Download Gena Alltizer HSCI 382 Athlete Nutrition Analysis March 13, 2014 I

Gena Alltizer
HSCI 382
Athlete Nutrition Analysis
March 13, 2014
I. Subject Background Information
My subject is a 18.75 year old female athlete named Karina. She is 5 feet 2 inches
(1.57m) tall, and weighs 109 pounds (49.5 kg). Her BMI is 20.1 kg/m2 [49.5kg/(1.57m)2], which
is within the normal range of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2. Karina is a track athlete. She participates in
track practice at school two days a week for two hours each. During practice, she runs a variety
of races such as the 300 m, 600 m, 800 m, and 1600 m (1 mile). She runs on her own two other
days a week for about 50 minutes at about 7.5 miles per hour (8 min. mile). On one additional
day of the week she plays soccer for about 40 minutes. Based on her weekly exercise of about
380 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity, I classified her in the Active range for
physical activity.
Karina does have a family history of heart disease and high blood cholesterol. She told
me that many family members on her father's side of the family had died at a young age due to
heart attacks and heart disease. Her father is currently on medication for his high blood
cholesterol. Based on her history Karina may have a genetic factor that will predispose her to
heart disease.
Karina stated to me that she mostly eats food that is prepared in the home by her mother.
She brings food with her to school. She eats out in restaurants approximately a two times a
week. She likes a local Mexican food restaurant in her neighborhood, and also enjoys Panda
Express. Karina told me that she is not really a picky eater and enjoys most foods. Her only real
dislikes are pickles. She does not enjoy sweets, sour candy, or soda. Some of her favorite foods
are pasta, potatoes, fruits and salads.
II. Analysis and Summary of Findings
After having Karina complete a three day diet record, I found that there are many
nutrients that she is not obtaining in acceptable amounts to meet her needs as an athlete. I had
her complete the logs, and then went over them with her to clarify items and help spur her
memory about what she ate. Since she has been weight stable, I believe that she under reported
her intake. Her recommended energy intake is 2181 kcals per day, and the average of her actual
intake from the diet analysis was 1641 kcals. Even when the days were calculated individually,
there was only one day where she came close to consuming the 2181 kcals.
In regards to the macronutrients, I believe Karina is getting less than the Acceptable
Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) in both carbohydrates and protein. When looking
at the actual nutrient analysis, she met all of the AMDR because her energy intake was skewed
low (1641 kcals) due to under reporting. In this case her carbohydrate intake was 56% of her
total energy intake. When I look at what she should be consuming in energy (2181 kcals), her
carbohydrate intake was 920 kcals which is only 42% of her daily energy needs. For an active
athlete, I recommend that she increase that to 55-60% of her total energy intake, especially on
days that she is racing and competing.
When analyzing the My Plate data, I found that Karina is only getting 58% of her
recommended grains, 36% of vegetables, and 29% of fruit intake Low intakes of these food
groups can not only cause Karina to be sluggish during her training, but can predispose her to a
variety of deficiencies and diseases. Increasing her intake of phytochemicals from fruits and
vegetables can deter cardiovascular disease, and many types of cancers. An increase in complex
carbohydrates would also address another area of concern in Karina's diet. Her fiber intake is
about three to four times less than what it should be. She consumed an average of 9.36 grams of
fiber, when she should be consuming between 25-45 grams per day. This low intake puts her at
risk for cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, chronic constipation, and diverticulitis.
Karina's protein intake is also an area of concern. Based on her under reported intake she
is right on the cusp at 12%, of the AMDR of 12-20% of total energy intake. In actuality her
protein only constituted 9% of her recommended 2181 kcal intake. She ate about 51 grams of
protein on average. Recommended intakes for endurance and high intensity trained athletes are
1.2 - 1.4 grams/kg of body weight, and 1.4 - 1.7 grams/kg of body weight respectively. Karina
would meet these needs by consuming between 59-84 grams of protein per day. My Plate also
shows that she is only obtaining about 56% of the recommended intake of protein foods.
Increasing her protein intake would also raise her intake of dietary iron. She was below (12 g)
the recommended intake of 18 g, and this could cause iron deficiency anemia if left untreated.
Maintaining a good iron level will improve her oxygen transport, which will help her
performance in sports.
Besides iron, Karina had concerning levels of two other micronutrients: sodium and
calcium. Her sodium intake was 2938 mg per day on average. While the Daily Value for sodium
is 2300 mg, the AI is set at 1500 mg. A slightly higher amount may be tolerated by Karina
considering losses that may incur, via sweating, during her training. When considering her
families history of heart disease and hypertension, I think that it would be prudent for Karina to
consume close to 1500 mg per day. On the other hand, Karina's intake of calcium was too low.
She consumed only about 600 mg of the 1300 mg that is recommended for her age group. Her
intake of dairy foods was extremely low. My Plate analysis indicates that she is getting just 37%
of the recommended servings. I suspect not eating dairy is beneficial to her overall fat intake,
but it comes at the expense of calcium. She is at the age where she should be getting as much
calcium deposited to her bones as possible, in order to avoid osteoporosis later in life. I
recommend increasing her intake of low fat dairy foods. Her intake was quite low for vitamin D
as well but I believe that will increase with the addition of dairy and fish to her diet, and I am not
as concerned since she does play an outdoor sport at least 5 day per week.
Karina's intake of most of the vitamins, and the not previously mentioned minerals, is
generally acceptable. If she takes my suggestions of increasing whole grains, fruits and
vegetables, low fat dairy, and lean proteins her intake of all vitamins and minerals will increase
to health promoting levels. She could not really give me an accurate estimate of her water
intake, and expressed to me that she was concerned it was not enough. Since Karina is an
outdoor athlete who trains in warm weather, I recommend that she is mindful of her fluid intake
and to be sure to get 3 liters of water a day.
III. Reflection
This assignment was very valuable to me. I have only done a diet analysis on myself
before. I feel like there is definitely more pressure to make accurate and realistic
recommendations when they have to be given to another individual. I have a tendency to
overwhelm a person with the scientific information about nutrition, which I believe can scare a
layperson off. This assignment gives me practice in finding a balance between the science, and
real life advice that a person might be able to use.
I tried hard to be strait to the point in my recommendations. I also tried to explain some
of the common terminology that the average person hears in the media, like whole grain or
serving size. Karina is young and still lives at home with her parents, so I thought that a small
amount of education would help her to be able to implement some of the changes I am
recommending. I believe she is a health minded individual that needs a little more education
about food so that she can make better choices. I hope that I have made it easy for her to
implement some of my suggestions.
References
Food Groups. (n.d.). Daily Food Plans. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups
Nutrition Calc Plus 3.5 Cd-rom Myplate Version.. (2012). New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill
Companies.
Williams, M. H., Anderson, D. E., & Rawson, E. S. (2013). Nutrition for health, fitness, & sport
(10th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill
Dietary Recommendations
1. With your current activity level, you should aim for eating about 2181 calories per day in
order to maintain your current weight. As is the case in most diet studies, I believe that you have
under reported your food take. It is common to not be able to remember everything you ate.
2. Carbohydrates:

Try to eat between 1200-1300 calories per day in complex carbohydrates such as whole
grain breads and pastas, rice, vegetables and fruits, beans and lentils. This would amount
to about 300-325 grams of carbohydrates per day. This will provide you with the
energy you need when you are training and competing.

Aim for about 6 oz. of grains a day. One slice of bread, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice or
pasta is a 1 oz. serving. Try to make at least half of the grains you consume in a day
whole grain. To determine if a bread is whole grain, the first ingredient in the ingredients
list should say “whole wheat flour”. Eating whole grain will help to increase your daily
fiber which is about 9 grams a day, while the recommended amount is between 25-45
grams of fiber per day. Whole grain crackers with low fat cheese is a good, on the go
snack. About 1 cup of breakfast cereal is a 1 oz serving, so choosing something like the
plain Life cereal, or Cheerios is helpful. Look for cereals high in fiber (5 grams per
serving), and low in sugar (less than 10 grams per serving).

Aim for half of each meal to be made up of vegetables and fruit. Aim for a total of 3
servings of vegetables, and 2 servings of fruit per day. Eat the rainbow! Try to have at
least 2-3 cups of bright orange and red fruits and vegetables (bell peppers, carrots,
sweet potatoes, strawberries, watermelon), and 3 cups dark leafy greens (kale, red leaf
lettuce, romaine, chard) per week. Generally a serving is about a cup of cooked or raw
vegetables, unless it is leafy, then 2 cups is a serving. A piece of fruit or a cup of fruit
also counts as a serving.
3. Protein:

As an athlete you should be getting between 59-84 grams of protein a day to support
muscle maintenance and growth. Try to focus on lean, unprocessed meats like chicken
breast or lean sirloin. Both of those contain between 24-36 grams of protein per 3-4 oz.
serving. A 3 oz. serving is about the size of a deck of cards. Fish is also a good choice,
as long as it is not battered and fried. Salmon is a great source of not only protein, but
also omega-3 fatty acids which are protective against heart disease. Non-animal sources
of protein are lentils and beans (16-18 grams of protein for 1 cup cooked) or nuts, but
these need to be eaten with a grain such as rice, corn, wheat or an animal product to get
the full benefit of the protein. Some good examples that combine protein foods are
beans and rice, hummus and pita bread, cereal with milk, and peanut or almond butter
sandwiches.

Most protein foods contain iron, which is necessary for the body to maximize it's oxygen
use. Efficient use your oxygen will improve your performance when you are training
and competing. Aim for at least 18 milligrams of iron per day. Good sources of iron
are fortified breads, cereals, and pastas (look for the iron on the nutrition facts panel),
beans, pumpkin and sesame seeds, dark leafy greens like spinach, and shellfish like
oysters and clams. Vitamin C helps you absorb iron better so have a glass of orange
juice with your toast or cereal, or eat red and yellow bell peppers and broccoli with your
spinach salad.
4. Sodium

Your average intake of sodium was about 2900 milligrams per day. The recommended
intake is 1500 milligrams of sodium per day. Athletes can usually tolerate a little more
than the recommendation because they lose a portion of it through their sweat. I
recommend that even though you are an athlete, you try to aim for 1500 mg a day
because there has been a history of heart disease and high blood pressure in your family.
Some people are more sensitive than others when it comes to the relationship between
consuming a lot of sodium and having high blood pressure. Until you know if you are
sensitive, it does not hurt to reduce your sodium. Usually there is a high amount of
sodium in foods that you eat out in restaurants, as well as anything processed. When
buying canned foods, like beans or vegetables look for ones that say “no salt added”.
Lunch meat, frozen meals, salad dressings, pre-made sauces, and cheese are usually high
in sodium. If you can opt for oil and vinegar, instead of prepared Italian dressing you
will reduce your sodium intake. Consuming sports drinks, which usually have 100-200
mg of sodium, is alright when you are training especially if you are sweating a lot. Aim
to not eat any processed foods for at least one meal a day, especially on a days when you
do not exercise.
5. Calcium & Vitamin D

Your bones are still growing and adding calcium to them, so you should be aiming to get
at least 1300 milligrams of calcium per day. Your diet analysis recorded that you are
consuming only about 600 mg per day. I recommend that you try to fit in at least 3 cups
or equivalents of low fat dairy products a day. One cup or equivalent is 1 cup (8 oz.) of
skim or reduced fat milk (on your breakfast cereal), one 8 oz. cup of yogurt (with fresh
fruit), 2 slices of hard cheese like cheddar, mozzarella, or Swiss, 1/3 cup shredded cheese,
or 1 cup of fat free or low fat frozen yogurt. You are in the healthy range for your total
and saturated fat intake, so be careful when trying to add calcium that you select low fat
dairy products. It is crucial for you to get calcium now when you can still deposit it to
your bones, because after age 30 the process is reversed and you start loosing calcium
from the bones which can result in diseases like osteoporosis later in life. There are
vegetable sources of calcium as well, like broccoli, kale, and bok choy, but we do not
absorb the calcium in these foods as well. Also try to pair them vitamin C to enhance the
absorption of calcium. Any calcium fortified drink like orange juice, soy, rice, or almond
milk will also help you to get your daily calcium in.

Your intake of vitamin D is quite low but it will increase as you increase your
consumption of low fat dairy. Your body has the ability to make it's own vitamin D if
your skin gets exposed to the sun for about 15 minutes a day (without sunscreen).
6. Water

Aim to drink 3 liters of fluid a day. That is about 12 eight ounce cups (96 oz. total). It
does not all have to be water, but try to limit sweetened beverages like soda, fruit drinks,
or flavored teas to no more than one 8 oz. serving per day. Get a 24 oz. water bottle, and
fill it four times a day. You can always add lemon, orange, mint, or cucumber to your
water to make it taste a little different with out adding sugar. On days when it is
especially warm while you are training, it would be a good idea to drink a sports drink
like the PowereAde you mentioned you liked.