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PERSONAL DIET ANALYSIS: VITAMINS
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?
Vitamin A 588mcg 900mcg
Insufficient consumption
can lead to vison
problems, infections, and
flattened epithelial cells.
Overconsumption can lead
to birth defects and
decreased bone health
Adding vegetables to my
diet such as carrots and
spinach more often can
help increase my vitamin
A
Beta Carotene 262mcg N/A
Insufficient consumption
can affect vision and cause
skin rashes.
Overconsumption can
increase risk of lung caner
No recommended amount
but adding more
vegetables will increase
my consumption if needed
Thiamin 1.84mcg 1.2mcg
Insufficient consumption
can lead to the disease
beriberi which causes
nerve damage and
degeneration, heart failure
and muscle wasting. There
are no adverse effects to
overconsumption.
I met my goal for thiamin
and since there are no side
effects for
overconsumption, I think I
am in a good spot
Riboflavin 2.50mcg 1.3mcg
Insufficient consumption
can lead to Ariboflavinosis
which causes the throat,
mouth, tongue, and lips to
swell. There are no
adverse effects to
overconsumption.
I met my goal for
riboflavin and since there
are no side effects for
overconsumption, I think I
am in a good spot
Niacin 33mcg 16mcg
Insufficient consumption
can cause pellagra which
causes dermatitis,
dementia, diarrhea and
death. Overconsumption
can lead to flushed skin,
blurred vision, liver
dysfunction and glucose
intolerance.
Cut down on the amount
of chicken and meat I
consume due to
consuming double the
recommended amount
B6 2.12mg 1.3mg
Insufficient consumption
can cause sore tongue,
skin inflammation,
depression, and confusion.
Overconsumption can lead
to nerve damage.
I met my goal for B6 and I
don’t think I am
consuming too much to
see negative side effects
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B12 5.75mcg 2.4mcg
Insufficient consumption
can cause pernicious
anemia which leads to
fatigue and nerve damage.
There are no adverse
effects to
overconsumption
I am consuming more than
double the recommended
amount but there are no
negative side effects for
overconsumption
Vitamin C 237mg 90mg
Insufficient consumption
can lead to scurvy which
causes bleeding gums,
fragile blood vessel walls,
and joint pain.
Overconsumption can lead
to nausea, diarrhea,
insomnia, and fatigue.
Cut down on fruit juice
consumption due to
consuming over double
the recommended amount
Vitamin D 11.3mcg 15mcg
Insufficient consumption
can lead to rickets in
children and osteomalacia
in adults.
Overconsumption can
cause lack of appetite and
overabsorption of calcium
which can be dangerous
Adding a serving of fatty
fish such as salmon should
get me to the
recommended amount of
vitamin D
Vitamin E 8.02mg 15mg
Insufficient consumption
can cause nerve problems
muscle weakness and
possible cell membrane
damage.
Overconsumption can lead
to an increased risk of
hemorrhage.
Adding
avocado/guacamoles and
nuts to snacks can increase
my vitamin E intake
Folate 490mcg 400mcg
Insufficient consumption
can develop macrocytic
anemia where RBCs
decrease their ability to
carry oxygen.
Overconsumption can
mask the symptoms of
vitamin B12 deficiency.
I am a little over the
recommended amount but
I don’t believe it is enough
to see negative side effects
Question Responses:
1. Explain how the foods you consume are contributing positively or negatively to your diet
and health.
The largest place where I am lacking in my vitamins is vitamin A where I am consuming
just over half the recommended amount for a healthy lifestyle. This makes sense since vegetables
are one of the foods I consume the least, but I wasn’t expecting the amount to be so low. While I
currently don’t have any issues with my eyesight or any sort of infections, I don’t want to
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continue down a path where I might have an issue with decreased vision in the future. Blake et al
states, “If the diet is deficient in vitamin A, an insufficient pool of retinal in the retina can result
in night blindness… A prolonged vitamin A deficiency can lead to complete blindness.”(1 p335)
Night blindness and eventually complete blindness are definitely things I want to avoid so I will
be trying to add more vitamin A into my diet in order to be sure of my eye health.
One thing I could stand to cut down on is my niacin consumption. I am not surprised that
I am over the recommended amount of niacin because I consume a lot of meat in my diet
especially chicken and red meat. A diet that overconsumes niacin can have damaging effects to
the liver and cause blurred vision. While I don’t believe that I am quite at the point where my
current consumption of niacin will affect my liver or vision, I am now more aware of what foods
are causing my high niacin consumption and can make other smarter choices in the future.
The vitamin I consume the most by far is vitamin C, where I consume over two and a half
times the recommended amount. This comes mostly from the amount of fruit juices I drink
almost every morning with my breakfast. However, I am less concerned about my
overconsumption of vitamin C because it is water soluble and most excess is processed and
eliminated out of the body. Pacier and Martirosyan state, “The side effects of normal vitamin C
intake are very minor, if non-existent, due to the fact that it is water soluble and quickly
excreted.”(2) While there can be adverse side effects of excess vitamin C consumption I don’t
believe I am at the point where I feel those effects and I will likely continue to consume the same
amount of vitamin C.
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2. Discuss the likelihood and ease of actually making the suggested changes
I believe that some of the changes that I suggested are simple enough and I will be able to
implement them in my diet. One of the main changes I suggested was adding more vegetables to
my diet, specifically due to the lack of vitamin A in my diet. Adding vegetables such as green
leafy spinach salads to my dinner or adding broccoli and carrots to my snacks is a simple and
likely way to improve my overall health and increase my vitamin A intake closer to the
recommended amount for me. When it comes to my niacin intake, it clearly comes from the
amount of meat I consume regularly. I think that making a change to decrease the amount of
meat I consume will be the most difficult modification for me. Eating a lot of meat is something
I am used to, and my parents make and consume a lot of meat as well so there is always an
abundance of meat in my house. I honestly don’t believe that the amount of niacin I consume is
going to cause any negative side effects and I prioritize my protein intake due to my exercise and
weightlifting regime so it is unlikely I will make any substantial changes to my meat
consumption.
When it comes to my vitamin C intake, I don’t foresee myself making any changes. As I
mentioned before, due to vitamin C being water soluble the excess that I currently consume gets
processed and eliminated out of my body with no issues. To increase my vitamin D intake, I
suggested adding a serving of fatty fish to my diet. I believe that this suggestion is possible to
add to my diet. Both of my parents enjoy eating fish, especially salmon, which is high in vitamin
D, so preparing it once a week to add more vitamin D into my diet is a likely solution we will all
benefit from. Lastly to get some more vitamin E into my diet the suggestions of adding avocados
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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. Pacier C, Martirosyan D. Vitamin C: optimal dosages, supplementation and use in disease
prevention. Functional Foods in Health and Disease. 2015;5(3):89.
doi:10.31989/ffhd.v5i3.174
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