Diet Nutrition Analysis

Dietary Nutrition Analysis

You need to record all food and beverages that you consume on three days. They need not be three consecutive days; in fact two weekdays and a weekend often works well. It is important that you choose three typical days. The diet analysis software program is available at the McGraw Hill textbook website (Connect). It will allow you to enter foods (and amounts of those foods) you have eaten and information about your activity level. It will then calculate the following information for each of the items that you have consumed: calories, protein, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, total fat, saturated fat, unsaturated fat (monounsaturated plus polyunsaturated), cholesterol, iron, potassium, sodium, calcium, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E.

Include each of these nutrients in your written analysis. You must discuss the importance of each of these nutrients. There will be additional nutrients listed in your results, but only those listed above are required to be discussed for this assignment. If you consume a food and cannot find an exact match in the listing, find a comparable food on the list and use that instead. Be sure to consider serving sizes. Many of the common foods we eat are combinations of several items. For example, a sandwich might consist of two slices of whole wheat bread, two strips of bacon, a slice of tomato, a piece of lettuce, and a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Be sure to include beverages, condiments (ketchup, mayo, sugar/milk added to coffee) and snacks consumed throughout the days.

Further Description

If you do not enter all food items you have consumed, the accuracy of the analysis will be affected. Once you have the breakdown of the foods you have eaten, compare your intake to the recommended dietary allowances for your age, gender, and size, and then analyze your diet for nutritional value. Are you under-nourished or over-nourished? If your diet is adequate, explain why. If you need to make changes, explain why. List foods that are good sources of each nutrient. Explain what specific foods you could realistically add, omit, or continue consuming to ensure you meet your daily requirements for each nutrient. Be sure to address each nutrient listed above. Most important– explain why each of the various nutrients are necessary in our diet.

What is their need to the human body and what are the possible consequences if your dietary intake is too high or too low? Organize your paper by devoting at least a paragraph to each nutrient on the list. Explicitly state whether your intake was high, low, or just about right. List foods that are good sources of each nutrient. Discuss the importance and functions of each nutrient. Explain the possible consequences of deficiency. Identify particular foods you would add, change, reduce, or maintain in your diet to ensure you are meeting your requirements for each nutrient. If your intake for a nutrient was too low, list foods (and amounts) you could realistically consume to increase your intake. If your intake was too high, list foods (and amounts) you could cut back on or eliminate to bring your intake at or below the recommended amount.

Additional Information

If your intake was very close to the recommended amount, list the specific foods that contributed to your intake. For example, you might say something like–“My vitamin C intake is less than half the recommended level. Good sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, kale, …. (list more good sources). Vitamin C is an important antioxidant, as well as necessary for collagen synthesis. Vitamin C also … (add more info about its roles/functions/importance). Vitamin C deficiency may lead to bruising, bleeding gums, or frequent infections. The slice of tomato on my hamburger contributed to my intake, but I will need to consume more vitamin C-rich foods.

By snacking on a medium orange (about 70 mg vitamin C) and adding 1/2 cup of cooked broccoli (25 mg vitamin C) to my dinner, I can more than make up for my deficit.”

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