Food Intake free essay sample

A term that is used to encompass nutrient recommendations produced by the National Academy of Sciences and the Food and Nutrition Board is called Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI). DRI is also a common term for a guideline of reference values used to assess and plan a healthy individual’s nutrient intake. During a consecutive three-day period, protein intakes, carbohydrate intakes, lipid intakes, macronutrient intake ranges, fiber intake ranges, and dietary modifications are recorded and analyzed in iProfile. Recorded Protein, Carbohydrate, and Lipid Intakes Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid Foods In my recorded daily intake, the foods consumed that provided the proteins consisted of: the baked fish fillets, hard boiled eggs, turkey bacon, and oven-baked chicken. The foods that provided the carbohydrates consisted of: strawberry yogurt, honeydew melons, strawberries, wa-termelon, blueberries, salad blend with iceberg and romaine lettuce, raspberry vinaigrette dress-ing, Country Time lemonade, air-popped popcorn, Nature Valley blueberry granola bar, Tropicana Pure Premium 100% orange juice, Pasta Fagiolo soup, diet Italian salad dressing, Nestea raspberry iced tea, plain bread sticks, Welch’s 100% pomegranate blueberry juice, green beans, and low-fat 1% milk. The only food that provided the lipids was the macaroni and cheese. Recorded Intake Compared to Dietary Reference Intakes In comparison to the Dietary Reference Intakes, my protein intake was below recom-mended range (too low). One way to achieve the recommended DRI protein range goal is by ei-ther increasing the portion size of fish fillet or servings of baked chicken. My carbohydrate intake was below the recommended range (too low). One way to achieve the recommended carbo-hydrate range goal is by increasing the amount of grain, such as toast or biscuits, to eat for break-fast. Another way is by increasing the amount of dairy products; drinking 2% milk gives better results than consuming low-fat 1% milk. My total lipid intake is also below recommended range (too low). One way to achieve the recommended total lipid intake goal is by occasionally con-suming small portions of fried foods such as fried green tomatoes, bacon or sausage, and scram-bled eggs with cheese. Complementary Proteins – Complete vs. Incomplete Complementary proteins require the combination of two or more proteins to compensate for absence in vital amino acid content. Combining to become complementary, a majority of the foods consumed consisted of incomplete proteins because they are considered lower-quality in-dividual plant sources of protein, except for soy beans. Incomplete proteins are essentially im-portant because a single plant protein source cannot simply support body maintenance and growth (Wardlaw, 2011, p. 216). Achieved Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid The daily-recommended amount of protein, carbohydrate, and lipid intake was recorded respectively at 23 g, 214 g, and 23 g. Each of the recommended intakes was below the recom-mended range. The carbohydrate and lipid intake numbers were not surprising to me because my dietary regimen prohibits the consumption of meats, fried foods, pastas, or breads produced with yeast. However, the protein intake number was very surprising because my dietary regimen also requires plenty of water, fruits, vegetables, and juices. Macronutrient Recommendations. According to Boyers (2014), if a person’s macronu-trient intake was insufficient, the Food and Nutrition Board, which is a subgroup of the Institute of Medicine, can provide recommendations for macronutrient dietary consumptions. For example, if people consume 2500 calories daily, their carbohydrate intake should vary from 282 g to 406 g. Next, they should consume 0.8 g of protein for each kg of body weight. Finally, their lipid intake should vary from 56 g to 97 g while their fiber consumption is 35 g (Boyers, 2014). Macronutrient Intake Ranges In order for the body to properly function, it needs large amounts of compounds called macronutrients. According to Cespedes (2014), macronutrient intake within the recommended range is important because a serious absence in these kinds of nutrients (too much or too little) can compromise the body’s ability to survive, growth, and energy level over time. Consistently eating too little proteins can cause fatigue, a protruding belly, diminished immunity, failure to thrive, diarrhea, and decreased muscle mass. Eating too little carbohydrates can result in energy deprivation of the heart, brain, and kidneys. Finally, eating too few lipids can result in dry hair and skin (Cespedes, 2014). Fiber Intake Ranges As calculated at the iProfile website, my dietary fiber total does not meet 100% recom-mendation. The dietary fiber total intake was 12 g out of the DRI total of 21 g (55.4%). My fiber intake was too low due to high consumptions of fluids having 0% fibers, such as water, diet green tea, lemonade, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. The rationale was that there was a large emphasis on fruits rather than vegetables, which resulted in the low dietary fiber percentage. My diet does not meet the minimum number of food servings from each fiber group because the veg-etable group fell short of the recommended intake. There was plenty of fruit, but there were little vegetables shown in the diet. Specific foods that provided the most fiber in my days’ meals were strawberry yogurt (35%) and honeydew melon (35%). On the other hand, strawberries, water-melon, blueberries, and salad provided the least percentages of fiber content. Food choice trends that might affect fiber intakes consist of: balancing my liquid consumptions and adding other green leafy vegetables to the dietary regimen, such as greens, asparagus, cabbage, and spinach in order to provide a higher percentage of fiber than fruit alone. Dietary Modifications After observing and analyzing the data, patterns and trends were indentified in my diet. Throughout the diet regimen, almost each meal consisted of a 20 oz. bottle of water or another type of beverage. Until the third day, there was no meat consumed. Dinner was missed on the first day and lunch was missed on the third day. Four meals were consumed on the second day. Most of the diet consisted mainly of fruits and little to no vegetables. Mixing fruits and vegeta-bles together in a blender to make smoothies, dips, and natural juices and creating recipes that inject meats with a variety of grains and vegetables are changes that might increase the fiber in my diet. On the third day, the only source of fiber was from the green beans, which was por-tioned with oven-baked chicken and macaroni and cheese. By drinking fruit juice instead of eat-ing whole fruit, my diet’s fiber and calorie content will decrease. According to Peete (2013), fruit juice contains fruit pulp or skin, which is neither digested nor absorbed by the body. The fibers pass through the digestive system and leave the body in the stool (Peete, 2013). According to Brinkley (2014), insufficient or excessive amounts of proteins contribute to health or illness by increasing the amount of waste products that must be filtered by the kidneys and liver. Excessive consumptions of fats and carbohydrates can contribute to complications such as atherosclerosis, brain injury, obesity, and cancer (Woods Media, 2014). Finally, excessive fiber intake can contribute to six health risks: cramping, diarrhea, malabsorption, constipation, intestinal gas, and intestinal blockage (Fitday, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, after observing and analyzing my protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and fiber intake, my percentage calculations for all three days were low due to a large consumption of wa-ter and fruits and the lack of vegetables and meat in my dietary regime. In order to achieve my recommended intake for each nutrient, there must be a balance and adequate portion of meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, fats, and dairies. Creating healthy and delicious new recipes by incor-porating a variety of foods will minimize serious health risks, sustain proper body growth, and increase energy levels in the future.