Dietary Evaluation Summary
Dietary Evaluation Summary
In reviewing my dietary intake for three days, it is a little shocking overall. I am lacking in some key areas of nutrition such as the amounts of fruits and vegetables that I should be consuming, and I have an excess in areas that I should be monitoring like total fat and empty calories. One area of concern is my sodium intake, it is a too high overall. One area of concern in my diet is the total fat. It is over by 33%-133% and my saturated fat is nearly double what it should be. An overabundance of saturated fat in the diet can contribute to higher levels of LDL cholesterol and heart disease. My family has a history of heart disease, I will be examining my diet further to switch to leaner meats and watch my animal fat intake. I will try to make to healthier choices like …show more content…
fish and nuts and seeds. Also, lowering the overall amount of fat in my diet will be a good start. My doctor keeps an eye on my cholesterol and although it is a little elevated my HDL is higher, and my LDL is within an acceptable range, but we will continue to monitor it. The second area of concern for me is my overall intake of fruits and vegetables, they are under the recommended amount and I could benefit from revamping my diet.
Fruits and vegetable play a key point in nutrition, providing vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and C, potassium, folate and many others. I take a daily vitamin supplement, but despite this I still need to incorporate more potassium into my diet. I can achieve this by eating a banana or adding spinach and sweet potatoes to my diet. I like to eat most fruits and vegetables but have been lacking them lately. Now let’s look at my sodium intake. According to our chart, it looks extremely high based on the RDI amounts, however, if I keep under 2300mg I should be okay. This can be easily achieved by eating less processed food and preparing more meals at home where I can control the salt content. Our bodies need sodium for fluid balance and nerve conduction, but excess sodium can have negative effects. High sodium intake can cause numerous effects, high blood pressure, heart problems and kidney problems. High blood pressure causes more stress on the heart and vessels and should be kept below 120/80
mm/Hg. Although my calorie intake for this project were pretty good, many calories were empty calories. I really need to focus on making better choices with fruits and vegetables and that would cure several problems at once, it would provide lower calories and increase the nutritional status of my meals and it would add fiber to my diet as well. I have a wheat allergy and tend to try to eat low carbohydrates. I am often deficient in fiber unless I eat more fruits and vegetables. I am hoping over this Christmas break I can focus on better nutrition I used to do pretty good but in the last few years of being a mom, a nursing student and working it has been hard to balance.
In reviewing my dietary intake for three days, it is a little shocking overall. I am lacking in some key areas of nutrition such as the amounts of fruits and vegetables that I should be consuming, and I have an excess in areas that I should be monitoring like total fat and empty calories. One area of concern is my sodium intake, it is a too high overall. One area of concern in my diet is the total fat. It is over by 33%-133% and my saturated fat is nearly double what it should be. An overabundance of saturated fat in the diet can contribute to higher levels of LDL cholesterol and heart disease. My family has a history of heart disease, I will be examining my diet further to switch to leaner meats and watch my animal fat intake. I will try to make to healthier choices like …show more content…
fish and nuts and seeds. Also, lowering the overall amount of fat in my diet will be a good start. My doctor keeps an eye on my cholesterol and although it is a little elevated my HDL is higher, and my LDL is within an acceptable range, but we will continue to monitor it. The second area of concern for me is my overall intake of fruits and vegetables, they are under the recommended amount and I could benefit from revamping my diet.
Fruits and vegetable play a key point in nutrition, providing vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and C, potassium, folate and many others. I take a daily vitamin supplement, but despite this I still need to incorporate more potassium into my diet. I can achieve this by eating a banana or adding spinach and sweet potatoes to my diet. I like to eat most fruits and vegetables but have been lacking them lately. Now let’s look at my sodium intake. According to our chart, it looks extremely high based on the RDI amounts, however, if I keep under 2300mg I should be okay. This can be easily achieved by eating less processed food and preparing more meals at home where I can control the salt content. Our bodies need sodium for fluid balance and nerve conduction, but excess sodium can have negative effects. High sodium intake can cause numerous effects, high blood pressure, heart problems and kidney problems. High blood pressure causes more stress on the heart and vessels and should be kept below 120/80
mm/Hg. Although my calorie intake for this project were pretty good, many calories were empty calories. I really need to focus on making better choices with fruits and vegetables and that would cure several problems at once, it would provide lower calories and increase the nutritional status of my meals and it would add fiber to my diet as well. I have a wheat allergy and tend to try to eat low carbohydrates. I am often deficient in fiber unless I eat more fruits and vegetables. I am hoping over this Christmas break I can focus on better nutrition I used to do pretty good but in the last few years of being a mom, a nursing student and working it has been hard to balance.