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Category: Nutrition

What I Learned

What I Learned

After comparing my intake against the MYPlatePlan food group, it recommended that I should consume 2 cups of fruits, 3 cups of vegetables, 8 ounces of grains, 6.5 ounces of protein, and 3 cups of dairy. In the 2 cups of fruits it recommends that I should consume 1 cup of raw, frozen, or canned and ½ cup of dried fruit or 1 cup of fruit juice. I should consume 1 ounce of  seafood, lean meat or 1 egg or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter or ½ cup of beans to get my protein intake. For grains it recommends 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal, ½ cup rice, pasta, or cereal.For dairy it recommends 1 cup of dairy milk, or yogurt or 1 cup of lactose-free milk or 1.5 ounces of hard cheese .On September 8th I had a banana, but no dried or fruit juice. I had 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and deli turkey for my protein intake.I had 1 cup of carrots. To get my grains in I consumed 1 ounce of cooked brown rice. I consumed a cup of almond milk for dairy today. On September 9th I had more than the recommended amount with 1 cup of spinach,cauliflower and broccoli. I had deli turkey meat and protein powder to supplement my lack of protein. I consumed 1 ounce of brown rice for my grains. For dairy I had 1 cup of lowfat yogurt. And On September 10th I had 1 cup of spinach, tomatoes, and carrots. I had 2 eggs, some deli turkey meat. I had a banana and 1 cup of raspberries for the fruit intake.I consumed 1 ounce of brown rice to get my grains in. I consumed 1 cup of almond milk for dairy.

Ways to improve my diet would be that I would like to consume a bigger variety of protein sources because after doing this dairy I notice that my main protein sources are peanut butter and deli turkey. At night I do not have enough protein to carbohydrate ratio so I would like to dump up my protein intake at dinner. I would also like to consume more bread because for my carbohydrates I tend to lean towards pasta and brown rice so I can get a better variety. I do tend to eat a lot of fruits in vegetables throughout the day and I knew that even before doing this analysis, so by being aware that I eat over the recommended portions for fruits and vegetables it can help me to recognize that I tend to lack in the protein variety. I would like to consume cow’s milk over almond milk because based on my vitamin I am lower in Vitamin D some days, so by drinking cow’s milk that can up my Vitamin D levels.

Dietary Analysis

Dietary Analysis

I chose to look at the chocolate chip cookie dough larabar because I eat these almost daily. Larabars are relatively high in fat at 17% DV and low in sodium at 2% DV and relatively low in protein at 9% DV. I would say larabars are not nutrient dense because they are even though primarily made out of dates and nuts and are pretty calorie dense at 206 calories per bar, there is no vitamin A, C and very little Calcium at 2% and iron at 13%. Larabars are energy dense because high-energy-dense foods are foods high in fat or sugar and these bars have a pretty high fat content and 18.3 grams of sugar in them. Since these bars have a higher sugar content due to being made from dates, which is one of the highest sugar fruits, this increases its calorie content and makes it more energy dense. I would recommend larabars for daily consumption because they are less processed and have maily natural sugar( no syrups, artificial sweeteners) in them. Even though they are high in calories they do not have a high fat concentration with only 2.7 grams of saturated fats because almost all of the fat in these bars comes from nuts and coconut. 

Based on my overall diet on September 8th I had 239.9 grams or 96% of carbohydrates. I consumed 41.8 grams of fiber or 110% with 29% of it coming from the protein powder. Today I was lacking Vitamin C at 43.7 mg or 48% and Folate was at 19%. My protein was high at 108.2 grams or 92% with most of my protein coming from peanut butter at 21%. I was also very high in Calcium at 177% because I did have a lot of cheese, almond milk and yogurt throughout the day. I did have cross country practice today so I definitely should have got more of my protein just from peanut butter.

On September 9th I consumed 316.5 grams of carbohydrates or 127% with the rye bread being the highest intake of that category at 40 grams. I also consumed 88.8 grams of protein or 76% that day with my biggest protein source being the misfit’s protein bar. I was able to get a lot of calcium on that day with 1552.3 mg or 155% with the yogurt being my biggest source. I was low in Vitamin D at 34%, but very high in Folate at 300% unlike on the 8th when I was lacking Folate. This day I had four classes, practice and lift so it was harder for me to get all my meals in since I had a lot going on throughout the day. On September 10th I was lacking carbohydrates that day because I had mostly oats and protein powder that day. After looking at the data It look like I consumed a lot of protein that day at 140.5 grams or 120% and 184 grams of carbohydrates or 74%. I also consumed 74.3 grams of fats with the Vermont cheddar cheese slices being the highest grams of fats in my meals that day. I also got a lot of vitamins in minerals in my diet with the highest being iron at 316%. Vitamin A was at 534% and vitamin k was at 160%. I was low in B3 at 22% and B1 at 29% though. Today I was very busy and had a cross country meet, so I consumed more protein to make sure I would recover properly, which is why I included protein powder into my diet today.  

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