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An individual’s vitamin, mineral, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and water intake plays a key role in human health. Over these few weeks Vive spent in my human nutrition class, I’ve learned more about my personal diet and nutrition habits and how to become more aware on the food and diet choices make. In this essay will be discussing various findings about my diet intake as well as problems may potentially face and possible corrections can take. My Body Mass Index (IBM) is a measurement of total fat in my body based on my height and weight.
I am 70 inches tall which means that should weigh 174 pounds at most to be considered healthy. Based on my actual weight of 265 pounds, I found that not only I’m almost 1 00 pounds over the limit but I’m also at risk for multiple health issues such as stroke, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. I conducted a test to discover exactly how many daily calories I would need for my body to function everyday and the average amount of calories that I consume based on a 2-day diet plan.
In order for my body to function, would need to consume 2950 calories per day. However, my average calorie intake based on the 2-day diet is only 1705 calories. Based on these numbers, would expect to lose a considerable amount of weight. I know that whenever I consume foods throughout the day, they must contain a certain percentage of proteins, fats, saturated fats, and carbohydrates. When broke down my food intake, I found that am actually taking in all the correct percentages in order to have a healthy diet. Some of my numbers, however, are at their borderline mark.
There should be 10-30% coming from protein and less than 30% coming from fats. My numbers show that only 1 1. 8% of my daily foods come from protein and 28. % comes from fat. Most of these numbers came from McDonald’s chicken nuggets alone. Obviously, would need to consume more protein foods like beans, nuts, and meats. But when I eat meats, I should substitute the fatty meats with the lean one. For example, had a meatball sub from Subway. Instead of getting the meatball sub, could get turkey sandwich that contain just as much protein but not nearly enough fat.
Looking back at my diet plan, honestly can’t believe that most of my carbohydrates came from soda. Drink more soda than water which is not good at all. Fiber is also very important part of my diet that must e obtained in the correct amounts every day. Unfortunately, I don’t eat nearly as much fiber as I should. The daily requirements for fiber intake are 25-30 grams per day but on average only eat 7. 5 grams. This puts me at risk for problems such as chronic diseases, constipation and obesity.
Instead of eating the waffles for breakfast, could substitute it for a whole grain cereal like Fiber One. I could also swap the toasted white bread on my meatball sandwich with whole wheat bread. My cholesterol intake should monitored at all times because too much Of it can lead to heart attack, angina, and heart disease. Fortunately, my levels are pretty good at an average of MGM per day. The limit where should begin to worry is around MGM per day. My sodium count is important because too much of it can cause breathing difficulties, kidney stones and heart failure among others.
I’m pushing close to the limit with an average of MGM of sodium per day with the requirement only being dumdum. Once again, I should definitely shy away from the nuggets and meatball sandwich because they contained MGM and MGM of sodium respectively. Calcium helps strengthen bones and helps lower the chance of bone diseases like osteoporosis. The normal amount of calcium needed for a healthy diet is 1 ,OMG. I currently sit at an average of MGM which puts me just under the adequate threshold.
Maybe instead of that 32- ounce soda I get every other day, I should drink a few glasses of milk. My iron intake is important because not enough of it can lead to me becoming anemic. The average intake for adults my age is OMG per day. My 2-day plan has me at consuming 12. OMG on average which is pretty good. Vitamin supplements could be helpful to my body because they would provide the vitamins and minerals I can’t always get with normal food. Looking at my charts, see that I’m barely over the recommended intake for calcium and iron.
Maybe I should do some homework on different types Of supplements and try to boost those numbers a little bit. I created a Daily Food Plan on the www. Compassionate. Gob site that gives me a certain amount each food group should be taking in each day. When compared this to my diet plan, noticed there were some food items that needed to be altered. For example, I’m only consuming 4-oz of grains when should be getting at least oz. Instead of just waffles in the morning, I could add some whole wheat bread with it. Aridly get any vegetables at all in my diet plan when I should be getting at least 3 cups.
At dinner, I could add in a can of peas, corn or carrots on the side of the meats. Could swap some of the juices and soda for a few small glasses of milk to fill my dairy needs because I’m not getting the 3 cups I need. There are a few strengths to my diet. For starters, I’m getting the amount of total calories to help me lose weight. Also, I’m able to get the correct amount of vitamins and minerals needed for this diet. Furthermore, my fiber and sodium levels aren’t over their limits. Sadly, there are also nakedness that must be addressed immediately.
For example, I’m not even getting the adequate amount from the food groups in my daily food plan to sustain a healthy diet. I will especially have to eat more vegetable and dairy foods to fulfill the needs of my daily plan. In all, I’ve learned a lot in this class in regards to what I currently eat and how it affects my health. I’ve also learned about the steps needed to take In order to become healthy and enhance my life. Never easy for me to change habits that I’ve been doing for a long time, but I have to so that I could feel great and live a longer healthier life.