Day 1 - Food Intake Assessment

Based on the information you have provided, your daily energy requirement is estimated to be 1,954 kcal. This energy requirement is the level of calorie intake from food that will balance the calories your body burns, thus maintaining your weight. For weight loss, you should consume fewer calories and be more active. If you need to gain weight, consume more calories than your body requires.
Period of Analysis: 10/06/2011 - 10/06/2011
Energy (kcal) Carbohydrate (g) Protein (g) Total Fat (g) Saturated Fat (g) Cholesterol (mg) Calcium (mg) Dietary Fibre (g) Sodium (mg) Average intake per day 1,470 165.9 62.7 61.3 17.4 170.7 134.8 15.0 2,521.4 Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) 1,954 293.1 61.9 65.1 21.7 195.4 1,000.0 19.5 1,303.2 % of recommendation met 75 57 101 94 80 87 13 77 193
View graph of actual nutritional intake compared against RDA Energy 75% Carbohydrate 57% Protein 101% Total Fat 94% Saturated Fat 80% Cholesterol 87% Calcium 14% Dietary Fibre 77% Sodium 194% 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 % RDA Met
Table showing the % of total calories of diet versus recommendation
% of total energy intake Your diet Recommendation Total Carbohydrates 45% 55 - 65% Total Protein 17% 10 - 15% Total Fat 38% 25 - 30%
Nutrition messages based on results Sodium Your sodium intake was greater than the recommended amounts. Sodium acts like a sponge, holding water in our body. Excess sodium increases the blood volume, which then raises the pressure in our blood vessels. Hypertension or high blood pressure increases the risk of stroke and heart attacks. The main source of sodium in our diet comes from salt (sodium chloride) and sauces added during cooking or at the table. To cut down on sodium intake, gradually reduce the use of salt and sauces when preparing or cooking food so that your taste buds have the chance to adjust. Try flavouring foods with natural seasonings like lemon juice or herbs and spices. Choose fresh food over processed foods over processed foods and enjoy the natural taste of foods. When eating out, ask for less sauces or gravy in dishes. Calcium You were not getting enough calcium in your diet. Without adequate calcium, you may be at risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition where your bones become weak and brittle. If left untreated, osteoporosis can worsen until a fracture (crack or break in the bone) occurs. Increase your calcium intake from a variety of sources. Consume calcium-enriched breads and biscuits, green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified juices, high-calcium soya bean milk, ikan bilis, sardines (with bones), tofu, as well as milk and other dairy products. Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium. Your body can make this vitamin after sunlight hits your skin. You can easily obtain enough by getting at least 30-60 minutes of sunlight a day. Aside from eating wisely, remember to make exercise a part of your life. Exercise helps to burn fat, tone your muscles, improve your stamina, relax and sleep better, as well as keep you alert and study better! Exercise at least 20 to 60 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week, until you sweat and breathe deeply without getting breathless. Choose an exercise that you enjoy, and try a variety so that you don’t get bored. Keep your exercise routine simple, fun and interesting. When shopping for food, look out for products with the Healthier Choice Symbol. These products are lower in total fat, saturated fat, sodium and/or dietary fibre content compared to other products in the same category.

Certain Foods Analysis

An analysis of 2 dishes that i consumed during my 3-day diet. I felt that these 2 dishes were unhealthy, so I wanted to analyse them to check their nutritional component to confirm my thoughts.

1.	Rice, chicken with soya sauce, without skin, braised (Click on food name to view picture)
	Alternate Name : N/A Description : N/A Edible Portion : 100% Per Serving : 291 g
2.	Roti prata with egg (Click on food name to view picture)
	Alternate Name : N/A Description : Layered unleavened Indian bread with egg, fried with ghee Edible Portion : 100% Per Serving : 117 g
3.	Curry, dhal, no coconut (Indian) (Click on food name to view picture)
	Alternate Name : N/A Description : Green lentil stewed in chilli and spices Edible Portion : 100% Per Serving : 174.8 g

Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Total fat (g) Saturated fat (g) Dietary fibre (g) Carbohydrate (g) Cholesterol (mg) Sodium (mg) Calcium (mg) Iron (mg) Vitamin C (mg)

Rice, chicken with soya sauce, without skin, braised Roti prata with egg Curry, dhal, no coconut (Indian) 503 288 134 24 12 11 15 14 4 4.9 5.8 1.2 1.7 2.3 7.6 69 28 14 26 175 0 1,009 363 406 50 32 61 0.99 0.60 1.75 N.A 0 2

By comparing the food analysis with the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA), I realised that chicken rice is high in energy. However, it has an extremely high level of sodium, and a high fat level. It contains 1,009mg of sodium, which is very unhealthy since this dish makes up only one of the three meals that I consume in a day, yet is almost half of the RDA of 2,300mg. I can also observe that roti prata (without curry) is high in fat, while the curry itself is rather high in sodium, 406mg. However, it is not as unhealthy as the chicken rice. From this analysis, I have found out that I need to cut down on these 2 dishes, as they are high in fat and sodium, which will increase my risk of high blood pressure and heart diseases.

Healthy Diet Pyramid

Based on the food pyramid, I should be eating more vegetables, carbohydrates, and dairy products, and cut down on the amount of meat, eggs etc.

Looking at my 3-day diet, the only time that I usually get to eat vegetables would be during dinner, but even then, I am eating much less than the recommended 3-5 servings. I need to eat more servings of vegetables to increase my dietary fibre. Luckily, I eat sufficient servings of fruits, which will provide me with some dietary fibre.

Secondly, I also need to increase my intake of carbohydrates. I am getting only an estimated 4-5 of the recommended 6-11 servings. For example, I usually only consume half a bowl or less rice at dinnertimes, and only eat one slice of bread for breakfast when eating at home. Carbohydrates are very important as they provide us with energy, so I will need to increase my consumption of this to get sufficient energy.

I should also consume more dairy products. Judging from my 3-day diet, I am getting almost no calcium each day. I can improve this by drinking at least one glass of fresh milk every day, and eat more yogurt or cheese to increase the amount of calcium in my diet.

Although the healthy diet pyramid can provide a basic analysis of my diet, it is purely based on my judgement of how many servings of the different types of food I think I consume, thus is only a rough estimate. I will need to use other tools to provide greater insight and analysis of my own diet.

3-day diet

Day 1 – 10 June 2011, Friday
Time	Food eaten	Quantity
Breakfast- 9.10am	Bread with tuna and tomatoes	1 slice (bread) 3 thin slices (tomatoes)
Lunch- 1pm	Chicken Rice	1 plate
4.20pm	Lays Chips Original Flavour	1 handful
Dinner- 7.30pm	Rice Stir-fried vegetables with gravy Steamed fish Sesame oil chicken Corn soup Grapes	Half a bowl 2 Tablespoonfuls 1 piece 5 small pieces (cubes) ¾ bowl 1 bowl (approx. 20)

Day 2 – 11 June 2011, Saturday
Time	Food eaten	Quantity
Breakfast- 10am	Roti Prata (Egg) Curry	2 pieces 2 plates
Lunch- 1.35pm	Cold Japanese soba in soya sauce (soup) with seaweed and sesame seeds Fried tempura Pear	1 bowl 5 pieces 1 pear
Dinner- 7.30pm	Grilled beef (without marinade, but with added salt) Potato salad (with cheese on top) Brocolli and carrots Rockmelon	200g 4 Tablespoonfuls 5 pieces 1 small bowl

Day 3 – 12 June 2011, Sunday
Time	Food eaten	Quantity
Breakfast- 10.20am	Yakun Kaya Toast Half-boiled eggs Iced coffee	2 slices of bread (4 pieces of toast) 2 eggs 1 regular-sized cup
Lunch- 1.55pm	Fried rice with egg, charsiew and prawns	1 plate
Tea- 5.25pm	Strawberry cake with fresh cream on top	1 slice
Dinner- 7.45pm	Rice Baby spinach salad with soya + sesame oil sauce (dressing) on top Fish Sliced pork with onions Wintermelon soup Apple	Half a bowl 1 small plateful 1 piece 6 small pieces ½ bowl 1 apple