Mariam Aoun

NFS 2270

3 December 2018

Diet Analysis

Throughout the diet diary research, I was able to identify some eating habits that

I might not have been aware of, especially on the weekends. Many factors play a huge

role when it comes to influencing my food choices. One of the biggest factors would be

taste or the appearance and texture of the food. I tend to eat things that look and smell

good because they seem more appetizing to me, rather than something that does not

have a good appearance. For example, looking at my diet diary, most of the things I ate

because they looked good were sweet foods, like cookies and a crepe. My mood can

also affect the foods I choose to eat. These factors can be negative because it can draw

me away from healthy foods just because of the way it looks or how I’m feeling, which

results to pickier eating habits. Another big factor that influences my food choices is how

hungry I am. Sometimes, I’ll either have a big meal or just a small snack and this also

depends on the time of day and if I’ve already eaten or not. For example, when I first

wake up and I’m hungry, I typically start off with a small bowl of cereal each morning.

However, in the afternoon during lunch or dinner time, I lean towards a meal that is

more filling, such as a salad or a sandwich. Dinner time is when I mostly pay attention to

what I’m eating and this is positive for me because I try to incorporate all types of foods

in my meal. On the day that I had chicken breast, I added broccoli to go with it along

with rice. On another day, I’ll switch it up and have salmon instead and also add in
some vegetables and bread. This can tie in with another factor, boredom, but is

negative because I won’t necessarily be hungry and will just eat for fun. During the three

days recorded, I observed that I mostly ate foods that were not so healthy when I was

bored, such as donuts and chips. A lot of these factors have a big impact on the things I

eat and I’ve recognized that my food choices and eating habits have changed greatly

throughout the years.

On the first day recorded, I consumed a total of 80.8 fluid ounces, which is above

the recommendation of 48-64 ounces per day. On the second day I consumed 69.9

ounces of fluids, which is closer to the recommended value but still a little over. Looking

at the last day, I consumed 70.8 ounces. By examining all three days, it is shown that I

exceeded the amount of fluid intake that is normally recommended. If I were to make

any changes to this, it would be to reduce the amount of sugary drinks and replace

them with water instead. According to MyPlate Plan, it is recommended that I consume

2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of vegetables, 7 ounces of grains, 6 ounces of protein, and 3 cups

of dairy a day. I believe that my diet is close with what is recommended for me, but the

issue is that I am not getting all the nutrients that I need on a daily basis. Of the five

areas, I fell short in two of them. Vegetables and dairy were my biggest concerns and I

will need to improve the intake of each. To do this, I can start by drinking more milk and

also add more vegetables to each meal. I can also get more dairy by adding other

things to my meals like cheese and yogurt. My target was reached for the remaining

other food groups and I think that there is no issue with them.
 My calorie intake for the three days were all different than the amount MyPlate

recommended for me. My recommended value was 2,200 kcal and of the three days,

two of them were lower and one was exceeding the value. The first day consisted of

1,944 kcal consumed, the second day had 2,035 kcal, and the third day had 2,299 kcal.

Although my intake wasn’t too low or high compared to the recommended value, it does

need to be worked on along with my activity level before I am completely satisfied with

both. Weight loss and maintenance goals can be achieved by following a healthy eating

pattern and being consistent with it. Regular exercise plays an important role in weight

maintenance as well as eating a good breakfast everyday. Another thing is eating a

good intake of protein and watching the amount of carbs that are eaten. One big change

that needs to be made is to reduce the amount of sugar in my diet. Whether it be

desserts, soda, or even coffee, they are all a heavy part of my diet and it would be good

to lower the amount that I consume. Keeping a food log would be helpful to enhance

awareness of how much I’m really eating, as I saw from just these three days I

recorded. By making these changes, it will help me get one step closer in achieving my

goals.

Compared to the recommended percentage of kcals, I was surprised to see how

much I actually consume. The first day I consumed 54% carbohydrates, 14% protein,

32% fat, and 10% saturated fat. The second day had similar values, with 57%

carbohydrates, 14% protein, 30% fat, and 10% saturated fat. I noticed that the third day

had some lower values compared to the others. I had 63% carbohydrates, which was

higher than the rest, but 9% protein, 28% fat, and 8% saturated fat. Overall, I don’t think
my percentages were too bad compared to the recommended, considering most of

them were in range. I do need to make some food changes within my diet in order to

improve some percentages. I would remove the french fries because although they are

extremely tasty, they contain a lot of fat and carbohydrates. I also noticed that the coffee

I drink from Starbucks each day contains a high amount of carbs and is the highest out

of everything else I had those days, which needs to be reduced from my diet. Since I

had a low amount of protein on the last day, I would add in some more meat or chicken

in my diet to increase the percentage. My fiber intake did not meet the requirements for

two out of the three days. They were low on the first two days, with a value of 18 grams

and 23.1 grams. On the last day I had 25.1 grams which was right in range but could

still be improved. To do this, I’d consume more fiber by eating more fruits and

vegetables, along with oats, beans, and legumes. My nutrient intakes were quite high

compared to the RDA standards. There was little where I fell under, such as vitamin E,

potassium, and vitamin D. The rest of the nutrients seemed to be over-consumed.

Sodium was the biggest area that concerned me. My intake was almost two times the

RDA, which shocked me because I did not realize how much salt was actually in the

foods I was consuming. My phosphorus and vitamin A intakes were higher than I

expected as well. After observing these numbers and having a better understanding of

the amount nutrients that were consumed in my diet, it would be best for me to change

some things to help my intake reach within the recommended range. Green vegetables

should be added to my diet in order to increase my vitamin E levels. I realized that I eat

a lot of bread with my meals and also enjoy to eat a lot of sandwiches, as well as add in
more croutons than I should on my salads.Those can be changed as I would need to

eat less of them to decrease my sodium intake. To increase my intake of potassium,

spinach and potatoes can be added as well as kidney beans.

There were many positive and negative attributes to my three day diet analysis.

Over the course of three days, which were Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I got a good

idea of what I consume on a regular basis. One thing I noticed was that I was

consuming more than I should be in some areas and less than what was recommended

for me in other areas. There were also some places where I was getting a good amount.

It was made clear to me that changes needed to be made within my diet in order to be

healthier. My current eating habits weren’t so bad, but they are not the healthiest and

could be improved. I can adjust my diet by eating more of the appropriate nutrients that

are needed, which can be achieved by the help of setting some goals to keep me

focused. More fiber is definitely needed in my diet. I can eat more fruits at each meal at

least 4 days a week, such as apples, bananas, and oranges. My dairy intake was lower

than I wanted, so I can fix this by drinking a cup of milk for breakfast every morning or

having yogurt as a snack 3 times a week. Since my sodium intake was the highest of

all, I can have a sandwich once or twice a week or switch to a healthier alternative like

whole wheat toast instead of a roll when I want a sandwich. By setting these

measurable and attainable goals, it will help bring my nutrient intake at the level that it’s

supposed to be and also help me make better eating habits.