Nutrition Assignment, Essay Example

This assignment will focus on fat content of common fast food and snack foods. Numbers in parentheses are the points assigned to the question.

1. Identify your favorite fast food restaurant. If you do not frequent them, choose the favorite of a family member or friend. Predict what you think are the highest and lowest fat entree non-breakfast entrees on the menu of the restaurant you chose. Use what you’ve learned to make your best guess! (2)

Using the McDonald’s menu, I selected the Angus Bacon Burger as the item with the highest amount of fat, and the Grilled Chicken Sandwich as the item with the lowest amount of fat.

2. Check out the accuracy of your choices by visiting the web site for the restaurant, getting a nutrition fact sheet from the restaurant, or using one of the following: http://www.foodfacts.info/ or http:/www.fatcalories.com/. List the following for the non-breakfast entrees which actually had the highest and lowest % calories from fat. -total calories -calories from fat -grams of fat -grams of saturated fat -percent of calories from fat ( you will need to calculate) (5)

According to the McDonald’s website, the item with the highest amount of fat is the Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, while the Grilled Chicken Sandwich is the one with the lowest amount of fat.

Quarter Pounder with Cheese

Calories: 750

Calories from Fat: 380

Grams of Fat: 42

Grams of Saturated Fat: 12

Percent of Calories from Fat: 50.66

Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Calories: 510

Calories from Fat: 200

Grams of Fat: 9

Grams of Saturated Fat: 3.3

Percent of Calories from Fat: 39.21

3. Plan the healthiest lunch menu you can for a 16 year old male high school student from the menu of the restaurant you chose. List the following for each item on the menu you chose and provide totals for the meal: -total calories -calories from fat -grams of fat -grams of saturated fat -percent of calories from fat (you will need to calculate) -total cost (5)

Meal

Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Apple Slices

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait

Low fat Milk

Total Calories: 775

Calories from Fat: 240

Grams of Fat: 13.5

Saturated Fat: 6

Percent of Calories from Fat: 30.96

4. Evaluate the quality of your fast food meal by comparison to the AMDR for fat and the cost of the meal by comparing to something that you might prepare at home. (3)

AMDR guidelines indicate a range of 20-35% for fat as a percentage of total calories. The meal I selected is within those guidelines.

It is difficult to determine an exact cost comparison between the McDonald’s meal and a home-cooked meal, as McDonald’s does not post prices on their website. The following prices are estimated prices:

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: $5.00

Apple Slices: $1.00

Fruit & Yogurt Parfait: $2.00

Low fat Milk: $1.00

Total Cost: $9.00

For approximately the same amount of money, I could purchase a small package of chicken breasts, a large container of yogurt, a pint of milk, and several pieces of fruit. That purchase would yield several meals for the same price.