Nutritional Project Assignment: 3-day food record
Nutritional Project Assignment Goals
- To keep a detailed record of your food intake for 3 consecutive days so that it can then be used in the computerized
- To become aware of any deficiencies or
- To focus on at least one behavior change for better
Instructions for keeping 3-day food record
**The accuracy and meaningfulness of your diet analysis depends on how accurately you record your food intake. **
A word of caution about human nature: research has shown that we tend to under estimate the intake of food that is bad for us and, conversely, over-estimate the intake of food that is good for us. Do not fall into that trap.
- Record your food intake for 3 consecutive days. The 3 days should include 2 week days and 1 weekend day. For example: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Choose three days that are representative of your usual eating patterns. Do not use 3 Days where a change in your normal eating habits is likely to occur (i.e.: Thanksgiving, Super Bowl Sunday, birthday party, ).
- Record all food and beverages immediately after eating. Include all meals, snacks, and beverages (including water) at any time of the day. Do not write down vitamin/mineral supplements.
- When recording food intake, write down the following information:
- The name of food or drink consumed. Be very specific. For example, indicate whether bread is white, whole wheat, rye, etc.; indicate whether chicken is the wing, breast, thigh, etc.; indicate whether milk is skim, 2%, whole,
Describe how the food was prepared. For example, fried or baked chicken.
Do not forget to include condiments, such as salad dressings, sour cream, butter, margarine, cream or sugar, salt, ketchup, mustard, etc.
List separately the foods that make up one food item. For example, the makings of a ham and cheese sandwich.
- The amount of food consumed. Estimate or measure the quantities of food or beverage as closely as possible. If you do measure, use standard measuring cups and
In estimating portion sizes, it helps to know that:
- 3-4 ounces of meat = about a deck of cards
- a slice of cheese-(American) = 1 ounce
- ¼ cup of shredded cheese = 1 ounce
DIET PROJECT SECTION II: COMPUTERIZED ANALYSIS
Nutritional Project Assignment – Directions for running the Diet Analysis Plus software
This software package is user-friendly and will walk you through the process without much difficulty. Follow the step-by-step directions until you have completed the analysis. A brief summary of the steps follows below. A full version of the instructions is included in your software package. We will discuss in class, ok…..
The first set of instructions below, labeled , are for The set of instruction that follow.
I assume you are very intelligent and can figure it out, if not on your own, then with the help of another student—you can work together on this—it is not cheating because you each will be analyzing your own individual diet. Also, ask questions of your professor. You can share software to save on cost, but remember to save your individual diets on your own computer, disc, or flash. Word to the wise: Pay close attention on how to save your data and thus save yourself a lot of time and effort re-entering all those individual foods.
A Reminder that you can only print out your reports on a computer that has the Diet Analysis software loaded on it.
After you have loaded the software to your computer:
You can Go to the tutorial or tech support for help also..
- Click on the Diet Analysis Plus icon.
- Create a New Profile.
- Answer personal questions (be sure to select maintain
current weight for the purpose of this project; if you wish
to loose or gain weight, do that in a future analysis on
your own, not for this report).
- Track Diet. Select date, enter general food item, select
specific food item, enter amount, select meal (breakfast,
lunch, etc.). Continue for the next consecutive date, and
repeat above. Continue for the third consecutive date, and
repeat above one more time. When done, go to Reports
- Reports. Go to Advanced and click 3 Day Average.
Enter your three dates. Then click Print 3 Day Report.
You will get the following:
Profile DRI Goals
Energy Nutrient Intake and DRI Goal Ranges Compared
Fat as Percentage of Total Calories
Intake & DRI Goals Compared
bar graphs and percentages
My Pyramid Analysis
Complete Intake Spreadsheets
Energy Balance
- Reports. (again). Go to Advanced and click Custom Averages.
Enter your first date for start and for end. In the Choose
Reports to Average, check all of them EXCEPT Intake Spread
Sheets (we have these already in the 3 Day Average print-
outs). Then click Print Custom Report. Do this for each of
your three dates. When done, go to Home.
- Home. Go to Manage profiles, then under Current Profile,
click Export Profile, and then Save to Disc. This is how
you save your data—DO NOT FORGET TO DO THIS!
DIET PROJECT SECTION III: WRITTEN REPORT
Nutritional Project Assignment Goals
- To evaluate your typical eating pattern in comparison with all the nutrition standards and guidelines learned in this
- To become aware of any deficiencies or
- To focus on at least one behavior change for better
Instructions
Your typed report should be approximately 3-5 pages, double-spaced, and stapled in upper left hand comer (no side binders, please, they fall off). Attach your 3-day handwritten food diary, the 3- day Average, print-outs and your written analysis of your intake. Use spell check and grammar-check. Be clear and concise. Include a couple of sentences for each of the following criteria, in order, as listed below.
Please follow the order below when you write up your report. Use the Grading Sheet format—it is there to help you. Number and Bold indent each etc..
Criteria (using your 3-day average)
The computer analysis has already done the comparison, you are just talking about it. Using the three reports that you printed, analyze your diet.
When analyzing your intake, state your target, average eaten, and status.
For example: My target for daily calories is 1600 and I consumed 1300. I was 300 calories under target.
- Calories: Compared with your target estimated energy
- Water: Did you drink at least 8-12 cups/day? (This one you have to do on your own)
- Protein in grams: Compared with your target estimated
- Carbohydrates in grams: Compared with
- Dietary Fiber: Compared with recommendations of at least 25g/day.
- Total Fat, Saturated Fat, and Cholesterol: Compare your intake with goal of 30% or less of total calories. If your fat intake is above 30% of total calories, which foods in your diet contributed to excessive fat intake?
Compare your saturated fat intake with goal of 10% or less of total Calories. If your saturated fat intake is above 10% of total calories, which foods in your diet contributed to excessive saturated fat intake? It is acceptable to be below 100% since these are unhealthy sources of fat.
Did you consume more than 300mg of cholesterol? If so, which foods caused the excess?
No amount of trans fats are considered healthy. Identify any foods you consumed that may have contained trans fats. (You have to do on your own).
- Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) and@-Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) in grams.
Compare target number of grams with actual consumption of these essential fatty acids.
- Vitamins and Minerals:
Indicate if a vitamin or mineral is deficient (you do not have to list target or “excessive” other than sodium). If a vitamin or mineral is deficient, you need to state THREE FOOD SOURCES for that nutrient which you are willing to eat (you can find these listed in your text). Do not count vitamin supplements in your analysis.
- Sodium: Compared to upper limit of 2300 mg./ day. If your sodium is above the recommendation, where is it coming from (what foods that you eat have high amounts of sodium or are you using the salt shaker or both)?
- Caffeine: Compared to moderation recommendations (you have to do on your own).
Alcohol: Compared to recommendations if you do consume, no more than 2 servings/day for males, 1 serving/day for females (this one you have to do on your own).
*ON THE NUTRIENT REPORT PRINTOUT, CIRCLE NUTRIENTS THAT FALL UNDER YOUR TARGET IN ONE COLOR, AND THOSE THAT ARE OVER YOUR TARGET IN ANOTHER COLOR.*
- Source of Calories: How does your percent breakdown compare to the recommendations of the following:
| Protein | 10-35% |
| Carbohydrates | 45-65% |
| Fat Total | 20-35% or less |
FOOD GROUPS (use Food Groups and Calories Report)
- Food Groups and Calories: Compare your servings per day (using 3 day average) to the recommended servings for each food
GRAINS, VEGETABLES, FRUITS, DAIRY, PROTEIN FOODS, OILS
Compare the amount of Empty Calories – added sugars and saturated fats (see “Limits”” at bottom of report) you consumed with your target.
13. 5 Keys to a Nutritious Diet:
Adequacy, Balance, Calorie Control, Moderation, Variety
How did you fare? Make a brief statement on each one. ( Number and bold bullet points)
Adequacy: This refers to nutrients, not food groups. Did you get an adequate amount of
calories, energy nutrients, vitamins and minerals
Balance: This is where you discuss food groups. How did you balance your food groups.
Were any over- or under-represented.
Calorie Control and Moderation: Did you get too many empty calories? (added sugars and saturated fats)
Variety: How was your variety within food groups? (Did you vary your choices of foods within each food group)
- Behavior Change: Discuss one specific nutritional/lifestyle change that you have been focusing on during this What have you noticed about your choices? How have you motivated yourself to make this change?
- Personal Opinion on doing the Diet Project: The pros and cons of it. What were the problems, if any? What were the surprises or confirmations? Would you do this again at a later time? Would you recommend it to family members or friends?
DIET PROJECT GRADING FORM
STUDENT NAME:____________________________________ GRADE:________
PART I: 15 points
____(15 pts) 3 Day Food Record (handwritten as you recorded),
Do not copy over or type up.
PART II: 35 points
____(25 pts) 3 Day Average print-outs (Intake & DRI Goals
Compared—the percents, Source of Calories
(Meal Summary Report)
(Nutrient & Group Report) 3-day analysis print-out
( No extra spread sheets)…
,
.
____(10 pts) Highlight nutrients below 75% of RDA with one color
and above 150% of RDA with another color on
3 Day Average print-out only. Include color key.**
PART III: 50 points
____(45 pts) Typed Report addressing each of the 15 criteria
(2-3 pts each) and 8 pts. For #8)
____1. Calories 2 pts.
____2. Water 2 pts.
____3. Protein (the % goal, not #11)
____4. Carbohydrates (the % goal, not #11)
____5. Dietary Fibewr
____6. Total Fat,Cholesterol,Saturated/trans fat
____7. Linoleic and Linolenic Acid( 2 pts.)
____8. Vitamins/Minerals as listed***Discuss All 8pts.
____9. Sodium (2 pts.)
___10. Caffeine/Alcohol (even if zero)(2 pts.)
___11. Source of Calories or Energy Nutrient Intakes
___12. Food Pyramid
___13. 5 Keys to a Nutritious Diet***List ea.
___14. Behavior Change
___15. Personal Opinion on doing the Diet Project
*** if no % goal printed, you have to calculate the %
____( 5 pts) Overall appearance & effort in following directions
5 pts. will be deducted for each day this assignment is late !!!
GROUP PROJECTS (15% of Grade)
Goals
* You will be given a topic including a possible disease
and scenario about a patient’s health condition. How will
you plan and adjust their diet and lifestyle on each
scenario? Reinforcing the content of our studies. *
Prepare the information you have gathered into a 10 minute
presentation (practice presenting so everyone gets to speak
within the time limit—no one person should do most of the
talking). Your choice of presentation style: a poster
(use poster paper that can be rolled up and easily
transported); a short power-point; a short video; or hand-
outs. Your entire group presents this in front of the
class. Each person in your group has to say something,
even if it is only on how they liked or didn’t like the
food, whether it was considered healthy or not (based on
recommendations and guidelines learned in class) or
could be made healthier with substitutions. Share the work.
- Grading will be pass/fail, either 100% or 0. Everyone
in the group will receive the same grade. However, if a
member of the group is absent on presentation day, points
will be taken off their grade only. Also, points will be
subtracted from each group member’s grade if group members
cannot cooperate and work as a group. Have fun!