Caloric Intake Estimation and the 1-2-3 Nutritional Rule of Thumb - Essay Example

"Caloric Intake Estimation and the 1-2-3 Nutritional Rule of Thumb" is a good example of a paper on food and nutrition. The quantity and quality of the food that we eat, as well as our attitude, can make or break our body as it needs a variety of nutrients to function effectively. When we intend to lose or increase our body weight, proper guidelines and appropriate nutrient ratios must be observed to ensure safety. The 1-2-3 Nutritional Rule of Thumb by the International Sports Sciences Association distributes 1 part for fat, 2 parts for protein, and 3 parts for carbohydrates. Let us examine the caloric intake of three individuals, namely: Client A who wanted to increase total body weight by losing fat and gaining muscle, Client B who wanted to decrease total body weight by losing fat and gaining muscle, and Client C who wanted to maintain the same total body weight while losing fat and gaining muscle.

            Supposed that Client A is a male who weighs 165 lbs with 15% body fat. Let us say that his total calorie requirement is 2,821. Using the rule of the thumb, the proportion of calories from fat to protein to carbohydrates is 470:940:1410. To achieve the goal of increasing total body weight by losing fat and gaining muscle, we will increase his caloric intake by 280 calories for 5 days while the remaining 2 days will be back to 2,821 calories per day. Client A has a minimum daily protein requirement (MDPR) of 112g based on his activity and has met Dr. Hatfield's estimates of minimum protein requirements (140lbs x NF = 112g; NF = 0.8). (Note: Hatfield’s MDPR ranges from 0.8-1.8)

            Meanwhile, Client B is a male who weighs 240 lbs with 35% body fat. Let us say that his total calorie requirement is 2,893. Using the rule of the thumb, the proportion of calories from fat to protein to carbohydrates is 482:984:1446. To reduce body weight while losing body fat and gaining muscle mass, we will adopt a zigzag approach by decreasing his caloric intake by 204 calories for 5 days and returning to 2,893 for 2 days. Consider that the computed MDPR is 78g, Client B did not meet Dr. Hatfield's estimates of minimum protein requirements (156kg x NF = 78g; NF=0.5g).

            The last is Client C who aims to maintain the same total body weight (with body fat percentage of 15%) while losing fat and gaining muscle. Let us say that her total caloric requirement is 1,826. Using the rule of the thumb, the proportion of calories from fat to protein to carbohydrates is 301:602:903. Based on Hatfield’s equation, her MDRP is 60g. Let us assume that her weight in kilograms is 51; that is, 112lbs x NF = 60g (NF=0.5). Therefore, Client C also did not meet Dr. Hatfield's estimates of minimum protein requirements.