SCI/220
Professor Sanchez
Cheri Breen
September 14, 2015
Is My Diet Adequate?

Introduction
Understanding our diet and nutritional needs can seem overwhelming and often times confusing. We find ourselves stressing about our growing waistline, but are we concerned about what is really important, our health? By tracking my food intake for three days and learning about nutrition through this class, I have gained a better understanding about what our bodies need, and why. As a mother struggling to lose weight after my second child, I decided to take on the low carb diet. I have lost a lot of weight so far, but have realized I need to make some changes to meet my nutritional needs. I have found some huge nutrition gaps

that I need to fill to remain healthy and avoid any long term problems.
My Diet
I have been consuming a low carb diet for awhile now, which has caused a significant rise in my protein intake. The I Profile reports helped me understand what foods I am consuming, and into what classifications they fall.
The proteins that I consumed during the three days were as follows:
Omelet, egg and cheese
Pork, shoulder
Spinach salad with cheese or eggs
Steamed Crab
Steamed Shrimp
Sausage Patty
Philly Cheese Steak
Hot Wings
Link Sausage
Roasted Chicken
Cheddar Cheese
The carbohydrates that I consumed during the three days were as follows:
Salad
Michelob Ultra
The lipids that I consumed were as follows: 2 Eggs
Pork shoulder
Spinach salad with cheese or egg
Avocado
Steamed crab
Steamed shrimp
Sausage, pork patty Documenting my food intake for three days was an eye opening experience. I have been eating a low carb diet and knew that my fiber and carb intake would probably be inadequate. What I did not know is that my diet would also be lacking in other areas. While my diet is full of proteins, it is lacking in monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. My diet also lacks enough omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Some of the foods that I could consume to create a more balanced diet would include peanut oil or olive oil to add monounsaturated fats. Fatty fish, such as salmon or trout for polyunsaturated fat. Walnut oil for added Omega 3, and corn oil or margarine for Omega 6. One way to add healthy carbohydrates to my diet would be corn or bananas. By adding these foods to my diet, I would achieve a much more balanced diet and meet my nutritional needs.
Proteins
The majority of the proteins that I consume would be considered complete proteins. I eat a lot of meat with my current diet. Because our bodies process meat-based protein easier than protein found in plants, my diet meets every nutritional need as far as proteins are concerned. If I did not consume enough complete proteins then I would need to combine incomplete proteins to achieve a complementary protein. This is important in our diet because we cannot survive without an adequate amount of protein. According to "Macronutrients In Health And Disease" (Protein supports the growth and maintenance of the body. The amino acids that make up proteins are used for building DNA, cell membranes, hormones, receptors, brain chemicals, and many other molecules in the body. Protein is also the second largest source of stored energy (second to fat cells) because of the large amount of muscle that is a steady source of 3 amino acids.),(para. 3)
Macronutrients
With my current diet I do not have adequate intake with several macronutrients recommendations. Currently my kilocalories are 1256 Kcal less than my daily recommended intake, carbohydrates are 30% less than my DRI, and my fat intake is 10% above the DRI. The only macronutrient level that is within range is my protein level. By researching my macronutrients needs, I have learned the side effects of not meeting these needs and the side effects of overconsumption of them. Too much or too little of these macronutrients can cause diseases, and contribute to poor health.
Too Much Or Too Little Of A Good Thing Meeting our nutritional needs is vital to good health. However, overindulgence can be just as bad as a deficiency. Here are some side effects of too much or too little of some key nutrients: Too much protein:
Weight gain
Stress on kidneys
Chronic dehydration
Fuel cancer growth Too few carbohydrates:
Weakness
Fatigue
Nausea
Diarrhea
Mental fatigue 4 Bad breath
Kidney disease Too few lipids:
Vitamin malabsorption which can cause: vitamin deficiencies, poor bone health, night blindness, dry skin, weakened immune system.
Excessive appetite
Mood problems Fiber
Fiber is one of my biggest concerns on my current diet. Because I am eating a low carb diet, a lot of the fiber I would normally consume is left out of my diet. The only carbohydrates that I ingest now are from vegetables. I have noticed this lack of fiber in my diet and have can feel the side effects. In the future I will make sure I eat fiber rich vegetables in my diet as well as take a daily fiber supplement. By doing this, I am sure I will feel better and eliminate the problems I experience from not having enough fiber.
What I Have Learned
I have learned a lot about my diet and the nutritional needs that I am not meeting. I knew that I was not reaching my daily recommended intake for carbohydrates because of my diet, but I was not aware of the other needs that I was not meeting. I now understand I need to focus on eating enough lipids, and fatty acids. I also need to be aware of my fat intake and make sure I am getting less bad fats. While I will continue to eat a low carbohydrate diet for a couple more months, I realize that I need to be aware of all my nutritional needs. I am ingesting enough protein but need to make sure I drink plenty of water to keep myself from harming my kidneys which could lead to kidney disease. 5 Citation Page Coleman, E. (). Problems With Consuming Too Few Carbohydrates. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/problems-consuming-carbohydrates-8107.html Machowsky, J. (2012). Complementary Proteins: Origins and Recipes. Retrieved from http://www.nutrition411.com/content/complementary-proteins-origins-and-recipes-0 Macronutrients in Health and Disease. (). Retrieved from http://www.nutritionmd.org/consumers/general_nutrition/macro_protein.html McLaughlin, A. (). Harmful Effects of Ingesting Too Little Fat. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/harmful-effects-ingesting-little-fat-2492.html Mercola, . (2014). The Very Real Risks of Consuming Too Much Protein. Retrieved from
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/03/too-much-protein.aspx