HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
Liberty University
Non-Degree Seeking
HLTH 640
Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Kendra L. Gillis
ID: L00099267
October 14, 2022
Words: 2,915
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
CREATING A HEALTHY, BALANCED DIET TEMPLATE
Questions: Answers to interview questions:
Demographic information of your chosen
subject. Demographics include age, height,
weight, and any other variables that you
would like to add. Do not provide names or
identify the subjects.
Age: 50
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 180 lbs.
Marital Status: Married, 4 kids
Eating Habits: Eat when he feels hungry but
tries to stick to 2-3 main meals a day
depending on his schedule.
Ask the person to describe the food they
consume in a typical day. Have them be
specific. Identify the time of day they eat,
what they eat, how much they eat. Be
specific, get amounts as best you can. Do not
forget to list drinks and snacks throughout the
day.
Does the subject know what a serving is?
Have him/her show you. Describe.
Being a truck driver, his food schedule
changes on a daily basis which he thinks
affects his appetite. He does not have a set
schedule, so he does not have a set eating
schedule which is why he only eats when he
is hungry. However, he is consistent with
some of the things he eats in a particular order
when he can.
First meal:
3 boiled eggs
Protein shake (8 ounces) – Muscle Milk
1 tsp coconut oil
Snack: Almonds (20) or celery (2 stalks) and
peanut butter (Enough for 2 stalks)
Second meal:
Chef salad x 2 - (Lettuce, tomatoes,
cucumbers, grilled chicken, ham, onions,
cheese, and ranch dressing) (Salad
commercially packaged)
He drinks about 6 bottles of water daily.
He drinks 1 cup of coffee if he needs the
caffeine.
He drinks one soda (Sprite) daily.
He has no idea what a serving is. He only
feels that he is eating okay because he is
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staying away from greasy foods and a lot of
foods that have carbohydrates in them. He
also read about coconut oil but have not
researched proper amounts to take. He
figured a little is better than none at all and a
whole lot (even without knowledge of what
that is) might be too much.
Ask if they have any health or weight goals. His only weight goal is to continue to
maintain his weight. He doesn’t mind
improving on his health now that he is
speaking to someone who has more
knowledge than him but is content without
change if that is his life.
Are they on any special diet at this moment?
If yes, have them describe it to you.
He currently doesn’t have a special diet.
States that he does not have time to do all that
measuring and stuff. He would rather stick to
the foods that have worked for him if
someone doesn’t figure it out for him and
make it easy for him to manage on the truck
without much fuss.
Have they ever been on a weight loss diet? If
yes, have them describe it to you.
No weight loss diet at any point. He got sick
once from the flu and lost a lot of weight but
haven’t lost any intentionally.
Can the subject list foods that contain high
amounts of or are good sources of each of the
following: vitamin A, D, E, K, and B12?
Provide their answers clearly.
AT THIS POINT EXPLAIN TO THEM THE
IMPORTANCE OF “VARIETY” IN A DIET.
PROVIDE EXAMPLES AND REASONS
“VARIETY” IS NECESSARY THE DIET.
He only knows that milk has a high level of
vitamin D and green leafy vegetables have
vitamin K such as kale and collards which are
his favorites when he is off the road. He
explained that he takes a multi-vitamin, so he
doesn’t have to worry about what he not
getting while on the road.
I explained to him that variety means that he
is picking foods from all the different food
groups. This is important because it will
ensure that a variety of nutrients are
consumed, reduce boredom, introduce him to
different flavors and aromas, and makes his
meals more attractive with the added colors
and textures.1
An example would be eggs one morning,
sausage the next morning and maybe turkey
bacon the next morning.
What resources does the subject use to get
most of their nutrition information?
He reads labels from time to time and soaks
in information from hearing others talk. He
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feels he should invest more time into learning
more, but he does not have the patience to
figure it all out on his own.
Can the subject explain what “whole grain”
means or provide foods supplying whole
grain? Provide their response clearly.
AT THIS POINT EXPLAIN TO THEM THE
IMPORTANCE OF “COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES.”
EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
“SIMPLE SUGAR” AND “COMPLEX
CARBOHYDRATES.”
PROVIDE EXAMPLES FOR THEM.
He does not know “per say” what whole grain
means but he has seen whole grain bread, rice
and pasta when he shops in the grocery store.
He assumes it is a special type of bread, rice
or pasta.
Complex carbohydrates are important because
they are nutrient dens. They fill you up while
taking longer for the body to digest them. It
also helps keep your blood sugar balanced.
Simple sugar is digested very easily and
offers your body short, quick bursts of energy
while complex carbohydrates offer your body
sustained energy over time. Simple sugar
also has little to no fiber while complex
carbohydrates is a great source of fiber.
Some examples of simple sugars are fruits,
dairy products, and processed foods such as
cookies or ice cream that have added sugars.
Some examples of complex carbohydrates are
whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, starchy
vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,
and beans such as lentils or kidney beans.
Does the subject exercise regularly? Have
them describe. Why is this their exercise
habit?
He states that he does do regular exercise at
2-3 days a week. When he is waiting to get
loaded or unloaded, he will do small things
such as pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, bicep
curls with water jugs. He also does sit-ups
when he has nothing on his trailer.
He exercises this way because he feels these
exercises keep in the shape, he need to be in
for the demand of getting on top of the trailer
to strap down his load and sling his tarp that
weights 100 lbs. He has to keep in shape to
pull a flatbed or he may cause himself injury.
How many times a week does the subject eat
vegetables? How many servings per day?
How does he/she cook vegetables?
He eats vegetables everyday. Depending on
where he is at in the US, he may only get to
eat vegetables at one sitting. He tries to get in
two minimum.
He does cook his vegetables, but it is only
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
when he is home which is very infrequent;
maybe 2 weekends out the month.
Does the subject take a vitamin supplement?
Why or why not? If he/she takes supplements,
how much does he/she spend a month on
vitamins?
AT THIS POINT EXPLAIN TO THEM THE
DIFFERENCE OF OBTAINING
NUTRIENTS FROM FOOD -VS- A
BOTTLE. (Review Supplement discussion in
Omega Z Diet book)
He does take a vitamin supplement to help
him with what he may be lacking that he is
not aware of. He also takes extra vitamin D.
He knows that by eating so little, he is not
getting all his “stuff” so he takes a vitamin
pill to help him with that. He said he spends
about $30 for them.
It is better to eat whole foods vs. vitamin
supplements because whole foods give you a
better variety of nutrients that your body
needs. They also have fiber content that offer
health protections against diseases such as
diabetes and cancer. They have other
components like antioxidants that help control
damage to tissue and cells. Lastly, you have a
better chance of not having adverse reactions
from whole foods versus supplements.
Severe adverse effects to some vitamin
preparations are uncommon but occur when
very large doses have been consumed.2
When eating whole foods, you are better able
to manage the vitamins that you intake to
ensure you don't overindulge.
If the subject were to learn more about
nutrition and weight loss, what specifically
would he/she like to learn about or what
would be helpful to him/her in the present
situation?
He really doesn’t have the patience to learn
about even though he knows that it is
important, but he said that he would make
changes if I showed him where he needs to
make changes and do a small plan for him to
get started with food options like I spoke
about when we discussed variety.
THIS CONCLUDES THE INTERVIEW
PORTION OF THE ASSIGNMENT. THE
STEPS BELOW ARE TO BE COMPLETED
ON YOUR OWN USING GUIDELINES
from THE OMEGA-Z DIET WORKBOOK.
THE ANSWERS YOU PUT BELOW ARE
TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR
UNDERSTANDING AND TO HELP YOU
ANSWER THE WRITTEN PORTION
/ANALYSIS BELOW. SHOW ALL MATH
WORK IN THE SPACES BELOW.
Step 1 - Determine how many calories are
needed by this person based on the
information they provided above. In your
answer show the formula you chose and the
Imperial
BMR = 66 + (6.2 x 180) + (12.7 x 69) – (6.8
x 50)
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
math demonstrating how you arrived with
your answer. In other words, determine their
BMR using formulas from the Omega Z Diet
Workbook Guidelines. Show your work in the
space to the right.
BMR = 66 + (1116) + (876) – 340
BMR = 1718 calories
Step 2- Determine their activity factor. Light Exercise
Daily calories needed = BMR x 1.375
Daily calories needed = 1718 x 1.375
Daily calories needed = 2362 calories
Step 3- By combining the numbers from step
1 and step 2 above, how many calories should
they be eating to MAINTAIN weight?
2362 calories
Step 4- Based on your knowledge and
interactions with your subject. Do you think
the person should lose weight for health
purposes? If no explain why.
If yes, in the space to the right show your
math work (following the Omega Z formulas
and suggestions for safe weight loss.)
After talking with him at length, I do not
think he should lose weight. His body
composition is on the lean side with a very
small belly protruding out. He stated that he
weighs himself monthly and fluctuates no
more than a couple of pounds which is
usually during holidays at home. His exercise
level with strapping down his load and the
exercises he says he does gives him some
balance to help him manage his weight.
Step 5 – Provide the number of servings for each
of the 6 main food groups identified in the
Omega Z Diet Workbook that you believe would
best fuel this person to either:
a. Lose weight
b. Maintain weight
If you stated they should lose weight in step
4, then choose “a. Lose weight”
If you stated they should maintain weight in
step 4, then choose “b. Maintain weight”
B. Maintain weight
Starch - 10
Meat – 7
Milk – 3
Fruit - 4
Vegetable - 7
Fat – 3.5
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
Based on their responses, how knowledgeable do you think your subject is about
nutrition? Explain
My subject has virtually no knowledge about nutrition, it’s affect or how to go about
getting proper nutrition. We discussed many issues that weren’t part of the questionnaire. He
did not have basic knowledge about anything such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates nor could
he articulate what he did know to be able to explain it to me. What he does know, it is acquired
from listening to others and taking what they said at face value without wanting to know whether
it is true or not.
How well was the information you shared (variety, complex carbohydrates,
supplements -vs- whole food) received by the person? Explain your answer.
He became very interested in the information that I explained. While he still felt that he
did not have the patience to learn about nutrition even for his own health’s sake, he was willing
to implement foods that was recommended that he could acquire while on the road. He received
the information very willingly and inquired if he could reach out if there was ever a chance of
him changing his mind about learning about nutrition if he sees that his health is changing, or he
just wants to know. I assured him that I would be here for assistance and guidance when he is
ready. After I explained to him about eating whole foods versus vitamin supplements, he has
decided that because he is taking extra vitamin D, he will be getting his blood work done and
getting a recommendation from his doctor regarding a good vitamin supplement. He won’t
abandon taking them but want to make sure he is not harming himself long term.
Based on your answers to Step 1, 2 and 3, how well do you feel this person is
fueling their body? Explain and be specific.
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
He is not doing a good job of fueling his body. When looking at his calories required to
maintain his weight versus what he is eating, it is amazing that he is maintaining his weight so
well. However, he is lacking many proper servings of each food group that will accomplish that
task. He has no complex carbs to help him stay full longer and help with calorie requirements.
He does have some protein but even with that, he still needs more along with vegetables. His
fiber content is very low. He has no milk or dairy product servings and very little fat to help with
satiety. It is good to see that he has been maintaining water. It may be that the vitamins are
doing a good job for him or he is not telling the truth about his state of health simply to avoid
changing what has become comfortable for him.
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HLTH 640 – Balanced Diet
Reference
1. Hemric, M., Kebles, C.A. Omega Z Diet for Weight Loss Workbook: A Personalized
Approach. Amazon; 2021.
2. Kennedy M. The vitamin epidemic: what is the evidence for harm or value?: Vitamin
supplements, toxicity and promotion. Internal Medicine Journal. 2018;48:901-907.
doi.org/10.1111/imj.13976
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