Nutrition Assignment - Grade: 70% PDF

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Download Nutrition Assignment - Grade: 70% PDF

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Abstract. The purpose of this assignment is to keep a detailed record of a seven-day food diary and proceed to examine it in high detail. The food diary must include all food and fluid consumed in the seven-day period along with an accurate and/or estimated quantified amount of the food and fluid. This information will then be critically interpreted using a nutrition analysis tool (Nutritics) and the average of the seven-days will be compared to the recommended daily allowances (RDAs).

Introduction. Ireland is on its way to becoming the most obese country in Europe which, in my opinion, is astounding. As a result of this, I believe that healthy eating should be campaigned on not only a national level but on an international level so as the epidemic of obesity can be tackled. The term ‘healthy eating’ is thrown around a lot in common conversations with its literal meaning not being understood by those who use it. ‘Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy.’ (breastcancer.org 2016). Along with this, portion sizes need to be adhered to so as to avoid over-eating. The rapid increase of obesity has been primarily linked with the drastic increase in portion sizes (Ledikwe JH,2005) . The modern and developing world in which we live, is obsessed with making meals bigger and supersized (see figure 1). This is due to the consumer demand for large meals that they can get their hands on quickly and conveniently. The problem with this is that these meals have an extortionately high calorie count and very little nutritional benefit. If these foods that are high in energy density are being eaten and the energy is not being used towards exercise, the body will store this as fat in the body’s muscles and in other areas in the body. To counter-act this issue of over-eating, a general system has been put in place so as to make people aware of what their daily dietary requirements are. It is called the food pyramid (see figure 2). It was designed to make healthy-eating easier to understand and thus, easier to employ into one’s life (safefood.eu, 2016) . It is designed in such a way that foods which contain the same type of nutrients are based on the same shelf. By following the guidlines on the food pyramid, one can reach their optimum nutritional health as it acts as a guide to get a balanced and varied diet within one’s calorie range- a range that varies depending on the age, gender and activity level of the person. Along with the world-wide problem of people not being educated on the topic of portion size, many are also unaware of the difference in roles that the various nutrients play in our bodies. Nutrients are split up into two types; macronutrients (macros) and micronutrients (micros). Macros are carbohydrates, fats and protein. They are measured in grams as they are required in large amounts because they are responsible for giving the body energy to carry out daily activities (science learning hub, 2011) . However, they are required in different amounts due to the fact that the amount of energy that they provide varies. For example, carbohydrates and proteins each provide 4kcal/g whereas fats provide 9kcal/g. In addition, the amount of energy that one requires depends on their gender, age, activity level and weight. To maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, a person must keep track of their macros and ensure that their input is not greater than their output. This is why athletes tend to have a carbohydrate heavy diet as they will be provided with high energy foods which they will burn off in training and exercise. Micronutrients, are nutrients that are required in smaller amounts (milligrams) and include vitamins and minerals. However, while they are needed in small amounts, they are still of paramount importance when it comes to the functioning of internal bodily organs. Each vitamin and mineral have contrasting biological functions but they should not be ignored as deficiencies in any of them could lead to serious illnesses.

Food or beverage

1980s (calories)

Today (calories)

Turkey sandwich French fries

320 calories

820 calories

210 calories

610 calories

Bagel

140 calories

350 calories

Slice of pizza 500 calories

850 calories

Soda

250 calories

85 calories

So u r c e :NYCHe a l t h

Methodology. To carry out this exercise successfully, it is vitally important that a food diary is kept and every food and fluid consumed within the seven-days is logged in the diary. This can be done by keeping a notebook and writing down everything that is eaten along with the time when it was eaten. If this is not performed, one may be led into guessing what they ate that day, thus, leading to inaccurate results when they log the seven-day diary into Nutritics. To enhance the accuracy of the nutrient analysis, one could weigh out the food they are eating and include the measurements in Nutritics. This will result in very accurate results and one can determine more information and how their diet compares to the RDAs. It will also allow one to obtain a better understanding of their diet and how they can improve it.

Average consumption over 7 days (g)

graph of consumption of macronutrients over 7 days 120 103.4 100 80 60 40

40.4

20 0 1

macronutrients

39.8

carbs chon fat

Table 2: average consumption of micronutrients over seven days



Carbohydrates (in grams) Starch Intake 61 Target Kilocalorie % 44.5

Fibre 14.8 30

Sugar 40...