Nutrition Analysis
Betsy Barnard
For three days (preferably consecutive days) record the foods you eat, estimate the quantities and determine the following for each day:
- total kcal
- grams protein
- grams fat
- grams carbohydrate
- estimate volume of water
Analysis
For each day calculate the percentage of kcal provided by each nutrient (protein and carbohydrate are 4 kcal/gram, fat is 9 kcal/gram)
For example, if a person consumes a total of 2000 kcal, and has 60 g protein, 70 g fat, and 283 g of carbohydrate, then the percentage of calories from each nutrient is:
60 g protein * 4 kcal/g = 240 kcal; 70 g fat * 9 kcal/g = 630 kcal; 283 g CHO * 4 kcal/g = 1130 kcal
- % protein = 240/2000 * 100% = 12%
- % fat = 630/2000 * 100% = 31.5%
- % CHO = 1130/2000 = 57%
Make comments for the three day period regarding:
- % calories from fat (should be less than 30%, but 10% is recommended)
- Protein. Recommended is 0.8 g protein/kg body mass. (mass in kg = lbs / 2.2)
- kcal (recommended is approx. 1800-3000 depending on BMR* and activity level)
- water consumption (1-2 liters/day, depending on activity)
- give specific recommendations for improvement
- accuracy of your records, and how you think percentages might have been affected by any foods for which you could not find information.
References:
- Any year ALMANAC in reference section of Library
- Food labels
- USDA Nutritional Contents of Foods
*Information on how to calculate basal metabolic rate (BMR) can be found in many physiology or nutrition textbooks.
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