According to the three days I tracked my diet, I am not as unhealthy as I thought. I eat enough meat, vegetables and grains to meet the daily recommended requirements. I seem to be getting enough protein and my fat intake is appropriate at around 30% of my diet. My cholesterol intake is also about average. I noticed that by day 3, I was eating more fruit, but that may have been to appear healthier after seeing my previous two days diet. I am going to make a point to eat a piece of fruit with or after every meal, and as a snack instead of cookies.
I learned from the tracking that I do need to to eat more fruit and find a way to ingest more dairy. I put skim milk in my coffee and have cheese once in awhile but not enough. My sodium was a little high on day 2, mostly because I had two Cokes. I do not normally drink two Cokes in one day, but I need to be more aware of what I am drinking and drink more water. I sometimes forget that beverages count towards my diet, including coffee and Coke. With school and work, my schedule varies. Some days I am able to eat three healthy meals a day while other days I eat on the run, or sometimes even skip meals.
I do not like to eat fast food more than once a week, and I will try to continue with that. I try to exercise a few times a week, but just like meals, sometimes that is not possible. When I do exercise I try to make up for the days I miss and spend extra time on the treadmill. I am pleased that my cholesterol intake is normal and would like to keep that amount in my diet, or possibly lower it. Eating meat helps make me feel full, so I do not think cutting out meat is an option in my diet, but I could decrease my use of butter and other fats.
I will start paying more attention to the amount of sodium I take in; luckily I do not eat many pre-packaged foods, so most of my sodium only comes from beverages like soda. It would be hard to give up Coke all together, but maybe I can find another sweet drink that is lower in sodium to have when I eat popcorn. I am going to start carrying a water bottle, so I will be hydrated and perhaps not feel like I need something else to drink. I do know I am not able to cut out coffee while I am in school.
