Personal Diet Analysis Assignment
TRENT/FLEMING SCHOOL OF NURSING
Princess Osatohangbon (0845673)
NURS 1550H – Intro Life Sciences Health
Cassandra Duncan
Oct., 2nd, 2024
1) Was your calorie intake more or less than the recommended calories (kcal) for your profile?
My Calorie intake was less than the recommended Calories for my profile.
- Is this discrepancy appropriate for your lifestyle?
This discrepancy is not appropriate for my lifestyle because even though there is a possibility that my actual calorie intake is less than that recommended for my profile the difference is too large for it to be appropriate. A difference like this one would be reflected in my daily life as it would mean I am not getting nearly enough energy to sustain myself which would result in fatigue, multiple nutrient deficiencies and an overall negative impact on my health.
- Why do you think there is a discrepancy if there is one?
I think there is a discrepancy because I tend to eat 1-2 meals a day. Also, the meals I eat are often homecooked in large amounts to be later divided into smaller meals eaten throughout the week. As a result, the actual total calorie intake from proteins, carbs, fats and vitamins may end up differing from that of the report as the program may not be able to accurately consider every single ingredient from the home-cooked meal (e.g. seasonings). Lastly, since not everything was exactly measured, and the diet was tracked based on estimates, the data from the report may not be 100% accurate.
2) What percentage of your calories came from protein? Show your work.
My percentage of calories from protein is calculated as follows:
Protein Calories ÷ Total Calories × 100 = Percentage
(10.366g x 4Kcal/g) ÷ (288.888) ×100 =
(41.464 Kcal) ÷ (288.888) ×100= 14.352967239
The percentage of my calories from protein is 14.35%.
- Is this percentage within the recommended range?
This percentage is within the 10% – 35% recommended range.
- Answer b or c: If your percentage is in range, please discuss whether you feel the protein sources you ate during this period are sustainable long-term and whether you think you should consider any other protein sources.
I believe that the price and easy access to the proteins sources I consumed (chicken, egg) make them sustainable long-term. I could consider other protein sources such as fish or soy beverages incorporated in food to diversify and increase my protein intake while providing me with additional nutrients.
- If your percentage is not in range, please explain how you could adjust your intake to improve your percentage of calories from protein.
N/A
3) What percentage of your calories came from carbohydrates? Show your work.
My percentage of calories from carbohydrates is calculated as follows:
Carbohydrate Calories ÷ Total Calories × 100 = Percentage
(44.181g x 4kcal/g) ÷ (288.888) × 100 =
(176.724) ÷ (288.888) × 100 = 61.173880535
The percentage of my calories from carbohydrates is 61.17%.
- Is this percentage within the recommended range?
This percentage is within the 45% – 65% recommended range.
- Do you tend to eat carbohydrate rich foods alone or with a source of protein or fat? Provide an example.
I tend to eat carbohydrate-rich foods with a source of protein. For example, I usually eat rice with chicken, meat, fish or egg. Some other examples are pasta with tuna or egg and pancakes with eggs.
- Do you think you need to change how much carbohydrate you consume? Are most your carbohydrates lower- or higher-glycemic index? Provide an example.
I don’t think I need to change my carbohydrate intake but rather increase my intake of other food groups. Most of my carbohydrates are medium to higher-glycemic index, such as white rice.
- Do you get enough fibre in your diet? If not, what foods could you eat to increase your fibre intake?
According to my consumption vs goals report, I do not get enough fiber in my diet. To increase fiber, I could include fiber-rich foods such as whole grains like cereal and popcorn or fruits like pears and apples.
- What is your average sugar intake? What food source in your diet provides the most sugar? Is this surprising at all?
My average sugar intake is 6.413g. The food source providing the most sugar were the tea biscuits cookies. This is not surprising because within the 3-day range the tea biscuits made up a large part of my intake as they were a frequent snack in my diet, contributing significantly to my overall sugar intake.
4) What percentage of your calories came from fat(s)? Show your work.
My percentage of calories from fats is calculated as follows:
Fat Calories ÷ Total Calories × 100 = Percentage
(7.456g x 4kcal/g) ÷ 288.888 ×100 =
(29.824) ÷ 288.888 ×100 = 10.323724073
The percentage of my calories from fats is 10.32%.
- Do you feel you consume quality fats? What are the average percentages for intake of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids? Are they in target according to the DRI recommendations for fatty acids listed in Table 5-2 in your nutrition text (2023)?
* It is important to note that these recommendations were based upon a 2,000-calorie diet. The DRI of kilocalories indicated in my Consumption vs Goals report was 288.888 kcal. *
I feel I consume [quality/non-quality] fats. The average percentages for my intake are:
Saturated: (1.859g x 4kcal/g) ÷ 288.888 ×100 = 2.57400792 = 2.57%
Trans: (0.017g x 4kcal/g) ÷ 288.888 ×100 = 0.023538533 = 0.02%
It is recommended that Saturated and Trans Fat contribute as less as possible to the total fat calorie intake. According to the DRI recommendations for fatty acids listed in Table 5-2 in the nutrition text, saturated fat should contribute to less than 10% of Calories and that trans-fat contribute to <1% of calories. 2.57% < 10%; therefore, I was in target with the DRI value for saturated fat and 0.02% < 1%; therefore, I was also in target with the DRI value for trans-fat.
Monounsaturated: (3.384g x 4kcal/g) ÷ 288.888 ×100 = 4.685552878 = 4.69%
According to the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada, the recommendations for monounsaturated fats are between 8-25% of total energy (2007). 4.69 < 8%; therefore, I was not in target according to the DRI recommendations for fatty acids listed in Table 5-2 in your nutrition text.
Polyunsaturated: (1.484g x 4kcal/g) ÷ 288.888 ×100 = 2.054775553 = 2.05%
It is recommended that polyunsaturated fat contribute 5-10% of total Calories for Omega-6 Linoleic Acid, 0.6-1.2% of total Calories for Omega-3 Linolenic Acid and
between 6-11% of total Calories. 2.05% < 6%; therefore, I was not in target according to the DRI recommendations for fatty acids listed in Table 5-2 in your nutrition text.
5) List the vitamins here that your report tells you that you do not consume in adequate amounts.
According to the report I did not consume adequate amounts of the following vitamins: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin Pyridoxine (B6), Cobalamin (B12), Folate, Vit C, Vit D, Vit A, Vit K and Vit E.
- Choose one of the vitamins that you list above and discuss the importance of that vitamin and how you can increase the intake of that vitamin (not including vitamin supplements).
One important vitamin from the list above is vitamin D. This vitamin is crucial for bone health, immune function, calcium regulation and absorption. I can increase my intake by increasing my exposure to sunlight and including foods such as fatty fish (e.g. salmon) and increasing the intake of egg yolk in my diet, as it is a good source of vitamin D.
6) Do you drink enough water each day? If not, please explain what barriers you think you encounter that are limiting you from drinking enough water.
According to the report, I did not drink enough water each day. Barriers I think may be limiting my water intake include a busy schedule which can cause me to spend my time and all my attention focusing on a task for hours without break. Another would be just not feeling thirsty and lastly stress could cause me to drink less water than usual.
7) What surprised you most about your report? Why?
In general, even with the large difference between calorie consumption and recommendation, I was not surprised with the results, as I did expect the intake to be lower than the recommendation. I also expected there to be errors coming from food and drink estimation and inability to consider other things like ingredients and their quantity used for example in a homemade stew. Lastly, the diet was tracked during a period where I experienced more stress than usual which would reduce my usual food intake making my total calorie consumption intake lower than usual. While I was not surprised by the large discrepancy between my calorie consumption and recommendations, I was by the discrepancy between the consumed and recommended amount of water. I expected a lower intake due to stress but did not anticipate the reduced amount of water intake. Overall, the information from the report had me re-evaluate my dietary choices and water consumption habits as well as consider how stress affects my eating practices.
8) Search online or through the Trent Library & Archives for a recent (within the past five years) research article on nutrition and provide a brief summary of the literature in one paragraph or less. Provide appropriate in-text citations where necessary, and a formal source reference below your summary paragraph (using APA format).
The article by Norris and his associates (2022) explores the role of nutrition during adolescence and its effects on growth and development. It addresses the challenges adolescents face, such as food insecurity and rising obesity rates. Additionally, it emphasizes that proper nutrition during this period influences various aspects of health, including physical development, fitness, neurodevelopment, and immunity. It also examines the effects of nutrition on female adolescents and future generations, particularly in the context of early pregnancies. Key findings from this article include how the exploration of the relationships between pubertal development, nutrition, physical activity, and metabolic health, can lead to strategies for optimizing growth and preventing diseases later in life. As well as how improving adolescent nutrition is important to improve the health and well-being of both current and future generations.
Reference:
Norris, S. A., Frongillo, E. A., Black, M. M., Dong, Y., Fall, C., Lampl, M., Liese, A. D., Naguib, M., Prentice, A., Rochat, T., Stephensen, C. B., Tinago, C. B., Ward, K. A., Wrottesley, S. V., & Patton, G. C. (2022). Nutrition in adolescent growth and development. The Lancet (British Edition), 399(10320), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01590-7
References
American Dietetic Association. (2007). Position of the American Dietetic Association and
Dietitians of Canada: Dietary fatty acids. Journal of the American Dietetic Association,
107(9), 1599–1611. https://journals.scholarsportal.info/pdf/00028223/v107i0009/1599_potadadocdfa.xml
Norris, S. A., Frongillo, E. A., Black, M. M., Dong, Y., Fall, C., Lampl, M., Liese, A. D., Naguib, M., Prentice, A., Rochat, T., Stephensen, C. B., Tinago, C. B., Ward, K. A., Wrottesley, S. V., & Patton, G. C. (2022). Nutrition in adolescent growth and development. The Lancet (British Edition), 399(10320), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01590-7
Sizer, F., Whitney, E., D’Andreamatteo, C., Novak, E., & Piché, L. (2023). Nutrition: Concepts and controversies (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.