Part 3 b)
Food energy is important for providing energy for one’s daily activities and body function. However, there should be a balance between the amounts of energy you consume through foods with the energy you expend during the day. According to the DRIs Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges for adolescences, the Canadian diet should provide 45-65% of energy as carbohydrate, 20-35% of energy as fat, and 10-30% of energy as protein. After analyzing my daily intakes for three days, I am fairly satisfied with my daily intakes in comparison to the DRIs, being that my energy intake all fall within the recommended values with the averages 19% for protein, 61% for carbohydrate, and 20% for fat. I don’t think I am overly concerned with the amount of macronutrient intake. My protein sources are mainly from dairy products, which are complete proteins that contain all nine of the essential amino acids. My consumption of fat is also from dairy products like milk or cheese, these saturated fats that I should be reducing in my diet. On the second day, I did consume foods like pizza and fried chicken wings that were also high in saturated fat. This would not be something in my regular diet, but for small occasions like the Easter weekend. Foods highest in Fat/CHO/proteinType of Fat/CHO/proteinImprovements Blueberry BagelComplex CHOWhole wheat Bagel
Pizza Saturated fat/Complex CHOLow fat cheese / thin crust Milk 2% skimmedSaturated fat1% milk
Fried ChickenSaturated fatOven Baked
Ranch DressingSaturated FatOlive oil and vinegar
Part 4
b) Daily Calorie needs = [665 + (9.6×70) + (1.8×165) – (4.7×17)]x1.375
= 2040.5kcal
c) My average daily intake is about 1256.33kcal, which is actually significantly lower than my daily calorie needs. This difference is the result of two factors. First, is because I am currently on a weight loss diet hoping for a better fit in my prom dress. Secondly, tend to eat less food on days when I don’t exercise, and the activity factor is a big influence to the calculated daily calorie needs. I think instead of watching the calories in food, I should watch the kind of fat that’s in the foods. Moreover, eating fewer but multiple meals would be a better choice for weight loss. d) Most of my average nutrient intakes were actually below the RDA, particularly energy, iron, vitamin A and fiber. Firstly, adolescences need additional calories to provide energy for growth and activity, and a low intake may negatively affect one’s growth at this important time of transition. Iron is extremely important at this time of life where it teens began to gain muscle mass and iron allows their new muscle cells obtain oxygen for energy.
A deficiency of iron causes anemia, which leads to fatigue , confusion, and weakness. Lack of vitamin A can be a serious harm to one’s sight and immune system, and also effect the health of the skin and hair. A low intake on fiber can also cause constipation, and increase the risks of high cholesterol. To improve my diet, I would switch the plain cereals to whole grain cereal to increase both iron and fiber intakes. Increase consumption of red meat for iron and energy, and include orange colored foods like carrots and sweet potatoes for vitamin A. e) The one nutrient intake that was greater than RDA is vitamin C being 1802.9 mg. This is below TUL value of 2000 mg, thus should not be a concern to my health. The reason why this specific nutrient has such high intakes is because of the supplements I took. This was recommended by my doctor to improve my allergic reactions during this season.
As a result, I doing think that it is necessary to change the dietary intake after assuring that there are no risks of developing toxicity with this intake. f) I don’t think there is a significant pattern between my food intakes on week days and weekends being that I eat in a similar pattern. The only foods that would really make a difference would be the pizza and fried chicken wings at occasional times. g) The results of this analysis really show that my personal nutrient consumption is not as healthy as I might want to believe. Most nutrients are lower than the RDA which can cause potential harm to the body, especially energy, iron, vitamin A and fiber. I do try to follow the food guide, however not as precisely as I was hope. I lack a great amount of vegetable and fruits in my diet (especially orange vegetables), but by increasing such, I will be able to raise both fiber and vitamin A. the meat and alternative group is one that I have not matched in the three day recording, being that I tend to consume less meat when I plan on staying on those days. There is also a My actual milk consumption does not seem to be a problem in terms of adding to the overabundance of protein in my diet because I only drank about 2 cups total on that day. Lastly, for gain products, I simply need to consume a slight more and change half of the intake whole grain. Healthy eating MessageDay 1Day 2Day 3Improvements
One dark green and one orange vegetable (Steamed, baked or stir-fried)Lettuce, tomatoes (RAW)Pepper, mushroom (on pizza)
(Baked)Lettuce, Spinach
(Raw, boiled with no salt)More orange vegetables
Veg and fruits more than juiceApple, orangeCantaloupe, orange juiceOrange juiceMore fruits, less juice Half grain products whole grain (Low fat)Cereal, bagelCereal, bagelCereal, toastWhole wheat cereal, bagel and toast (Low fat)
2 cups of 1%-2% milk2 cups2 cupsDrink everyday
Lower fat milk alternativesLow fat plain yogurtLow fat plain yogurt, cheeselow fat cheese Meat alternativesIncrease intake
FishIncrease intake
Lean meat (no or little added fat or sailt)Lean meat Increase intake
h) I don’t think I would need any more supplements other than the ones I am taking now. There isn’t an extremely big difference between the recommended values and my intakes, thus those nutrients I do lack will be better increased by eating the right type of food. Citiation:
“NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page.” NDL/FNIC Food Composition Database Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013
