Nutritional Analysis Essay: Balancing Macronutrients and Micronutrients

24-hour food intake

Nutrition analyzes nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, carbs, and proteins, to determine how these macronutrients and micronutrients contribute to the development, maintenance, and health of living creatures and the synthesis of new cells. Nutrients are substances found in foods essential to one’s health and living. Within the bodies of living beings, they are accountable for the production of energy as well as the restoration of damaged or worn-out tissue. Following the quantity present, nutrients may be split into two categories: micronutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients consist of minerals and vitamins, whereas macronutrients include carbs, lipids, and proteins. Diseases associated with malnutrition, such as anemia, cretinism, marasmus, and goiter, may develop in the body of a live creature when insufficient amounts of certain nutrients are present. Keeping these macro and micronutrients in the appropriate proportions is necessary to have a healthy lifestyle.

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After carefully considering my past eating habits and doing an in-depth self-reflection on them, I have concluded that I do not have a healthy balance in my eating because I do not consume sufficient quantities of minerals and vitamins. It came to my attention that I tend to consume more grains like oats, meat, eggs, and rice, while my intake of vegetables and fruits is often lower. When I compare the number of vitamins and minerals I consume to the amount that health experts advise, it is evident that I do not meet the required consumption level. My morning, for example, is quite unbalanced since I eat apple cake and oats, which, according to Noronha et al., have little nutritional value regarding the vitamins and minerals they contain (2011). During my meal, I ingested more carbs and proteins found in cereals and chicken, respectively.

My lack of good food planning also contributes to the nutritional imbalance I now suffer from. Rather than eating smaller meals often throughout the day, I like to sit down for a big meal once a day. Additionally, I am used to fast food, which is almost always unbalanced. After comparing the recommended rate to my intake rate, I came to the following conclusion: the suggested volume of fat is 70 grams per day, but I only ingested less than 50 grams; the recommended rate of carbohydrates is approximately 325 grams, but I ingested less than 200 grams per day; the recommended rate of protein is 0.8 grams per bodyweight, but I gobbled up more than I should. Regarding sugars, the daily recommendation is just 30 grams, but I consumed an additional 10 grams more than that.

Moreover, I ingested 720 international units (IU) of vitamin D in minerals and vitamins compared to the 600 IU required for an individual aged between one and seventy years. Regarding sodium, I took 2500mg of sodium, but only 2300mg is recommended daily. My calcium intake was also low, as I only ingested half of what was advised. Finally, my iron intake was above the required as I consumed 9mg but faltered in the potassium intake as I took 1200mg versus the 1500mg required.

Multifaceted circumstances, including my upbringing, have shaped how I eat now. The behaviors, attitudes, beliefs, and practices that make up a person’s culture are formed throughout their formative years. Because certain foods are considered edible in my culture while others are not, my cultural background impacts the kinds of meals I eat. The possibility that eating certain foods may contribute to health problems like obesity has made me wary of consuming them. For instance, eating excessive carbs and fats might contribute to weight gain, leading to health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. As a result, I tend to eat less than the suggested amount of carbs and fats.

Consequently, I want to make several changes to my diet to increase my food consumption to the level suggested by experts. To begin, I want to increase the nutritional value of my breakfast by increasing the proportion of plant-based foods included. Because of this, I can get a daily allowance of vitamins and minerals. The second thing I should do is add more grains and other carbs to my lunch to make it more balanced. Since I already consume more protein than is suggested, I should probably cut down on meat. My eating habits need to be regulated to meet my minimum daily need. I also need to review my background and values to ensure they don’t hinder my efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle.

In conclusion, judging my diet based on a single day’s data was difficult. The analysis has taught me a great deal about my eating habits and has encouraged me to adjust them for a better lifestyle and a healthier me. But it was still pretty clear that I needed to make some modifications. To obtain a healthy existence, one must understand how to balance the intake of vitamins, carbs, minerals, proteins, and water. A good balance of these items will help me to avoid any nutritional problems. To achieve my objective of a healthy diet, I need to make some adjustments to how I eat, such as eating smaller meals more often throughout the day.

References

Noronha, J., Hysen, E., Zhang, H., & Gajos, K. Z. (2011, October). Platemate: crowdsourcing nutritional analysis from food photographs. In Proceedings of the 24th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology (pp. 1-12).