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Food Record Analysis 4 (Minerals)
Ashley Merritt
HEALTH 640: Principles of Nutrition
Dr. Annette Florence
Due: October 4, 2020
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Nutrient Actual
Consumption-vs-
Recommended
Consumption
(An analysis)
Health implications if I don’t
make any changes to my diet
(Be specific – based on
scholarly resources)
Specific
Recommendations.
Specific suggestions
to improve in this
area
Calcium According to the
chart, I consumed
846 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 1,000 mg.
Being deficient in calcium would
not be a short-term concern since,
when taking it from the bone, the
body retains calcium levels in the
blood. In the long run, low
calcium will cause low bone mass
and increase the risk of
osteoporosis and factures of the
bone. Serious calcium deficiency
includes numbness and tingling
of fingers, convulsions, and
abnormal heart rhythms.2
Eating foods
containing calcium
such as milk, yogurt,
cheese, kale, broccoli,
sardines, salmon,
fortified foods etc.
Iron According to the
chart, I consumed
9.74 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 18.0 mg.
Your body could become iron-
deficient which is called being
anemic.1 This occurs when the
bodies blood hemoglobin levels
are decreased.
If I do not change my diet, having
low iron could cause issues with
immune functions.
The first
recommendation
would be to increase
the amount of
vitamin-C enriched
orange I am
consuming. Second,
have a small box of
raisins. Lastly, eat
plenty of fruits and
vegetables.
Magnesium According to the
chart, I consumed
106.0 mg daily,
my recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 310.0 mg.
There is no specific health
complications for not intaking
enough magnesium, however if
your intake too much because of
a supplement you may take, you
may have complications such as
diarrhea, cramps, and nausea.1
But there are currently no serious
health concerns. There kidneys
will compensate for the low
intake.
My recommendations
here would be to
consume more leafy
green vegetables, whole
grains, nuts, yogurt, and
fruits.1
Phosphorous According to the
chart, I consumed
524 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
The only known health
complication is from consuming
too much phosphorous which is
hyperphosphatemia, which is
only an issue if the individual has
My recommendation
here would be to intake
more animal products
such as meat, fish,
poultry, and diary
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consume daily
was 700 mg.
kidney issues already.1products. Also,
consume more plant
seeds like beans, peas,
nuts, and cereal grains.1
Potassium According to the
chart, I consumed
1080 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 2600 mg.
One health complication could
lead to kidney stones if I do
not intake enough potassium.
Secondly, potassium lowers
blood pressure if enough is in
the body.
Recommendations to
consume more
potassium would be
to consume more
fruits and vegetables.
Some of these include
bananas, green leafy
vegetables,
watermelon, and
potatoes.
Selenium According to the
chart, I consumed
42.60 mcg daily, my
recommended
amount to consume
daily was 55 mcg.1
The recommended dietary
allowance for this nutrient is 55
micrograms. Too much of this
nutrient can lead to brittle hair
and nails, stomach and intestinal
discomfort, skin rash, garlicky
breath, fatigue, and damage to the
nervous system. The upper intake
level is 400 mg, so I do not have
to worry about that.1
To increase the
amount of selenium in
my diet I am going to
increase the amount
of nuts, meats, grains,
fruits, and vegetables
I am consuming.
Sodium According to the
chart, I consumed
2424 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 2300 mg.
I am just over the normal
amount. I do not think I need
to change anything in my diet
or have to worry about any
health implications.
I do not have any
recommendations
may to decrease and
watch the foods I am
eating to lower
sodium intake and eat
less processed foods.
Zinc According to the
chart, I consumed
6.38 mg daily, my
recommended
amount to
consume daily
was 8.0 mg.
A deficiency of this nutrient can
cause hair loss, loss of appetite,
impaired taste of foods, diarrhea,
delayed sexual maturation,
impotence and skin rashes. Zinc
deficiency can result from too
much iron. I am above the
recommended iron level, so it is
something to think about.1
My first
recommendation here
would be to eat red
meat, certain
seafoods, and whole
grains. If my zinc
levels are still not
high enough,
potentially implement
a supplement to get
my daily intake of
zinc.
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MINERALS
Each time we consume food, we are impacting our health. Whether you realize this is true
or not, this impact can be either positive or negative depending what foods you’re choosing to
eat, how you eat it, and when you eat it. When you chose the foods you want to eat, you want to
make yourself as happy and satisfied as possible but with that choice may not make it the best
choice. You want to make sure when you’re choosing the foods to eat you are choosing both a
balanced meal and one with the nutrients your bodies needs on a daily basis. Most individuals
like stated above just go for their favorite foods whether than knowing that they’re consuming,
this is an issue because the nutrients gets overlooked far too often, especially with the average
American diet and majority of Americans diets having an overconsumption of sugars, saturated
fats, and sodium.3
When looking at my “MyDietAnalysis” chart of the minerals section, I was actually very
shocked at the low amount of minerals I actually consume daily. Some I am off by only a little
but then others I am off but quite a bit. One area I would say that would be most concerning
would be the calcium if I were to continue to have low amounts of intake. If I follow my
recommendations and increase the amount to the daily intake of 1000mg a day then I will not
have issues. But if I keep having a low intake I could have health complications down the road
like decrease in bone mass, which could lead to osteoporosis later on. Second, the high intake in
sodium was my second negative section. I find this to only be a little concerning since it was just
over the normal amount you should intake daily. The week I was tracking my food was not a
normal week for me. It was very busy, and I was eating a lot of processed foods. With a lot of
processed foods comes a lot of sodium. Now that I am cooking and meal prepping again my
sodium levels are back down, so I have actually fixed this negative portion and made it
something that is now a positive impact.
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My first recommendation to myself would be to intake more foods with calcium in it.
This will be by eating foods such as milk, yogurt, kale, broccoli, sardines, salmon, and other
fortified foods. My second recommendation would be increasing my foods that are high in iron,
some of these foods will include increasing my intake of fruits and vegetables and my intake in
vitamin-C enriched orange juice. My third recommendation would be to increase my magnesium
levels, even though this is not as important, knowing the amount you’re consuming is still
needed. To increase my intake I will consume more leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts,
and fruits. My fourth recommendation would be to increase my phosphorous which is to increase
my consumption of animal products such as meats, poultry, fish, and dairy products. My fifth
recommendation would be to increase my potassium consumption to do this I will eat more
green leafy vegetables, watermelon, and bananas. My sixth recommendation would be to
increase my zinc, this would be by increasing the amount of certain seafoods I consume along
with whole grains. If my zinc levels do not increase enough, potentially add a supplement to to
consume enough zinc for my daily intake. Finally, my last recommendation is to decrease the
amount of sodium I am consuming this will be just by watching what I am consuming on the day
to day. This will be an easy change since when I was doing this logging I was very busy and was
consuming a lot of processed foods rather than cooking my own food.
References:
1. Blake JS, Munoz KD, Volpe S. Nutrition: From Science to You. 4th ed. NY, NY. Pearson;
2019.
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2. Health topics. Medlineplus.gov. https://medlineplus.gov/healthtopics.html. Updated 2020.
Accessed September 29, 2020.
3. Shifts needed to align with healthy eating patterns. Health.gov. https://health.gov/our-
work/food-nutrition/2015-2020-dietary-guidelines/guidelines/chapter-2/. Updated 2020.
Accessed September 30, 2020.
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