A Healthy Diet Analysis Based on Nutritional Recommendations

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A HEATHLY DIET ANALYSIS BASED ON NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


DIET OVERVIEW DAY 1 fig. 1

TIME 9:00am

12:30pm

3:00pm

7:30pm

FOOD

AMOUNT

FOOD GROUP

SERVINGS

Scrambled eggs

3 eggs

Meat/protein

3

Cheddar cheese

2oz

Dairy

1

Peanut butter, crunchy

2 tbs

Meat/protein

1

Breaded chicken tenders

2 tenders

Meat/protein

2

Mashed potatoes, instant

200g

Fruit & vegetables

2

Basil pesto

2 tbsp

Other

1

Tasti Mega nut bar

40g

Breads & cereals

1

Apple

1 apple

Fruit & vegetables

1

Rice, medium grain, brown

1.5 cup

Breads & cereals

3

Sausage italian

2 link

Meat/protein

2

Spinach

1 cup

Fruit & vegetables

2

Parmesean cheese-grated

5g

Dairy

1

Romaine lettuce

150g

Fruit & vegetables

2

Cucumber peeled

1/2 medium

Fruit & vegetables

1

Lite cesear salad dressing

2 tbsp

Other

1

SERVINGS DAY 1

fig. 2 (Recommended amounts from the New Zealand Ministry of Health) DAY 1

RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS

Breads & cereals

4

at least 6

Fruit & vegetables

8

2–5

Dairy

2

at least 2

Meat/protein

8

at least 1

Other (fats & oils)

2

limited amounts

Total

24

TOTAL SERVINGS


DIET OVERVIEW DAY 2 fig. 3

TIME 9:00am

12:30pm

1:00pm

8:00pm

10:00pm

FOOD

AMOUNT

FOOD GROUP

SERVINGS

English muffin

1 muffin

meat/protein

3

Margarine

.25g

dairy

1

Jam-Raspberry

1g

meat/protein

1

Nature Valley Bar

1 bar

breads & cereals

1

Peanut butter cookie

1 cookie

breads & cereals

0.5

Rice, medium grain, brown

1 cup

breads & cereals

2

Sausage italian

1 link

meat/protein

1

Spinach

.5 cup

fruit & vegetables

1

Pasta-spaghetti

350g

breads & cereals

3

Parmesean cheese-grated

5g

dairy

1

Basil pesto

10g

other

1

Romaine lettuce

150g

fruit & vegetables

2

Cucumber peeled

1/2 medium

fruit & vegetables

1

Lite cesear salad dressing

2 tbsp

other

1

chocolate peanut butter cookie

2 cookies

breads & cereals

1

SERVINGS

DAY 1 & 2 AVERAGES COMPARED TO RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS fig. 4 (Recommended amounts from the New Zealand Ministry of Health) DAY 1

DAY 2

AVERAGE

RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS

MET GUIDELINES Y/N

Breads & cereals

4

9.5

6.75

at least 6

Y

Fruit & vegetables

8

5

6.5

2–5

Y

Dairy

2

1

1.5

at least 2

N

Meat/protein

8

1

4.5

at least 1

Y

Other (fats & oils)

2

2.5

2.25

limited amounts

N

Total

24

19

21.5

TOTAL SERVINGS


NUTRIENT VALUES DAY 1 & 2

fig. 5 (RDI or Recommended Daily Intake for adult males age 18-35, from the New Zealand Ministry of Health)

UNIT DAY 1 Total Energy Intake

DAY 2

DAY 1,2 average

RDI

Recommendations Met? Y/N

64

Y

Y

Energy

kJ

9941

7036

8488.5

Energy

Cal

2374

1681

2027.5

Protein

g

94.9

48.5

71.7

Fat

g

141

51.7

96.35

Carbs

g

188

259

223.5

Protein

%

16.4%

11%

13.7%

12-25%

Fat

%

52.7%

62%

57.4%

20-35%** N

Carbs

%

30.9%

27%

29%

45-65%** N

Sugar

%

5.2%

3%

2.6%

<8%***

Y

Sugars*

g

32.7

8.3

20.5

Fibre

g

19.1

12.1

15.6

30

N

Sodium

mg

2986

1204

2095

460-920

N

Iron

mg

9.9

12

11

8

Y

Calcium

mg

885

436

660.5

1000

N

Zinc

mg

9.6

7.3

8.45

14

N

Selenium

ug

122

36.7

79.4

70

Y

Vit A

ug

872

692

782

700-900

Y

Vit D

ug

9

0

4.5

5

Y

Vit E

mg

9.8

3.6

6.7

10

N

Vit K

ug

85

49.5

67.3

70

N

Vit C

mg

56.3

34

45.2

45

Y

Vit B1 Thiamin

mg

1.3

1.7

1.5

1.2

Y

Vit B2 Riboflavin

mg

1.7

1.2

1.5

1.3

Y

Niacin

mg

23.7

12.6

18.2

16

Y

Vit B5 Pantothenoic Acid

mg

6.9

3.5

5.2

6

N

Vit B12 cyanocobalamine

ug

2.9

0.8

1.9

2.4

N

Folate

ug

184

119

151.5

400

N

Macronutrients

Percentage of Daily Energy Intake

Carbohydrates

Minerals

Vitamins

Notes on next page >


* based on the day 1 & 2 average, 9.1% of carbs come from sugar ** SDT or Suggested Dietary Targets, as RDI values are not given for these macronutrients ***USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends that sugar make up no more than 8% of the daily intake of calories Biotin and iodine infromation not available on website RDI: Recommended Daily Intake Recommendation Met is based on average of Day 1 & 2, not individual days

MACRONUTRIENTS

CARBOHYDRATES Carbohydrates are important in giving humans energy. Polysaccarides, Monosaccarides, Fibre and resistant starch are the different types of carbohydrates in our diet. Carbohydrates give us energy, help with digestion and are stored for use in muscles. Common food sources for carbs include pasta, beans, vegetables, rice, grains, sugar, potatoes and fruit. There is no Recommended Daily Intake for carbohydrates, however there is a Suggested Dietary Target based on reduction of risk to chronic disease. The SDT is set at 45-65% of total dietary intake for carbs, and in my 2 day sample diet, carbs consisted of 29% of my dietary intake. Based on this measurement, I did not meet the requirements. The recommendations are a little more complicated than just a number. The New Zealand Ministry of Health suggests that carbohydrates come “predominantly from low energy density and/or low glycaemic index food sources” (NHMRC 2014). So to better evaluate my carbohydrate intake I have to look at the types of carbs I consumed. I ate a lot more low GI carbs like brown rice, pasta, and lettuce. I could have done a better job in getting more low energy dense foods in my diet like fruits or vegetables, and other less processed foods. “It is of importance to note that the types of carbohydrates consumed are of paramount importance in relation to their health effects” (NHMRC 2014). The percentage of carbohydrates in my diet is thrown off by a larger percentage of fat intake in my diet compared to the recommendation. If I lowered my fat intake, the carbohydrate percentages would look more normal. Although my overall percentage of carbohydrates consumed is a little low, the foods I actually ate are closer to the recommendation.

PROTEIN Protein is important for development of structural tissue, fluid balance, appetite regulation, muscle repair and building, hormone building, enzyme building, and energy in absence of glucose (CHO) in the diet (Wardlaw 2013). Common food sources for proteins include meat, eggs, fish, cheese, legumes, and nuts. The RDI for protein is 12-25% of total dietary intake. My diet showed about 14% of my total dietary intake coming from protein, which is within the acceptable range. Proteins I ate that helped me get within the recommended range are sausage, nuts, peanut butter, chicken, eggs, and cheese.

FAT Fat is used in the body for energy reserves, the insulation and protection of vital organs, the transport of essential fat-soluble vitamins, and immune function (Wardlaw 2013). Some sources in fat in our diet include, animal products, dairy, fish, meat, eggs, all types of oil (vegetable oils, plant oils, nut oils), nuts, and seeds. Often highly processed foods contain more fat. The SDT for fat intake is 20-35% of dietary intake. My diet showed a 57% intake from fat. My intake was clearly too high and does not meet the suggested levels. Foods like salad dressing, pesto sauce, and processed snacks caused my fat levels to be too high.


VITAMINS VITAMIN A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin important in the function of vision, health of epithelial cells which help protect vital organs against bacterial infections, growth and development, cancer prevention, and cardiovascular disease prevention. Some good sources of Vitamin A are liver, fish, eggs, spinach, cheese, fortified margarine and milk (Wardlaw p.296-298, 2013). The recommended daily intake for Vit A is 700-900ug, and in my diet I averaged 782ug, which is well within the acceptable range. My proper vitamin A levels can be attributed to my eating of spinach, eggs, cheese and margarine.

THIAMIN Thiamin or Vitamin B1, is important in the breakdown of carbohydrates and some amino acids for energy needs. A Thiamin deficiency can cause muscle weakness, loss of appetite and nerve degeneration (Wardlaw p.312, 2013). Some sources of Thiamin include pork, whole grains, milk, orange juice and peanuts. The Recommended Daily Intake for Thiamin is 1.1-1.2mg, and my diet had an intake of 1.5mg. This is outside the recommended values, but not out of the ordinary. “Average daily intakes for men exceed this (1.2mg) by 50% or more” (Wardlaw p.313, 2013). My intake is only slightly above the RDI, but it is actually below the average for males. Having brown rice, whole grains, and peanuts in my diet gave me the necessary Thiamin.

MINERALS ZINC Zinc is important in DNA synthesis and function, protein metabolism, immune function, development of sexual organs, insulin regulation, and cell membrane function (Warldaw 375, 2014). Some sources of zinc include animal proteins such as meat and cheese, nuts, shellfish, spinach, milk and eggs. The Recommended Daily Intake for Zinc is 14mg for adult males, and my diet averaged 8.5mg. I got most of my zinc from nuts, spinach eggs and meat, but needed a little bit more zinc to meet the recommendation. Because “there are no indications of moderate or severe Zinc deficiencies in an otherwise healthy adult population,” my not reaching the recommendation exactly is not of too much concern (Wardlaw p.376, 2013).

SELENIUM Selenium is important in reducing damage to cell membranes from oxidizing compounds, and thyroid metabolism (Wardlaw p.377, 2013). Good sources of Selenium are fish, eggs, meat, and shellfish. The Recommended Daily Intake of Selenium for adult males is 70ug. My intake of Selenium in my recorded diet was just under 80ug, so I met the recommendation thanks to the eggs and meat that I ate.

BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


FOOD AND NUTRITION GUIDELINES The New Zealand Ministry of Health suggests eating a variety of foods each day. They suggest eating foods from all the food groups each day. Looking at my diet, I did a pretty good job eating a variety of foods. An average, I ate 6.75 servings of breads & cereals, 6.5 servings of fruits & vegetables, 1.5 servings of dairy, 4.5 servings of meat, and 2.25 servings of fats/oils/ other. One area where I could improve is Dairy, I only averaged 1.5 servings daily, which should be a little higher.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends 2-5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day (MoH, 2013). I averaged 6.5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day, which meets the recommendation. Raw or colorful fruit and vegetables are better according to the Ministry of Health; my diet consisted of apples, jam, spinach, lettuce, cucumber, and mashed potatoes. A larger variety of color and type would have been better.

BREADS & CEREALS The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends at least 6, preferably whole grain, servings of breads and cereals daily (MoH, 2013). In my diet I averaged 6.75 servings daily, which meets the recommendation. According to the New Zealand Ministry of Health, “Choose wholegrain breads and cereals (eg, rolled oats, brown rice, bread with whole grains) because they contain the most fibre, vitamins and minerals and help prevent constipation� (MoH, 2013). I tried to choose whole grains whenever possible. For bread and cereal intake I ate English muffins, muesli bars, brown rice, cookies, and spaghetti pasta, which consists of some whole grains.

MILK & MILK PRODUCTS The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends at least 2 servings of dairy a day. Reduced fat or low fat options are preferred if possible (MoH, 2013). With only 1.5 servings of dairy in my diet, I did not quite meet the recommendation. The only source of dairy I had in my diet was from cheese. I would benefit from having a glass of low-fat milk each day to better meet the recommendations.

LEAN MEATS, CHICKEN, SEAFOOD, EGGS, LEGUMES, NUTS AND SEEDS The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends at least one serving of meat or meat substitute a day (MoH, 2013). Complete proteins in animal products produce all the essential amino acids to the body. In my diet I averaged 4.5 servings of meat or meat alternative., which meets the recommendation. I ate sausage, eggs, chicken, and peanut butter for my protein needs. I included enough animal products to ensure the all of the essential amino acids were ingested. The New Zealand Ministry of Health recommends eating enough Vitamin C to help absorb the high levels of iron found in meat. Since I did meet the recommended levels of Vitamin C (45mg recommended, 45.15mg in my daily diet), I met the recommendation of Vitamin C as it relates to iron absorption.

FAT, SALT & SUGAR Limiting Fat, salt and sugar intake is recommended by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. With higher than recommended levels of fat in my diet I could try reducing or eliminating the margarine Fat, Salt & Sugar continued on next page > BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


FOOD AND NUTRITION GUIDELINES CONTINUED and salad dressing I ate. I also need to reduce salt intake, which was significantly higher for me than the recommendation (460-920mg recommended, with 2095mg in my diet). Things I could do to cut down on salt would beeliminating the processed chicken tenders with chicken breasts, and reducing the quantity of sausage and pesto sauce eaten, which have a high salt content. My sugar intake is within the suggested Dietary Target of less than 8% of total dietary energy, with my percentage being only 2.6% of total daily energy intake (NHMRC, 2014). If I wanted to reduce my sugar intake, I could limit the processed snacks like muesli bars and cookies, which have high amounts of sugar.

EXERCISE The Ministry of Health recommends getting 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise each day. Lower intensity physical activity is also encouraged as much as possible. Moving more and sitting less is advised (MoH, 2013). In my life, I run almost every day. When I run it is at a high intensity for 60-90 minutes on average, so this completes the recommended exercise guidelines. I also spend a lot of time walking to and from class, my apartment and other places around town. I bike to get to places as opposed to taking the bus as much as possible. For my free time I like to go hiking often which involves hours of walking, which is a great method of physical activity. Between all my physical activities I have met at least the bare minimum requirements recommended by the Ministry of Health.

FOOD SAFETY/ STORAGE/ COOKING Food safety and proper cooking and storage is another recommendation set forth by the New Zealand Ministry of Health. They recommend proper storage of foods in the appropriate containers, in the right temperature and humidity. Only eating food that is stored correctly and not beyond its expiration date will prevent the risk of food borne illness. Proper cooking techniques for foods are also important in keeping food safe. “Thorough cooking will kill most harmful micro-organisms and chilling will slow their growth in cooked and ready-to-eat food” (MoH, 2013). Washing and proper prepping of foods is important in making food safe to eat. In my life I am careful to keep to these food safety guidelines. I always store foods either in the refrigerator or freezer if necessary. I store all meats in the freezer until cooking time, when I defrost them and make sure they are cooked thoroughly. I make sure I wash lettuce and other vegetables and fruit before eating. I keep a clean kitchen environment and throw away food if it begins to spoil or reaches its expiration date. Overall I feel I have met the recommended guidelines for food safety, cooking and storage.

ALCOHOL The Ministry of Health recommends to limit alcoholic beverages. “There is no “safe” level of alcohol for all people at all times. The amount you can drink depends on your age, whether you are male or female, your body size, food intake and general health” (MoH, 2013). Regardless, I limit my alcoholic intake to only rare occasions. Most days I do not consume alcohol, and when I do, I only consume only a few standard drinks maximum. My alcohol consumption fits with in the recommended guidelines.

WATER The Ministry of Health recommends drinking 6-8 cups of water a day. It also recommends limiting caffeinated drinks like coffee, and says water is the best to drink (MoH, 2013). I drink almost exclusively water. I take my water bottle with me everywhere. I did not record specific water intakes, but I would say on average that I drink at least 2 liters of water a day, often more, which fits into the guidelines recommended.


ADJUSTED DIET OVERVIEW BASED OFF DAY 2 DIET, WITH SOME REVISIONS fig. 6

TIME 9:00am

12:00pm

1:00pm

8:00pm

10:00pm

FOOD

AMOUNT

FOOD GROUP

SERVINGS

English muffin

1 muffin

Breads & cereals

2

Butter (no salt added)

.25g

Dairy

0.5

Jam-Raspberry

1g

Fruit & vegetables

1

Scrambled eggs

2 eggs

Meat/protein

2

Banana

1 banana

Fruit & vegetables

1

Nature Valley Bar

1 bar

Breads & cereals

1

Peanut butter cookie

1 cookie

Breads & cereals

0.5

Apple

1 apple

Fruit & vegetables

1

Rice, medium grain, brown

2 cups

Breads & cereals

3

Sausage italian

1 link

Meat/protein

1

Spinach

1 cup

Fruit & vegetables

2

Reduced fat milk

1 glass

Dairy

1

Pasta-spaghetti

350g

Breads & cereals

3

Parmesean cheese-grated

5g

Dairy

1

Basil pesto

10g

Other

1

Romaine lettuce

150g

Fruit & vegetables

2

Cucumber peeled

1/2 medium

Fruit & vegetables

1

Red pepper

1 medium

Fruit & vegetables

1

Chocolate peanut butter cookie

2 cookies

Breads & cereals

1

image source: bit.ly/1iq5EFL


ADJUSTED DAY NUTRIENT VALUES ADJUSTED DAY VALUES COMPARED TO DAY 1 & 2 AVERAGES fig. 5 (RDI for adult males age 18-35 from the New Zealand Ministry of Health) RDI

Recommendations Met? Y/N

64

Y

13%

12-25%

Y

57.4%

23%

20-35%** Y

%

29%

64%

45-65%** Y

Sugar

%

2.6%

12%

<8%***

N

Sugars*

g

20.5

71.3

Fibre

g

15.6

24.5

30

N

Sodium

mg

2095

1562

460-920

N

Iron

mg

11

16.5

8

Y

Calcium

mg

660.5

935

1000

N

Zinc

mg

8.45

11.4

14

N

Selenium

ug

79.4

73.4

70

Y

Vit A

ug

782

1985

700-900

Y

Vit D

ug

4.5

15

5

Y

Vit E

mg

6.7

5

10

N

Vit K

ug

67.3

30.7

70

N

Vit C

mg

45.2

274

45

Y

Vit B1 Thiamin

mg

1.5

2.2

1.2

Y

Vit B2 Riboflavin

mg

1.5

2.7

1.3

Y

Niacin

mg

18.2

17.4

16

Y

Vit B5 Pantothenoic Acid

mg

5.2

7.4

6

Y

Vit B12 cyanocobalamine

ug

1.9

2.9

2.4

Y

Folate

ug

151.5

585

400

Y

Total Energy Intake

Macronutrients

Percentage of Daily Energy Intake

Carbohydrates

Minerals

Vitamins

UNIT

DAY 1,2 average

Adjusted Day

Energy

kJ

8488.5

9660

Energy

Cal

2027.5

2307

Protein

g

71.7

78.3

Fat

g

96.35

59.4

Carbs

g

223.5

375

Protein

%

13.7%

Fat

%

Carbs

Notes on next page >


* based on the adjusted day 19% of carbs come from sugar ** SDT or Suggested Dietary Targets, as RDI values are not given for these macronutrients ***USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) recommends that sugar make up no more than 8% of the daily intake of calories Biotin and iodine infromation not available on website RDI: Recommended Daily Intake Recommendation Met is based on Adjusted Day Image source: bit.ly/1iq4tWT

Changes needed in diet to Meet ALL RDI Values

· Lose about 8g of sugar · Add 5.5g of fiber · Lose 642mg of sodium · Add 65mg of calcium · Add 2.6mg of zinc · Add 5mg of Vit E · Add 39.3ug of Vit K

CHANGES MADE IN DIET FOR DAY 2 · Increased spinach from .5 to 1 cup · Changed margarine to butter · Added red pepper to salad · Eliminated cesear dressing · Added glass of reduced fat milk · Changed Brown Rice from 1.5 cups to 2 cups

· Added apple · Added 2 scrambled eggs to breakfast

· Added banana


SERVINGS

ADJUSTED DAY COMPARED TO RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS fig. 7 (Recommended amounts from the New Zealand Ministry of Health) DAY 1 &2 AVERAGE

ADJUSTED DAY

RECOMMENDED AMOUNTS

MET GUIDELINES Y/N

Breads & cereals

6.75

10.5

at least 6

Y

Fruit & vegetables

6.5

9

2–5

Y

Dairy

1.5

2.5

at least 2

Y

Meat/protein

4.5

3

at least 1

Y

Other (fats & oils)

2.25

1

limited amounts

Y

Total

21.5

26

TOTAL SERVINGS

DIET CHANGES When looking to adjust my diet to meet the Ministry of Health recommendations, I decided to use Day 2 diet as a baseline, as this was closer to meeting the recommendations than Day 1. I made a few changes that drastically changed the total composition of my dietary intake, and created a diet which is much closer to being in line with the recommendation set forth by the Ministry of Health. The following are the changes I made and why.

MILK I added a glass of reduced fat milk to my diet. I was low on my dairy requirements originally, so I decided it was a good idea to add milk to my diet. The milk also helps with providing some other good nutrients. Thanks to the milk I was able to significantly increase my Calcium levels to the point where they almost met the recommendation (I am still 65mg short, but much closer than before). Milk is a good source of Vitamin D, Riboflavin, B12. It is also good with Calcium, phosphorus and Selenium.

ADDED MORE SPINACH, AND RED PEPPER I needed to increase the intake of certain minerals and vitamins, to meet the recommendations, and spinach is a good source of a lot of them. Since I already had spinach in my diet, I decided to just slightly increase my serving size of it to get a little more nutrients out of it. I also added a red pepper to increase some vitamin and mineral levels, as well as providing another serving of vegetables. Red peppers are a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, B6, and folate. Spinach is a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, and Folate.

ADDED BANANA AND APPLE Adding a banana and apple to my diet helped in giving me another 2 servings of fruit in my diet, but they also helped provide useful carbohydrates to my diet. The fruit is also a great source of vitamins and minerals. Bananas are a good source of Vitamin C, Riboflavin, B6, folate, Magnesium and potassium. Apples are good source of Fiber, and vitamin C. Apples also have a little bit of a lot of different vitamins and minerals, which all help add to my total which helps meet the guidelines. BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


ADDITION OF EGGS I decided to add 2 scrambled eggs to my breakfast to add more protein in my diet. The animal protein also has a lot of other nutrients in it, with relatively low calories. Eggs are particularly good sources of Riboflavin and Selenium.

REDUCTION OF FATS AND OILS I originally had Lite Caesar salad dressing on my salad with dinner. This option has high fat content. I was receiving far too high a percentage of energy from fat in my diet, so I needed to reduce sources of high fat, and removing the salad dressing was one way in doing that. Other ways I reduced my percentage of energy intake from fat was to increase carbohydrates and protein intake, which I did through the addition of eggs, fruit and vegetables. I also reduced my fat intake by replacing margarine with breakfast with butter. The butter also added another half serving of dairy to my diet, which was also beneficial. Margarine is also highly processed, and it is always better to remove processed foods from the diet whenever possible.

BROWN RICE I slightly increased the amount of brown rice with lunch. I increased the amount of brown rice from 1.5 cups to 2 cups. This increase is to increase the percentage of calories coming from carbohydrates compared to fats. The increase is also due to the great nutrient value in whole grain brown rice. Brown rice is a good source of carbohydrates, fiber, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Manganese, and phosphorus.

MEASURING MY IMPROVED NUTRITION MEETING FOOD AND NUTRITION GUIDELINES My altered diet now meets all the New Zealand Ministry of Health food group serving suggestions. The inclusion of more dairy in the form of butter, and a glass of reduced fat milk helped me meet the dairy guideline which was previously not met. I also added more fruits and vegetables to my diet, which is better.

MEETING OF RECOMMENDED DAILY VALUES Despite my adjustments to the diet it was not possible without radical revision to my diet to meet all of the nutritional recommendations set forth by the Ministry of Health. While adjusting the diet, major recommendations seemed more important to fix than smaller amounts of vitamins and minerals. A big goal was limit the amount of energy coming from fats. I was successful in doing just that, reducing my percentage of total daily energy intake from fats from 60% to 23%. I also wanted to ensure that all of the food groups were properly represented in my diet, which was also successful in meeting all the food group guidelines. I also did a better job at getting B6, B12, and folate to meet recommendations.

RECOMMENDATIONS NOT MET Despite my good work in meeting many more nutritional guidelines, I still fell short in a few areas. Many of the places that did not meet the requirements were very close to meeting so. Of all the Recommendatiowns Not Met continued on next page > BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


recommendations not met, my adjusted diet came much closer to meeting the recommendations than my original diet. The levels of Zinc, Vitamin K and Vitamin E, although still important, where not as high on the list of priority compared to other issues in my diet stated before. Many vitamins and minerals including the ones I fell short in meeting the recommendations are not needed in full volume every single day. An average of many days is better in looking at whether these nutrients are met. Because I only had to work with one day, it is unrealistic to make sure 100% of my vitamin and mineral needs were met.

A NOTE ON SODIUM My sodium levels did end up above the recommended amounts, even after making adjustments. A lot of times it is difficult to attain the recommended levels for a lot of the vitamins and minerals without increasing sodium levels. Although my sodium levels are above the recommendation, it is important to look at it more holistically. My adjusted day sodium level was 1562mg. This my look well above the New Zealand recommended 920mg, but when compared to other recommendations globally, my sodium intake was actually within the recommended levels. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that individuals consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and that certain groups limit intake to 1,500 milligrams per day” (Pineo, 2014). Looking at my sodium levels in the context of US recommendations shows that in reality they are not that high.

ANALYSIS OF PROCESS The issue I had with Sodium brings up a very good point regarding all of the recommendations. Every country or region has slightly different recommendations. New Zealand and Australia have different recommendations than the US, or the UK, or China. While the Nutrient Reference Values are a great way to start generally looking at your diet in terms of what you need more or less of, they are not meant to be used definitively. By strictly trying to adhere to these specific guidelines, which we were asked to do in this assignment, we are losing sight of the bigger picture. Trying to attain specific values is a tough way to define all dietary decisions. These values can vary, and so can your dietary intake. Self-recording of a diet also has a huge impact on the results of a study like this. Even with the most care given to accurately recording diets, it will never be precise enough. Slight variations in my data recording could have easily shown that I met a lot of the recommendations I originally didn’t meet and vice versa. Because the method of data collection, and the fact that recommendation values are so subject to variation, it is difficult to compare the two with such specific yes or no criteria. We should be using the Nutrient Reference Values to get a better sense of what we should be getting in our diet. The exercise is useful to see how to improve our diet, but it is not practical to continually analyze and make dietary decisions on such analysis.

USE OF WEBSITE The online data entry system I used was nutritiondata.self.com. This website I found incredibly finicky to use. The interface and usability was very frustrating to deal with at times. I often couldn’t find the exact food that I was looking for, so had to improvise. The process of searching, adding and tracking foods did not work smoothly. The website acted erratically and unpredictably. Once I finally got an approximation of my diet (as that was the best I could do), the data given was very good. I was able to see all the values for all the nutrients I needed to analyze. Only a few nutrients were missing and they were biotin and iodine. I liked how you could export the data from the website into an excel spreadsheet, which made the numbers easier to work with. BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


FINDING NUTRITION RECOMMENDATIONS It was a much more complicated task finding the correct recommendations for nutrients values and general Food and Nutrition Guidelines for New Zealand. First of all the link on the assignment sheet does not work, then with other searching there were multiple pages on the New Zealand Ministry of Health website which had similar, but different information. It was always hard to tell whether or not I was getting information from the best place. I eventually went to the Australia National Health and Medical Research Council website, which was much better, and easier to find information. It all worked out, because New Zealand and Australia use the same recommendations and guidelines. Throughout the process I was thinking that governments should do a better job at making this sort of information available to the public as it is so important. The entire exercise of recording and analyzing a diet in this manner, could be a useful thing for all people to do, but the current way this assignment was set up made the process laborious and confusing. The general population would never have the patience to complete an entire exercise like this. I think the Ministry of Health and other agencies should focus on getting this information to the people in a clearer, easier to understand manner, which promotes healthy dietary planning.

REFERENCES MoH. (2013, February 1). Eating for Healthy Adults/Ngā kai tōtika ma te hunga pakeke. . Retrieved May 6, 2014, from https://www.healthed.govt.nz/resource/eating-healthy-adultsng%C4%81 kai-t%C5%8Dtika-ma-te-hunga-pakeke National Health & Medical Research Council., & Zealand Ministry of Health. (2006). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Executive Summary. . Retrieved May 8, 2014, from http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/n36.pdf NHMRC, & MoH. (2014). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand. Retrieved May 6, 2014, from http://www.nrv.gov.au/chronic-disease/summary Pineo, C. (2014). The FDA Recommended Sodium Intake. . Retrieved May 7, 2014, from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/fda-recommended-sodium-intake-1873.html Wardlaw, G. M., Smith, A. M., & Williden, M. (2013). Wardlaw’s Nutrition. North Ryde: McGraw-Hill Australia.

BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14 BRIAN CULMO | NUTRITION ACTIVITY AND HEALTH | 5.08.14


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