HLTH 640 – Minerals
Liberty University
Non-Degree Seeking
HLTH 640
Personal Diet Analysis: Minerals Assignment
Kendra L. Gillis
ID: L00099267
October 2, 2022
Words: 553
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HLTH 640 – Minerals
PERSONAL DIET ANALYSIS: MINERALS TEMPLATE
Nutrient Actual
amount
Consumed
Recommended
Consumption
What are the health
implications of your
current intake?
Specific
Recommendations.
Specific suggestions
to improve
in this area
Calcium 436.0 1000.0 Muscle cramps, fatigue,
hypocalcemia, memory
loss, depression, and
hallucinations
Whole food and
vitamin
supplementation.
Eat more foods that
are rich in calcium
such as almonds and
leafy greens as well as
foods fortified with
calcium. It would
also be good to
supplement with
calcium and vitamin
D.
Iron 9.6 18.0 Anemia, headaches,
heart problems,
pregnancy
complications, and
restless leg syndrome.
Whole food and
vitamin
supplementation.
Supplement to restore
levels to compliment
foods such as eggs,
lean red meat, green
leafy vegetables and
vitamin C-rich foods
such as strawberries
to help with iron
absorption.
Magnesium 139.0 320.0 Weakened bones,
chronic diarrhea, loss of
appetite, tiredness, and
nausea/vomiting.
Whole food and
vitamin
supplementation.
Supplement to restore
levels to compliment
foods such as greens
{kale, collards, turnip,
and mustard) and
fruits (bananas,
avocados, berries,
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HLTH 640 – Minerals
grapefruit, and kiwi).
Phosphorous 855.0 700.0 Joint pain, muscle pain,
muscle weakness,
constipation, heart
attack, death, and
nausea.
Reduce or eliminate
foods that elevate
levels.
Focus on reducing
portions that
encourage high daily
levels of consumption
such as the ribeye
steak and omelet. Also
include vitamin D in
food regime.
Potassium 2091.0 2600.0 Muscle twitches &
cramps, muscle
weakness, low blood
pressure, faintness, and
irregular heart rhythms.
Regulate through
foods and
supplementation.
Include foods such as
bananas, avocado,
broccoli, and potatoes.
Selenium 87.7 NA Poor mental function,
autoimmune diseases
such as Hashimoto’s
disease & Graves’
disease.
No recommended
amount.
Eat foods that
maintain current level
of selenium that is
gathered from good
sources.
Sodium 2797.0 2300.0 High blood pressure,
fluid retention,
dehydration, calcium
deficiency and heart
disease.
Reduce sodium
consumption.
Eliminate all
processed foods and
ensure to drink at least
8 glasses of water
daily. Also,
incorporate foods that
contain potassium
such as sweet
potatoes, greens,
tomatoes, bananas,
and cantaloupe.
Zinc 6.9 8.0 Hair loss, changes in
nails, more prone to
infections, vision
problems, smell & taste
reduction, and loss of
appetite.
Supplementation and
whole foods.
Incorporate
supplementation to
compliment whole
foods that contain
zinc such as red meat,
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HLTH 640 – Minerals
nuts, and beans.
Question Responses:
1. As with my vitamins, it is disheartening to see how my mineral levels are very much out of whack.
Many of them are at levels that need to be maintained with supplementation to compliment whole foods
until my levels are brought back up to maintenance standards. It is also quite alarming to see why I suffer
from many conditions in my body because of low mineral levels that make a difference in something as
simple as hair loss. It would be imperative to eliminate or greatly manage as many processed foods as
possible due to the high content of sodium to preserve the food. This is evident in the chicken used for
the hibachi restaurant at over 1100mg of sodium. Processed foods and restaurant foods often contain
higher sodium contents for either palatability or food safety reasons and thus the trend is likely to
contribute to high sodium consumption.1 Even in Leviticus 2:13, it states the importance of seasoning the
grain offerings with salt (New International Version). Yet it must be balanced in our diet the right way.
While I know that fluid retention is one of the main implications that I suffer from when it comes to
sodium, I would also speculate that calcium deficiency may also be a cause of concern because of its high
levels. In looking over my entire food list, there are many items that are high in sodium, but they are also
processed foods. I had a false assumption that iron was plentiful in vegetables. Yet, I do not have enough
of the right foods to help me with RDA requirements. Even with steak being the highest that has iron in
it, I spoke of eliminating it altogether previously. It simply causes issues with many of my other
micronutrients as well as my macronutrients. I will need to incorporate better food choices in
combinations that will allow me to better manage my minerals. It is also important to note that because
some of the levels are very low, supplementing will reverse many of the issues that I currently have that
are fixable with supplementation and whole foods. I also found out that calcium and vitamin D are two
different elements. While vitamin D does not have to be taken with calcium to be absorbed in the body,
calcium must be taken with vitamin D to do so.
2. It will be very easy to implement the changes because I have a better grasp of the overall picture that I
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HLTH 640 – Minerals
took for granted to ensure that I was getting enough of everything. Simply because I was getting enough
fiber to maintain my bodily functions, I had the thought that I was getting enough of the micronutrients in
amounts that would help me sustain my health in my later years. However, I am motivated to change
because I have looked at every single nutrient to know that I have not been eating enough of the right
foods to mitigate many of the symptoms of a variety of medical issues that have not only plagued me over
the years but have caused additional issues because of mineral deficiency. I had noticed that my body
does not fight infections as hard as it used to. Zinc supplementation is important for many reasons, but
here is one. Zinc deficiency is a problem in a variety of crops due to the issues with many of the soils that
those crops are produced in.2 Additionally, I have noticed that I have a lot of issues with my joints and
spine with height reduction due to calcium deficiency. Seeing where my deficiencies lie, I am ready more
now than ever to take a multi-vitamin that supports increasing my overall micronutrient profile.
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HLTH 640 – Minerals
Reference
1. Singh M, Chandorkar S. Is sodium and potassium content of commonly consumed processed
packaged foods a cause of concern? Food Chemistry. 2018;238:117-124.
doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.11.108
2. Suganya A., Saravanan A. & Manivannan N. Role of zinc nutrition for increasing zinc
availability, uptake, yield, and quality of maize (Zea Mays L.) grains: An
Overview. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 2020;51:2001-2021
doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2020.1820030
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