Food Intake Analysis --- Kiana Lofton

Food Intake Analysis --- Kiana Lofton

Many people go on with their day without really thinking about their food intake. They often times just eat without really thinking about how much food in each category they should be getting on a daily basis. I myself make that mistake quite a bit myself. This analysis helps me to see what areas I’m lacking in, in order to change my eating habits and be healthier.

Food Intake (Based on one day):

On one day, I ate: 1 Large orange (raw), 1 Large apple (raw), about 4 small stalks of celery (raw), about 2 portions of snow peas/sugar snap peas (about 20 pea pods), 1 Cup of garden salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, red cabbage), 1 Cup of cooked white rice, 2 Cups of spaghetti (with tomato sauce, pepperoni, ground beef).

Comparison Based On Recommendations:

Based on my food intake results from one day, I compared these results to the Food Tracker tool on USDA.Gov. I discovered that though these food items are what I typically eat (though it varies by day of course), I’m under the daily calorie limit. While the allowance is 1800 (though you don’t necessarily have to use all 1800 calories), I’m eating about less than 1000 calories per day. When it comes to the daily food group targets, I’m over the amount of fruit that I should get. The target is 1 ½ cups, though I’ve eaten about 3 cups. In terms of vegetables, I’m at an okay point. I got slightly less than the amount recommended, with 2 ¼ cups instead of 2 ½ cups. I was also under the amount of grains I should’ve gotten, with about 4 ounces instead of 6 ounces. That day, I didn’t consume any milk or dairy (whoops!). I consumed only about 1 – 2 ounces of protein as well, which is under the recommended amount.

In summary, though I’ve reached over 100% of the total target, I still need to work on a few areas of my nutrition, especially my dairy, grains, and protein categories. Based on my research so far, I should consider adding in items in those categories to my diet, as well as adding more things from those categories into my meals (example: adding broccoli into my rice).