Diet Analysis Project
Download the MyFitnessPal app to your smartphone (you will not need the Premium
membership).
You can also visit the website: MyFitnessPal.com. There are many resources to the website including blogs, community, recipes, goal setting and is useful for determining calorie needs, managing weight, tracking physical activity, assessing nutrient intake. Included on the website are many suggestions and useful tips for eating a healthier diet. This project will help reinforce the nutrition concepts taught in this class and are a great resource to share with your clients and family.
The purpose of this paper is to display what you have learned throughout the course and it should include references. I’m looking to see that you understand what nutrients and/or foods are found in each category and why they are important to our health.
You WILL NEED REFERENCES to complete this paper.
To Get Started :
1. Download the MyFitnessPal to your smartphone.
2. Create a profile and log-in. You’ll need to supply at a minimum a username, password, ht, wt, and activity level. There are many other options such as goal setting, weight loss, etc.
Food and Exercise Records:
Record everything you eat and drink for 6 days. The accuracy of your diet analysis will greatly depend on how well you enter your food intake information into the MyFitnessPal food diary. In order for the analysis to be of any value to you, it is extremely important to be as accurate and as truthful as possible when keeping track of the foods/beverages you consume on these days. The following are some things to note when keeping your food records.
· Record what you eat at the time you ate it. Remember to include things such as snacks, beverages, alcohol, etc.
· Make sure you record portion sizes accurately. Become familiar with what 1 cup, 1 tablespoon, 4 oz, etc., looks like on a plate or in a glass so you can visually estimate when you don’t have measuring cups or spoons available
· While you are keeping your records do not change your eating habits. The main objective of this project is to analyze your current daily eating pattern, so do not try to avoid eating something just because it may be inconvenient to write down or remember
· Record 5 weekdays and 1 weekend days to get a better assessment of your weekly intake
Pay careful attention to portion size, time of day the food was eaten, and additional condiments used in the preparation of the food. If you are having difficulty finding a match for the food eaten, try the best you can to select a food with the closest nutrient profile.
Note: If you take a multivitamin- it is recommended to leave it out of your food record as this project is meant to analyze your food intake.
Activity Record: Enter the time you spend doing exercise every day. Include running, aerobics, weight lifting, walking, or any other activity that you engage in outside of the activities of daily living.
TO DO:
1) Once you have entered your full day’s intake and exercise click on “Complete This Entry” and then “View Full Report” (Printable). This should provide your food records. Make sure you have checked all the boxes for “Printable Diary”
2) Make note of your totals for each day for each category, divide by 6 to get your average intake for calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and fiber.
You will report on the following items: carbohydrates, fiber, fat, trans fat, protein, potassium,
vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and physical activity.
Answer the following:
1. What are your estimated calorie needs, according to your goal? (1 pt.)
2. What is your average (for 6 days) calorie intake? (1 pt.)
3. Compare your average caloric intake to your estimated calorie needs, will the difference or similarity have any effect in helping you achieve or maintain a healthy body weight? Why or why not? (3 pt.)
4. What are your average daily intakes of calories, carbohydrates, fat, protein, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and fiber? Include an actual number, not just “below” or “above” (5 pts.)
5. Average Daily Calorie Intake (10 pts.)
Carbohydrate (daily average): ___________g/day x ______ calories/g = _____________ calories/day
Protein (daily average): ____________g/day x ______ calories/g = ______________calories/day
Fat (daily average): ____________g/day x ______ calories/g = ______________calories/day
If you consumed an alcoholic beverage, include the calories here
Alcohol ________________calories/day
Total kcal/day (add up all of the above calories) ________________calories/day
Percentage of kcal from macronutrients:
Carbohydrate calories total average calories x 100 = _________________% of total calories
Protein calories total average calories x 100 = ____________________% of total calories
Fat calories total average calories x 100 = ______________% of total calories
To analyze the health benefits and harms from each category, please use the National Institutes of Health (https://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Dietary_Reference_Intakes), recommendations for carbohydrate, fiber, protein, fats, vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and calcium to find the data representing your individual requirements.
6. If your average intake is higher/lower than recommended, why is this a proble? What are the possible consequences of continuing to eat this way? If you are on target with the recommendations, why is this beneficial? Make sure to discuss the health benefits or harms within each category. For example, if you are averaging 5 grams of
fiber/day what effect might this have on your health? If you are on target for
fiber, why is this beneficial? You must report on all categories even if you are
meeting the recommendations and discuss the benefits or harms of continuing
to eat this way. This question is worth 20 points so make it count! (20 pts.)
7. What role does physical activity play in health? (5 pts.)
8. What would make obtaining fruits and vegetables so difficult for the average American to eat in adequate quantities? (5 pts.)
9. What are some suggestions that would help you or others obtain their recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables? (5 pts.)
10. In general, how do you think your diet fairs? What, if any, changes will you make to your diet after completing this project? This question is worth 20 points and deserves at least 2 good paragraphs and with attention to detail and specifics. (20 pts.)
TO BE PASSED IN:
· Include all 6 days of your food intake and exercise as entered into MyFitnessPal. Click on “View Full Report” (Printable) OR either take a screen shot OR save as a .pdf. Attach all 6 reports to your project. (20 points).
· Answers to the questions (points indicated for each answer)
· Include references