The Diet Analysis Project is a research project that aims to investigate the link between diet and obesity. The project will involve collecting data from a large number of participants, and analyzing it to see if there is a correlation between diet and obesity.
If the project finds a correlation, it will be important for public health officials to take notice, as it could help in the fight against obesity. However, if the project does not find a correlation, it will be important to continue researching the topic, as diet may still play a role in obesity.
To improve my current diet, I need to reduce my calorie intake to the USDA’s SuperTracker’s recommended 1500 calories. Rather of eating unhealthy, easy-to-find fast food, I should eat healthier home-cooked meals. Furthermore, on average, I consume 2016 mg of salt, which is 516 mg more than is recommended.
Too much sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure, which I am at risk for as my grandfather had it. Reducing my sodium intake will be a big focus while working on eating healthier. Another goal is to reduce the consumption of solid fats and added sugars. According to ChooseMyPlate.gov, “If you consume more calories than you need over time, you will gain weight.
To lose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body uses each day” (2015). Consuming excess empty calories from solid fats and added sugars puts me at risk for developing obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
In order to help me reach my goals, I will use SuperTracker to track my progress. SuperTracker is a website that “provides personalized nutrition and physical activity plans, tracking tools, and educational resources” (USDA, 2015). It will allow me to see how well I am doing in meeting my goals as well as give me ideas for healthy foods to eat.
I will also use it to find recipes for healthier meals. Another resource I will use is the ChooseMyPlate website. This website provides information on healthy eating, physical activity, and weight management. It also has a variety of tools and resources that can be used to help create a healthy lifestyle.
By making these changes to my diet, I hope to improve my overall health and reduce my risk of developing obesity or other chronic diseases.
The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for Sodium at 2,300 mg as a precautionary measure due to high salt intake’s role in blood pressure level increases and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. This indicates that I must decrease my sodium consumption as a precautionary measure (Higdon, Sodium (Chloride), 2001). Once again, as previously stated, eliminating fast food from your diet while also looking at nutrition labels for high sodium concentrations is the most effective method to do so.
Currently, I am only eating fast food once a week and I have made a commitment to myself to no longer order from the dollar menu because those meals generally contain high levels of sodium. Instead, I will opt for a healthier alternative such as a salad or wrap.
Additionally, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the prevalence of obesity in the United States has increased over the past few decades. In fact, “obesity now affects one third of all adults and 17% of all children and adolescents in the United States” (Ogden et al., 2016, p. 5). Given these statistics, it is clear that obesity is a growing problem in America that needs to be addressed. One way to combat obesity is by making sure that one is getting the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume at least 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables per day (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020). Unfortunately, I do not currently meet this recommendation. In fact, I only consume 1 cup of fruit and 1.5 cups of vegetables per day on average. To increase my intake of fruits and vegetables, I could make a commitment to myself to eat at least one piece of fruit with breakfast and include a side of vegetables with dinner every night.
Lastly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “people who ate the most dietary fiber had a 14% lower risk of dying from any cause, compared to those who ate the least” (Dietary fiber and whole grains, 2016). Therefore, it is important to make sure that one is getting enough dietary fiber.
The recommended daily intake of dietary fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men (How much dietary fiber do I need?, 2016). Once again, I do not currently meet these recommendations as I only consume an average of 15 grams of dietary fiber per day. To increase my intake of dietary fiber, I could eat more high-fiber foods such as beans, legumes, and whole grains.
Furthermore, studies have linked excessive daily phosphorus intake to an increased risk of all-cause mortality in healthy persons (Higdon, Phosphorus, 2001). I had a 369 mg surplus with a 1,067 mg average, which is something I’ll want to keep an eye on. By looking at nutrition labels, I may track my intake and make more informed decisions.
When it comes to my diet, I am not too worried. I generally eat healthy and I am not overweight. However, I do think that there are some areas where I could improve. For example, I could eat more fruits and vegetables. I could also cut down on my sugar intake. Overall, though, I am happy with my diet and I think it is fairly nutritious.
It was really impressive that it can assess a complete diet in just a few steps and suggest changes to your lifestyle. It does, however, have some issues when it comes to food selections. I had to input the contents of my meals on several occasions because the program didn’t recognize all of the components. For example, my day 1 dinner was made out of chicken and pasta alfredo, but I had to break it down as best as possible in order for the entire meal to appear.
Another downfall is that it does not have an accurate representation of all restaurants. I frequent Chick-Fil-A and they are not included in the search options for restaurants. It would be helpful to be able to type in a restaurant and get their menu options along with the nutrition information.
This project was very helpful in giving me a better understanding of what I am eating on a daily basis. I had no idea that I was eating so much sodium, sugar, and fat. I also did not realize how many calories I was supposed to be consuming each day. This project definitely opened my eyes to the importance of reading food labels and being mindful of what I am putting into my body on a daily basis. In the future, I plan on being more mindful of the foods I am eating and their nutritional value. I also plan on cutting down on my sodium, sugar, and fat intake by making healthier food choices.
