Introduction
It is widely known that a person is what he or she eats. Considering nutrition habits, it is possible to determine their impact on one’s health and come up with valuable recommendations on how to modify them to achieve better health outcomes. This written report presents the analysis of my Meal Summary Report, Nutrients Report, and Food Groups and Calories Report to reveal the factors affecting my food and beverage choices, compare the latter with SuperTracker’s Recommended Targets, and understand my nutrition health impacts in an in-depth manner.
Factors Affecting Food / Beverage Choices
Reviewing my Meal Summary Report, it is possible to state that the biological factor is one of the determinants that affected my food and beverage choices. During three days, I ate various delicious foods, including avocado, spaghetti, and seafood as well as drank almond milk, pure water, and tea. This variety shows that I prefer different nutrition focusing on taste and appetite. Another factor impacting my food choices is a physical one. My Meal Summary Report indicates that the preparation of some meals required time and effort for cooking. Therefore, I can state that I am aware of nutrition knowledge and have some cooking skills.
The third factor that can be tracked in the given report refers to health factors. My food and beverage choices were largely affected by the intention to maintain good dietary habits. For example, I excluded fats and dressing from salads to make my nutrition healthier. The fact that I drank enough water can also be regarded as a sign of proper nutrition. My snacks such as sliced tomatoes or almonds were also healthy. Even though I ate a cheesecake and drank Pepsi (Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi), it is appropriate to eat sweets rarely.
In sum, biological, physical, and health factors affected my food and beverage choices. All of them are health-promoting since they impact positively on my nutrition and health in general. The consumption of fat-free products, variety, and adequate intake of water is the key health-promoting issues that can be noted in my Meal Summary Report. I believe that such a choice is likely to help to keep my body healthy, thus enhancing my immunity and protecting me from diseases.
My Diet vs. SuperTracker’s Recommended Targets
Food Groups
My consumption of vegetables and protein was within the target. At the same time, according to my Food Groups and Calories Report, grains, fruits, dairy, oils, and total calories were under target. In general, the report shows a lack of nutrients and a significantly low-calorie average (1010 calories compared to the 2400 calories limit).
It seems that the insufficient intake of grains, in particular, whole grains can lead to the development of a certain chronic disease. For instance, people who experience prolonged deficiency of grains are at a higher risk of metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. Since whole grains include vitamins, dietary fiber, beta-glucan, minerals, phytosterols, phytic, and other essential nutrients, it is important to eat more whole grains. To come closer to the estimated target of grains (approximately four ounces per day), it is possible to replace refined grains with whole-grain choices for breakfast cereals, rice, and bread. Another strategy that can be used is the consideration of labels – the whole grain should be listed first in the ingredients list.
Fruits are another category that requires precise attention and improvement. According to my Food Groups and Calories Report, I lack more than fifty percent of the target stated by SuperTracker’s recommendations. I think this is a serious concern for my health. Fruits play an important role in the provision of the human body with minerals, which maintain acid-base balance. The fruit acid helps a person to regulate his or her weight and prevent obesity.
Among the risks of fruit deficiency, there are vitamin shortage, digestive issues, and overweight. Since they are the source of antioxidants that control free radicals, the excess of which may lead to cancer or heart disease, it is of great importance to eating enough fruits on a daily basis. In this regard, I would eat more oranges, as they contain many useful microelements and vitamins, yet they are low-calorie fruits. More to the point, I would use fruits as snacks or salads and give my preference to fresh or frozen fruits instead of juices as the former contains more nutrients. Elaborating on my current food choice, I would maximize the selection of fruits and enjoy seasonal offers to improve my indicators and become closer to the target intake of fruits.
The low dairy intake (two-thirds of a cup instead of 3 cups) also presents some concerns regarding my health. In particular, it can lead to prediabetes and the shortage of nutrients, thus deteriorating the existing chronic disease. Dairy products are rich in protein, and they have all the amino acids necessary for the human body. Calcium and potassium are the two key nutrients that are present in the mentioned food group.
In this case, the benefits of dairy products are obvious. To come closer to the estimated goal, I would take more fat-free or low-fat dairy products, focusing on milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, and cheese. In addition, it seems beneficial to increase the number of dairy products. For example, I would substitute some snacks with a cup of milk or two pieces of cheese.
Nutrients
According to my Nutrients Report that is based on a 2400 calorie allowance, my nutrients such as protein, total fat, added sugar, linoleic acid, saturated fat, and cholesterol intakes were within a target. My nutrients, including total calories, carbohydrate, and dietary fiber, were under target. Linolenic acid and total fat were slightly over the norm. As for minerals, calcium, sodium, copper, phosphorus, and selenium met the required points, while potassium, iron, magnesium, and zinc were under the target recommended by SuperTracker. My vitamin intake turned out to be rather low. In particular, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B 12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, thiamin, niacin, and choline intakes were under target. Only vitamin K and riboflavin were as required by the target.
The category of total calories is one of the points that were under target. The shortage of calories may cause calorie deficiency and rapid weight loss. There is a risk of nutritional deficiency, quick weight loss, and the development of chronic diseases such as arrhythmia, anemia, and problems with concentration. To prevent the above health concerns, it is important to consume more calorie-rich foods, avoiding fats and empty calories.
I would eat more meat, seafood, fruits, and whole grains to increase total calories. My dietary fiber consumption is 19 grams instead of 25 grams that causes the risk of health concerns associated with the digestive tract and reduces the risk of obesity and heart diseases. In order to achieve the target recommendation, I would re-consider my daily nutrition and focus on fiber-rich products such as raspberries, pears, split peas, artichoke, and whole-grain pasta.
Furthermore, my potassium intake is only 2313 mg compared to the 4700 mg target. This may cause chronic hypokalemia that affects the performance of vascular structures, musculature, kidneys, heart, endocrine glands, and even the brain. Therefore, its shortage can critically affect the most vital functions of the human body. To become closer to the target, I would focus on fresh meat products, fish, dairy products, nuts, beans, and bananas. In this case, I should not forget that the absorption of potassium is significantly hampered by the use of alcohol, large quantities of sweets, tea, and coffee.
Short-Term and Long-Term Health Impacts
Considering the insufficient intake of the mentioned food groups and nutrients, it is possible to pinpoint several diseases that may occur in case I continue their inadequate consumption. First of all, there is the risk of problems with my weight. Given that my total calorie intake would be low and I would experience a lack of minerals, vitamins, and nutrients, it is likely that my weight would be reduced significantly. At the same time, the paradox is that my body may perceive this as starvation and begin to accumulate fats that, in turn, may lead to overweight in the short-term and obesity in the long-term perspective.
Cardiovascular health issues compose another health impact on my nutrition. The lack of minerals and vitamins may lead to the decreased immunity in the short run and metabolism as well as the formation of gallstones in the long run. Most importantly, primarily, potassium and fruits as well as dairy products and total calories support the heart and ensure adequate bloodstream, rhythm, tension, and other vital indicators. In the short run, their insufficiency may cause some minor problems such as hypertension or hypotension along with serious concerns including breath shortage, arrhythmia, and even heart attacks.
Digestive health issues may develop in the form of constipation, drowsiness, and edema in the short-term perspective, while polyps, diverticulitis, intestinal tumors, diaphragmatic hernia, and bile duct failure may be diagnosed in the long run. Moreover, food and beverage choices that are unbalanced regarding dietary fiber and dairy are often one of the risk factors for the development of diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis with their dire consequences. Thus, the decrease in the total volume of food entering the gastrointestinal tract and the number of fibers in the diet creates favorable conditions for the development of a number of diseases.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is essential to emphasize that my nutrition lacks nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. This report shows that my current food and beverage choices are affected by physical, biological, and health factors. I was not surprised to see the above factors as I tried to consciously organize my nutrition. The review of my nutrition reports revealed that I am at risk of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular and digestive health problems.
Even though in the short-term perspective they may cause minor issues, the long-term intake of insufficient foods and nutrients may lead to serious consequences such as atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, and both underweight and obesity. I was rather surprised to discover that my intake did not correspond to SuperTracker targets. I expected that my nutrition would be close to the mentioned targets as I try to avoid fats, fast food, sweets, and unhealthy food in general. I believe that my 3-day food record reflects my usual eating habits, while the only limitation is that it is important to consider individual peculiarities such as citrus allergies, milk intolerance, and preferences. Fortunately, only the last point applies to me.
References
All-star foods. (n.d.). Web.
Food-a-pedia. (n.d.). Web.
Vitamins and minerals. (n.d.). Web.