Healthy Eating Plan Comparison, Essay Example

A comparative study was conducted to determine if healthy eating habits could be achieved through changing the daily habits of choosing certain foods according to the Daily Nutritional Value Tables and the Dietary Recommended Guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In week one a certain amount of servings from each of the basic food groups including grains, fruits, vegetables, milk products and meats were eaten. As the eating weeks progressed so did the eating habits progress and alter in some categories. The results will be shown and topics discussed in full detail. I will explain the changes in my diet over the time period, the importance of the changes, and the importance of eating from each food group and what I am more aware of now since the starting of this study. I will further discuss my awareness whilst making food choices and this awareness impact on my daily caloric and health impact over an acute and chronic time period.

During week one I chose food that were highly enriched with grain equal to at least 8.1 oz of a daily serving size. This met the 9 oz daily recommendation of grain servings per adult. I only ate 1.5 oz of vegetables during the first week which was severely below the recommended 3.5 oz recommended daily serving size of vegetables for a normal adult. I needed to increase my daily vegetable intake a little over half of what I was already in taking to meet the standards. With respect to the fruit serving I consumed 3oz of fruit which exceeded the daily recommended serving of 2oz for an adult.  The daily recommended serving of meat and beans for an adult was 6.5 oz and I only consumed 1.8 oz which was about ¼ of the recommended serving. Nutritionally speaking, my muscles were not getting the adequately needed serving for proper functioning that week.

I consumed 20.1% of my total calories from total fat which was within the specification of recommended dosage of 20-35% according to the FDA recommendation. My saturated fat intake was 5.1% which was within the recommended intake of <10% as per the FDA. The FDA recommends a normal adult keep his/her cholesterol intake from all four food groups to less than 300 mg. My intake for week one was 67 mg, respectively. There was no reporting for oils and discretionary calories such as solid fats, added sugars and alcohols.

After following the recommended diet of week one and abiding by the diet I was able to curtail my diet in some areas and not so good in other areas. The results will be discussed following: I was border line with my grain intake as the eating progressed which showed a regression of good grain eating habits. The old eating habits showed a positive grain eating habit which changed for the negative. I doubled my vegetable intake as the eating progressed hence my eating habits got much better as I continued to make better choices in the category of vegetables. As my eating habits continued, I made poorer choices with respect to fruits. By the end of the study, my intake of fruit nearly plumaged to zero.  I made better milk product choices towards the end of the study by doubling my milk product intake to nearly 2 cups per day.

The total fat in my diet rose to nearly 10% by the end of my research. The saturated fat intake dropped nearly 2.2 % by the end of the study which showed I was making wiser choices with regards to vegetables. I was eating foods with higher sodium content by the end of the study which was nearing the top of the maximum allowable (recommended) sodium intake for the day (per adult). Again oils and discretionary calories were not factored into this segmented part of the updated study.

I am aware my daily diet should include a focus of “fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, low-fat or fat-free milk and lean meats including poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts. My diet should also include a reduction in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars.” (“Food Groups”).  Examples of grains might include wheat bread, wheat pasta, brown rice and popcorn. Examples of fruits should include anything with natural sugars including apples, apricots, mangoes, melons or others. Examples of vegetable should include those that are thoroughly cooked through a steaming process or eaten raw and washed including broccoli, carrots, potatoes, squash and others. Examples of milk products might include low fat milk or no fat milk, yogurt, cheese and buttermilk. Examples of meat and bean products should be carefully selected to be lean including but not limited to beef, poultry, pork, fish of which contain no visible fat and of which are cooked broiling, roasting or poaching.

The following represents the two tables of foods eaten during week one and the final week of eaten food to show the comparison of how my eating habits changed:

Briefly analyzing the data on this chart, my grain intake decreased from week one decreasing it to well below the recommended daily intake value. My vegetable intake increase nearly double bringing it to nearly the recommended daily intake for adults. My milk product intake increased but it did not reach the recommended daily intake for an average healthy adult. During the first week my meat and bean intake was very low. At the end of the study, I managed to increase my meat and meat products intake over the recommended daily intake which meant I was consuming a diet very high in protein which is very good for my muscles. My total fat intake decreased approximately 15% from week one which is good for the heart and longevity of life. It is clear and consistent to see that I still do not eat a healthy diet according to the national standards set forth by the National Center for Disease Control and the Federal Food and Drug Administration. The diet I am consuming appears to be one that is geared towards a low sugar diet and high protein diet which is a ‘binge diet’ for those wanting to lose weight quickly. These diets work wonders when trying to drop pounds off quickly but they are not ideal for the health of the body long term. An ideal diet is one that consists of servings from the daily food lists and one that consists of small and equal meals to keep the metabolism working smoothly throughout the day. Let’s not forget about adding regimented exercise to the program!

References

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Food Groups Retrieved July 10, 2010 from, http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/foodgroups.html

Buzzle.com Five Basic Food Groups Retrieved July 10, 2010 from, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/five-basic-food-groups.html