Stephanie’s Eating Habits: “Just Fine” or Not?
You receive the following email from a friend:
From: Stephanie Scott <stephs@queensu.ca>
To: You <astudent@vcmt.ca>
Date: January 21, 2021 1:21 PM
Re: Fun and food
Hey there,
Sure was good to see you over the holidays. Just like old times. And now here I am
back in snowy
Kingston. Lucky you to be in balmy Vancouver--I hear it’s raining again. Oh well, soon
we’ll both
be up to our ears in readings and assignments and the weather won’t matter anymore.
Great news that you got into that nutrition course. I for one am looking forward to having
you pass
on some of the wisdom you’re going to gain. When I was home over the holidays my
mom was
continually harping at me “You don’t eat enough vegetables” “You eat so badly, no
wonder your
skin is breaking out again.” And when I got back here and started to complain to my
roommate about
it, she said “Well you do eat an awful lot, especially when it comes to junk food.” Well, I
happen to
think my eating habits are just fine. I kept track of everything I ate yesterday. I don’t eat
the same
thing every day, but yesterday was pretty typical for me. Here it is (why do I feel like I’m
exposing
myself??) Let me know how you think it stacks up against what you learn in your
course. Get back
to me soon.
Breakfast:

1 cup Cheerios - .5 cups 1% milk



2 slices white toast with margarine and jam
.5 cup apple juice
1 large coffee with cream
Snack:


1 blueberry muffin
1 large coffee with cream


1 plain bagel with lite cream cheese
1 can Diet Coke
Lunch:
Snack:

1 Mars Bar
Dinner:



2 hamburgers (single burgers) with ketchup/relish
1 cup 1% milk
1.5 cups tossed salad with low cal Italian dressing
Snack:

2 cups plain air popped popcorn
I don’t know what all else you need to know. I’m sort of average (5’ 5”; 135 pounds). I try
to do my
half hour of laps in the pool 3 times a week and I walk everywhere but otherwise it’s a
lot of sitting
around listening to lectures, reading, and sitting at the computer.
Steph
USE CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE to answer the following questions in point form, in one
discussion post:
1. How would you describe the "foods on the plate" of Steph's meals and snacks
as compared to the plate recommendation on the Canada Food guide? (/4)
-
Too much sugar and carbohydrates (apple juice, Cheerios ,jam, ketchup)
Not enough protein foods:
She needs to try to get plant-based protein foods and make them as a snack so
she can easily access protein sources.
-
No healthy fats
Too many processed foods such as Cheerios, Diet coke , pop corn
Not enough pure water, mostly drink with sugar or cream
Her drinks has too much sodium, sugars, saturated fat, caffeine (coffee, coke)
Fruit juice is high in sugars. She has to replace juice with water or cut vegetables
and fruits
-
Not so many vegetables or fruits
She need to get dark green and orange vegetables (Vitamin A) and fruits making
half of her plate
2. Based on the comparison of Steph's diet to the Canada Food Guide, what
specific nutrients would you suspect she might have problems with? (/2)
-
Excessive sugar and carbohydrate : It can increase triglyceride levels, which
may increase the risk of heart disease. Recommended carbohydrate intake is
45%-65% of total daily calories.
-
Deficiencies of Protein : burger patties are not a good source of protein
because they have lots a lot of fat as well. There is only 30grams of protein
per 2 burger patties. One person normally needs 0.8 grams of protein per day
per kilogram of body weight
-
Deficiencies of healthy fats : margarine and popcorn butter are saturated
trans fats which are not healthy and can clog blood vessels.
( her weight is 135 pounds( 61.2kg ) so protein should be at least around
48.9g – 50 g )
-
Deficiencies of fibre , Vitamins and Minerals (such as Vitamin C, Zinc,
Iron…etc) : a proper amount of veggies is 2 to 3 cups each day per person
3. Does Steph eat a variety of foods from each "group"? How might this affect
your answer to question #2? (/2)
-
No.. Steph’s meals are more sugar and carbohydrate dominated.
In the short-term, eating too much sugar may contribute to acne, weight gain,
and fatigue/ low energy levels. In the long-term, too much sugar increases the
risk of chronic diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.
And In addition, She should eat more vegetables and fruits ( more Vitamin
C,A,E,K, B groups)
She should eat more of healthy protein and healthy fats
Healthy protein : 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. ( beef, egg, tofu ,
yogurt, fish, almond, beans, salmon….) protein food have important nutrients
such as protein, vitamins , minerals.
Healthy fats : To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should
be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. ( olive oil, sesame, pumpkin
seed, walnut, soymilk, avocado )
4. How does Steph's diet stack up in respect to the other messages in Canada's
Food Guide? (/2)
-
She ought to cook at home more often rather than consuming processed food
She mostly sits in front of a computer She should eat with her friends or family, at
least for lunch or dinner time to enjoy the food
She eats mostly western foods I would be better for her to try different types of
cuisines to enjoy ( She needs a sense of wonder and adventure)
-
She does some swimming and walking exercises but half an hour of swimming
burns only 200 calories and walking only 100-200 calories. She needs to do
more vigorous exercises such as running and , hiking to prevent heart disease.
**Please do not summarize her meals in each question, but please do use her overall
diet to answer the questions according to the Canada Food GuideLinks to an external
site.
**Please make sure to look at both pages (pg 1& 2) of the Canada Food GuideLinks to
an external site. to answer these questions
** I am looking for specific answers to each question, if you are unsure how to proceed,
or what I am asking for, please reach out