Nutrition Analysis Project- Part 1

Nutrition Analysis Project- Part 1

This project is split into two parts. Part 1 will be completed here in Week 5 and Part 2 will be completed in Week 14.

Information gathered while completing Part 1 of this assignment is required to complete Part 2. To perform well on Part 2, Part 1 must be completed. To maximize your grade, complete this assignment in a timely manner.

The goal of a diet analysis is to identify appropriate and actionable areas of change in an individual’s diet and meal plan. Once areas of change are identified, SMART goals can be set to improve health and nutritional status decreasing one’s risks of chronic disease.

Your “diet” is defined as the foods you choose to eat. If you choose to eat standard fast food, you have a diet consisting of highly processed foods. Many of these foods are high in calories and low in nutrients. If you choose to eat more whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and lean sources of protein, you are described as eating a healthy diet that consists of nutrient dense foods. Many people find themselves eating a diet which is plentiful and convenient, opting for healthy fast-food choices to support their busy schedules, but not all healthy food was created equally.

Completing and evaluating a nutrition analysis of your typical intake will help you understand how “what you eat” impacts your productivity.

Week 5: You will use https://cronometer.com/ (Links to an external site.) to create a food journal and record your intake for one day, including snacks, condiments, food, and drinks. As you log your food and drinks note the calories, protein, carbs, fat, and other nutrients identified to aid in your analysis of how you are “fueling” your body. After analyzing and evaluating your one-day intake and answering a series of questions, you will write 3 SMART goals that will help you improve your health. These goals should be written in alignment with the US Dietary Guidelines for achieving a healthier diet and for the purpose of this assignment they should focus on NUTRITION HABITS and FOOD INTAKE. This means they should be based on the results of the nutrient analysis and support improving your intake of a certain nutrient or food group.

For example, if the result of your nutrition analysis indicates your diet is low in calcium and vitamin D, you would write a SMART goal that would help you improve your calcium and vitamin D intake.

For the purposes of this assignment, exercise, weight loss, yoga/mediation goals are NOT acceptable as we need to focus on nutrition.

Week 14: You will use https://cronometer.com/ (Links to an external site.) to complete another one-day food journal and record your intake. In your final reflection you will note where you made positive changes and where you have room to improve to help you optimize your nutritional intake. Did you meet your goal? If not, what barriers prevented you from meeting your goal(s)? To begin this assignment, to access https://cronometer.com/ (Links to an external site.) from your computer and set up a free account. You must use the web-based program and not the app-program to submit your screenshots of your analysis.

• Create an account by clicking “Sign-Up-It’s Free” on the home page.
• Once your account is created, go to “Profile and Targets” tab to enter your personal information. Here you will enter your sex, birthdate, height, and weight. Your BMI will be calculated using your height and weight. You can enter your body fat percentage if you know it, but it is not required.
• For Energy Burned, select Mifflin St. Jeor Equation and your activity level.
• If you have a weight goal, you may enter it in the weight goal section.
• For Macronutrient Targets enter 20% for protein, 50% for carbohydrate, and 30% for fat. Under “Tracking Carbohydrates”, select “total carbs” from the dropdown window.
• The nutrient Targets for micronutrients (vitamins and minerals are set based on the information available in the database.
• Once you have your profile and targets set, you are ready to start entering your intake. Go to the “diary” tab and start entering your food/drinks for the day.
• When you are finished, mark the day completed in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. Then take two clear screenshots, one of your Food Journal and Energy Summary and then a second screenshot of Highlighted Nutrients. For the second screenshot, the chart will fit in one screenshot if you decrease the size to 50%. Submitting clear and easy to read screenshots is critical. If your instructor cannot read the analysis reports, points will be deducted. The analysis information is only stored on the website for 7 days, so take your screenshots right after you have finished entering your intake and save the screenshots in a safe place on your computer.
• Visit https://cronometer.com/#help (Links to an external site.) if you need guidance with setting up your account or entering your intake.
• You will use the information in the analysis (screenshots) to answer the questions in this assignment and you will submit the screenshots along with your assignment for part 1 in week 5.

Part 1

Please copy the following questions into a Word document and answer the questions based on the information in your one-day analysis. Copy and paste your screenshots into the word document before submitting the assignment.

1. What are your target recommendations for each of the following?

• Energy
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat
• Fiber
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Iron
• Potassium
• Sodium

2. How does your diet compare to the recommendations you received from Cronometer when reviewing the following? Discuss and compare your results.

• Energy
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat
• Fiber
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Iron
• Potassium
• Sodium

3. How might you modify your diet to obtain the target recommendations for each of the following, being specific:

• Energy
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fat
• Fiber
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Iron
• Potassium
• Sodium

4. Write three SMART goals you would like to focus on over the next few weeks? (Watch the video in the course on setting SMART goals for guidance) Remember, goals should be based on the results of the nutrient analysis and specifically focusing on nutrient intake.

Rubric

Project Rubric_Part 1_SCI131