From September 15-17, I have started to track my food intake to see if I reach my target intake (2200 calories) of carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, dairy, and protein with 30-60 minutes of physical exercise. To my surprise I did not meet my target from most of the food groups on any day. For Day 1, the only one that I am not under is fruits and that’s only because I had fruits for breakfast. For Day 2, I was under for each category, even though my intake was the most balanced of all the days, with an average of 50% intake for each intake. For Day 3, however I was “OK” for grains and vegetables and under 10% for the other three categories I was 37% for dairy, and under 5% for fruits and protein. Because I am a vegetarian, it was hard to keep up my protein and on Day 3 the only form of protein I had was from the hazelnuts from the Nutella I had on my bread- and we all know that nutella doesn’t really have hazelnuts. On Day 2, I had specifically go search for protein to increase my protein intake, so I digged up some old Macadamia nuts I had in the back of my pantry and even that wasn’t enough. And because I dislike regular milk and I drink almond milk instead, my dairy intake was low too - but the almond milk did increase my protein intake. To get the right amount of fruits without increasing any other category, I had to substitute a grainy snack for plain fruits.
There are multiple ways that I can improve my died. I could eat a more mixed arrangement of nuts to increase my protein intake and eat a cup of yogurt each day or add cheese to my diet - but those would have to be an extra item instead of substituting it for something else. And maybe I could pack a box of fruits for snack to school, again another extra item instead of substituting. I think my vegetables and grains are on the right track and I get enough of those because I eat a lot of those for dinner, as I mentioned in my previous blog post about health.
I think I made smart decisions at the Falcon Market activity for example I choose to drink tea instead of coffee which significantly reduces my fat and sugar calories. Since I don’t actually eat too much frozen foods, I need not be worried about all the consequences of frozen food because fresh food is much healthier. My mom shops at the local farmer’s market every Saturday so half of our vegetable and fruit produce at home is organic and seasonal. My glycemic index is intermediate, which is good because a high GI meal will increase blood sugar. My BMI of 18.88 is also in the normal percentile, but what BMI neglects is the amount of muscle fat a person has. I also don’t consume too much of preserved snacks and if it all I do, my mom makes sure to get whatever is organic. The only major thing I have to worry about is that I have not been prioritizing protein, which I’ll try to do in the future by buying more proteins, I also don’t eat fast food other than Chipotle, which is a pretty healthy option if eaten in moderate (once a week for me).
If I had the chance to coach someone on proper health and nutrition I would not because I don’t think I hold a good example, but if I had the opportunity I would warn them to be aware of keeping up their protein, dairy, and fruit intake just like I have to. I would tell tell to reduce their intake of sugary foods, like cookies and cake and instead eat fresh seasonal foods instead.
Day 1 09/15/15-
Day 2 09/16/15-
Day 3 09/17/15-
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