Nutrition Analysis Project
Health (Mr. Post)
OBJECTIVE:
The student will obtain greater awareness about the nutritional strengths and weaknesses of
his/her nutrient intake. The student will then be more informed to make good nutritional
choices to positively influence their current and long-term health.
TECHNOLOGY & RESOURCES:
SuperTracker was created by the United States Department of Agriculture. It provides information
on the quality of your nutrient intake, related nutrition messages, and links to nutrient information. In
addition, there are tools to analyze your physical activities and provide feedback.
PROCEDURES:
1. MAINTAIN AN ACCURATE 3-DAY JOURNAL. Include: food, condiments, beverages,
snacks…EVERYTHING!
2. Go to www.choosemyplate.gov and browse the information on that page.
3. Click on the SuperTracker link (above).
4. Hover over the HELP link in the upper left corner and click SITE TOUR. Watch the two
“getting started” videos.
5. CREATE A PROFILE, following the instructions on the site tour videos.
6. Click FOOD TRACKER and ENTER EACH ITEM from your 3-day food record. Click
SEARCH. Find the result that most closely matches the item you’re looking for.
7. Repeat this process for each of your 3 days, making sure to change the dates on your data
entry so you have 3 separate dates of information entered.
8. Complete the information on the following charts using the SuperTracker feedback information.
9. ANALYZE YOUR INTAKE!
a) On your daily food record make comments, indicating whether each food was “good,
neutral or bad” based on the nutrient density of that item.
b) Write an essay, written from the perspective of a third-party professional dietician or
nutritional counselor toward you as a client/patient. This analysis should be based on
what you have learned in this Health unit and from the feedback you received and
recorded in the charts on the following pages. Ideas to consider:
i. Discuss what you learned about your intake. Was it better or worse than you
thought it would be?
ii. Name 3-5 nutrients you were in excess of, and too low in?
iii. Make suggestions and recommendations to yourself
iv. How you could use this knowledge to help improve your overall health and
wellness?
v. List any vitamins and minerals that averaged less than 100% of the
recommended amount.
vi. For each vitamin or mineral that averaged less than 100% of the
recommendation, suggest one food that would increase the amount of that
nutrient in your diet.
1. Why did you pick the food? Is realistic to YOUR diet?
2. Suggest a way you would incorporate the food directly into your diet.
vii. How many grams of fiber did you consume per day?
1. What is the recommended intake per day?
2. If you ate less than the recommended daily intake, how could you
realistically increase your fiber?
3. What foods in your 3-day intake are highest in fiber? (Next to each nutrient
listed in the Nutrient Intake Report, there is a plus sign (+). You can click
on the “+” to see a list of foods providing that particular nutrient, and these
foods are listed in order from greatest to lowest contribution.)
viii. Take a look at your essential fatty acid intakes: linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid,
omega-3 EPA, and omega-3 DHA.
1. How did your intakes of linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids compare to your
recommendations?
2. Current recommended intake for the sum of EPA+DHA is around 5001000 milligrams per day for healthy adults (but not more than 3000 mg/d,
due to increased risk of bleeding). What was your sum of EPA+DHA?
3. What foods were the major contributors of these nutrients during your 3day intake? If your intakes were low, what foods could you include to
boost the numbers?
ix. What have you learned about your eating habits?
1. Note the physical and mental/emotional states before and after
meals/snacks.
2. Offer observations: did you notice any patterns with respect to the above
states and your food choices/eating habits? Did you notice any influence
that your food choices/eating habits had on your
physical/mental/emotional states? Please describe.
x. Include here any thoughts on modifications you might make to your eating habits
or behaviors. Be sure to list at least one specific change you would make (for
example: I would incorporate a baked sweet potato with dinner to increase my
vitamin A intake).
GRADING:
GRADING FOR THIS PROJECT WILL BE BASED ON COMPLETION OF THE REQUIRED
COMPONENTS, NOT THE QUALITY OF THE NUTRITIONAL CHOICES YOU ENTERED!
________________'s Food Groups and Calories Report (date range) _______ - ________
Your plan is based on a _________ per day Calorie allowance.
Food Groups
Target
Average Eaten
Status
Grains
Whole Grains
Refined Grains
Vegetables
Dark Green
Red & Orange
Beans & Peas
Starchy
Other
Fruits
Whole Fruit
Fruit Juice
Dairy
Milk & Yogurt
Cheese
Protein Foods
Seafood
Meat, Poultry & Eggs
Nuts, Seeds & Soy
Oils
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)/week
___ cup(s)/week
___ cup(s)/week
___ cup(s)/week
___ cup(s)/week
___ cup(s)
_______________
_______________
___ cup(s)
_______________
_______________
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)/week
_______________
_______________
___ teaspoon
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ cup(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ ounce(s)
___ teaspoon
Limits
Allowance
Average Eaten
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
_______________
Total Calories
______ Calories
______ Calories
_______________
Empty Calories*
______ Calories
______ Calories
_______________
Solid Fats
*
______ Calories
*
Added Sugars
*
______ Calories
*
*Calories from food components such as added sugars and solid fats that provide little nutritional value. Empty
Calories are part of Total Calories.
Note: If you ate Beans & Peas and chose "Count as Protein Foods instead," they will be included in the Nuts, Seeds &
Soy subgroup.
________________'s Nutrients Report (date range) ________ - _________
Your plan is based on a _________ Calorie allowance.
Nutrients
Target
Average Eaten
Status
Total Calories
________ Calories
________ Calories
_____________________
Protein (g)***
________ g
________ g
_____________________
Protein (% Calories)***
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
Carbohydrate (g)***
________ g
________ g
_____________________
Carbohydrate (% Calories)***
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
Dietary Fiber
________ g
________ g
_____________________
Total Fat
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
Saturated Fat
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
Monounsaturated Fat
_____________________
________ % Calories
_____________________
Polyunsaturated Fat
_____________________
________ % Calories
_____________________
Linoleic Acid (g)***
________ g
________ g
_____________________
Linoleic Acid (% Calories)***
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
α-Linolenic Acid (g)***
________ g
________ g
_____________________
α-Linolenic Acid (% Calories)***
________ % Calories
________ % Calories
_____________________
Omega 3 - EPA
_____________________
________ mg
_____________________
Omega 3 - DHA
_____________________
________ mg
_____________________
Cholesterol
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Minerals
Target
Average Eaten
Status
Calcium
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Potassium
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Sodium**
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Copper
________ µg
________ µg
_____________________
Iron
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Magnesium
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Phosphorus
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Selenium
________ µg
________ µg
_____________________
Zinc
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Vitamins
Target
Average Eaten
Status
Vitamin A
________ µg RAE
________ µg RAE
_____________________
Vitamin B6
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Vitamin B12
________ µg
________ µg
_____________________
Vitamin C
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Vitamin D
________ µg
________ µg
_____________________
Vitamin E
________ mg AT
________ mg AT
_____________________
Vitamin K
________ µg
________ µg
_____________________
Folate
________ µg DFE
________ µg DFE
_____________________
Thiamin
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Riboflavin
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Niacin
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Choline
________ mg
________ mg
_____________________
Information about dietary supplements.
** If you are African American, hypertensive, diabetic, or have chronic kidney disease, reduce your sodium to 1500 mg a day. In addition, people
who are age 51 and older need to reduce sodium to 1500 mg a day. All others need to reduce sodium to less than 2300 mg a day.
*** Nutrients that appear twice (protein, carbohydrate, linoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid) have two separate recommendations:
1) Amount eaten (in grams) compared to your minimum recommended intake.
2) Percent of Calories eaten from that nutrient compared to the recommended range.
You may see different messages in the status column for these 2 different recommendations.