Food Journal Analysis #1

Good nutrition is important for everyone. Healthful diets enable people of all ages to work productively and feel their best. A food journal of consumed food will allow an individual to understand which food groups provide a healthy fat content as well as vitamins and minerals. The following is an analysis of my food intake for September 14, 2008 using the Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) Website. The Center is a wonderful way to obtain a portion of the vitamins needed every day. When reviewing my recorded intake and analyzing the results, I realized that changes still needed to be made. While vitamins and minerals such as Thiamin, Riboflavin, and Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Zinc were met, other daily vitamin and nutrient recommendations were not met. Paying attention to food labels and making daily adjustments to my food intake will ensure that the appropriate amount of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are consumed. In conclusion, one way to understand which food groups provide a healthy fat content as well as vitamins and minerals on a daily basis is to keep a Food Journal Analysis.

1.How do you feel about the dietary intake for the day you recorded?
I believe I did not eat enough food in my dietary intake today because, I was mostly in a rush all day and did not have the time to choose the right foods that I truly wanted to eat.
2.Did you consume the recommended minimum number of servings from each of the food groups of the food pyramid?
I didn’t consume the recommended minimum number of servings for the food group in my pyramid, some areas for example, the meats and fiber, I consumed about half of the recommended servings for the food group, and in some areas I did not consume any servings of food in the food group of the pyramid.

3.Which groups of foods are under-represented or over-represented in your diet? If you did not consume the proper number of servings from each group, discuss some reasons why you did not consume the number of servings.
The groups of food are: fruits, milk, vegetables and meats are under-represented while grains are slightly over represented. The reasons are likely due to food choices and availability and time constraints.

4.Did your diet provide an adequate variety of foods, or were your choices monotonous? See how you met the various food pyramid group requirements. If you did not eat a variety of foods, how can you expand your field of choices?
Some foods on my diet provided an adequate variety of foods. The expansion of food choices will take some planning for my choices and meals.

Taking a sample of daily intake is always a very revealing exercise. By comparing this daily intake of food to the recommendations of the food groups, one can see that this daily intake was deficient in many ways. First, it did not meet the necessary calories. Secondly, several food groups including milk, fruits, vegetables and meats are under-represented while grains are over-represented. The reasons for not consuming the recommended portions include lack of availability and not enough time spent planning meals and snacks. There is an overall lack of variety but adding the missing groups back can solve that. Expansion of food varieties can be achieved by planning meals and snack in advance, stocking the refrigerator with fruits and vegetables and by making a conscience effort to eat at home and bring snacks from home to curb any impulse driven consumption of grains.