Healthy Eating Plan Comparison Essay

I have learned throughout this course thus far that an individual’s diet can have great impacts on how well their body is functioning both mentally and physically. The saying, â€Å"you are what we eat†, can now practically be proven, especially when considering that the foods that are being consumed into our body’s play a vital role to our energy, calorie, and nutrient needs. With that said, not all the foods that we choose to eat are said to be the right choices or even healthy for our bodies. In addition, this would be the main reason that eating a well balanced diet that includes variety, balance, and moderation are key to choosing a diet that promotes a longer and healthier life. Moreover, after providing a food intake diary, I was better able to understand my daily intake compared to the recommended daily allowances for my age, gender, weight, and height. After reviewing my daily food intakes for the first time I was better able to analyze what I eat and make more appropriate steps to improving my diet and meeting the daily recommendations for my calorie and nutrient intake needs. After implementing the information that I received from the food pyramid tracker, I made plans to meet my daily food pyramid recommendations where my diet was lacking. The following will provide a comparison of my diet before implementing changes, and a summary of what changes have been made in my diet. Also, an evaluation of my awareness of food choices will be covered. During the first week of class my eating habits as documented in the Food Diary Checkpoint, were considered poor in certain areas and were even lacking in the adequate amount of nutrients for a healthy and appropriate diet. In addition my eating habits that were documented were not meeting all of my daily food pyramid recommendations as well as lacking considerably in milk intake, fruit intake, and vegetable intake. Since the first week of class my nutritional habits have made some small changes, including some improvements. The following provides a brief overview of my daily intakes during the first week of class with the food pyramid recommendations compared to my current daily intakes with the implemented diet changes: Week 1 Week 7 (changes in diet) * Milk intake: 0. cup Milk intake: 3 cups * Food pyramid recommendation: 3 cups Food pyramid recommendation: 3 cups * * Meat and beans intake: 4. 5 oz Meat and beans intake: 5. 5 oz * Food pyramid recommendation: 5. 5 oz Food pyramid recommendation: 5. 5oz * * Vegetables intake: 0. 4 cup Vegetables intake: 2. 4 cup * Food pyramid recommendation: 2. 5 cup Food pyramid recommendation: 2. 5 cup * * Fruits intake: 0 cup Fruits intake: 2 cup * Food pyramid recommendation: 2 cup Food pyramid recommendation: 2 cup * * Grains intake: 5. 9 oz Grains intake: 5. 9 oz * Food pyramid recommendation: 6oz Food pyramid recommendation: 6oz Before making any changes to my regular diet, I was not receiving the adequate amount of nutrients from my milk intake and lacking a total of 2. 9 cups daily. Also I was lacking in the required fruits and vegetables intake considerably. After evaluating my diet, I planned to make some changes to improve these intake levels, so that my body could receive the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and alive. A few steps that I took to make these changes in my diet was first documenting what I eat daily and also adding the recommended amounts from each food group into my daily meals. I accomplished this by measuring out my servings, and by adding a more variety and nutrient dense meal plan. Some examples would include a variety of fruits during breakfast to increase my fruit intake, a variety of nutrient-dense vegetables during dinner time to increase my vegetable intake. And to increase my milk intake I chose to add more milk products in my diet to acquire three total cups daily, these types of foods would include cheese, yogurts, and milk. Another few changes I made in my diet were drinking more water during meals to increase my diets water intake and decrease my diets sugar intake. Another change to my diet resulted from increasing my milk intake, vegetable intake, and fruit intake is an increase in calcium and other nutrients and minerals needed to keep my body functioning healthy. For example, accordingly the the pyramid tracker website, has shown a significant increase in my calorie intake and it is closer to the recommended calorie intake of 2000/day for my body type and energy needs. Also my protein levels have been increased and my assessment for protein is no longer at a low status, but likely adequate. After implementing these changes in my diet I definitely feel healthier both physically and mentally. Some things that I am more aware of now when making food choices would be whether or not I am receiving the recommended servings of each food group marked in the food guide pyramid. Additionally, I am a lot more knowledgeable and aware of the health effects that result in making bad food choices, which motivates me to promote a healthier life style. For instance, the diseases related to poor food choices, and also the damage done to your body as a result of lack of physical exercise and lack of a well balanced diet that includes variety, moderation, and balance can not only lead to many unwanted diseases but also can be life threatening. In conclusion, I have accurately accomplished meeting all of my dietary allowances according to the food guide pyramid recommendations, by making changes to my diet and by choosing more nutrient dense foods with variety and moderation. Moreover, being aware of the types of foods that should be included and increased in my diet as helped me to plan meals that are well balanced and has also made the much needed improvements to my diet by reaching the appropriate amount in each food group. The following has also provided some changes seen in my diet referenced from the food diary checkpoint and the my-pyramid tracker including a comparison of my week one food intake and current. Included with this comparison was my evaluation on my diet changes and how my awareness when making food choices has allowed for me to provide not only myself, but my family with a more healthier life style.