Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
CREATING A HEALTHY, BALANCED DIET
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.
Male, 21 years old, 6 feet 5 inches tall,
179lbs
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.
My subject is also from Louisiana and states
that he mainly eats a southern diet but tried to
eat healthy every now and then.
In the mornings, he enjoys cheesy grits with
sausage or bacon, accompanied by scrambled
eggs and toast. He also has Lipton tea with
honey and lemon.
For lunch, he typically has a Cobb salad with
fried shrimp or a shrimp po' boy. For a drink,
he'll have water or a Sprite.
Dinner usually consists of a rice dish, such as
red beans or gravy, paired with a protein like
fried or baked chicken, and sometimes
catfish. He loves to add cornbread. On some
nights, he prefers spaghetti with ground beef.
He always includes a side Caesar salad with
his dinner.
He drinks water, coconut water, or ginger ale
with each meal. He is not a snacker or a
dessert type of person.
Ask if they have any health or weight goals. He's tall with an athletic build, so he doesn't
have a weight goal or any specific dietary
restrictions.
Are they on any special diet at this moment?
If yes, have them describe it to you.
No special diet
Have they ever been on a weight loss diet? If
yes, have them describe it to you.
No
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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
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 listed the following below:
Vitamin A – liver, carrots, sweet potatoes,
kale and spinach
Vitamin D: salmon, sardine, shrimp and eggs
Vitamin E: sunflower seeds, nuts and oils
Vitamin K: brussels sprouts , spinach, fish
and broccoli
Vitamin B12: fish, liver, chicken, beef, pork,
and dairy products
To maintain a healthy lifestyle, eating a
variety of food in the diet is key!
Incorporating fruits, veggies, protein and
carbs in your diet can provide the adequate
amount of nutritional value.
What resources does the subject use to get
most of their nutrition information?
He does not have any resources for his
nutrition information.
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.
“Whole grain food is unprocessed natural
food like brown rice, oats and whole wheat.”
Complex carbohydrates are long chains of
sugar molecules that’s used for an energy
source. They take long for the bode to process
than simple sugars. Simple sugars are just like
they sound, simple, only containing one or
two sugar molecules.
Complex carbohydrates – legumes, brown
rice, whole wheat bread, beans and broccoli
Simple sugars – honey, apples, yogurt, fruits
and veggies
Does the subject exercise regularly? Have
them describe. Why is this their exercise
habit?
Yes.
My subject on the flag football and basketball
team in his city. He also runs long distance
(5miles) every few days.
How many times a week does the subject eat
vegetables? How many servings per day?
How does he/she cook vegetables?
He tries to his vegetables everyday at dinner
and maybe sometimes as a side dish if he eats
out, so about 1-2 servings.
Its normally a side Caesar salad.
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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
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)
Yes, he takes a men’s multi vitamin. That are
$40 for a two-month supply. He also takes we
protein powder every day, which is also
around $40 for a 3-month supply.
I explained that I recommend bottled vitamins
because they are formulated for the complete
vitamin intake, and they are convenient. Like
an all-in-one deal.
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?
The subject is hoping to learn more about
protein and to better is athletic form.
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
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.
For Men
BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm)
- 5 x age (years) + 5
Height in centimeters: 6 feet 5 inches =
195.58 cm (1 foot = 30.48 cm, 1 inch = 2.54
cm)
Weight in kilograms: 179 pounds = 81.19 kg
(1 pound = 0.45 kg)
BMR = 10 x 81.19 + 6.25 x 195.58 - 5 x 21 +
5
BMR = 811.9 + 1222.4 – 105 + 5
BMR = 2034.3 - 105 + 5
BMR = 1934.3 calories per day
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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Step 2- Determine their activity factor. Activity Factor
Very Active = 1.725
Step 3- By combining the numbers from step
1 and step 2 above, how many calories should
they be eating to MAINTAIN weight?
Activity Factor × BMR
1.725 × 1934.3 = 3,336.67 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.)
No, I do not think they should weight for
heath purposes. The subject is fit and athletic
so I’m not too worried about losing weight for
that. The only thing I would recommend is a
healthier diet for future health issue due to the
high carbohydrates in each meal.
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”
Maintain Weight
Starch 8-10
Meat 6-8
Milk 1-3
Fruit 2-4
Vegetable 3-5
Fat 4-6
Maintain Weight
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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
Based on their responses, how knowledgeable do you think your subject is about nutrition?
Explain
Based on the subject’s responses, I think he somewhat understands nutrition. He is aware
of the special diet to maintain muscles but not enough for nutrition to nurture his body with the
correct nutrient. He is only 21, so his diet could be mainly based on things his sports coaches say
like “eat high protein and carbs.” As he gets older, he should have better understanding of the
nutritional needs for the body and adjust to that. I recommended that he should look into that
now. Analyses showed that regularly eating a Southern-style diet may increase the risk of sudden
cardiac death, while consuming a Mediterranean diet may reduce risk.1
How well was the information you shared (variety, complex carbohydrates, supplements -vs-
whole food) received by the person? Explain your answer.
It was difficult to explain the importance of nutritional value to the subject. Since he’s an
athlete he thinks he knows what’s best for his based on his athletic performance. After educating
him on the importance of vitamins, diet, and the CAD risk in the future, he seemed more
interested in what I was saying. I also warned him the diet plays a role in athletic performance ,
and that as we age without the correct nutrition, we have an increased risk of injuries. Poor
nutrition can lead to subpar results, increased risk of injury, and compromised athletic potential.
Developing a personalized nutrition strategy that meets an athlete's unique needs and supports
their training demands is crucial for success.2
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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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
I think my subject is fueling hi muscles and not is body. He is eating a high carb high
protein diet that’s great for an energy source and muscle growth. He works out daily which is
also great for is cardiovascular health, but I think adding extra nutrients from vegetables and
fruits can be more beneficial.
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Creating a Healthy, Balanced Diet
References
1. Diet may affect risk of sudden cardiac death. National Institute on Aging. Published July 20,
2021. Accessed July 9, 2024. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/diet-may-affect-risk-sudden-cardiac-
death#:~:text=Analyses%20showed%20that%20regularly%20eating
2. Pugh J. The Impact of Poor Nutrition on Athletic Performance. Nutrition X. Published August
3, 2023. https://www.nutritionx.co.uk/nutrition-hub/expert-article/the-impact-of-poor-nutrition-
on-athletic-performance/
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