QUESTION 1
Part A. My recommended calorie intake is 2200 calories per day. Currently, based on the data in table 1 I am on average consuming 2486 calories per day. This means that on average I am consuming 286 calories more than is required. As I am eating more calories than necessary this means that I will be gaining weight. Currently my BMI is 40.7, which indicates that I am obese. For this reason I would like to try to reduce this number into the 18.5-24.9 range (Bleich et al.). Currently with my calorie intake I have a good level of energy. But I often feel lazy and sleepy after consuming meals. If I decrease my calories I may find that there is a reversal in these effects. As well, by lowering my calories I will be able to start losing weight and reach my targeted BMI.
Part B. For every nutrient that is essential to our well being there is a daily recommended intake (DRI). For my age category, female 19-30, I have compared the DRIs to my values in table 1. There were very few nutrients for which I was close to the target range. For most nutrients I consuming more than the daily recommended amount. For example I was consuming 279.75% of the DRI of folic acid and 258.75% of zinc. Of all the nutrients, there was only one in which I consumed less than 75%, and this was vitamin D. In contrast there were many nutrients in which I consumed greater than 300%. These nutrients were linoleic acid, sodium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and niacin. There are several potential risks for having such a high consumption of nutrients. For example high amounts of sodium can increase my risk of developing heart disease (Trumbo et al.).
Part C. Currently my daily intake of carbohydrate, protein and fat is 16.3% protein, 46.7% carbohydrates and 39% fat. Of this fat I am consuming, 11.3% is saturated fat. Overall, I am within the recommended values for protein and carbohydrates. However, currently I am consuming more fat then recommended, as the upper limit is 35%. As well I am consuming greater than 10% total calories from saturated fat. As I am at the lower end of the recommendations for protein and carbohydrates, I should alter my diet to increase these components and lower my total fat intake (Trumbo et al.).
QUESTION 2
Based on my current diet there are several changes that I can make to my diet to improve my health. First, I am currently consuming more than calories than necessary. As I would like to lower my BMI, I need to lower my calorie intake to achieve this. To do this I can start tracking my food intake and start portion controlling to lower my total calorie intake. Secondly, I am currently consuming large amounts of sodium in my diet. One way that I can reduce this is to reduce the amount of processed food that I consume. Currently I consume lots of processed food which is high in sodium, if I switch to consuming more natural foods, such as vegetables this will help to lower my sodium. Thirdly I currently have a high intake of saturated fat. One way to reduce this is to read the labels on the food products that I’m consuming and to choose products which have a lower content of saturated fat. As well, I can also switch out some of the higher fat foods with things such as fruit and vegetables which would increase my carbohydrate intake and decrease my fat intake.
- Bleich, Sara N, et al. “Impact of Physician Bmi on Obesity Care and Beliefs.” Obesity 20.5 (2012): 999-1005. Print.
- Trumbo, Paula, et al. “Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102.11 (2002): 1621-30. Print.
