NTR 150 Lifestyle Nutrition Project –
be sure to keep the graded pages to submit as one big packet at the end
It’s probably nearly impossible to eat a perfect diet every single day, so nutritionists usually
have clients record 3-day windows of their diets to get an average of what they eat. This is
what you’ll be doing. You will be recording what you ate and drank for three day chunks.
You will also be recording your fitness. You will be using the iProfile or MyPyramid tracker
to do so. Then you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on these records and see if this
influences your lifestyle choices. Note, you do NOT have to make a change, but changes
usually do occur, even if you eat fairly well already. This assignment is one large, 5-section
assignment that is broken up to help you stay on track and to make the project seem less
intimidating.
You should start a new Word Document or word processing program to write up your
assignment. Simply make a new paragraph or new page for each Assignment.
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Lifestyle Project Assignment 1
Due ________________________
iProfile
Upload/install iProfile to your computer based on the instructions in the syllabus.
Or
Set up your profile using the instructions provided in the MyPyramid Tracker page
(www.mypyramidtracker.gov). Be sure to print off the information, just in case the
information doesn't save correctly. Save your account name and password.
*let the instructor know immediately if you have any trouble
Answer these questions:
1) How many calories should you consume per day based on your height, weight, age,
and activity, according to the profile program?
2) Look in your textbook at the calculation of your DRI values for energy and calculate
your EER (don’t forget to calculate your physical activity coefficient). How many
calories should you be consuming based on the equation? (Be sure to cite your
reference – the book, a chart online, etc)
3) Create a chart showing your DRI values for vitamins and minerals. Use the charts
found on the insides back-cover or front-cover of your book. (if you’re unsure of
how to create a chart, visit with the computer librarian to learn how)
You can also use this source, but be sure to cite it correctly in your final paper, if you
use it.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2005/2005DGPolicyD
ocument.pdf
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Assignment 2
Due _____________________________
This week, record the foods you eat in three consecutive days. Try to make them usual days,
days that are pretty normal in your schedule. Don't select a weekend, if you eat differently
those days. This is to give us an average of your intake. You can record all your days of
eating, but three days will be sufficient to generate the average. Enter all of this information
and save the information appropriately. From MyPyramid, save the “Meeting Dietary
Guidelines” page (has emoticon smiley faces) and submit with your answers to the
questions below. Or save the results from iProfile. (You can “print screen” and paste it into
the Word Document, saving the information without wasting paper)
Answer these questions:
1) Take the average of the calories you ate over three days. How many calories did you
consume? Did the number of calories you ate surprise you? Why or why not? How
many calories do you need daily? Did you eat more or fewer calories than are
recommended?
2) Did you eat fewer or more calories than you thought? Or were your expectations
pretty close to what you ate? Why do you think you ate more or less than you
actually ate?
3) Where were most of your calories from? (fats, carbohydrates/sugars, proteins)
Why? (for example, if you eat a hamburger, you probably get most of your calories
from fat in that meal)
4) Are you eating meals that meet the AMDR balance of macronutrients?
5) Are you eating a variety of foods from each food group? Why or why not? Which
food group are you lacking/not meeting the recommended amounts?
6) Are you over or under-nourished in any of the food categories? Why do you think
that was?
7) How might you modify your food choices to more closely follow the DRI and Dietary
Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations?
iProfile’s Food Journal page
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How to Record your food journal: Enter in your food selections, like below.
DRI recommendations
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Analysis
MyPyramid version:
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Then click on “Select Quantity.” Enter your servings sizes by selecting your choice with the
drop-down menu, and then select the number of those servings manually. You cannot enter
fractions, so one-half cup would be 0.5 (not 1/2). If you need to change the amount, then
highlight the number and type of it, rather than trying to backspace or delete.
Once you’ve entered the information you want, click “Save & Analyze.”
Then select “Meeting 2005 Dietary Guidelines.” If the option arises, also select “Moves you
toward a healthier weight.”
You should receive this page. This is the food record that I want you to keep for the threeday period.
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Copy or select “Print Screen” on each of these pages (as I’ve done in the example) to keep
for your assignment. When you analyze the information, do so looking at the
recommendations vs. what the actual intake was. Then answer the questions.
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Assignment 3
Due __________________________
Food marketing plays a significant role in affecting our food choices. How do you decide
what is good to eat? Are you aware of how you make your food purchasing choices? What
influences do you think affect your decisions? In a 2-page paper, answer this question:
How does Food Marketing influence purchasing choices, and what is its role in
influencing the obesity problem facing America today?
Your essay should be written to meet specific requirements (see Assignment 6)
This Essay is due _____________________ at the beginning of class.
Here are some resources to get you started:
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USFoodSupply.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez
http://www.google.com/search?q=how+food+marketing+affects+health&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microso
ft:en-us:IESearchBox&ie=&oe=#q=how+food+marketing+affects+health&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IESearchBox&prmd=iv&ei=plKqTImaFYPUtQPNqq24Aw&start=20&sa=N&fp=3f137aea2efaa6b6
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.031308.100304?journalCode=publhe
alth
http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMp068014
http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/press/news/news-March06.pdf
http://www.globalissues.org/article/558/obesity
http://www.marketingpower.com/AboutAMA/Pages/AMA%20Publications/AMA%20Journals/Journal%20o
f%20Marketing/TOCs/summary%20jan%2007/TheInfluencejmjan07.aspx
http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what_we_do.aspx?id=297
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2826802/pdf/nihms-150228.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509618/pdf/0981616.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2614433/pdf/1471-2458-8-395.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901499/pdf/nihms214679.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC416565/pdf/1479-5868-1-3.pdf
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Assignment 4
Due _________________________________
An important component to nutritional wellness is regular exercise. Do you get enough
exercise for the week?
Record your exercise activities that you average over three days. If you only exercise once
per week, only record one exercise routine to see how many calories you use up.
Save the exercise record, “Physical Activity Results,” pages. Answer the following
questions:
1) What are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations for exercise? Do
you meet the minimum recommendations?
2) How much exercise do you already do in a week?
3) Do you exercise often enough? Why or why not?
4) How many calories do you burn when you’re exercising? (after you record your
exercise, the program should tell you)
5) Do you burn more calories or consume more calories? Compare the calories you ate
in Assignment 2 to the calories you burn in Assignment 3.
6) If you consume more calories than use up in exercise, how much weight could you
gain in one month? How about one year?
7) What can you do to change that ratio (to burn more than you eat)?
8) How are you planning to incorporate more exercise into your lifestyle?
Enter your physical activity here, using the options at the top of the screen after logging in.
I have copied the screen several times in order of how you should access them.
iProfile Version
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MyPyramid version
Enter your activity by searching by category or by typing in an activity.
Enter in the time spent doing the sport or activity.
Then select your physical activity analysis.
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Then you receive your analysis. This is the page I want you to keep for your three-day
journal.
This is another type of result you could receive.
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Assignment 5
Due _____________________________
Now you’ll record your diet again, this time to see if you have made any changes and to see
how they have impacted your caloric/nutrient intake. Record the foods you eat in three
consecutive days. Save the Meeting Dietary Guidelines pages and submit with your
answers. Answer the following questions:
1) Have your eating habits changed since recording and reflecting? How?
2) What changes did you make to your diet? (Reduced portions, walked more, stopped
drinking soda pop)
3) Did you find it easy or difficult to make changes?
4) Why did you change what you ate? Or, why didn’t you change your diet?
5) What was the most difficult food/food habit to change?
6) How does your intake now compare to the intake before? Are you now able to get
nutrients from each food group?
7) How well did you meet the dietary recommendations this time? Where/when was it
the most difficult to meet the recommendations? What did you do to make it easier
to meet those recommendations?
8) Average your intake for the three days. How many calories did you consume? What
was the ratio of macronutrients (AMDR) of your diet?
9) Do you feel that you ate a variety of food from each food group?
Keep three days of journaling again.
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Last Assignment, Assignment 6
Due ___________________________
Write a 1-page response about this diet/exercise experiment. I want to hear your
thoughts about the process of recording your diet and what you have learned from the
exercise.
Your essay will cover your experience. In your essay, be sure to cover the following
questions.
1) Have you made any changes to your lifestyle?
2) What was the most difficult change? What change did you find the easiest to make?
3) How has your family responded to your changes (esp. in eating, if you're the family
cook)?
4) What suggestions would you give to yourself to keep motivated? What are three
changes that you hope to make permanent in your life?
5) What were your feelings about your understanding of healthy lifestyle choices, and
what were your feelings about your personal health before you started the project?
6) In the middle of the project, when exercise was being recorded, did you find this
step to be an easy step or a difficult one to add to your schedule? Why or why not?
7) Did you find that you wanted to eat differently when you were recording your
intake? Why or why not?
8) What changes have you made to your daily habits as a result of completing this
project?
9) What is one motivation for you to continue making healthier lifestyle choices?
10)What is one tip the healthier-you could provide to the before-you to remind you to
make better choices?
11)What response can you now give to someone who says that eating healthily and
exercising is too difficult to add to one's schedule?
Your essay should be a well-thought out, 1-page essay answering questions like those
above. Answer in paragraph/essay form, not question-by-question. Your essay should be
typed. Remember that your paper needs to be in APA format
*Submit your previous work (Assignments 1-4) as well. So don’t lose them!*
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Page requirements
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Times New Roman, Arial, or Cambria-type font
Font size 12
Normal formatting (no special spacing between letters/words)
Double spaced
1-inch margins
Type a cover page, and then only paginate each page with your Last Name and page
number (Schaub 1)
Your paper should be written in a scientific manner (APA style) and not be a
personal narrative, even though you’re writing from your response. Your thoughts
should be well-developed and clearly understandable.
If you cite any sources (Dietary Guidelines, DRI charts, MyPyramid, scientific
articles), be sure to cite them in APA format.
Please PRINT the document (do not email it)
Your document should include a
Cover page
Your essay
Your journal entries and the written responses to each assignment
References/bibliography page
How to Write APA formatted papers
I require that your papers be written in APA format, because that is the format used by
scientists. The most important feature of APA is that the resources are clearly
referenced and the year in which those resources were published is clearly written.
That’s important, because science and nutrition evolve constantly, and good
researchers and writers will choose the most pertinent and most recent information in
order to support (or refute) their claims or ideas.
Read over these resources to see how to write an APA formatted paper. Review the
Library’s resources as well. While I do not expect a perfect rendering of APA formatted
papers, I do want to see a clear attempt.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://valenciacc.edu/library/doc_apa_electronic.cfm
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