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Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I will now analyze my three-day diet and try to improve on it. Based on RDDA's Recommended Daily Dietary Allowances For Normal Healthy Persons in Singapore, an average girl of the age fourteen to under sixteen should receive: - 2150kcal / 9000kJ of Energy - 66g of Protein - 18mg of Iron - 1000mg of Calcium Secondly, I will use the Healthy Diet Pyramid to classify the food I have consumed over the three days, which will allow me to have a bigger overview of the type of food needed to consume. According to the Healthy Diet Pyramid, the largest portion of food consumed should be carbohydrates -- rice and alternatives. This food group provides us with mainly energy. We should have 5 - 7 servings of this per day. Fruits and vegetables comes next in the food pyramid with least 2 servings of this per day as it provides us with vitamins and minerals. The next food group is meat and alternatives -- we should have 2 - 3 servings of this everyday as it provides us with protein. The last food group is the group that we should have least of -- fats, oil, sugar and salt. Examples are chocolates, potato chips and etc. This food group is unhealthy for us as it is high in cholesterol and fats. According to the results of this test, over the past three days i have consumed : Energy : 82% Carbohydrate : 68% Protein: 79% Total Fat : 109% Saturated Fat - 152% Cholesterol - 106% Calcium - 36% Dietary Fibre - 94% Sodium - 167% Total Fat Your total fat intake was more than the recommended amount. A diet high in fat is associated with overweight, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and other related health problems. To reduce total fat in your diet, use less oil or fats when cooking and use fat spreads sparingly. Use lean cuts of meat and poultry, and remove visible fat and skin. When eating out, ask for less fat or oil in your food. As extras add up, make your food choices wisely. Choose reduced fat or skimmed milk and dairy products instead of full cream varieties. Choose plain rice over flavoured rice, and cut down on the use of sweetened condensed milk or creamers. Saturated Fat Your intake of saturated fat was higher that the recommended amount. An excess of saturated fat can raise your blood cholesterol, subsequently increasing your risk of heart disease. The main sources of fat in our diet are also the sources of saturated fat! These include coconut-milk based foods, blended oil (usually used in commercial cooking), flavoured rice (e.g. chicken rice, nasi lemak, nasi briyani) and creamer/whitener/condensed and evaporated milk in beverages. Cutting down or limiting such sources of fat will also help to reduce saturated fat intake. Sodium Your sodium intake was greater than the recommended amounts. Sodium acts like a sponge, holding water in our body. Excess sodium increases the blood volume, which then raises the pressure in our blood vessels. Hypertension or high blood pressure increases the risk of stroke and heart attacks. The main source of sodium in our diet comes from salt (sodium chloride) and sauces added during cooking or at the table. To cut down on sodium intake, gradually reduce the use of salt and sauces when preparing or cooking food so that your taste buds have the chance to adjust. Try flavouring foods with natural seasonings like lemon juice or herbs and spices. Choose fresh food over processed foods over processed foods and enjoy the natural taste of foods. When eating out, ask for less sauces or gravy in dishes. Cholesterol Your intake of cholesterol was more than the recommended amount. Excessive cholesterol intake, especially as part of a high fat diet, can increase blood cholesterol level and put you at risk of heart diseases. To cut down the intake of cholesterol, replace meat with beans, peas, lentils or bean products 3 times a week. For healthy adults and adolescents, limit eggs to 4 per week. In recipes, try to replace part of the use of whole eggs with just the egg white. Shellfish, prawns, shrimps, crabs, cuttlefish etc as well as organ meats should be eaten no more than twice a week and in small portions. Calcium You were not getting enough calcium in your diet. Without adequate calcium, you may be at risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition where your bones become weak and brittle. If left untreated, osteoporosis can worsen until a fracture (crack or break in the bone) occurs. Increase your calcium intake from a variety of sources. Consume calcium-enriched breads and biscuits, green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified juices, high-calcium soya bean milk, ikan bilis, sardines (with bones), tofu, as well as milk and other dairy products. Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium. Your body can make this vitamin after sunlight hits your skin. You can easily obtain enough by getting at least 30-60 minutes of sunlight a day. Modification of Food Reflections I learnt that my diet has too much negative points and no positive points, with over consumption of fat, cholesterol, sodium but with a very low level of calcium. This has put me at high risk of getting certain diseases especially heart diseases. Also, I tend to eat unhealthy snacks in between two main meals, thus resulting in the large amount of excess unnecessary fats or sodium being added into my daily diet. No, I do not consider my diet a healthy one. There is excessive amounts of fats, cholesterol and sodium and these add to further problems such as diseases in the future. I will definitely make an effort to change my diet into a more healthy one by replacing different types of food or ingredients so i get the right balance of food. The suggested tools are useful as it allowed me to calculate the composition of food we eat and which part of our diet we can actually improve on. These tools can always be used in the future as we all need to work towards having a healthier body and mind. However, there is a limitation as there is a low percentage of finding that exact food that you have eaten and thus the result may not be accurate. Overall, I enjoyed tracing and analyzing my diet for over three days.
5:24 AM
Monday, April 26, 2010
Day 3 26/3/10 - Monday
4:12 AM
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Day 2 25/3/10 - Sunday
8:35 PM
Day 1 24/3/10 - Saturday
5:48 AM
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