MYPYRAMID- MENU MODELING

By: ____________________

WHY FOLLOW MYPYRAMID GUIDELINES?

First PDE: vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans intake below recommendation MyPyramid created to provide personal way to improve diets and lifestyle Conclusion: improve my diet intake in order to meet MyPyramid food recommendations to promote a healthier lifestyle

BACKGROUND RESEARCH INFORMATION: MENU

MODELING WITH MYPYRAMID FOOD PATTERNS: INCREMENTAL DIETARY CHANGES LEAD TO DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENTS IN DIET QUALITY OF MENUS
(KOLODINSKY J, HARVEY-BERINO JR, BERLIN L, JOHNSON RK, REYNOLDS TW)

In

this article, the effects of gradual changes to meal planning were observed. Comparison between a baseline menu, three incrementally changed menus, and a target menu = small, practical improvements that met MyPyramid recommendations and improved overall diet quality, which led to weight loss In my diet I aimed for a similar model but completely changed my diet to meet MyPyramid guidelines instead of doing gradual changes

BACKGROUND RESEARCH INFORMATION: POSITION

OF

THE AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION:

TOTAL DIET APPROACH

(FREELAND-GRAVES

TO COMMUNICATING FOOD AND NUTRITION INFORMATION

J, NITZKE S.)

Significant influence affecting food choice is lack of time: 2000 American Dietetic Association Trend Survey- 38% indicate too much time to keep track of diet Income related limitations to food choices: transportation, cooking facilities, food preparation skill Societal influence: presence of another person can increase intake quantity of meal by 44% Media is a powerful influence on diet choice for Americans: 1997, approx. $11 billion spent on food advertisement

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: KNOWLEDGE OF CURRENT

DIETARY GUIDELINES AND FOOD CHOICE BY COLLEGE STUDENTS: BETTER EATERS HAVE HIGHER KNOWLEDGE OF DIETARY GUIDANCE
(KOLODINSKY J, HARVEY-BERINO JR, BERLIN L, JOHNSON RK, REYNOLDS TW)

2007 Case study: Out of 200 college students, 1/3 reported eating recommended amounts for five food categories increased knowledge of dietary guidelines does appear to be positively related to more healthful eating patterns among college students (In this manner I found the plan of PDSA helpful research increased motivation to follow diet <awareness of health improvement>). Food in many college meal plans have more energy, fat, and less nutrients than home-prepared food (for my project I strictly ate at home and did not go to the cafeteria)

PDSA
Plan: Objective: meet MyPyramid guidelines for each food group and keep calories below 2,076.87 (to maintain weight) Plan menus for the weeks that follow MyPyramid guidelines Record all meals in a food journal and then input intakes into NutritionCalc for four weeks. Everyday I will note if I meet MyPyramid guidelines.

PDSA
Do: At the beginning of the experiment, I calculated my average intake for each food group in MyPyramid to use as my baseline data Next, I tried to eat according to the menus I created that followed MyPyramid guidelines. Everyday, I would input all my intake into NutritionCalc and compare my data from each week with the baseline data and the MyPyramid recommendations.

PDSA
Study:
At the end of the first week, according to NutritionCalc, I obtained each recommended serving amount for MyPyramid. I noticed it was difficult to plan my meals ahead of time and stick with them, or I would still be hungry. In order to circumvent this I tried to eat a variety of foods to ease the monotony, eat snacks throughout the day, and eat dense foods that promoted satiety. I noticed that by strictly shopping around the perimeter of the super market, I wouldnt be tempted as much to eat processed foods.

PDSA
Act:
I found that as long as I planned ahead (to go food shopping, have a meal plan, have snacks) I could easily meet MyPyramid food guidelines. After a week I realized my food expenses were rising, or I had to go shopping more often because organic foods are easily perishable, thus I started purchasing frozen vegetables. By the end I felt that my guidelines had become a habitual process for me. I noticed myself getting into a routine of eating snacks and small meals.

(3/01/09): Example of Data Collection

Intake vs. Recommendation
2000 Calorie Pattern

Group

Percent Comparison

Amount (Daily)

Grains Intake Grains Recommendation

131 %

7.9 oz equivalent 6 oz equivalent

Vegetables Intake Vegetables

114 %

2.9 cup equivalent 2.5 cup equivalent

Fruits Intake Fruits Recommendation

154 %

3.1 cup equivalent 2 cup equivalent

Milk Intake Milk Recommendation

101 %

3 cup equivalent 3 cup equivalent

Meat & Beans Intake Meat & Beans Recommendation

181 %

10 oz equivalent 5.5 oz equivalent

Fishbone Diagram
Comfort Find Time
Respond to Emotional Cues (i.e. Stress, Emotional Duress) Too Lazy to Cook/Eat Readily Available Food Off Eating Schedule/ Woke Up Late Ate Out/No Time to Cook Media (i.e. Food Advertisements) Forgot Snacks/ No Time Forgot to Go Food Shopping/No Time to Go

Environmental
Societal Influence (i.e. Eating with Another Person)

Canola Oil vs. Butter & Animal Fat Small Meals with Many Snacks in Between Low-Fat & Non-Fat vs. Regular Milk Variety of Fruits & Vegetables Non-Fat, No Salad Dressing Whole-Wheat vs. White Soy vs. Meat Keep Hydrated Control Calories Weight Loss Benefits of Diet (Overall Health Improvement, Receive All Essential Nutrients) Mood Improvement

Eat All Recommended Portions in MyPyramid

Foods

Motivation

Grain Intake
14

12

10

8 Ounces Grains Intake Recommended 6 Lower Limit Upper Limit

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day

Vegetables Intake
6

Cups

Vegetables Intake Recommended Lower Limit Upper Limit

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day

Fruit Intake
6

Cups

Fruits Intake Recommended Lower Limit Upper Limit

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day

Meat & Beans Intake

16

14

12

10

Ounces

Meat & Beans Intake Recommended Lower Limit

Upper Limit

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day

Milk Intake
6

Cups

Milk Intake Recommended Lower Limit Upper Limit

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Day

Reasons For Not Meeting MyPyramid Recommendations

3

0 Time/Wake Up Late (Missed Breakfast) Forgot Snacks Ate Out Forgot to Go Food Shopping/No Vegetables

RESULTS:
Changes Over 4 Weeks
3000

2500

2000

Calories

1500

Energy (kcal) Total fat (kcal)

Saturated fat (kcal)

1000

500

0
Baseline Week 1 Week 2 Intake Week 3 Week 4 Target

RESULTS:

Like Menu modeling article: changes to food intake that observed MyPyramid did result in overall diet improvement. (Kolodinsky J, Harvey-Berino JR, Berlin L, Johnson RK,
Reynolds TW)

Kcal was below the baseline level and the recommended level from NutritionCalc (to maintain current weight) Total fat was below both baseline and target (NutritionCalc recommendation) level Saturated fat was below both baseline and target (NutritionCalc recommendation) level

Positives
Began eating more unprocessed foods

Negatives
My food budget rose significantly

Ate a variety of new menus that incorporated Preparation of the food became time MyPyramid foods consuming Saw how difficult it would be for certain people to follow MyPyramid food guidelines (ex. Socio-economic, time, occupation, etc.) Felt healthier and refreshed by eating organic foods It was difficult to find time to go to the grocery store often and maintain my academic life because organic foods are easily perishable I had to learn how to juggle my menu plans so that I promoted satiety while eating all MyPyramid food groups and keeping calories below 2,000 to maintain my weight When I didnt plan ahead, I noticed I ate more during meal times because I did not have a snack in between or I woke up too late to eat breakfast I became hyper-attentive sometimes about eating the right portions and would sometimes forgo eating out because I was too frightened about environmental temptations

I felt surprise that my total fat and saturated fat fell from my baseline diet after only the first week and calories were kept in check with little effort Maintained a healthy diet with MyPyramid recommendations met

FOR THE FUTURE

I do not think I will input my intakes into NutritionCalc but I found a food diary was helpful to keep track of what I ate, so I may continue it The menu modeling article found that while small changes promote dietary change, it is uncertain about long-term behavior. Thus, I feel it is important to continue to be aware of MyPyramid guidelines even though this project is over I feel in the future I should learn to make simpler meals, manage my grocery shopping time better, and purchase more frozen vegetables in order to save time and money I will note that by avoiding the aisles in the grocery store, I am not as tempted to purchase processed foods. I will continue to eat small meals and snacks throughout the day as I found this lessens my hunger for unhealthy processed foods.

REFERENCES:
1. Freeland-Graves J, Nitzke S. Position of The American Dietetic Association: total diet approach to communicating food and nutrition information. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002; 102: 100-108. 2. Hornick BA, Krester AJ, Nicklas TA. Menu modeling with mypyramid food patterns: incremental dietary changes lead to dramatic improvements in diet quality of menus. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008; 108: 2077-2083. 3. Kolodinsky J, Harvey-Berino JR, Berlin L, Johnson RK, Reynolds TW. Knowledge of current dietary guidelines and food choice by college students: better eaters have higher knowledge of dietary guidance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007; 107: 1409-1413.