Dietary Analysis Example: Own Experience
In the work “Dietary Analysis Example: Own Experience” we will talk about my own experience of a 3-day diet and how it affected the organism.
Introduction:
A well-balanced diet is a critical component of ensuring a healthy body. On a daily basis, we are faced with a variety of food choices without a second thought of their long-term effect on our health. A lifetime of poor diet can significantly increase the risk of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes Having a poor diet can be due to a lack the education of the effect of diet on health problems, a busy lifestyle, the ease of access to fast food, and challenging to access healthy food. A healthy diet must fulfil a balanced variety of healthy macronutrients, minerals and vitamins.
This report is a self-analysis of my diet over the period of three days. The report aims to identify deficiencies and excesses in my diet and provide recommendations for better diet choices.
My BMI fall in the underweight category, 0.1 less than the normal weight. To fall in the health category according to BMI calculations, my weight should fall between 43.3-58.3 kg. On the other hand, my estimated energy requirement is 95.36% to what the actual energy requirement I should be getting.
I participate in moderate physical activity 5-6 times weekly, activities range from weight lifting to cardio for an average of 40-60 minutes per session. I have no allergic/restrictions on my diet apart from a requirement for the meat to be HALAL. Due to the ease of finding halal meat, this was not a factor behind my diet choices.
In conclusion, a full 3-day diet analysis paper indicates that I follow a poor diet style. This might be majorly affected by my university schedule and lack of prior food preparation or time management. For the future, I will pay more attention to planning out my meals throughout the weekends. During this report, I will make further recommendations to make my diet healthier.
Energy:
My average daily energy intake is 8071.61kJ and this is an adequate intake of 95.36% of my EER. I am planning to keep my energy intake as it is, but I need to change the food where I am getting my energy source from to healthier food. Having a BMI of 18.4 and a waist circumference of 62 cm puts me at low risk of having any diseases that are associated with obesity. On the other hand, my diet is very poor where I get my vitamins, macronutrient and minerals from unhealthy sources. My busy lifestyle with studying full time and not living at home leaves me with making poor food choices. I should consider changes in my diet such as having roll oats and an egg for breakfast, adding two serves of fruit daily to my diet as well as adding 5 serves of vegetables and legumes/beans to my daily food
Calcium:
Calcium is a main essential mineral needed for the body. It has the role of maintaining well mineralized, strong bones. My average daily calcium intake is 497.33 mg and this is 50.27% less than my RDI of 1000 mg. Having a low intake of calcium in my diet will deplete calcium stores from my bones and put me on high risk of developing osteoporosis as I age. Its recommended to have 2-4 serves of dairy per day In my normal diet, I would usually consume about 150 g of non-fat Greek yoghurt as a snack during the day but I did not have it during the three-day analysis. Furthermore, 150 g of non-fat Greek yoghurt contains 165 mg of calcium; which will add about 16.5% to my average daily intake. Another way of increasing my calcium intake is to drink 150 mL of full cream milk daily. In fact, 150 mL of full cream milk contains 170 mg; which will add 17% to my average daily intake. By adding an addition of legumes such as pees in my diet, I would be consuming an adequate amount of calcium daily.
Iron:
Dietary sources of iron include grains, meats and dark vegetables. The role of iron in the body is to form part of the protein haemoglobin, which transports oxygen through the blood. My average iron intake is 13.92 and this is 22.67% less than my RDI of 18 mg. More to this, deficiency of iron intake can cause iron-deficiency anaemia. The symptoms include fatigue, weakness, headache and poor resistance to cold temperature. I have already suggested changing my food source, as well to add to my breakfast oats. For example, 80 g of rolled oats includes 2.98 mg of iron. More to this, I can add a homemade sandwich for my dinner that includes 50g of spinach; which will include 1.7 g of iron. By making those changes to my diet, I will be consuming an adequate amount of iron daily.
Sodium:
The mineral sodium is utilized by the body to maintain the body’s normal electrolyte and acid-base balance, and also assists in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction. My average daily sodium intake is 957.56 mg and this is 38.78% more than my RDI of 460 – 920 mg. Healthy people can well tolerate taking high volumes of sodium in their diet However, excess intake of dietary sodium can cause oedema, and acute hypertension and is associated with calcium excretion. The UL of sodium intake per day is 2300 mg and I fall under. My biggest sodium intake was coco pops which account for 496 mg. Another food that provides me with high levels of sodium was homemade French fries by 246 mg, which I can cut down on eating it. I have already suggested alternatives including changing that unhealthy food with healthier such as whole grain bread and dark green vegetables, which will provide me with an adequate healthy amount of sodium daily
Zinc:
Zinc plays an important role in the body including stabilizing cell membranes, involve in immune function, is needed to produce retinal, and assists in blood clotting and wound healing My average daily intake of zinc is 11.56 mg which is 44.55 % more than my RDI of 8 mg. the UL of daily zinc intake is 40 mg which I fall under. My largest zinc source is from coco pops, and I have already suggested removing it from my diet via preparing a more healthy breakfast.
Iodine:
Iodine is an important trace mineral in the body. It is used by the body as part of thyroid hormones to assist in regulating metabolism. Furthermore, iodine aid in the regulation of body temperature, growth, basal metabolic rate and blood cell production. My average daily iodine intake is 149.30 µg which is adequate according to my RDI of 150 µg.
Fat-soluble vitamins: vitamin A and vitamin E:
Vitamins A and E identify as fat-soluble- water-insoluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored long-term in adipose tissues and therefore they do not need to be regularly consumed. Vitamin A promotes healthy vision and cell differentiation (My average daily vitamin A intake is 43.60 µm and this is 95.16% of my RDI of 900 µm. While Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in the body. My average daily vitamin E intake is 12.36 mg and this is 23.60% above my RDI of 10mg.
Water-soluble vitamins:
The B group and C vitamins are considered as water-soluble vitamins. Additionally, they assist in aiding enzymes to release the energy from consumed macronutrients. In my three days dietary analyses I have consumed an adequate amount of cobalamin. However, I have excess in vitamin C, pyridoxine and niacin. Excess consumption of group B vitamins is readily excreted in the urine. therefore, it doesn’t cause any toxicity symptoms. On the other hand, excess intake of vitamin C can be associated with gastric distress. My main source of vitamin C was having coco pops as my breakfast. However, my dietary analysis showed a deficiency in thiamin, riboflavin, biotin, pantothenic acid and folate. Deficiencies in those vitamins can cause anaemia, digestive disturbances and scaly dermatitis. Those vitamins are found in meat, fish, egg, legumes and milk, which I have suggested above to add to my diet.
Water:
Water is the most essential nutrient that the body needs and can be consumed from drinking water, within foods and as a product of metabolic reactions. The role of water in the body is to carry nutrients and waste products through the body and to maintain blood volume. In fact, consuming water regularly during the day increases satiety. I consume on drinking an average of 2 L daily of tap water. However, I aim on increasing the amount of water I drink daily.
Conclusion:
At the end of my three-day analysis of my diet, it was obvious that there were many excesses and deficiencies consumption of many macronutrients, vitamins and minerals. I have suggested lifestyle changes and have recognised changes to my diet. Overall, after completion of this report, I have gained a better understanding of my diet and how to make a valuable impact to my health through good nutrition.
