Healthy Eating Activity - Essay Example

Healthy Eating Activity Evaluation Healthy living comes with a high level of responsibility. It involves a wide variety of factors such as healthy eating, exercising, and cleanliness among others. It is therefore important to keep track of body activities such as energy and nutrient consumption as well as energy expenditure. Since the first week, a personal evaluation of food consumption and energy expenditure has been carried out using “Mypyramidtracker” calculator. This paper therefore presents an evaluation of the changes that have been observed since the first week. Prior to the first week, I had little understanding of the energy and nutritional requirements for healthy living. However, I took the initiative to put into practice the activities recommended by “Mypyramidtracker.” The most interesting activity was to carry out various body exercises and then calculate the corresponding energy expenditure from the calculator. I also developed the habit of being nutrition conscious and took control of my eating habits. The first time I did a food nutrition evaluation, I found that my diet consisted excessive energy-giving foods. Most of my diet consisted of deep fried potato chips, crumbled bread, almonds roasted with honey, chocolate milk, and cornflakes among others. The results from the calculator indicated that I was taking approximately 3210 Cal which was the above my daily recommended intake of 2630 Cal. Particularly, I was taking an excess of proteins, saturated fats, and carbohydrates. However, I was meeting the daily-recommended intake for total fiber, which I was able to maintain at 25. Vitamins and mineral elements requirements varied from one vitamin to another. Whereas the diet was exceeding the required daily intake for vitamins A, C, E, and riboflavin, it was falling short of thiamin, potassium, and zinc. After reading and understanding about the various health effects of taking less or more of one nutritional requirement, I decided to change my diet. I primarily reduced the amount of carbohydrate foods I was taking in a day and supplemented the same with vegetables and fruits. The changes were hardly noticeable within the first week but I began to record some changes in the third week. It was challenging at first since some of the substitutes were costly and difficult to choose from the food stores. For instance, I would not know what type of fruits or vegetables would help me meet or at least maintain the daily-recommended nutrient intake for some vitamins. Therefore, I had to exercise patience and do a lot of trial and error. I also noticed that some of the foods available in food stores gave incorrect information perhaps due to advertisement purposes. I have now been able to change my diet. With the diverse knowledge on food and nutrition, I have been able to develop a conscious thought when making food purchases. Indeed, it is interesting to purchase something in the knowledge that it will give a certain nutrient. Having profound understanding of nutritional requirement as directed by this course, I have been able to change the mode of preparing food to ensure that I benefit maximally from the available food supplies. For instance, overcooking vegetables destroys most of the vitamins available. Additionally, I have been able to develop a food-mixing plan. Since some nutrients are best absorbed by the body when in conjunction with others, I find it best to take those nutrients together. For instance, I stopped taking more than two eggs in one sitting since I learned that the body does not process excess proteins. When taken in excess, the body has to do extra work in eliminating the extra proteins and cholesterol. I also stopped taking a lot of fluids right after taking fruits since I have learned that some vitamins are water-soluble and therefore might not be absorbed efficiently if taken with a lot of water. It was interesting to note how I was able to maintain my calorie value below 2000 Cal by just changing my diet. The nutrient evaluation that I took in week seven had good results to report. Most of the nutrients were within the daily-recommended intake. Particularly, the cholesterol level went down from approximately 1250 in the first week to 280, which is within the recommended value. I was able to record 70, 13, 1.0, 1.2, and 2.3 for vitamins C, E, thiamine, riboflavin, and vitamin B12 respectively. Although it has not been able to achieve all the daily-recommended nutrient and energy intake, I feel I have made a milestone development. It is undeniable that the course had a lot to teach. The practical experience has facilitated the efforts to create self-conscious and a positive attitude about diet. The exercise has made me develop a strong awareness about food choices. Although it is not always possible to have a free choice due to limitations in types of food available, I try as much as possible to select the best and most nutritive foods from the available options. For instance, it may not be possible to have an apple every day since apples may be out of season and therefore expensive from the food stores. However, knowledge about food nutrients enables me to select other fruits, which may provide the same nutritive value as apples at a lesser cost. The food choice goes beyond food selection. The way food is cooked determines how much nutrients are indeed available from the digested foods. Eating raw or slightly steamed vegetables increases the available nutrients from the food. Therefore, I have developed a habit of being nutrition conscious when preparing food. Cooking methods may also predispose our bodies to various health hazards without our knowledge. I discovered that I was taking excessive fat and cholesterol by eating deep fried potato chips most commonly available from fast food restaurants. Therefore, I had to change my diet from deep fried chips to mashed or steamed potatoes, which are equally sweet but have no fat content. Instead of taking breadcrumbs in the morning, I substituted the same with bananas, which have higher energy content and more nutritive. Fried eggs were substituted for boiled eggs, which have more protein value and less fat content. The time when food is taken has a lot of influence on utilization of the food by the body. For instance, taking high-energy food just before going to bed is not helpful at all since most of the energy is not utilized by the body. With this knowledge in mind, I choose what I take depending on the level of activity. I choose to take more carbohydrates and fats during my most active periods of the day. Correspondingly, I take little amounts of food while going to sleep since the body does not need many calories at this time. Sedentary behavior has been flagged as one of the causes of health problems such as obesity. By using the Mypyramidtracker, I have been able to evaluate how my body expends energy after doing different exercises. It may not be much helpful to practice healthy eating and forget about body exercise. An active and vibrant body is in a position to digest food effectively. I have thus taken it as an initiative to make a daily exercise plan which will enable me keep my body healthy and in shape. In conclusion, the health and nutrition activity has been of utmost benefit to me. I have been able to change my diet habits. I am now more health conscious and more aware of what happens within my body. This has revolutionized the way I make food choices. I can claim that I am equipped with skills and knowledge on food and nutrition and therefore in a position to live a good quality life. Reference USDA. (2012). MyPyramid tracker. Retrieved from http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov   Read More