Diet Analysis of a Patient - Assignment Example

of the 13 November Body Mass Index Body Mass Index (BMI) is referred to as a heuristic proxy for a person’s body fat on the basis of his or her weight in kilograms and height in meters (Morton, David, and Perry 127). This measurement can give reliable results for individuals between 18 and 65 years of age. BMI has been used to indicate if an individual is normal, underweight, overweight, or obese. BMI of a person is the person’s body weight in kilograms divided by the square of his height in meters. The BMI of the subject of the project is 27.4, which is evidence that the subject is overweight. It has been found that the BMI scores that range between 20 and 25 show that an individual is normal. An individual is referred to as overweight when the BMI ranges from 25 to 30. Therefore, BMI provides a dependable indicator of an individual’s body fatness and is useful in screening for weight categories that may result in health problems. Macronutrient distribution Nutrients are referred to as substances that are needed for metabolism, body growth, and other functions of the body (Morton, David, and Perry 131). Macronutrients are those nutrients that provide energy or calories. There are three classes of macronutrients: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. The daily intake of macronutrients determines an individual’s health. The macronutrient distribution should include 10-35 percent of total calories from proteins, 45-65 percent of total calories from carbohydrates, and 20-35 percent of total calories from fats (Morton, David, and Perry 134). It is evident from the project that the subject observed the normal and healthy intake of macronutrients to some extent. Fat distribution and Saturated fat level Saturated fat is defined as fat that is comprised of triglycerides which contains saturated fatty acids as the only elements (Morton, David, and Perry 123). Various fats are characterized by different proportions of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The recommended level of the saturated fat in the body should be less than 10 percent of the daily energy intake. It is evident from the records that the subject’s saturated fat intake is within the recommended level. The subject’s saturated fat intake is 12.5 g which is about 56.0 percent of the total calorie intake per day. High level of saturated fat intake is the possible cause of overweight in human population, and can be associated with various problems, such as high blood pressure and heart attack. The subject should avoid eating large quantities of meals that contain coconut oil, chocolate, butter, cheese, cream, and cottonseed oil. Reduction of the saturated fat intake can significantly address the problem of overweight and the associated problems. Discussion on the Bar Graph The Bar Graph depicts the subject’s calorie and nutrients intake. The recommended total calorie intake per day is 1920 kilocalories but the subject’s daily calorie intake was 1207 kilocalories, which is 60 percent of the recommended quantity. The subject obtained about 32 percent calories intake from fats and this was the recommended quantity. According to the Bar Graph, the subject observed the recommended total fat consumption per day by consuming 44 grams of fats. The subject observed the recommended quantity of saturated fat per day. According to the data, the subject consumed 12.5 grams of saturated fat which was below the 22.2 grams as the recommended quantity. The amount of saturated fats should be as little as possible because they are associated with overweight and other health problems. The subject consumed 29.0 percent of Omega-6 fatty acids and 38.0 percent of Omega-3 fatty acids. Therefore, the subject did not consume such unsaturated fatty acids as recommended. The Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids are very useful in promoting normal growth and development, and play a significant role in brain functioning. The subject should take foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fresh fruits, olive oil, fish, and garlic (Morton, David, and Perry 154). The subject consumed 72.0 percent of the recommended quantity of carbohydrates. It is necessary to consume about 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates in a daily basis but the subject consumed 162 grams. Consumption of low amount of carbohydrates was meant to address the problem of overweight. The subject consumed 66.0 percent of total dietary fiber, thus below the recommended quantity. Dietary fibers are very significant in avoiding problems such as constipation. Sources of dietary fibers include whole grains, green beans, nuts, corn bran and wheat (Morton, David, and Perry 147). The subject consumed 93.0 percent of protein and 69.0 percent of protein based on body weight. This was below the recommended quantities of proteins. Proteins are important in building body tissues, organs and organ system. Sources of proteins include meat, eggs, fish, and plant proteins such as beans, and peas (Morton, David, and Perry 211). According to the data, the subject consumed only 14.0 percent of water. Water is very important and it is recommended that an individual should consume about 2700 milliliters of water per day. Little water in the body can cause a number of problems including high risk of kidney failure, slowed digestion and absorption, and dehydration. The subject consumed 24.0 percent of Vitamin A, 26.0 percent of Vitamin D, 16.0 percent of Vitamin E, 65.0 percent of Vitamin C, 62.0 percent of Thiamin, 65.0 percent of Riboflavin, 66.0 percent of Niacin, and 19.0 percent of Vitamin B5. All these quantities were below the recommended levels. Vitamins play important roles in the body, especially in the immune system, blood clotting process and enhancing health growth of bones and skin (Morton, David, and Perry 81). Fresh fruits, green vegetables, fish, and cod-liver oil, are some of the sources that contain important vitamins. However, the subject consumed 123.0 percent of Folic Acid, which exceeded the recommended quantity. Too much folic acid may hinder the absorption of zinc (Morton, David, and Perry 93). The subject should not eat too much of almonds, eggs, bananas, potatoes, green beans, cabbage, oatmeal, avocado, just to mention a few. The subject consumed 122.0 percent of Sodium, which exceeded the recommended quantities. High intake of sodium is associated with a number of health problems, such as hypertension, kidney failure, and heart disease as the long-term effects (Morton, David, and Perry 107). It is advisable for individuals to include low sodium in their diets as well as drink plenty of water. MyPyramid MyPyramid is a visual illustration of the suggested healthy eating habits. It is evident that grains, fruits, meat and beans are the most emphasized in the diet, followed by vegetables and milk. Oil is the least emphasized because of the subject’s BMI that depicts the condition of being overweight. The subject needs to consume enough carbohydrates, vitamins, and proteins in a daily basis. MyPyramid is a very important visual illustration because it enables individuals to observe healthy eating habits for their wellbeing. Conclusion The subject tried to observe good eating habits but there was a problem with being overweight. Normal individuals should have their BMI ranging from 20 to 25. Above the range of 20 to 25 can be considered as being overweight or obese. The subject will be advised to reduce the amount of total fat intake in a daily basis. It is also advisable for the subject to reduce the amount of Folic Acid because it may hinder the absorption of Zinc. The subject should reduce the intake of sodium because high levels of sodium in the body may lead to health problems such as kidney failure and hypertension. Works Cited Morton, David, and James W. Perry. Laboratory manual for human biology. 2nd ed. Pacific Grove, Calif.: Brooks/Cole, 2011. Print. Read More