Part 5 of your Diet Project is a continuation of the analysis of your diet and health. In Part 5, we will be evaluating our overall health risk as it relates to nutrition, as well as thinking about ways we can improve our health through nutrition.
Directions: Fill in the tables and answer the questions based on the data from your Cronometer reports. You will need to refer to both the Trends and Servings reports that you submitted for Diet Project Part 1. Type in a different color text.
Note: The Trends report will show you your average intake for each nutrient, so you DO NOT have to calculate any averages!
Please answer the questions based on the information from your Cronometer reports!
• If a question does not apply to your situation, make sure to say something about it, such as “I’m not an athlete, so this doesn’t apply to me.” That way, I know you looked at the question. Don’t just skip the question!
• I will be grading Part 2 using your Cronometer reports submitted for Part 1. If I see a food on Part 2 that wasn’t recorded on Part 1, or if there is a food I saw from Part 1 that should be on Part 2, you will lose points.
Answer the questions based on what you are learning in this course!
• You are required to explain your answers in detail, using your reports and knowledge about nutrition to support your answer.
• Unacceptable responses: “it’s junk/fast/processed food”, “it’s full of nutrients, “it’s healthier”, “it’s better”, “I think my diet is healthy”, “I don’t like my diet”, or “my diet is horrible.” These will NOT earn you credit if you don’t explain why.
My Plate and Dietary Guidelines
– refer to “Servings” report
1. MyPlate is divided into 5 different food groups. Name a few foods you recorded in Part 1 (at least 3 per food group if applicable) that contributed to each food group. (5 points)
a. Note: if you recorded mixed dishes, break down the ingredients into different food groups. Example: a sandwich would have bread for grains, turkey for protein, lettuce for vegetables.
Fruits:
Vegetables:
Proteins:
Grains:
Dairy or calcium rich foods:
2. Based on the MyPlate icon, do you feel like your diet is aligned with the recommendations? (50% of your plate as fruits/vegetables, 25% grains, 25% proteins)? (1 point)
3. What can you do to align your diet with the MyPlate recommendations? Name a few specific suggestions you can realistically make to your diet pattern. (2 points)
4. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 suggest a healthy eating pattern and activity pattern (see table below). Do you generally meet these guidelines? Choose “yes” if most days you meet this recommendation, and “no” if most days you do not (2 points)
Health Eating Pattern/Physical Activity Guidelines
YES
NO
Eat a variety of vegetables from all subgroups (dark green, red/orange, legumes)
Eat fruits, especially whole fruits
Eat grains, at least ½ of which are whole
Eat fat-free or low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese, fortified dairy alternatives)
Eat a variety of lean proteins (seafood, lean meat, poultry eggs, legumes)
Eat oils (rather than solid fat, like butter or fried foods)
Limit added sugars to less than 10% of Calories
Limit saturated fats to less than 10% of Calories
Limit sodium to less than 2300mg/day
Minimum 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise/week
_____
2 days/week resistance or weight training
5. If you selected “no” for any category in question 4, explain why you do not meet that recommendation. What is preventing you from meeting it? Discuss two categories if applicable. (4 points)
6. Reviewing your food journal and thinking back to our discussion on the first week of class about The Social Ecological Model, please list some factors that influence your food intake and explain why or how. (Nutritional value, availability, budget, mood, etc…) (5 points)
7. What do you consider to be the strengths AND weaknesses of your diet and eating habits? (4 points)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
8. Discuss the health benefits and nutritional consequences of your strengths and weaknesses. How are your benefits helping your health? How are your weakness affecting your health? Discuss body function, specific potential diseases, specific nutrients you’re getting/not getting, etc…(4 points)
Benefit of your strengths:
Consequences of your weakness:
9. Based on what you have learned about your diet in this project, identify ONE nutrition-related disease that you believe you’d be most likely to develop and explain why (4 points).
10. Based on what you have learned about your diet and lifestyle habits in this project, are there any changes you want to make? If so, explain the following: (9 points)
a. WHAT specifically do you want to do differently?
(do not just say “eat healthier “or “stop eating junk food.” Explain specifically what you want to do – what foods or nutrients to add, remove, change, etc…)
b. HOW would you do it
(how would you incorporate the changes listed above into your daily life?)
c. HOW would you stay motivated to make these changes?
(What can you do to make sure you stay on track?)
11. Thinking back on your entire diet evaluation (Diet Projects Part 2-5), was there anything you learned about your diet that surprised you? If so, please explain. (2 points)
12. After completing this project and taking this class, do you feel like you have the ability/knowledge/motivation to improve your health through your diet? Please explain (3 points)
