Ashley Brannan
Nutrition 251
Diet Assessment reflection questions.
1. Kara is not consuming the appropriate amount of grains, vegetables, fruits, protein, and dairy.
She may be at risk for a deficiency in potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin c, and folate due to the
fact that she is 2 cups under the needed amount of fruits; she needs 2 cups per day. She also
may be deficient in potassium, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin A and vitamin C because her
vegetable intake is 1.5 cups below what is actually needed, which is 2.5 cups in total. With
grains, she may be deficient in dietary fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, magnesium,
and selenium because she is 4.3 ounces equivalent under her goal of 6 ounces equivalent. She is
also under her goal for protein; she hits 3.8 ounces equivalent when in actuality she needs 5.5
ounces equivalent. She could be deficient in protein, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, B6, vitamin E,
iron, zinc, and magnesium. She also is under her goal for dairy, reaching only 1 cup when she
needs 3 cups. This puts her at risk for a deficiency in calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorous.
2. Kara could be at risk for obesity if she doesn’t increase her activity due to the fact that exercise
helps regulate weight and keep one’s heart healthy. Kara has a high amount of sodium in her
diet at 1789.7 mg which could lead to muscle cramps and dizziness. Along with these, she could
put herself at risk for hypertension due to the high intake of salt. Her diet is very low in vitamin E
which can lead to asthma, cardiovascular disease, and even cognitive impairment.
3. Kara eats the right amount of portions when she does eat, though not often. She does not have
enough variety in her diet, especially in vegetables and fruits. She does consume items from
each food group though not a lot.
4. I believe she should try to eat a bowl of fruit with breakfast and dinner, which is easily accessible
in the dining commons at school. She could also eat a salad with dinner, or at lunch to get her
necessary amount of vegetables for the day. Another thing she could do is take a daily vitamin
to fill in her areas that are deficient. She could also drink a glass of milk at each meal time to get
the necessary amount of calcium in her diet. Another thing to improve her diet is to eat 6 small
meals a day since it helps in metabolism and digestion.
5. Kara is considered sedentary in my opinion since she does not work out besides walking to class
and doing laundry or other dorm necessities. I think she could incorporate at least 30 minutes of
exercise per day to improve her overall body health. She could also do pushups, sit-ups, and dips
at night or in the morning since she has extra time throughout her day.