Dietary Intake Analysis

The purpose of this assignment was to analyze my personal dietary intake over the course of five days, in hopes to gain a better understanding of my general nutrition and health. A nutritional screening test was also completed and those results will also be evaluated. To begin with I would I would like to share that I already am aware I do not eat as well as I should. For example I eat out more than three times a week, and I have a big sweet tooth consider this, my results were not too surprisingly. In this discussion I will focus on the overall trends that I noticed with my intake of these particular important nutrients: carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water. According to the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range,

they suggest that 45% to 65% of your total daily calories should be from carbohydrates. My average recorded carbohydrate intake was in the recommended range. However the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that half of your carbohydrate choices should be in the form of whole grains.

Most of my carb choices are probably from refined grains. Carbohydrates also provide fiber and based on my results; most days I am deficient in fiber. Eating more foods such as legumes that are rich in fiber would help to eliminate this issue. Based on the RDA for my weight, I need approximately 53 grams of protein; to my surprise the majority of days I consumed below that. To improve this I should try to eat more seafood and meat, keeping in mind the calories and amount of fat they contain. My fat intake for all five days was well over the recommendation. The AMDR suggests that total fat intake should not be over 35% of total calories whereas my intake of fat contributed to nearly half of my total calories. If I continue to eat the way I am I can potentially be at risk for heart disease for this reason I need to definitely watch my fat intake in particular saturated fat. I tend to eat “unhealthy snacks” which could easily be substituted for fruits and vegetables. As for as vitamins, I believe because of my food choices I may not be getting all that I need. I do take a daily D and I as previously mentioned I need to eat more fruits and

veggies. This can be said for minerals as well. The RDA for sodium intake is less 2300 mg, my recorded results were within this range. Another thing that I am aware is my water intake. The Adequate Intake for total water, which includes foods and liquids is 2.7 liters, 2.2 L of that from fluids. I do not track how much water/liquid I drink daily but I know it does not equivalent to that much. This could explain why I have a general feeling of fatigue most of the time. I completed the nutritional screening from the textbook and was directed to recheck my score in six months. To conclude, the results of my analysis certainly show that my personal nutrient consumption is not as healthy as it should be and as a new nursing student I do look forward to learning about the ways I can not only take care of myself but as well as my future patient.