Nutrition: Diet Self Study

NUFS 9 Diet Self-Study Assignment

Purpose:

1) To evaluate your average nutrient and calorie intake over three days of eating compared to dietary standards.

2) To identify ways to improve diet quality for more energy and better health.

Directions:

Track the foods you eat and beverages you drink for three days. You should include two weekdays and one weekend day. Use pages 3-5 of this packet to track your intake. You will use this log to complete parts 3 and 4. Turn your food log in with the completed assignment.

1. You will use http://nutritioncalc3.mheducation.com/ncplus3/ database to analyze your 3-day food log. When your food and beverages have been entered, you will be able to download your reports as PDF documents. Use these reports to complete part 3 and hand these reports in with your completed assignment.

2. Lastly, evaluate your diet quality and adequacy by answering a series of questions about your food and nutrient intake in Part 4.

You will not be graded on the basis of what you eat. Please do not change what you normally eat for the purpose of this assignment. You will, however, be graded on how well you do the assignment, so follow the directions carefully and you will not only do well on the assignment, but will have meaningful insight into how your food and beverage choices potentially impact your health.

PART 1: Recording your 3-day consumption

Using the daily food record chart below, record your food and beverage intake for three days: two weekdays (Mon – Fri) and one weekend day (Sat/Sun). The three food-record days do not have to be consecutive but should be days you carry out your normal dietary routine (so for example, do not record food consumption on a day you go to a special event/party or on a day you are sick). Include everything you eat and drink.

Please DO NOT record vitamin and mineral supplements in your food record, but DO include protein supplements.

Please pays special attention to the following seven points:

1. Be sure to write down foods as you eat them, so that you can record the amounts accurately. Print and carry the logs (pages 3-5) with you on the days you are tracking your diet.

2. Foods from popular restaurants (e.g. Subway sandwich) and common mixed dishes (e.g. chili, mac & cheese) are likely in the database, but if you eat a more unique or homemade dish, you will need to, in your mind, separate the component parts of the combination food.

For example: sandwich =	2 slices whole wheat bread (Sara Lee)
	4 ounces roast beef (Hormel)
	1 ounce Kraft singles cheddar cheese
	1 Tbs mayo

If you ate only half of the recipe, be sure to list only half of the amount of the ingredients in your record.

3. Be descriptive. Write down specific information regarding how the food was cooked (fried, baked, broiled, steamed). Write down whether the food was freshly prepared, frozen, canned or otherwise processed. Canned foods should include the type of liquid in which the food was packed (heavy syrup, packed in oil, packed in water). Note brand names, if applicable.

4. Don’t forget all beverages, including water, alcoholic beverages, juice, milk and coffee. (Also make sure to include items added to coffee/tea.)

5. Estimate amount eaten to the best of your ability. Please use specific measures such as teaspoons, cups, tablespoons, and ounces. For cheeses and meats, you should use ounces, but ounces can also be fluid ounces (e.g, 8 oz = 1 C.) Unit choices will be given in the nutrient database program. Please record and enter portions in the drop-down menu.

Do not use the following measurements: each, slice, piece, plate, bowl, scoop, bite, etc.

Pay special attention dry weight versus cooked weights for foods like pastas, rice, etc. For example, 1C of cooked pasta does not equal 8oz of cooked pasta!

6. Print extra log pages if you need more space to record all of your food and beverage intake.

7. For your food logs, please either TYPE or WRITE VERY CLEARLY and legibly.

Food eaten (group by meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack)	Amount eaten (2 oz, ¼ cup, ½ slice, 1 Tbs?)	Prepared or Brand name	Reason for eating/drinking (physiological; psychological)	Social/Cultural Environment (where were you & who were you with?)
B: Fried eggs in butter	2 large eggs, ½ tsp	Prepared myself	hungry	Dorm party with roommates
B: Toasted English muffin with butter	2 oz muffin + 1 Tbs butter	Thomas	hungry	At home with family
B: Coffee: latte w/whole milk	12 oz or 1 ½ cups	Starbucks	tired; wanted a pick me up	With friends
S: Peanut M & M’s	1 package (49 g)	M & M’s	Stressed; had a craving for something sweet	Alone in my dorm room late at night

Food and Beverage Intake Log sheets

Food eaten (group by meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack)	Amount eaten (2 oz, ¼ cup, ½ slice, 1 Tbs)	Brand name	Reason for eating/drinking	Social/Cultural Environment (where were you & who were you with?)

Day 1 – Date: ___________________________________

Day 2 – Date: ___________________________________

Food eaten (group by meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack)	Amount eaten (2 oz, ¼ cup, ½ slice, 1 Tbs)	Brand name	Reason for eating/drinking	Social/Cultural Environment (where were you & who were you with?)

Day 3 – Date: ___________________________________

Food eaten (group by meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, or Snack)	Amount eaten (2 oz, ¼ cup, ½ slice, 1 Tbs)	Brand name	Reason for eating/drinking	Social/Cultural Environment (where were you & who were you with?)

PART 2: Analyzing your food and beverage intake using “NutriCalcPlus”

You will need a computer with an Internet connection to access the online database.

1. Go to http://nutritioncalc3.mheducation.com/ncplus3/. You can also access it by going to your Connect link in Canvas. The link to NutriCalcPlus is located on the left navigation bar under “Resources”.

2. You will be creating a profile, entering intake and viewing reports. For the purpose of this assignment, you will not need to enter activities.

3. To get started, create a profile. When entering your physical activity, consider how your exercise averages out over seven days. Even if you exercise for 60 min 3 x/wk, select “less than 30 min/d of moderate activity.” Some of you will be active enough to select “30-60 min/d of moderate activity,” but consider how long your heart rate is elevated, not how long you are at the gym. You may be at the gym for 75 min 5 d/wk but heart rate may only be elevated for 45 minutes each day. See instructor if you have questions about how to accurately quantify level of activity. Overestimating this aspect can have repercussions.

4. Once your profile has been created, use “Intakes” to start entering your food and beverage intake. Begin by entering the type of food consumed and click “Find.” This will take you to a page where you can set the date, select the type of food, enter which meal it was eaten at and specify portion eaten. Sometimes an exact food match is not available. Select the closest match and adjust portion size.

5. Continue until you have entered all food and beverages for everything you ate. After you have entered the foods and beverages, proofread to make sure all items and amounts are correct. Continue until all three days are entered with their respective dates.

6. Lastly, create, download and save four reports as PDF. Select “Reports.” Create the 1)“Bar Graph Report,” the 2) “MyPlate Report,” and the “Single Nutrient Report.” For the Single Nutrient Report you will need to do the report for 3) Total Sugars and 4) Dietary Fiber, so two separate reports for this part. For the 3-day analysis, select the range of dates that includes the days you entered. “Save” the reports as PDFs and include these with your submission.

7. If your report shows more than 200% - 500% of the DRI, RDA or AI for nutrients, double check the serving size of the foods you added. For example, you may have meant to add four slices of bread to your intake list, but instead added four pounds of bread. This type of error will render your report meaningless. You can also check for this type of error by looking at the calorie totals for each of the 3 days. Calorie totals will likely be between 1,000 to 3,000 kcal/day. Points will be deducted on a project with these types of errors.

PART 3: Evaluating your 3-Day Diet for Quality and Adequacy

You will need to refer to your reports to answer the following questions. Use the following pages (7-14) and TYPE your answers directly on this document. Print them out and add them to your packet. You will turn in all of the items below as 1 attachment in the following order:

1. Food and beverage logs (in chronological order)

2. Three-day average Bar Graph Report from NutriCalc

3. Two Single-Nutrient Reports from NutriCalc

4. Three-day average My Plate Report from NutriCalc

5. Pages 7-14 of this document

6. Any additional documents you would like to add

Did you meet the MyPlate Food Group recommendations?

The amount recommended for each food group is related to your energy need. Fill in the table below from the My Plate Report:

Food Group	Recommendation (Target)	Intake	Difference: Target minus Intake (+ / - number)
Grains
---------------------------
Vegetables
---------------------------
Fruits
---------------------------
Dairy
---------------------------
Protein Foods
---------------------------

Single Nutrient Assessment

There are two dietary components that you will evaluate, total sugar and dietary fiber.

Select the Single Nutrient Report, then at the bottom of that screen, using the drop-down menu, select “Total Sugars.” Select “View Report.” It will show you all of the food you ate that provided sugar. Print this page(s) out and attach it to your packet. Do this same process for “Dietary Fiber.”

What is the total grams of sugar? What are the top five contributors (different foods) of sugar in your diet? What can you do to decrease the amount of sugar (if needed)? Note: even too much “natural” sugar is still something to pay attention to.

What is the total grams of dietary fiber? What are the top five contributors (different foods) of fiber in your diet? What can you do to increase the amount of fiber (if needed)?

Energy Balance:

Use the Bar Graph Report to determine the difference between your DRI Goal and Value.

DRI Goal (Calories)	Value (Calories you consumed)	Difference: DRI Goal minus Value ( + / - number)

If there is a large energy discrepancy (> 400 kcals), check your printout for errors in portion size and fix. If still accurate, circle the letter(s) below that best explains your large energy discrepancy:

a. The amount of food that I eat varies a lot from day to day

b. I am trying to change my weight by eating more / fewer kcals than I need (circle one)

c. I may not have accurately reported my food intake for this day

d. I may not have accurately reported my activity level for this day

Provide any additional explanation (100 words min) in the space beneath this paragraph. If there is a major discrepancy AND you are confident that this is the way you usually or always eat, such as “I always eat this way,” “I cannot afford to eat more,” or “I never eat breakfast” AND you are neither gaining nor losing weight, then there is likely an error somewhere. It will either be in your food entry or your designated level of activity.

Vitamin and Mineral Consumption:

Refer to your Bar Graph Report, and list in the left column below, any vitamin or mineral you obtained an “Under” or “Over” status. If “Under” by < 90%, list 2-3 foods you are willing to eat that would most increase that vitamin or mineral in your diet.

Vitamins or Minerals	%	2-3 foods I am willing to add that would most increase the vitamin or mineral

Fluids Intake:

Compare your total intake to the amount of “Water” you should be consuming from the Bar Graph Report. (You will need to convert grams into ounces.)

Value (amount you consumed) __________ oz of fluids, on average, per day.

DRI Goal __________ oz of fluid, on average, per day.

[If needed]: Specifically, how do you propose to increase your fluid intake? Type your answer below.

(Simply saying that you will drink more water isn’t adequate. What specifically will you do, and how will you do it?)

Macronutrient Distribution, Alcohol and Empty Calories:

From your Bar Graph Report, complete the column on the left. Compare the “Value” (the amount you consumed) to the “DRI Goal” (the amount you should be consuming). If you exceeded or were below DRI Goal amounts, in the column on the right, list 2-3 specific foods you would add or take away that would most improve that macronutrient. While alcohol and empty calories are not macronutrients, they do provide kcals. Determine if alcohol and empty calorie consumption exceeded maximal recommended amounts. If so, make specific recommendations for reasonable changes (not just one food, but several specific options) in the column on the right.

Please note: “OK” means being within 10% of the DRI Goal.

Macronutrients	2-3 foods I am willing to change that would most improve my eating and drinking
Protein: _____ g Value _____ g DRI Goal circle one: under / OK / over	2-3 specific foods I will increase or decrease are:
Carbohydrate: _____ g Value _____ g DRI Goal circle one: under / OK / over ______ g fiber Value ______ g fiber DRI Goal circle one: under / OK / over ______ g sugar = _____ # tsps	2-3 specific foods I will increase or decrease are: 2-3 specific foods I will increase or decrease are: Which specific foods had the sugar? Were they added sugars or natural?
Total Fat: _____ g Value _____ g DRI Goal circle one: under / OK / over ______ g sat fat Value ______ g sat fat DRI Goal circle one: under / OK / over	2-3 specific foods I will increase or decrease are: 2-3 specific foods I will decrease (if needed) are:
Alcohol: _____ g Value

Part 4: Assessment of Your Diet and Lifestyle Choices

PLEASE TYPE YOUR RESPONSES TO THE REST OF THESE QUESTIONS.

1. Overall Diet Adequacy:

Using the chart on page 7, assess your intake. Even if you are meeting a food group recommendation, are you doing it in the healthiest way? What specific changes can you make to improve the nutrient content of the food you eat? (150 words min)

2. Reflections

A. Reasons for Eating and Drinking

Reflect on the reasons why you ate and drank what you did over these three days. What do you think the inter-relationship between your mood/psychological state and/or physiological state was on your food choices? (In other words, how did these states influence what you chose to eat?) Do you think the quality and quantity of the foods you ate/beverages you drank during this period will have positive or negative effects on your health, academic success, and well-being? Provide your explanation (250 words min) below: (Meets GELO 1[footnoteRef:1]) [1: GELO 1: Students will be able to recognize the physiological, social/cultural, and psychological influences on their well-being. ]

B. Social/Cultural Influences:

Now reflect on the interrelationship between your social/cultural environments and your food choices. Did your location and the people you were with influence your food choices and/or eating behaviors? If yes, how did they influence your intake? Were these positive or negative influences? If negative, what might you do in the future to minimize these negative influences? Provide your explanation (250 words min) in the space below. (Meets GELO 1)

C. Life Cycle:

Finally, think about the food choices that you are CURRENTLY making and share what you think may be the long-term health (physical, mental, emotion) outcomes of these choices as you age. What could you predict would be your overall health at various stages of the life cycle if you continue to eat as you are now? Try to be as realistic in your assessment as possible . Provide your explanation (split as evenly as you can between the three ages) beneath this paragraph (250 words min). (Meets GELO 2[footnoteRef:2].) [2: Students will be able to recognize the interrelation of the physiological, social/cultural, and psychological factors on their development across the lifespan. ]

Age 30:

Age 50:

Age 70:

Name _____________________________________

GRADING RUBRIC FOR 3-DAY DIET SELF-STUDY ASSIGNMENT

ATTACH THIS SHEET TO THE FRONT OF YOUR PAPER

50 pts

CATEGORY
Followed directions and provided correct format	Major problems following	Followed some, but not all directions; and/or some formatting errors.	Excellent format & followed directions. directions, format is poor
	0 1	2 3 4	5
	Poor; shows lack of understanding	Shows moderate level of understanding	Shows high to very high level of understanding
Completed food logs	0 1	2 3	4
Submitted all print outs	0 1	2 3 4	5
Food Groups / Single Nutrients Assessment	0 1	2 3	4
Interpretation of energy balance	0 1	2 3	4
Vitamins / Minerals Assessment	0 1	2 3	4
Fluid Intake Assessment	0 1	2 3	4
Macronutrients Assessment	0 1	2 3	4
Overall Diet Adequacy/ Reflections Assessment	0 1	2 3	4
Social/Cultural Influences Assessment	0 1 2	3 4 5 6	7 8
Life Cycle Assessment	0 1	2 3	4

Your Total ___________

15

NuFS 9