Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

Personal Background
My subject is my daughter Cassidy Schendel; she is a 27 year old female, 57 tall,
weighs 146 and has a current BMI of 23, which is in normal range. I chose Cassidy as
my subject because she just gave birth to her 2nd child (born on 2/20/2015) and she is
breastfeeding. Cassidys weight has always been relatively stable, her highest weight was
168 (just before giving birth to her 2nd son), and her lowest weight was 123 (after a bad
break-up when she was 23 years old).
Family Medical History
Cassidy does not have any family history of Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease,
Diabetes Mellitus, or High Cholesterol. Her maternal Great Grandmother died from
mouth, throat and stomach cancer, and her maternal Great Grandfather died from
emphysema. She has an Aunt that has battled throat cancer; however, she is her Aunt by
marriage, there is no blood relation. Cassidys mother was obese and had gastric bypass
surgery (with successful weight loss and maintenance).
Summary of Diet Analysis
Macronutrient Intake Cassidy averaged 284 grams of carbohydrates over the threeday period, which calculates out to 51% of her total energy intake. Total grams of protein
were 96, or 17% of her total energy intake, leaving a total of 32% of fat. Cassidys intake
of saturated fat was 12% of her total calories; she should work to get that amount under
10%. Her intake of monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats were within target range, and
her consumption of essential fatty acids Linoleic Acid and Linolenic Acid were adequate.
Cassidy should consume more complex carbohydrates and reduce her total intake of fat.
To accomplish this, she could substitute her high fat snacks such as cookies and Cheetos

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

for fresh fruits and vegetables (raw). Consuming oranges, apples, strawberries, celery
and carrot sticks, cucumber slices instead of cookies or chips will help increase her
carbohydrate intake and lower her total fat intake at the same time.
Micronutrient Intake Cassidys Cholesterol, Calcium, Iron and Folate intake were all
adequate. Her Sodium intake was in excess (almost twice the recommended amount) and
her intake of Fiber was 27 grams and Vitamin C was 118 grams; slightly under the
recommended amounts (29 grams and 120 grams, respectively). Since Cassidy is so
close to meeting her recommended amounts of Fiber and Vitamin C, she should be able
to easily meet her target amounts through minor changes in her diet. To increase her fiber
intake, Cassidy should consider eating foods such as legumes, enriched whole grain
cereals and breads, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables. In order to increase her intake
of Vitamin C, Cassidy should eat foods such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi,
guava, bell peppers, and dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach.
Food Groups Status
Cassidys intake of grains was in excess; however, within the subgroups, her intake of
whole grains was inadequate and her intake of refined grains was excessive. To balance
her intake of grains better, Cassidy should watch her intake of refined grains such as flour
tortillas, white rice, pasta and pretzels and choose whole grain foods instead, such as
whole wheat bread, brown and wild rice or oatmeal. I noticed in reviewing her food logs
that she often snacks on pretzels; Cassidy should consider snacking on whole grain
crackers or plain popcorn instead. Cassidys intake of fruits was inadequate. Choosing
fresh fruit more often each day will not only help her get the recommended total, but will
also help her increase her carbohydrate intake, as mentioned above. Adding 2 more

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

servings (1 cup each), will help her meet her recommended target; bananas, oranges,
grapefruit, apples, strawberries, kiwi would all be appropriate choices. Likewise,
Cassidys intake of dairy was inadequate. Cassidy is not fond of yogurt, but she could
increase her dairy intake by adding one additional glass of milk per day, or cup of lowfat cottage cheese, or low-fat pudding made with milk. Cassidys intake of oils was
under the recommended total. Cassidy could meet her recommended target by adding
one additional green salad per day, using a good quality olive oil-based dressing.
Energy Balance
Cassidy gave birth a month ago and has not been cleared by her physician to exercise.
She does take her 4 year old son and her infant son on walks, but the intensity and
duration are low at this time. Cassidy is currently in negative energy balance; that is, she
expended 217 more calories than she consumed. While Cassidy is losing her pregnancy
weight, she must consider that she is nursing and needs to keep her energy in balance.
Being in negative energy balance could affect her milk production, as well as result in
fatigue, shakiness or irritability. Having a toddler and a new baby, Cassidy cannot afford
be tired and cranky due to energy imbalance.
Physical Activity
Overall, Cassidy should be more active and work towards getting in 60 minutes of
moderate intensity exercise daily; however, given that she just gave birth a month ago,
she should continue to walk until she is cleared by her doctor to engage in more intense
activities. Once cleared, increasing her activity level will help her lose her pregnancy
weight more timely.
Dietary Recommendations for Cassidy

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

For the most part, your diet is good. There are, however, a few areas that could be
improved. Below are some bulleted recommendations to help you better balance your
diet.

Grains: Overall consumption of grains is good; however, most of the grains

consumed are refined grains such as white rice, flour tortillas, pasta and pretzels.
Try substituting whole-grains such as:
Whole-wheat tortillas vs. flour tortillas (Serving size = 1 tortilla)
Whole-wheat or whole-grain crackers (Serving size on box)
Plain popcorn vs. pretzels (Serving size = 1 cup)
Brown or wild rice vs. white rice (Serving size = cup cooked)
Whole-grain pasta vs. refined pasta (Serving size = cup cooked)

Vegetables: Intake of vegetables is within the recommended range; however, in

order to help increase your carbohydrate, fiber and vitamin C intake, the
following foods are recommended:
Red, yellow and green bell peppers (Serving size = 1 cup raw)
Dark leafy greens such as kale and spinach (Serving size 1 cup raw)
Broccoli (Serving size 1 cup)
Cucumbers (Serving size 1 cup)

Fruits: Consume an additional serving of fruit each day (1 cup). This will also
help increase your intake of carbohydrate, fiber and vitamin C.
Strawberries
Kiwi
Oranges, Grapefruit
Apples

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

Dairy: Consume an additional serving of dairy (1 cup)

Milk (1 cup)
Low-fat cottage cheese (1/2 cup)
Pudding made with milk (1/2 cup)

Oils: Consume additional 2 tsp oil per day

Good quality olive oil
Avocado oil
Sesame oil
Walnut oil

Increase fiber intake by incorporating the whole grains, fruits and vegetables
listed above. When increasing fiber intake, make sure to also increase you

fluids. Drink water, broth, soup, juice etc

Avoid sugary drinks such as soda
When ordering pizza, consider a pizza with more vegetables on it instead of extra

meat
Eat fresh fruit or low-fat ice cream for dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth
Work towards being more physically active, striving to exercise 60 minutes per
day. This will help with your energy balance (calories in vs. calories out) and
help you lose your pregnancy weight.

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

Reflection:
This was a good assignment. Learning what information is needed to assess
dietary adequacy is imperative, as I will be doing this on a daily basis as a
dietitian. I was actually pleasantly surprised my daughters diet was pretty good
overall. Calorie-wise, she is pretty spot on, and she was only slightly under the
recommended amounts in a couple of areas. By using my daughter as my
subject, I am able to help her as a mom and as a nutrition professional.
Although this assignment was time consuming, it was very beneficial.

Breastfeeding Nutritional Analysis

References:
www.myplate.gov