterolfree diet if you eliminate sources of fats from animals.
MICRONUTRIENT ANALYSIS
Sodium
The UL for Sodium is 2300mg and my intake fell above that at 3063mg. From the three day
analysis the top three foods containing the most sodium included the soy sauce (1067mg), Italian
dressing (972.6mg) and sushi (631mg). Other contenders for highest sodium were salmon
(590mg) and tuna salad (412mg). Although I drink a lot of water and exercise regularly (and
mostly moderate-vigorously), and have lower blood pressure, I should still try my best to lower
my sodium consumption. It is unreasonable to completely eliminate sushi because it is one of my
favorite foods and something I treat as somewhat of a reward to myself (because it is costly).
That said, I do not eat it every week. When I do eat it, I should try to reduce the amount of soy
sauce I have and have other fillers to the meal that do not have as much sodium such as
edamame with no salt or salad, that way I won’t consume as much sushi, which contributes to
the increased sodium intake levels. The Italian dressing was also a big contributor. I could easy
replace that with a homemade dressing that doesn’t contain any salt, but herbs such as thyme and
rosemary instead.
Iron
The recommendations for Iron are 18mg and surprisingly, I averaged at 18.1mg, almost the exact
recommendation! The three main sources of iron over the three days were protein powder
(7.3mg), Sushi (3.614mg) and chickpeas (2.025mg).
Calcium
The recommendation for calcium is 1000mg and I only consumed 918mg on average. I could
simply add a glass of milk, which contains about 300mg of calcium or have yogurt as a snack in
order to increase my calcium. Those are two easy, practical ways of obtaining more calcium in
my diet.
Other Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin D is a micronutrient that falls below the recommendations. I only consumed an average
of 27% or 1.347mcg. This is an issue because it plays a key role in bone health, assisting the
absorption of calcium and phosphorus and helps to maintain blood concentrations of important
minerals (p. 348). Because osteoporosis runs in my family, changes should be made to my diet
to increase Vitamin D such as drinking more fortified milk (this will help with my calcium levels
as well – see above). Also, a Vitamin D supplement or regularly scheduled short periods of sun
exposure will help increase my body’s ability to synthesize Vitamin D.
ENERGY ANALYSIS
According to the Energy Analysis I should be losing 0.63 lbs/week, with a deficit of 2205 kcals
per week. Because I am not losing weight, there could be other factors that influence the
negative energy balance outcome. While recording my food intake seems representative of what
I typically eat, I certainly do not eat the same foods every day. Many of the meals I eat are home
made, but a majority are purchased at restaurants. This makes it difficult to estimate how many
calories are being consumed. For instance, I eat tuna salad which is prepared with mayo and not
every dining establishment uses the same amount of mayonnaise, which can add on more
calories (going undetected by FoodWorks or MyPlate). Ultimately, anytime I eat outside of the
home, it’s inevitable that I may consume more calories than I think because I cannot control the
ingredients or use of added fats (unless I specifically ask at a dine-in restaurant).
In addition, my appetite fluctuates regularly throughout the month. Some days I’m very hungry
and other days I’m not. On the days that my appetite is decreased, I tend to consume fewer
calories. During these periods of time I will lose a few pounds, but then even out the loss during
the weeks in which my appetite is increased. This absolutely causes energy balance when you
observe my kcal consumption overtime.
MY PLATE COMPARISON
Based on the Food Groups and Calories report, deficiencies lie in grains, fruits and dairy. There
are many nutrients contributed by these three food groups, however some of the significant
nutrients for grains include fiber (soluble and insoluble), Folate (from fortified grains), and any
of the nutrients used to enrich whole grain products such as niacin, riboflavin, and thiamin.
Nutrients from fruits include Vitamin C and Vitamin A (from beta-carotene). Dairy contributes
Vitamin D, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Choline and Vitamin A (from Retinol in fortified milk and
milk products).
MyPlate recommended less than 266 empty calories and I met that recommendation, consuming
262 kcals. I had 60 calories from solid fats, 99 calories from added sugars and 102 calories from
alcohol.
The total calories compared between FoodWorks and MyPlate were almost identical as they
were off by 4 calories. Some of the grams per nutrient were slightly different, such as the protein
for FoodWorks was 95.8g and for MyPlate was 116g. I don’t think this made too much of a
difference; however I did notice some discrepancies between the minerals, as some were
reported high on one tool and low on the other. For instance, my iron was under on MyPlate (not
by too much) but on FoodWorks it was at 101%. The only other difference is that, in my
opinion, it’s perceived that when you see a vitamin or mineral percentage on FoodWorks over
100%, you’ve exceeded the recommendation, as opposed to MyPlate where you get an “OK”,
which feels like a better result.
MyPlate’s Supertracker is a great tool for anyone looking to lose or maintain weight, if you are
computer literate and are at the contemplation or action stage of change in regards to weight
management. This is a tool for anyone that is ready to try something new but is also willing to
do the work of logging on and tracking foods every day. You must be diligent and also
understand that MyPlate won’t have every food listed. If you prepare every meal at home, it
may be frustrating inputting all of the individual ingredients, especially if you have specific
dietary needs and the general dishes aren’t similar to the ones you make at home. Also, for folks
who eat ethnic food that is cooked at home it may be difficult to find that specific cuisine. For
example, I did a search for common Indian dishes like tikka masala, nan, biryani and tandoori
chicken and didn’t find anything. I say this because I have a lot of Indian friends and my family
cooks a lot of Indian food and I imagine for other ethnic groups it could get tricky when
searching for specific dishes.
This tool seems practical for anyone that eats at fast food or chain restaurants, as they have
almost all of those foods listed. I’ve tried using similar tools in the past, as someone looking to
manage their weight, and always found it difficult because we were cooking at home and eating
at independent restaurants that didn’t have their nutrition listed, or eating ethnic foods.
Lastly, I work for a wellness program for the employees of Price Chopper. There are 25,000
employees so it’s a considerable population and can resemble the general population for all
intents and purposes. Providing weight management tools through a website is the easiest way to
get these tools to a huge population. However, we’ve seen that many of the employees either do
not own a computer or are computer illiterate. This makes it very difficult and we often have to
provide paper copies of any activity we offer. That said, owning and using a computer is
considered mainstream, but many populations are not quite there yet, and for those that need this
tool the most, it may not be accessible.
If you do not fall into the categories above and have the means, time and commitment to tracking
your food intake, this tool is definitely user friendly and fun! It’s colorful, organized and
intuitive. It’s easy to log in and out and input foods (provided they are in the database).
It can
be very useful if you want to print the reports and bring to your doctor or Dietitian. Lastly, for
anyone that has never used a food journal or tracked calories, it can be a huge eye opener in
visualizing how many calories (and how much food) you actually consume and whether or not
you’re deficient in certain nutrients. Technology has come a long way from the days of
manually counting calories and estimating caloric intake as well as writing with a pen and paper
in a food journal (which still proves to be effective as well).
SUMMARY OF PROJECT
The three days recorded in my food analysis were typical of my usual diet and activity patterns.
I recorded two days of the week and a Friday. The weekends (including Fridays) usually involve
activities in which I consume a bit more, so I at least wanted to track one of those days. I’m glad
that I tracked typical eating patterns because it is definitely a reflection of how much I consume
and what I need to improve upon. The quality of the analysis can be affected if it’s not a typical
day since the results are an average and one day can skew the average. Also, in general if you
are using a food journal to indicate improvements needed within your diet, using a non-typical
day will not be telling of calories and nutrients commonly consumed. With an inaccurate food
your Dietitian or doctor may give you advice or guidance that isn’t necessarily tailored to your
specific dietary needs.
Based on my food analysis from FoodWorks and MyPlate it’s clear that I need to improve the
amount of Vitamin D in my diet by increasing my milk, non-fat dairy consumption and/or
possibly taking a Vitamin D supplement. In addition, I could increase my red and orange
vegetables (red and orange peppers, carrots, etc.) thereby increasing my Vitamin A, by simply
adding more to my salads and dishes I cook at home. Lastly, I could increase my whole grains.
Increasing just the whole grains such as oats and brown rice is something that would be
pragmatic, reasonable and enjoyable for me. Keeping a food record is one of simplest, cheapest,
most revelatory activities that one can do to become more mindful of and attentive to what they
consume and its effect on the body.