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PERSONAL DIET ANALYSIS: MINERALS
Nutrient
Actual
Amount
Consume
d
Recommended
Consumption
What are the
health
implications of
excess or
insufficient
intake?
What specific
suggestions can
be made to
improve an
excess and/or
insufficient
intake?
Calcium 1505mg 1000mg
Insufficient intake can
cause bone loss which
can lead to fractures.
Overconsumption
causes constipation,
kidney impairment and
calcium deposits in
tissues
The largest contributor
to my calcium intake is
milk so I can substitute
water for one of my
milk servings per day
Iron 15.3mg 8mg
Insufficient intake can
cause poor immune
function, fatigue and
weakness and
microcytic anemia.
Overconsumption
causes nausea,
vomiting, and damage
to the kidney, liver,
heart, and nerves
I could consume fewer
eggs in the morning and
substitute ground beef
for a meat lower in iron
such as chicken
Magnesium 321mg 400mg
Insufficient intake can
cause fatigue,
confusion, seizures, and
irregular heartbeat.
Overconsumption
causes diarrhea, nausea,
and cramps
(supplements only)
Add more whole grains
to my diet and add nuts
to snacks to increase
magnesium intake
Phosphorous 1593mg 700mg
Insufficient intake can
cause muscle weakness
and bone pain.
Overconsumption
causes decrease in bone
mass and calcium
deposits in tissues
Cut back on the amount
of meat I consume to
lower my phosphorus
intake
Potassium 3288mg 3400mg
Insufficient intake can
cause irregular
heartbeat, fatigue,
glucose intolerance, and
muscle weakness.
Overconsumption
causes irregular
heartbeat, heart damage,
fatigue, and muscle
weakness
I am right at the
recommended amount,
so no changes needed
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Selenium 133mcg N/A
Insufficient intake can
cause muscle weakness
and Keshan disease.
Overconsumption
causes brittle hair and
nails, skin rash, garlic
breath, fatigue, and
irritability
No recommended
amount but I consume a
sufficient amount from
the meat that I consume
Sodium 4168mg 2300mg
Insufficient intake can
cause headache, nausea,
fatigue, and
disorientation.
Overconsumption
causes edema and
hypertension.
Cut back on eating
out/processed foods and
find a different sausage
with less sodium to eat
with breakfast
Zinc 11.9mg 11mg
Insufficient intake can
cause hair loss, skin
rash, loss of appetite
and taste, and depressed
growth and
development.
Overconsumption
causes lowering HDL,
nausea, diarrhea, loss of
appetite, and impaired
immune function.
I am right at the
recommended amount,
so no changes needed
Question Responses:
1. Explain how the foods you consume are contributing positively or negatively to your diet
and health
When it comes to my mineral intake, I exceeded the daily recommendation for most of
the minerals and I am only lacking in one. I consume about five hundred milligrams more than
the recommended amount of calcium which comes mostly from the amount of milk I consume
on a regular basis. While excess calcium can cause issues in the kidneys, I am nowhere near the
upper limit of calcium which is 2500 milligrams per day. I have been consuming large amounts
of milk and calcium for many years now and have never felt any of the negative side effects, but
I have never had any bone or teeth issues which I can credit to my calcium intake. As stated by
Blake et al, “Calcium is the primary mineral in the hydroxyapatite crystals that, along with
collagen, provide strength and structure to the bones and the enamel on teeth.”(1 p446)
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The same is true for my iron and phosphorus consumption. I consume almost double the
recommended amount of iron (8mg) and more than double the recommended amount of
phosphorus (700mg), but I am still not close to the upper limits of these mineral which are 45mg
and 4000mg per day respectively. These habits of consuming these minerals in excess have not
had any negative effects on my health nor have I seen any of the negative side effects.
The one mineral that I am not meeting the recommended daily intake amount is
magnesium where I consume 80% of the recommended intake. According to Blake et al,
“Currently, many Americans fall short of the recommended intake of magnesium. Females
consume only about 70 percent of their RDA and males approximately 80 percent.”(1 p453) This
puts me right at the average for American males and the amount I consume has had no real side
effects to my health.
The one mineral where my overconsumption could cause an issue is sodium. I currently
consume 4168mg of sodium which is 181% of my recommended intake of 2300mg. While a
large chunk of my sodium recorded in this diet came from a meal that I ate at a restaurant and I
don’t consistently go out to eat, the amount of sodium I still consume is a bit concerning. Even if
I was to take the meal I ate at the restaurant out of my diet analysis I would still be over the
recommended daily intake. Because of the known health risks of consuming excess sodium all
the excess sodium is likely having a negative effect on my health in some way. Malta et al
concluded in their meta-analysis, “Five of these high-quality studies found adverse effects of salt
on health outcomes (BP; death due to kidney disease and initiation of dialysis; total kidney
volume and composite of kidney function; composite of CVD events including, and risk of
mortality)”(2) These adverse effects of excess salt consumption are definitely things I want to
avoid and it is clear I need to make a change.
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2. Discuss the likelihood and ease of actually making the suggested changes
Starting with calcium, it is unlikely that I will implement any sort of changes from what I
am currently doing in my diet. As previously mentioned, I am over the daily recommendation of
calcium at 1505mg, but I am still 1000mg away from the upper limit of 2500mg per day. I also
have seen no negative side effects to my health from consuming this excess calcium in the years
prior, so I see no reason to make changes. The same applies to my iron, phosphorus, and zinc
intake. For these minerals I again see a large excess in iron and phosphorus and a small excess in
zincs but see no negative side effects in my health. Therefore, it is again very unlikely that I will
make any changes when it comes to my iron, phosphorus, or zinc intake.
Magnesium is the only mineral discussed where I could use more in my diet, and I
believe making a change to add more to my eating habits should be a simple enough task. I
already drink enough milk and consume adequate dairy products, but adding green leafy
vegetables to my meals and eating some nuts during my snacks is an easy way I can consume
more magnesium and get me closer to the recommended daily amount.
The largest change I should make in my diet is my sodium intake where I currently
almost double the recommended intake for someone my age. Staying away from processed foods
and eating large meals at restaurants that are high in sodium should be a simple and doable
change for my diet and lifestyle since I try to limit those things anyway. Another large
contributor to my sodium intake is the breakfast sausage that I eat every day. I was not aware
that the sausages that I was eating had so much salt in them and since I eat them daily the amount
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References
1. Blake JS, Munoz KD, Volpe SL. Nutrition: From Science to You.; 2009.
https://openlibrary.org/books/OL29419159M/Nutrition
2. Malta D, Petersen KS, Johnson C, et al. High sodium intake increases blood pressure and
risk of kidney disease. From the Science of Salt: A regularly updated systematic review
of salt and health outcomes (August 2016 to March 2017). Journal of Clinical
Hypertension. 2018;20(12):1654-1665. doi:10.1111/jch.13408
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