Download DOCX

Andrew Garzia
Basic Nutrition
Dr. Bullard
1 April 2014
Dietary Analysis
Over the time period of February 3 to February 5 of 2014, I tracked my meals on
choosemyplate.gov. With the SuperTracker, I found out what vitamins my diet consisted
of. I also found out what I was deficient and abundant that I eat on a regular basis. For
the most part, I was proficient in carbohydrates and fats. I was beyond my recommended
values on protein. Unfortunately, what I did not expect is that I was not proficient in
most minerals and some vitamins.
Carbohydrate consumption was average during my three days of eating. On
average, I consumed 179 grams of carbohydrates, which is 716 calories of my total
calories. This is above the daily-recommended minimum of 100 grams. These 716
calories contributed to 46% of the total calories consumed in a day. However, this is
under the recommended 55 to 60 percent that were needed for consumption. This is only
a slightly off because sugars need to be included.
My meals contained all three of these categories of carbohydrates: complex carbs,
nutritious simple carbs, and simple carbs. The complex carbs consisted of only white
bread. Nutritious simple carbohydrates consisted of milk and bananas from day 1. The
most amount of carbohydrates came from the simple carbohydrates with sugar in them
including General Tsao’s Chicken and Frosted Flakes. Collectively, I had probably
consumed 830 calories (65 g of complex carbs, 93 g of nutritious simple carbs, and 211 g
of simple carbs). It is recommended that sugar intake is reduced to only 10 percent of
total calories; however, with such high numbers in the simple carbs area, there was no
possible way my caloric intake was only 10 percent for sugars.
My fiber intake was probably my weakest point in such a critical area of
maintaining a healthy diet. I only consumed 12 grams of dietary fiber, out of 25 grams
that are recommended. To adjust to meet this goal I could do more. My 3-day diet was
very low in vegetables, which is has a superfluous amount of fibers, and even more
varieties to choose from. Simply by having a side of vegetables, like a salad or celery,
would easily boost this number, while also providing other benefits.
The amount of fat that was consumed in these three days was substantially higher
than I had anticipated, due to a poor choice of food eaten. I had consumed about 61
grams of fat daily, which is converted into 549 calories. This put me at about 35% of my
calories were spent on fat, which is higher than the maximum recommendation of 30%.
This number can easily be avoided by taking out the two days of eating General Tsao’s
Chicken.
Not all fats should be cut out, with that being said. Linoleic Acid was a
contribution to the tally, which were 14 of the 61 grams. This converts to 126 calories,
which is more than the recommended 1-3 percent caloric expenditure (8%). As for the
omega-3 fatty acids, I did not eat leafy vegetables, fish, seafood, or walnuts, so the
amount of omega-3’s was minute. One thing that correlates with fat is cholesterol,
however my cholesterol level was lower than the 300 mg mark (187 mg).
My protein was one of the most in surplus, not including vitamins or minerals. I
averaged 78 grams of protein daily, exceeding the limit of 56 grams. Every grams of
protein yields 4 calories, so in total protein contributed to 224 calories, or 20% of the
calorie cap. This is double the minimum required recommendation of protein, which is
10-15 percent. In my defense, the recommended value is far lower than the
recommended intake when doing the calculation of 0.8 grams of protein for every
kilogram of body weight (64 grams). 78 grams exceeds the intake by about 25%, and to
help reduce this number I would have to eat less animal product, since almost all of my
protein was from animal not vegetable.
Vitamin A intake was in surplus, but only barely (113%). All of the other
vitamins, including: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, and Folate, all were double
the amount necessary for daily intake. They all were about the same number because the
source was a common denominator: the frosted flakes. Vitamin C was under the intake,
which was only 76%, and could easily be improved with more fruits like oranges and
strawberries. Vitamin E was a little tougher to obtain, only getting 33% of needed, but
the simplest way I can imagine to get this is by taking a supplement. If not that way, then
implementing more nuts and seeds would do the same. Vitamin D was not an issue in my
diet because I obtain it through fortified milk, eggs, and cereal. Vitamin K was an issue
during this time because I did not eat leafy vegetables, so by eating a salad or other
vegetables, I can reach the intake level necessary for beneficial health.
For a mineral like Calcium, I did not think I needed to worry about it, with the
amount of milk I consume on a daily basis. However, I did not use it as a drink as much
so I only obtained about 2/3 of the necessary intake, which was from the milk in my
cereal. Another mineral, sodium, was not supposed to be as high as I had intended. The
general tsao’s chicken was the highest source of sodium in my diet. To reduce this
number, by making my own chinese food, I could substantially drop this number. Other
minerals, like Phosphorus, Potassium, and Magnesium, were low for the most part.
Phopshorus was only one of the three in surplus from the frosted flakes. The way to hit
both of these minerals at one is by taking a vitamin daily.
The iron levels in my diet was sufficient enough, and from a variety of foods. I
had 4 meats, 1 legume group, and 1 enriched cereal giving me 112% of iron daily. Zinc
was just short, only consuming 82% of my recommended intake, coming from milk,
general tsao’s chicken, and cereal. I can easily increase zinc intake, I would just have to
make sure that the sources of zinc are nutrient dense, and not fatty foods.
The top three deficient vitamins/minerals that I chose that needed improvement
were: dietary fiber, vitamin K, and vitamin E. 10 foods that can boost these levels are the
following: celery, salad, corn, spinach, cauliflower, eggs, olive oil, almonds, and
hazelnuts. For the celery (3 stalks), salad (4 cups), and corn (3 cups) would help raise
fiber numbers, but the rest of the serving sizes would be 100 grams. These numbers
alone would easily bring each supplement up to 100%, if each serving was consumed
every day. These calories calculated would not be detrimental to the calorie count,
except Vitamin E foods, which are high in fats.
My intake is usually pretty well when it comes to meeting vitamins and mineral
requirements. However, this was a poor sample of my diet, which is partially due to
college lifestyle, so I couldn’t say I was surprised I wasn’t getting enough minerals. I
was aware that I wasn’t meeting certain needs, and now I am starting to take vitamins
daily, so I can easily reach the intake necessary for a healthy lifestyle.