One Day Food Intake

One Day Food Intake
Megan Kitsos
Sci/220 Human Nutrition
April 1, 2012
Dr. Susan Bratton

One Day Food Intake
In order to better understand my health needs, I have catalogued my food intake for one day. I used the WileyPlus iprofile, which gives me the recommended daily intakes for many different things such as kilocalories and fat, and then compared them with what I actually consumed. The results were scary and not in a good way.
I started my morning without any breakfast. I was running late to my future mother-in-law’s house so I grabbed a Dr. Pepper and ran out the door. Once there I started cleaning out her garage. I skipped lunch but managed to drink two Cokes. I finished with the garage and went on to gardening. Then we had dinner. For dinner I had chicken, a baked potato with sour cream and cheese, pasta salad, baked beans, another Coke, and some water.
According to the dietary reference intake on the WileyPlus iprofile, my dietary intake for the day does not provide me with a healthful diet. I am under the recommended calorie intake and the recommended carbohydrates intake for the day. I am over several different vitamins and minerals and I have way too much sugar in my diet. According to my food pyramid I was low on grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and oils. I was high on meat and beans and discretionary. Due to this calculation I have not consumed the recommended DRI from each of the food groups, vitamins, and minerals.
The groups of foods that are underrepresented in my diet are grains, fruits, milk, and vegetables. The groups of foods that are overrepresented are meat and beans and discretionary. I honestly do not have a good excuse as to why I did not consume the recommended number of servings for each of the food groups. I only have myself to blame and I believe that my reasoning is sad. I am lazy and I like food. I eat what I want when I want it which is not healthy.
My diet did not provide an adequate variety of foods. I had very limited choices because I limited myself. I think the first step to expand my field of choices would be to actually eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I do not cook much for myself and my fiancée but I am trying harder to cook meals. I never know what to cook and when I do cook I feel like I could be cooking something healthier than what I am. A website called the Beehive (2001-2012) has given me some tips and pointers on what I should buy and eat to promote a healthy eating lifestyle while on a budget. Some tips I have learned are to cover half my plate with fruits and vegetables and to buy these vegetables and fruits when they are in season. This ensures them to be less expensive and they have more flavor. Another tip learned by the Beehive is to grill, broil, or roast instead of frying my meat. My favorite tip I have learned is do not buy the product if you cannot pronounce the ingredients. I love this tip and will make shopping a breeze. I would much rather have fresh ingredients that I know what they are as opposed to processed foods that are not able to be pronounced. Another website that I enjoy going to is the American Diabetes Association site where one can find all sorts of different information on how to eat healthy but still have delicious food. They also have links to several different helpful tools and articles such as how to calculate artificial sweeteners into your diet and what carbohydrates to watch out for.
I have compared my diet to the sample profile provided me for Kelly Watson. Although several of her intakes are higher than her DRI I still feel that her diet provides the best opportunity for health and well being. Her profile also provides the best philosophy of health. In my opinion she is eating enough food to maintain her life while also exercising enough to balance out the things that may be a little higher than her DRI would like.
In conclusion, just tracking one day of my food intake has made me aware of how unhealthy I have been. I have children that see me eat and drink this way. I need to change the way I look at food and drink drastically because I first of all want to be healthy and second of all want to set a good example for my children.

References
American Diabetes Association. (1995-2012). Food and Fitness. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/?loc=GlobalNavFF.
Okie, A. (2001-2012). Healthy Eating: Simple Tips to Feel Great. Retrieved from http://www.thebeehive.org/health/healthy-living/healthy-eating.
WILEY PLUS: Grosvenor, M. B., & Smolin, L. A. (2010). Visualizing nutrition: Everyday choices. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

References: American Diabetes Association. (1995-2012). Food and Fitness. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/?loc=GlobalNavFF. Okie, A. (2001-2012). Healthy Eating: Simple Tips to Feel Great. Retrieved from http://www.thebeehive.org/health/healthy-living/healthy-eating. WILEY PLUS: Grosvenor, M. B., & Smolin, L. A. (2010). Visualizing nutrition: Everyday choices. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.