DIET ASSIGNMENT
40 points Due Wednesday, November 12
Please read the instructions carefully. Late assignment will NOT be accepted.
Go to FitDay.com and log in. Use the FitDay Classic version only. You should see the words FitDay 2
in orange above the menu bar. If you see a ‘dashboard’ you need to click on the words FitDay Classic
in orange to switch to the Classic version. You will know you are using the correct version when you
see the screen below.
Your assignment should be 9 pages long, plus your graded Protein Calorie Estimate.
Overview of what to turn in?
 Make a Cover Page for your work. Type your last name, first name and class start
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1 pg
time in the upper right corner. (Cleverness in design is appreciated, but not required!)
Part 1 (Fitday input)
o Log into www.fitday.com. Use Fitday Classic. (Please ignore the advertisements on the
site, they are mostly bogus.)
o Enter the foods you ate for any three days into FitDay.
o Print each day of your food log. Record date of intake on each page.
3 pgs.
o Go to ‘Reports’ in the menu bar, then on your left select “Carbs, Fats Protein’
and ‘My Nutrition’. Print your 3-day average for each of these reports.
2 pgs.
Part 2 (Evaluate your diet by typing your answers to the questions in this section)
3 pgs.
Turn in your graded Protein Calorie Estimate (If not completed previously, you will
need to do it now to include in your Diet Assignment. It will not be graded).
Put all pages in a pocket folder or plastic sleeve. Please use NO staples, origami corners,
paper clips, glue or…duct tape!!!
Back to back printing is appreciated, but not required.
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Part 1 3-day food log
 Log onto www.fitday.com. Use the FitDay Classic (FDC) version.
 Carefully record your food intake for three days. The more typical your food intake for the
day, the better. The more precise your food list and the more accurate the portion sizes are
listed, the more valuable the average data will be.
 Print all three days of your food log (NOTE: Use ‘print friendly’ format for all data printed off
of FitDay. Please no hand written food logs)
 Date each page with the date it was recorded.
SAMPLE FOOD LOG
This is a sample of what your food log will look like when you print it to turn in. It also gives you and
idea of the logging detail I expect from an ‘A’ paper. Remember to use the ‘print friendly’ format to
print your log and date each day (OK to enter date by hand) for reference.
Go to ‘Reports’ in the menu bar. On the far left select the ‘Carbs, Fats and Protein’ report and the
‘My Nutrition’ report. You will print each report for a total of two reports. NOTE: Be sure the date
range on FitDay for your ‘reports’ includes the actual dates you recorded your intake. If you fail to do
this, FitDay will not ‘know’ to include the data from days not included in the range, and your averages
will be wrong!
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Example: ‘Carbs Fats and Protein’ Report.
Example: ‘Total Nutrition’ Report
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TIPS to help you record your food intake accurately:
DO INCLUDE sugar, cream, butter, jam, sauces, dressings, condiments, soy sauce, salt, all sodium
containing seasonings (ketchup, mustard, garlic salt) and oil for frying (amount/type) used, etc.
Include all beverages, even if non-caloric
Include salt and season salts, but no other spices need be listed
DO NOT INCLUDE supplements on your food log. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, magic
potions etc. I want your analysis to reflect the nutrients you consumed in your foods…not through
supplements! For protein shakes you may include the mixer (milk, soymilk, juice) and any foods
added to the shake, but do not include the protein powder. If you add the protein powder it will
distort how much protein you are getting from your diet.
Pay attention to detail:
Dairy …regular, low or nonfat
Bread…100% whole wheat, enriched white, rye, etc
Cereal/grain (use details on grain/product type: i.e. white or brown rice, Raisin Bran, Honey Nut
Cheerios or regular Cheerios, etc.)
Fruit or vegetable fresh, frozen, canned in juice, or syrup
Meat/eggs/veggies include how prepared (grilled, boiled deep fried)
Oil Identify type of oil (canola, peanut, etc)
Butter/butter substitute and/or margarine record the type: stick, tub, diet, blend, liquid etc
Include
Fast food/convenience/restaurant/packaged foods
Ethnic Foods not common in the US diet
If the food is not a typical American food, then record enough detail about the food or food mix so
that you can select a comparable item from the database; i.e. if you ate a starchy root vegetable, use
potato, parsnip or sweet potato if you cannot find the actual veggie you consumed
Estimating Portion Sizes
Record the amounts of food eaten in common portions sizes: cups, teaspoons, tablespoons,
slices/pieces, fluid ounces, etc.
1 cup of food is about the size of your fist
1 cup = ½ pint = 8 fluid ounces (but does not necessarily weigh 8 ounces) i.e. 1 cup of cereal may only
weigh one ounce!
Use cups, tablespoons, teaspoons for cereal, rice, veggies, mayo, etc.
Read label and adjust for the amount that you actually ate!
1 Tablespoon= 3 tsp (Tbsp= size of thumb; teaspoon= size of thumbnail)
Some general guidelines
 A piece of meat that is about the size of a deck of cards or a smart phone weighs ~3 ounces.
 A dinner plate of spaghetti holds ~ 3 cups of spaghetti and 1½ cups of sauce
 A container of creamer at a restaurant is ½ fl. oz.
 A slice of processed, prepackaged cheese weighs ¾ ounce
 A typical slice of cake weighs about 3 ounces, a small cookie ~½ ounce; large cookie ~ 2-3 oz.
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 Deli bagel 4 oz.
REMEMBER - The more accurately you record your food measurements, the better your analysis will
represent your actual diet. Your grade is based on the detail of your data entry and the diet
evaluation. It is NOT based on the quality of the foods you consumed!! Bon appetite!
Part 2 Evaluation of Food Log- Please type and turn in answers to questions 1-10
Use your protein calorie estimate, three food logs and two summary reports to answer questions 110. (TIP: Be sure to use the FitDay Classic version otherwise you will not see the info you need to
answer all of these questions.)
1. Were the days evaluated typical of your diet? If not, how were they different?
2. Are you on any kind of special diet (vegetarian, weight loss, weight gain, no gluten, etc.)?
3. Consider how your diet compares to the ‘Recommended intakes’ below. Complete the following
table using your data. (TIP: The symbol ‘<’ means ‘less than’. Also, since there is a safety factor built
into the RDA, a person is not considered at risk of deficiency until intake is < 67% of the RDA).
Recommended intake
Fat
<30 % of Calories
Actual intake (Find your 3-day
average in your FitDay report.
_______________%
Saturated Fat
<25 grams
_______________grams
Vitamin A
>67% RDA
_______________%
Vitamin C
>67% RDA
_______________%
Calcium
>67% RDA
_______________%
Iron
>67% RDA
_______________%
Fiber
25 g/day for women
35 g/day for men
______________grams
Protein
_____________grams
See: Protein/Cal Estimate.
______________grams (not %)
Sodium
1500 milligrams
______________milligrams
Calories
__________Calories
______________Calories
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See: Protein/Cal Estimate.
4. Look at your Fitday reports. List a vitamin, mineral or fiber where your intake does not meet the
recommended amount. It might not be one of the nutrients listed in your answer 3. Research this
nutrient and list a healthy change to your diet to alleviate this problem. Skip this question if you have
no low values. And…congrats on your superb diet!
Deficiency (or excess)
Example: I am low in vitamin A
Specific change to correct deficiency or excess.
I will add carrots and spinach to my diet to
Improve my intake.
I am low in ___________________.
I will add ________________________________ to my diet to improve my intake.
5A. If you are taking supplements, list them here.
5B. Based on your Fitday reports, are there any of your supplements you could stop taking and/or are
there others you need to add? If you have deficiencies what food choices could you make to correct
the problem, instead of taking a supplement?
6. Compare your actual and estimated Calorie intake (see your answer to #3-Calories for this info).
My estimated Caloric need is ____________ My actual Calorie intake is ______________
SELECT the following choice (a-e) that best describes your situation.
a. My estimated and actual Calorie intakes are within ~300 Calories of each other. I am happy
with my weight and therefore do not need to make any changes in my Calorie intake
b. My weight is higher than my ideal. Please list a couple of changes you could make to
decrease your Calorie intake to achieve my weight goal. Be specific.
c. My weight is lower than my ideal. Please list a couple of changes you could make to
decrease your Calorie intake to achieve my weight goal. Be specific.
d. My average and actual Calorie intakes are not within `300 Calories of each other. However,
since my weight is fairly constant over time, I assume my 3-day average for this assignment is
not typical of my usual intake. Therefore, I do not need to make changes in my energy
intake.
e. Other explanation
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7. A high saturated fat intake is a risk for heart disease. If your average saturated fat intake >25
grams recommended/day (see your answer to question 3), which foods on your log should you cut
back on?
8. If your average sodium intake is > the recommended 1500 mg/day (see your answer to question
#3), which foods on your log should you cut back on?
(TIP: If you did not include salt on your FitDay food log as a separate entry, then it does not make
sense to write, “I will stop salting my foods” as a remedy. Instead, you will need to identify foods
high in sodium that ARE on your log to cut back on.)
9. How does your protein intake compare to your protein need? (See your answer to question #3protein for this info.)Choose the letter below that best describes your diet. If you choose, ‘b’ or ‘c’,
please list a diet change you can make to help resolve the problem.
a. My estimated protein intake and my 3-day average protein intake are the same; no change is
needed.
b. My estimated protein intake and my 3-day average protein intake is too low. List one substitution
you can make to help remedy this problem?
c. My estimated protein intake and my 3-day average protein intake is too high. List one substitution
you can make to help remedy this problem?
10. List one thing you learned about your diet from doing this assignment.
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