Abigail

Mechley
KNH 102
11/22/2015

Diet and Activity Analysis

The days I chose to record my diet were Labor Day and the two days that
followed. I had spent the weekend home with my family, and that Labor Day Monday
felt quite a bit like a vacation, although I had only been in school for a few weeks
before that. My parents and I fixed up a nice brunch before I returned to school. That
Tuesday and Wednesday, I was back at Miami, and mostly had access to dining hall
food again.
Below, I have listed the Nutrition Goal Chart for the average of the 7th, 8th, and 9th
of September, the days I recorded data for, along with some general information on
food changes and strategies:

Nutrition Goal Chart

Nutrient

Nutrient
Goal

Calories
Carbohydrates
Dietary Fiber
Protein
Fat

2363
325 g
33 g
54 g
73 g

Nutrient
Intake from
3-day recall
1380
185 g
7g
53 g
51 g

Minerals
Calcium

1000 mg

Iron

Foods to include
or diminish

Strategy to make
change

Fruits/Veggies
Fruits/Whole Grain
Fruits/Vegetables
Lean meats
Dairy

Increase
Eat at every meal
Increase
Higher quality protein
Eat with breakfast

612 mg

Dairy, greens

18 mg

8 mg

Fish

Magnesium

310 mg

83 mg

Avocado

Potassium
Sodium

4700 mg
2300 mg

780 mg
2824 mg

Bananas
Pizza

Add yogurt for snack

Eat salmon with
dinner
Eat sandwich w/
avocado spread
Eat 1-2 bananas daily
Only 1 slice

Vitamins
A (mcg)

700

180

Sweet potatoes

Eat 1 baked with

B1 (mg)

1.10

0.94

Fortified cereal

B3 (mg)

14.0

7.28

Chicken

B6 (mg)

1.30

0.36

Pistachios

B12 (mcg)

2.40

0.94

Dairy

D (mcg)
Folate (mcg)

15.0
400

0.50
159

Get sunlight
Spinach

dinner
Eat 1 c. at breakfast
Eat 1 4oz chicken
breast at dinner
Eat 100 g pistachios
as snack
Increase dairy
through day
Go outside
Eat salads at dinner

AMDR Chart for carbohydrate, fat and protein from your SuperTracker Nutrient
Summary data.
Nutrient
Recommended AMDR
3-Day AMDR
Fat
20-35%
33%
Protein
10-35%
15%
Carbohydrates
30-65%
52%
The primary issue within my diet over those three days was the overall lack of
calories; according to NutritionCalc Plus, the site I used to record my food intake data,
I was about 983 calories under my recommended intake. This means that I should have
been eating much more nutrient dense food to ensure that I wasnt lacking in nutrients.
This includes higher amounts of vegetables (especially spinach), increased dairy (such
as more yogurt or string cheese), more fruits (but bananas, in particular, due to their
high potassium levels), sweet potatoes, and nuts like pistachios. Incorporating these
into my diet would have significantly increased my intake of healthy fats,
carbohydrates, and protein, while delivering essential nutrients. Another healthful
addition which could have been useful would be having salmon at least once over the
course of those three days, due to its high iron content which I have been lacking in.
Some items I probably would have been better without were the pancakes, the

pizza, the cookies, and especially the Wild Cherry Pepsi (which is essentially empty
calories); however, the remainder of my diet was relatively healthy, with the exception
of high sodium that was included in many aspects (from beef jerky to the stir fry I had
on that Tuesday).
Overall, the biggest changes would just be incorporating more nutrient dense
food and limiting sodium intake, as splurging occasionally can be part of a balanced
and healthy lifestyle.
As for the BMI and waist-to-hip ratio calculations, I find the waist-to-hip ratio to
be more accurate in general for judging potential health risk factors. I fell into the lowrisk end of health risk when taking into consideration my waist/hip ratio, even though
my BMI was nearly in the overweight range (and I fluctuate fairly regularly in and out
of that range). Knowing what my waist-to-hip ratio means in relation to my health was
beneficial to understanding that its sometimes more about where the extra fat is
stored.
From this project, I learned a lot about my overall dietary needs, and some of
the nutrients (including iron) that I am regularly lacking in. Im making an increased
effort now to include more nutrient dense foods into my diet, without increasing my
sodium intake. Really, this diet tracker doesnt accurately represent what I eat every
day; sometimes its more, sometimes its less. Im just working to be a conscientious
eater and exerciser now.