Sidra Ansari

Nutrient Analysis

I chose my person to be a university male student who is 5ft 10in and weighs about 160
pounds and is moderately active. I decided those values because I thought that someone like
that would be on the higher end of the average university student to eat at my dining commons.
There might be males who are taller and have more muscle mass or are over or underweight
and will therefore have different requirements. Of course, there will be females eating at the
dining commons, but I would think their requirements will be generally less than the male I
chose unless they are very, very active. Basically, I thought that if I could meet most of the
needs of the above person I would be meeting the needs of most people.
The total calorie intake for my Monday meal came out to be 2011.48 kcal which met
64.62% of the recommendation. However, I am not too concerned about this because most
people will probably not have a recommended calorie intake as high as 3112.66 kcal, especially
those who need to be watching their intake. Protein intake was quite high at 146.51% of the
recommended intake. This doesn't worry me either because not every one will be eating every
single meal I specified. Some may skip the hamburger and go with the soup or they will eat less
than a cup of chili. Also, since breakfast, lunch and dinner are priced separately I am not
expecting students to come for every meal. Also, the MyPlate says that the diet covers 82% of
the protein recommended so it isn't too much cause of concern. Total fat and saturated fat is
somewhat high at 88.20% and 87.02% of the recommended and this may be a problem for
someone on a low fat diet or someone who isn't as active. Maybe having macaroni and cheese
the same day that we are serving a burger isn't the best idea. Maybe that day one of the entrees
can be vegetable based or it can be a chicken sandwich with veggies suggested by the
MyPlate. Only about half of the fiber was met at 50.68%. However the adequate intake of fiber
for adults ranges from 21-38 g and this analysis lists the recommended as 43.58g so therefore,
my menu may meet the needs of an average person and is just listed as high on this computer
generator for the person I chose.
Unfortunately the diet only meets 9.36% of the vitamin A recommendation which is very
low. But it could be rectified by offering a side of spinach or carrots instead of the tomatoes at
lunch, or adding in spinach in the macaroni. Vitamins B1, B2, and B3 are met at 53.52%,
59.66%, and 79.22% respectively. This might be a concern considering the person I chose may
have already set the bar high and only that amount is met. However, this problem could be
solved by choosing fortified ingredients. Vitamin B12 was very high at 128.31% which could be
a problem but we can reduce the amount of beef we serve with the hamburger or again not
have such a cheesy dish served the same day as the burger. Vitamin C made up 76.81% so we
should include fortified ingredients or offer whole fruits at breakfast instead of the juice. Vitamin
D was also very low at 1.51%. Using fortified mushrooms can help since they are included in the
cream of vegetable soup and chili. In addition fortified juices, milks and breads can be placed on
the menu.
For minerals, the diet covers calcium up to 96.55% and zinc 95.74% which is adequate.
Iron, on the other hand, is over at 148.34%. The high iron must be coming from having the
burger and garden chili the same day. A lighter vegetable based soup in place of the chili is an
option if we decide to keep the burger for that day. Also, it can be taken into consideration that
iron from the meat will be absorbed more readily than the iron in the beans so just because the
number is high doesn't mean that person is getting that amount. Potassium was quite low at
26.17% so I was thinking of offering bananas as one of the fruit options or even having a bowl of
mixed strawberries and bananas so that students still get Vitamin C. Sodium was by far the
highest at 204.94% and 4713.61 mg, which is much over a teaspoon. But we have to account
for the fact that food processor mostly has brand products in their data base, which are probably
higher in sodium, and the foods that we had to choose are just approximations to the actual
food being made at the dining commons. Therefore, the sodium intake is mostly likely a huge
overestimation. But of course, it is easy to overdose on sodium (people might add it in after) so
it will something addressed in the facility and we will try to use more herbs and spices for flavor.