Project: Final Project: Analyze Your Diet With MyDietAnalysis

For the past 4 weeks, you have been learning how the science of nutrition affects the health of the human body. The MyDietAnalysis program provided the opportunity to analyze your own nutrition habits and apply the lessons from this course.

Now, in your Final Project, you will provide a detailed analysis of your findings from the MyDietAnalysis program, correlate those findings to course information, and recommend dietary modifications to meet your daily nutritional requirements.

To prepare for this Final Project:

Review your completed Final Project Milestones.

Think about how you eat and what you eat.

• Consider the changes you could make to improve your health.
• The Final Project:
• Write a 4- to 6-page formal report that analyzes your 3-day diet using the MyDietAnalysis program. You will specify the total values of dietary intake for various vitamins, minerals, and organic compounds. You will also evaluate the effectiveness of this 3-day diet and recommend modifications that may be needed to meet daily requirements. Your Final Project should include all of the steps taken to complete this project. This includes:

Title Page

Introduction

Part I

• Steps 1–3

Your 3-day diet written out and given motivation codes

• Your Actual Intakes vs. Recommended Intakes and Activity Summary reports
• Part II
• Step 4

4–6 pages analyzing your diet

• References
• As a reminder, here is a more detailed description of each of the Final Project Steps:
• Final Project Steps
• Step 1: Record everything you eat and drink for 3 days in a row.

Record all the foods and beverages you consume over the course of 3 days. The best 3 days to choose are 2 weekdays and a weekend day, although it is your decision as to which days contain the most “normal” food consumption for you. Do not alter your normal eating pattern.

• In a lab notebook or food diary, record the amount of food and beverages consumed, including water. Do not record any mineral or vitamin supplements. Do record protein supplements.
• Be sure to describe each food completely. This includes brand names, ingredients in a recipe, etc. For homemade items, be sure to record portions of all the components in your food, because you will input them separately if no comparable meal can be found in MyDietAnalysis.
• Record any exercise you perform.

Make note of how you feel physically and emotionally after you eat a specific food or meal. Great insight can be gained by closely observing how your body reacts to foods.

Step 2: Organize your recorded information.

Type each day’s food and beverages into the menu form: breakfast, snack, lunch, etc. Include everything from your food diary or lab notebook and record them separated by day.

Label each item on your menu with the code or codes that indicate why you chose to eat that food or drink that beverage.

CodeMotivationAPersonal preference (I like it.)BHabit or tradition (It’s familiar; I always eat it.)CSocial pressure (It was offered; I couldn’t refuse.)DAvailability (I was hungry and it was nearby.)EConvenience (I was too rushed to prepare anything else.)FEconomy (It was a food I could afford.)GHealth value (I think it is healthy for me to eat.)HAdvertisingIOther (explain)

• Step 3: Enter your organized diet information into the MyDietAnalysis program.
• Enter the foods you ate into the MyDietAnalysis program.
• Be sure to create a new profile to reflect your recorded information. The program will ask you questions about yourself—be honest! It is important to capture your true self for MyDietAnalysis to be accurate and representative of your needs.
• After you have created your profile, click on the DIET TRACKER tab at the top of the program.
• Enter your foods as accurately as possible. Do this for each new day and save changes when finished.

Next, click on the ACTIVITY TRACKER and record any additional exercise you may have completed above and beyond your profile’s activity level. (For example, if you are sedentary and you walk the dog, realize that this activity is included in the sedentary profile. However, if you run for 10 minutes this should be added as additional exercise.)

Finally, click on the REPORTS tab.

Download the Actual Intakes vs. Recommended Intakes and the Activity Summary reports as PDF documents. This information will be included in your final report.

• Steps 1–3 will be due by Day 7 of Week 3.
• Step 4: Analyze your diet in a formal report.

Include the following information:

List any vitamins and minerals that averaged less than 100% of the RDA.

For each vitamin or mineral that averaged less than 100% of the RDA, suggest two foods that would increase the amount of that nutrient in your diet.

Why did you pick those foods? Are they realistic to YOUR diet?

Suggest ways you would incorporate them directly into your diet.

How many grams of fiber did you consume per day?

What is the recommended intake per day?

If you ate less than the recommended daily intake, how could you realistically increase your fiber?

If you ate more than the recommendation, what are the foods in your diet that are contributing to this total?

Please be sure to describe the differences between soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

How many different fruits, vegetables, and grains did you consume daily?

Could your diet benefit from more diversity? Why?

What are some of the reasons fruits and vegetables are hard to include in your diet? Is it because of past memories of eating them? Taste? If you love fruits and vegetables, can you offer an idea why others may not?

What is it about fruits and vegetables that make them so nutritious? Discuss three major components of these foods and why they are beneficial.

What have you learned about your eating habits? Pay attention to the codes you assigned to your foods.

Provide your overall observations of your diet. Summarize your codes and reflect on what is your major driving force when it comes to food.

Describe any changes that you have made or plan to make as a result of this exercise. Provide a detailed answer to receive full credit. Answers such as “I plan to eat more fruits and vegetables” without a clear plan will not be awarded full points.