Dietary Analysis Assignment Instructions

Compare your food intake against your USDA standard using the USDA MyPlate Menu Planner.

(If you deem the information needed for this assignment to be personal, you can develop a reference individual.)

1. First go to https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/ and create a profile. Enter your: name, age, gender, weight,      height and physical activity level. Then, click submit.
2. Next go to https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx      and type the food list of foods you consume in a typical day/24      hours.  List the specific name of      the food consumed (i.e. ground beef, carrots, milk) and the amount      consumed. There are no foods called      meat, fruits, or vegetables. Choose the amount      consumed, the No. of servings, the portion size, & the meal, &      click add. Repeat the process until      all the foods have been entered for the day.

Guidelines for portion sizes you can use as references:

½ cup is about 1 handful, 1 cup is about 2 handfuls

1 soda can is 12 ounces

1 teaspoon is about the size of your pinkie finger

1 tablespoon is about the size of your thumb

3 ounces of meat/fish/poultry is about the size of a deck of cards

1 ounce of cheese is about the size of a computer disk

3. Answer the following questions

 

1. How many   calories were recommended?

 

2. How many   calories were actually consumed?

4. Fill out the following chart concerning your “MyPlate”.

 

Food Group

Recommended

Actual

Approximate   % Consumed

 

Ounces of   grains

 

Cups of   vegetables

 

Cups of   fruits

 

Cups of   milk

 

Cups of   meat/beans

5. Click on “My Reports” (at top of screen).

Go to “Nutrients” Reports.

Select the day you input it in the calendar and “Create Report”.

 

Choose Five   vitamins and minerals you didn’t meet

Name of actual food that could be added to improve the status

6. What was   your intake of sodium?

 

7. What was   the limit of sodium?

Select two areas you would like to improve as your “Next Step”. They should be diet related.

 

8.    Name of areas selected:

9. What two steps could you implement to make a change? Be specific.

 

a.

 

b.

 

c.

Click “My Reports”, Click “Food Details” and Create Report.

 

10. Which   food that you ate had the most calories?

Name of   Food

Calories

 

11. Which   food had the most saturated fat?

Name of   Food

Grams of   saturated fat

 

12. What   one food you ate, provided empty calories (low in nutrient density)?

Name of   Food

Grams of   Sodium

13. Write a conclusion about the findings. What do you plan to do in the future to address the nutritional shortcomings of your diet? Your plan should have measurable goals and a deadline to achieve your goals. This area should be at least 3/4 of a page long and free of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.