Paper

Nutritional Self-Assessment

Name of Author

Name of School

Nutritional Self-Assessment

BMI & Hamwi:

My current calculated BMI is 30.96. According to Dudek, this puts me in the category of obesity class 1 (Dudek, 2013, p. 7). Using the Hamwi method, my ideal body weight should be 130lbs. My percent ideal body weight is at 138%. According to Dudek this puts me under the category of obese (Dudek, 2013, p. 162). Using the rule of thumb, my estimated calorie requirement is 1636-2045 calories in a day. My RDA for carbohydrates is 130g; RDA for protein is 65g. Based on my total calories per day my AMDR for protein is from 51-179g, AMDR for carbohydrates is 230-332g, and AMDR for fats is 45-80g.

Food Diary:

Please see attached document for a complete seven-day food diary, which includes: nutritional information, situational information, physical and emotional information.

Analysis:

After successfully completing my food journal, I have identified that I actually am not eating enough than what is recommended in order to maintain the body weight that I have. Using the rule of thumb, my estimate calorie requirement in order to maintain my current weight ranges from 1636-2045 calories in a day (Dudek, 2013). On average I am consuming around 1400 calories in a day during this food journal experience. I am also falling short in all acceptable macronutrient distribution range for my estimated calorie requirement. For example on day 2 of my journal I ate a total of only 107g of carbohydrates, 16g of fat, and 49g of protein. In order to maintain my weight my minimum AMDR should be 230g carbohydrates, 45g of fat, and 51g of protein (Dudek, 2013). On the other hand I am close to meeting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates as well as proteins). The RDA for carbohydrates is 130g, while the RDA for protein is 65g (Dudek, 2013). The nutrients were hard to keep track of during the food diary experience because finding the exact amount of nutrients in a particular food was hard to find. I did manage to find percentages but these were based strictly on a 2000-calorie diet.

Strengths and Weaknesses:

One of the strengths that I had during this analysis was that I did a good job at finding good sources of quality carbohydrates. I realized I eat from a lot of whole grain options and hardly go for plain white bread. One of other strengths that I realized was that I drink an appropriate amount of water a day. It is recommended that a person should drink at least 1750-3000mL of fluid in a day (Dudek, 2013, p. 125). I am consuming around 3-4 arrowhead bottles in a day, which would bring me to 1500-2000mL. It may not be up there in the 3000 range but I believe that I am making a conscious effort in drinking enough water.

One my weakness is that my eating habits I believe are too erratic. I think there are days where I eat an appropriate amount of food but then there are days where I eat not enough food. I believe that me getting braces that week was a factor.

Another glaring weakness that I realized during this analysis is that I am really not aware of what I eat. I eat things more on convenience than health. This is a large weakness because I am not getting the adequate nutrition that I need. I tend to buy out because of convenience. I also choose to split my meals because of the convenience of not having to prepare or find something for dinner. This leads to inadequate nutrition because I am not eating enough foods on certain days.

Medical Condition:

Thankfully as of right now I do not have any medical conditions that will affect my nutrition. It is worth mentioning that my father currently is diagnosed with type II diabetes, hypertension as well as hyperlipidemia. My mother is currently diagnosed with hypertension only. Currently I do monitor my blood pressure and my average blood pressure falls around 118spb. Since there is a history of hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia that runs in my family, I do go and get my labs done and my lipid panel are all within normal limits. I have not been flagged or diagnosed with other medical conditions and I have never been admitted to a hospital since I was born.

Drug/Medication Interactions:

Currently I am not taking any medication, not even supplements or vitamins. I have learned from some of my fitness friends to try and get vitamins and minerals through food the natural way, as oppose to using pills and other forms of supplements.

Culture:

I have several cultures that I am classified under that affect the way I eat and what I eat. First is my Filipino heritage. Filipino food is very rich in saturated fats and high in sodium and has a lot of cholesterol. My family is more aware of the implication of eating too much Filipino food because of their diagnosis of hypertension. With Filipino cooking, we now use less salt in cooking and have substituted a lot of our red meats with chicken as well as fish. We also try to avoid frying foods and are staying away from that delicious pork belly (lechon kawali) that Filipino’s love. Rice is also a big issue with Filipino’s. We eat that with pretty much anything and everything. In my house we have substituted it with brown rice and quinoa.

Another culture that I am in is the nursing culture. When I am at work I am constantly on the go. There are days when I am so busy that I do not have time to take lunch until very late. There are also times at work that it is so stressful that I indulge in stress eating. To remedy this problem, I should make an effort to prepare food for work so I am not looking for food at work. I should also pack snacks that are high calorie and highly nutritious and are easy to eat.

Under the nursing culture, I am also currently in the nursing student culture. Like many regular colleges, nursing school has caused me to gain weight solely on stress eating. There are times when there is nothing better than to get yourself a coffee from Starbucks and grab some donuts to make you feel better after a long all night studying for an exam. Sticking to a diet while you are in school is very difficult but it can be done as long as there is determination, motivation, and resolve.

Another culture that I just recently got involved in is the braces culture. Braces have caused me to eliminate some of the things that I used to eat. For example, I can no longer have any gum. This may seem like it is a good thing but sometimes I use gum as an appetite deterrent when I am hungry and cannot eat at that moment. I also cannot have foods that are too hard. I also have to take my time eating because even with sandwich I have to cut them up into small bite size pieces. On the positive note I can no longer drink soda or any carbonated beverages because they wear away at the glue that they use to bind the braces to my teeth.

Diet Plan:

My diet plan involves going on a 1500-calorie diet in order to decrease my BMI. I will do this in conjunction with exercise. I plan to follow the recommended dietary guidelines for Americans in regards to reducing sodium intake to less than 2300mg a day, consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fats, and limiting cholesterol to 300mg in a day (Yaktine & Murphy, 2013). I also would like to limit my red meat intake and gain the majority of my carbohydrates from whole grain options as opposed to refined grains. I want to also attempt to establish an exercise regimen that involves at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. Various organizations such as American Heart have also recommended that 30mins of daily physical activity is required in order to promote healthy living (Dudek, 2013, p. 193).

Goals 1, Implementation and Obstacle:

I will eat at least one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetable with every meal. In order to implement this, I plan on cutting up bite sized fruits and vegetable sand placing them in containers. I will then measure out portions and place them in zip lock bags so I have them as snack with me throughout the duration of the day and I can eat the proper serving with each meal that I have throughout the day. One obstacle that I see is that fruits and vegetables are easily perishable. It will be hard to bring to places without proper refrigeration. One example would be clinical. We do not have access to a fridge. Also this is very time consuming to do. As a full time student who has a fulltime job it will be difficult to find time to cut up fruits and vegetables every night.

Goals 2, Implementation and Obstacle:

I will perform at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity for at least 5 days in a week. I can implement this by spreading the workout through the duration of the day. I can park farther away and then walk to school. I can take the stairs as oppose to take the elevator. I can use an alternate form of exercise that is catered to my personality such as hip-hop dancing. Instead of walking around the park, I can increase my pace to a jog. One obstacle with this goal is the time. I do not like to sound redundant but I am busy as it is, so finding time to exercise in the middle of studying and homework is a difficult thing to do. This is why I need to find other methods throughout the day to implement my exercise. Maybe when I am taking a break from homework I can perform 10 jumping jacks or walk around my house as oppose to being stagnant

Goals 3, Implementation and Obstacle:

I will limit my red meat intake to only one meal during a week. This goal seems a little ambitious but I am already working my way towards it. I am down to eating 3 meals of red meat during a week so far. In order to implement this I have to broaden my choices of meat to chicken as well as fish. I can also use other forms of protein such as tofu and nuts. There are plenty of then alternative to substitute out red meat. The big obstacle here is my love for red meat. I am a fan of steak. I grew up eating steak at least twice in a week. Even to this day it is hard to resist steak when someone at home cooks it. I also am big fan eat all you can Korean BBQ.

Reflections:

This exercise has really opened up my eyes to some of my bad eating habits. It made me more aware of what I eat and has made me realize that exercise is a big part of diet. It has made me realize that I eat what I eat because of convenience and that I need to stop being lazy and take a proactive step in eating healthy. This assignment has also made me aware of the healthy substitutions I can make in order to live a healthier lifestyle. I learned to increase fruits and vegetable in my diet, to limit empty calories, and to stay away from cholesterol and saturated fats. I also learned that it is better to sit down to take the time to eat rather than eating on the go or being distracted by something while you eat. I have realized that if you do not sit down and eat and eat on the go there is a tendency to over eat or you are less fulfilled with the food that you just ate. Another lesson I learned is that stress eating is bad! You have to really focus and ask yourself if you are really hungry because you are hungry, or do you want something to make you feel better. I learned that you should channel these unhealthy stress habits into something more productive like a physical activity, as oppose to eating. This project has opened my eyes and has motivated me to live a healthier life; the next step is to implement it.

References

Dudek, S. (2013). Nutrition essentials for nursing practice. (7 ed.). Philadelphia,PA:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Yaktine, A., & Murphy, S. (2013). Aligning nutrition assistance programs with the

Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Nutrition Reviews, 71(9), 622-630. doi:10.1111/nure.12046

Running head: NUTRITIONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT 1

NUTRITIONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT 23

Food Diary

Name: Blank

Day 1:

Day 1:

Where I was: During breakfast I was at home, during breakfast I ate lunch at Panera Bread, and at dinner I ate at my girlfriend’s house.

What I was doing: During breakfast I was sitting by myself eating at my dining table. During lunch I ate sitting at Panera bread and talking with my Mom. At dinner I was eating my orange at the table while talking to my girlfriend.

Why I ate this food: Instant oatmeal is the breakfast of choice because it is easy to prepare on the go. I had just gotten my braces so my teeth were sensitive so I wanted something that was not too hard on my teeth for lunch and I decided on soup. For dinner I did not really feel like eating so I just ate an orange for dinner.

How I felt physically after eating: I felt light and satisfied with what I ate for breakfast and lunch. I am used to eating a small breakfast so oatmeal was enough for me. By lunchtime I was already hungry so the meal was delicious and I felt satisfied afterwards. At dinner I did not really feel anything after I ate the orange.

How I felt emotionally after eating: The only time I felt emotion after I ate was lunch. I was very excited to eat since I was hungry at that time. I also felt happy and satisfied after eating that meal. The Kale and Bean soup was light and delicious and the bread was a nice edition. The iced green tea was delicious and very refreshing. Breakfast and dinner did not affect me emotionally.

Day 2:

Day 2:

Where I was: For breakfast I was at home, during lunchtime I was at work sitting at the employee break room, and during dinner I was at home eating on my dining table.

What I was doing: At breakfast I was by myself just sitting and eating at my dining table. At lunch I was sitting and talking with my two employees while eating my lunch. During dinner I was eating at my dining room table while talking with my girlfriend.

Why I ate this food: Oatmeal is what I usually eat in the morning time because it is quick and convenient. During lunch I had already packed my lunch beforehand. My mom had baked a salmon and I love salmon. I chose to eat quinoa because it is a whole grain and I am making an attempt to try to eat healthier. I also love baby bok choy! It is one of my favorite vegetables to have. I should also mention that I do not drink water from tap or even filtered water from the refrigerator. It is more of a psychological security for me to drink bottled water, I am fully aware of the studies done about bottled water vs. tap water.

How I felt physically after eating: I was satisfied eating breakfast especially with the use of milk instead of water for the instant oatmeal. It made breakfast heavier than usual and I felt more energetic because of it. Lunchtime was my favorite. Being a nurse, I take lunch whenever I can so this time I took a later lunch and I was very hungry. After lunch I felt so much better and felt energized to go back to work. During dinner I was satisfied eating the baby bok choy.

How I felt emotionally after eating: During breakfast I was content with the food I ate, but other then that I had no emotion. Lunch made me happy as well as content. I was hungry during this time so I felt happy and energized after I ate. After dinner I felt content and happy after the baby bok choy since it is my favorite vegetable to eat.

Day 3:

Day 3:

Where I was: During breakfast I was at home sitting at my dining room table eating breakfast with my brother. During lunch I ate lunch at Panera Bread with my girlfriend. At dinner I was eating at home sitting at my dining room table with my family.

What I was doing: Breakfast was quite and I just sat there eating with my brother. During lunch I was talking with my girlfriend as I ate my food at Panera Bread. During dinner I was talking with my family as I sat and ate my food.

Why I ate this food: I was too lazy to cook anything for breakfast and my Dad had cooked eggs and mini hot dogs for everyone so I decided to eat that instead of my usual oatmeal. At lunchtime my girlfriend wanted to go eat at Panera so I went with her and had lunch with her. I was still a little full from breakfast so I decided to go for a lighter salad. For dinner there was still leftover salmon so I decided to eat that instead of buying or cooking anything. I ate the Gogurt because I felt something sweet after eating the salmon.

How I felt physically after eating: I felt good after eating breakfast and was content with the meal that I had eaten. Lunch was nice and the salad was the perfect portion size since I was still mildly full from breakfast. Afterwards I felt content. During dinner the salmon tasted so good and I also felt content after eating dinner.

How I felt emotionally after eating: The fried egg and the mini hot dogs were delicious! I felt happy after eating it. Lunch was nice and I did not really have any emotion after eating the salad. The salad was delicious but it was exhausting on my jaw since I had to chew it so many times because I was barely getting adjusted to having braces. I also felt a little gross because I felt there were things getting stuck in my braces. I had no emotion after eating dinner.

Day 4:

Day 4:

Where I was: During breakfast I did not have time to eat it in the morning so I prepared and ate it at work. At lunch went to subway and ate there. For dinner I ate the second half of my sandwich at home sitting on my dining room table.

What I was doing: I do not really have time to eat breakfast at work since we are busy in the morning so I ate my oatmeal while I was getting the morning report. At lunch I was sitting by myself and ate at subway during my lunch break. For dinner I was sitting and eating while talking to my mom.

Why I ate this food: Oatmeal is a quick and convenient option specially when I am in a rush. I chose subway because I did not have enough time to pack lunch. Subway is also very close to my work and is only 2 minutes away. I also felt like eating chips because I knew I would only eat half of the sandwich and thought the chips would help to fill me up. For dinner I just ate the other half of my sandwich because I do not like wasting food.

How I felt physically after eating: I felt good after eating oatmeal. I felt more awake after I ate it and I felt energized to start the day. I was also content after eating lunch but I felt a little bit rushed because my lunch break is only 30 minutes. I did feel more energized after lunch because I was hungry from working and running around the hospital. After dinner I felt very sleepy. I think this is because it was the combination of digestion as well as being tired from work.

How I felt emotionally after eating: I did not really feel any emotion after eating my oatmeal in the morning. I think it is because I am too used to oatmeal that I do not get excited over eating it. The subway sandwich was delicious along with the bag of chips. It made me happy because I finally got to eat something after working hard for the majority of the morning. At dinner I was just tired after eating so I did not really have any emotions.

Day 5:

Day 5:

Where I was: For breakfast I was in the cafeteria in my clinical sitting with my classmates and instructor. At lunch I was sitting and eating in the cafeteria with my classmates. During dinner I was eating inside my car while I was driving home.

What I was doing: During breakfast I was sitting with my clinical group and was just talking and eating with them. At lunchtime I was also sitting and eating while talking to my clinical group. During dinner I was driving while eating the second part of my sandwich because it was late and there was traffic on the way home.

Why I ate this food: I got to eat the food from the cafeteria that day because my clinical instructor decided to treat all of us to food. It was a self serve style so I picked myself scrambled eggs and bacon because I felt like it and I had not had bacon in a while. For lunch I brought a sandwich that my Dad had brought home yesterday from Lee’s Sandwich. I ate the first half during the lunch and saved the second half where I ate it for dinner.

How I felt physically after eating: I felt very energized and ready to perform for clinical after eating breakfast. Before this I was tired and cranky because I had not had time to eat breakfast and thought I would skip it because clinical is held early morning. Lunchtime I felt good and content after I ate my sandwich. Dinnertime I still felt a little hungry after I ate my sandwich, but it was already late and I was too tired to cook anything for myself at home.

How I felt emotionally after eating: I was extremely happy after eating breakfast! The meal was free and the bacon tasted so good! It was also a bigger breakfast than what I normally eat which put me in a pretty good mood. Lunchtime I was just relieved that we got a break from being on the floor for clinical. I was happy to get something into my stomach. For dinner I did not really have any emotion after I ate my food. I just ate my food because I was hungry and stuck in traffic.

Day 6:

Day 6:

Where I was: For breakfast I was at home, for lunch I sat and ate my lunch at In & Out, and for dinner I was at home. The donut that I ate as a snack was at school.

What I was doing: For breakfast I was sitting by myself at my dining room table. At lunch I went to In & Out with my girlfriend and was sitting and eating inside the fast food restaurant. For dinner I was at home sitting and eating at the dining room table with my parents and my brother. The donut I ate was at school right after we had just taken our medical surgical exam.

Why I ate this food: The breakfast I ate was my usual fast and convenient breakfast that I eat the majority of days. I admit that I ate the donut because I was stressed about the exam that I took. Lunchtime I wanted something delicious and my girlfriend thought about going to In & Out so we decided to go. For dinner, there was no food at home so decided to defrost and grill a piece of chicken breast. I was not that hungry so I wanted something small.

How I felt physically after eating: The oatmeal was the same and I felt content after eating it. I am indifferent about oatmeal since I do have it a lot but it does make me content in the morning. The donut was delicious and initially I felt more awake but eventually I felt a little sleepy and slow. Lunch was delicious but I felt lethargic and bloated after eating the burger. The chicken breast made me feel content at dinnertime.

How I felt emotionally after eating: I did not have any significant emotions after eating the oatmeal. Eating the donut did make me feel guilty eating it because I know it is really sweet, but the donut did make me feel happy. I also felt really good and happy eating the burger because In & Out tastes good. I did not have any emotions after eating the chicken breast.

Day 7:

Day 7:

Where I was: For breakfast I was at home, for lunch I ate at my girlfriend’s house right after school. For dinner I also ate at my girlfriend’s house. The Gogurt snack was consumed during my class. The pickle spear was consumed as a snack in between lunch and dinner at my girlfriend’s house.

What I was doing: For breakfast I was just sitting and eating by myself at my dining table. For lunchtime I was sitting and talking to my girlfriend while I ate my lunch. I was watching her bake. For dinner I sat and ate my food while watching T.V. at my girlfriend’s house.

Why I ate this food: I actually had the time to prepare and pack my food for this day. I do normally eat oatmeal on majority of mornings. I grill two tilapias ahead of time and place them in separate containers with a prepared quinoa bowl split also into two servings. Tilapia is convenient and it is fast the cook. This meal is very easy to prepare especially when you are short on time.

How I felt physically after eating: After breakfast I felt prepared and content and ready to start my day. Lunchtime I felt that I was content and I felt light eating my food. I felt content after eating dinner.

How I felt emotionally after eating: I did not have any signification feelings of emotion from eating breakfast. For lunch I felt satisfied with what I ate and was happy that I had packed my for lunch that day. After dinner I did not really have significant emotional reaction from the food. I was just happy that I had finished all the food that I had packed for that day.