Stephen Ferguson
Nutrition 335- Assignment 1
Dr. Phil
Longwood University
Three Day Diet Analysis
Section 1: The Analysis of DRI Goals, Macronutrient and Eight Micronutrient Goals, and
MyPlate .
The DRI goals can be an extremely useful set of goals when and individual is trying to
plan a healthy diet. According to Sizer and Whitney Dietary Reference Intakes are A set of four
lists of values for measuring the nutrient intakes of healthy people in the United States and
Canada (Sizer, Whitney 2011). The DRI mainly focuses on three main categories. Those
categories are proteins, carbohydrates, and fat macronutrients. After completing the Diet
Analysis Plus 10 program (Appendix, p. 1) recommends that I consume 56.25 grams of protein,
between 371.0 and 536.0 g carbohydrates, and between 73.0 and 128.0 grams of fat. All of these
values are of course based on my personal characteristics which lead to my personal intake
levels.
The DRI also has a good list of recommendations for micronutrients. The main
micronutrients that are focused on by the DRI are fiber, omega-6, omega-3, vitamin D, vitamin
E, vitamin C, potassium, sodium, and water. These are some more things that are recommended
by the Diet Analysis Plus 10 program. According to Diet Analysis (Appendix, p. 1) my
recommended fiber intake is 38 grams per day. My recommendation for Omega 6 is 17 grams
per day and my recommendation for Omega 3 is 1.6 grams per day (Appendix, p. 1). My DRI
recommendation for Vitamins D,E, and C are 15 μg, 15mg, and 90 mg (Appendix, p. 2). My
Potassium intake is recommended to be 4700 mg per day and my sodium intake is recommended
to be 1500 mg per day (Appendix, p. 2). I am also recommended to drink 3.7 Liters of water per
day (Appendix, p. 2). Last but not least my BMI is 19.9 (Appendix, p. 1).
Three Day Diet Analysis
After analyzing three days of my diet I have noticed that I there are a few changes that I
need to make to my diet. First of all I went over my protein levels per day according to my DRI
levels. I was supposed to eat 56.25 grams and I ended up eating 100.2 grams Appendix, p.4). I
also ended up going way over my sodium intake. I was supposed to take in 1500mg of sodium
and I ended up taking in 4,454.57 mg (Appendix, p. 5). I actually hit the target area for fat total.
I was supposed to consume between 73 and 128 grams of fat per day and I ended up consuming
106.87 grams per day over the three day analysis (Appendix. P. 4). As far as carbohydrates go I
was supposed to take in between 371 and 536 grams per day and I ended up taking in 354.83
grams (Appendix, p. 4). So, I was actually under the recommended values for carbohydrates.
For my essential fatty acids omega 6 and omega 3 I was actually pretty close to fulfilling those
goals. For my omega 6 (Linoleic Acid) consumed 17.75 out of the 17 grams that I should have
consumed, and for my omega 3 (Linolenic Acid) I consumed 1.6 out of the 1.42 total grams that
I was supposed to consume (Appendix, p. 40). I ended up being under my daily fiber
recommendations as well. I consumed 22.61 out of the total 38 total grams that I was supposed
to consume (Appendix, p. 4). My Vitamin D level was low because I consumed 6.45 μg of the
total 15 μg that I was supposed to consume (Appendix, p. 4). My Vitamin C level was high
because I consumed 166.51 out of the 90mg that I was supposed to consume (Appendix, p. 4). I
was a good ways under my recommended water intake level because I only consumed 1.37 out
of the 3.7 Liters that I was supposed to consume (Appendix, p. 4). As far as my overall
assessment of my DRI recommended values I definitely see that it is very important to watch
what I eat because most of my values that I consumed were off from what the recommendations
were by the DRI.
Three Day Diet Analysis
As far as the MyPlate recommendations I only hit one of the categories out of the six.
For the first category known as Grains I consumed 7.7oz out of the 10 oz. that I was supposed to
consume (Appendix, p. 6). For vegetables I consumed 2 cups out of the for that I should have
consumed, so it was about 50% of what I should have consumed (Appendix, p. 6). For the third
category Fruits I consumed 1.6 cups out of the 2.5 cups that I should have consumed (Appendix,
p. 6). I wasn’t too far off on my Dairy category because I ended up consuming 2.5 cups out of
the 3 that I should have consumed (Appendix, p 6). The one category that I actually hit right on
the mark was the Protein category. I actually consumed 7 oz. of protein and that is exactly what
was recommended by MyPlate (Appendix, p. 6). Last, but certainty not least is my greatest area
of concern. That is the category of empty categories. I was supposed to consume 648 total
empty calories, and I ended up consuming 1,194.6 (Appendix, p. 6). That was way over the
mark.
Section 2 Conclusions
According to EER, RDA, and AI the average number of kilocalories for males ages 19
through thirty is around 2700 calories (Sizer and Whitney, pg. 41). Of those calories 56 grams
are protein, 130 grams are carbohydrates, 38 grams are fiber, 90mg are Vitamin C, 5 μg of
Vitamin D, 15mg of Vitamin E, and 1500 grams are sodium (Sizer and Whitney p, A-B). These
averages are suggested intake values by various agencies which gives us another perspective
other than DRI.
My Three Day Diet Analysis really has revealed many things that I didn’t know about my
diet. One of the main things that I learned was that I actually need to be eating more than I
currently eat in order to fulfill my DRI recommendations. The reason why it is so hard to fulfill
Three Day Diet Analysis
this is because I am just such an active individual. On top of that my empty calories are pretty
much go off of the chart. This could be because I am a college student, and I really don’t have as
much choices of what to eat as opposed to the everyday person. However, it is still clear that I
really need to eat more nutrient-based calories instead of empty calories. Another thing that
caught my attention when reviewing my analysis was that my folate levels were extremely high.
I realize that this may not be the worst thing to be off the chart in, but I do know that too much of
anything can lead to problems. This could have been caused by eating a lot of grains over the
three days as well. A major problem that I see with my diet is that my sodium level is 297% of
what it’s supposed to be. Compared to everything else it is pretty evident that this is really
something that I need to work on. A good way to work on my sodium intake is to use less salt
with my foods, and to eat less preservative. Over my three day analysis it seems like I didn’t do
a very good job with managing my sodium intake levels. I definitely know that I have to work
on that in the future. As far as macronutrients and micronutrients my recommended levels are
pushed up higher than the recommended levels for a twenty year old male simply because of
how active I am. That is definitely a major benefit of being active. You really don’t go by the
same set rules as the everyday person when it comes to eating.
Overall, this Three Day Diet Analysis was extremely helpful. It really gave me a great
idea of where I stand with my everyday diet. Now I have a good idea of the areas that I am
strong in, and the areas that I need to work on in the future. I would definitely recommend this
activity to others so they can have the same benefits.
Three Day Diet Analysis
References
Diet Analysis + (Version 10.0). [Computer Software]. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Sizer, Frances, and Eleanor Whitney (2011). Nutrition: Concepts & Controversies. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.