Nutritional

Personal Diet and Weight Loss Management Analysis

Each morning I get on the scales and hope that I can celebrate losing a pound or two. The numbers I see on the scale represent a gauge that keeps me moving forward in a weight loss program . When I look at the numbers on the scale I realize I am making progress in losing weight, however, am I putting my body at more risk just by limiting certain foods? Comparing and contrasting my typical diet to the amounts of daily nutrients recommended in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid has proven that I am not a healthy eater. I may have to make some dramatic changes or face significant health issues in the future. After reviewing several plans, I have chosen the South Beach Diet to follow to take advantage of the healthy benefits of following a low-carbohydrate diet.

The analysis of my dietary intake for two days is demonstrated on the chart below with the USDA guidelines for my age, gender and lifestyle group, a sedentary female over 50, as a comparison to the food groups and nutrients consumed (Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005):

Figure 1: Personal Diet as compared to Recommended Nutrition Intake

Nutrient Recommended Day 1 Day 2 Findings

Energy Intake 1600 calories 1770 1541 Need to stabilize

Grain Group 6 servings 5 3 Need to stabilize

Vegetable Group 3 servings 3 1 Need to stabilize

Fruit Group 2 1.5 1 Need to increase

Meat Group (ounces) 5 2 1.25 Need to increase

Protein Grams 72.8 90 58 Need to stabilize

Fat Grams 53 93 62 Need to reduce

Carb Grams 217 232 180 Need to stabilize

Fiber Grams 20-50 15 14 Need to increase

Water (ounces) 64 48 32 Need to increase

Sodium mg 1423 1820 940 Need to stabilize

Iron as % of RDA 14 2 6 Need to increase

Nutrient Recommended Day 1 Day 2 Findings

Cholesterol mgs 184 331 75 Need to stabilize

Calcium as % of RDA 1000-2000mg = 100% 28% 25% Need to increase

The comparison of my two-day nutrition intake to recommendations demonstrates that I do not consistently consume a healthy diet. I do not follow the recommendations in the Food Guide Pyramid. While foods within each group are consumed, my daily diet is not stable and must to be adjusted to meet the recommendations. My overall eating habits are poor and unfortunately reflect consistency with other Americans where it is thought that "only three percent of all individuals meet four of the five recommendations for the intake of grains, fruits, vegetables, milk product, and meat and bean food groups (HealthierUS.Gov, 2005)."

USDA Guide to Daily Food Choices

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pmap.html

The analysis of my diet quickly leads to the next step where I identified the highest health risk alerts associated with my eating habits. These include: diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer. The risk factors contributing to diabetes include only having a moderate amount of exercise, being overweight, having a low intake of fiber and having a sweet tooth. The weight gain can be attributed in part due to aging but also a diet high in carbohydrates and fat.

I am at risk for osteoporosis due to the fact that I do not have enough calcium or iron in my diet and lead a fairly sedentary lifestyle. Increasing my intake of milk and dairy products will meet the nutritional recommendations and a program of weight bearing exercise will also contribute to reducing the risk of this disease. Additionally, I will schedule a bone density test as part of my next physical exam as an integral part of assessing my bone status for this disease.

Heart disease, especially hypertension, is a possible health risk as my sodium intake is not consistent and ranges in the high levels, up to 1800 milligrams in a day. I need to stabilize my sodium intake to the normal which is about 1400 milligrams in a 1600 calorie diet.

The lack of fiber in my diet not only increases the risk of diabetes but also increases the risk of colon cancer. Healthier US.Gov, a nutrition website, states "It has been estimated that dietary changes could reduce cancer deaths in the United States by as much as 35 percent." However, my family does not have colon cancer in our history, which is a plus in my favor. My analysis shows that I must add a variety of fruits and vegetables to my diet as well as increasing the amount of water I drink. Adequate water intake will allow me to stay hydrated and meet the needs for more fluids in a higher fiber diet.

Entering my age, weight, and gender in a Body Mass Index (BMI) program reveals that my index is 31.3 and shows that I need to reduce my weight by almost 30 pounds to achieve a recommended BMI of 108.5-25. After researching several low-carbohydrate, low-fat diet plans, I concluded that the South Beach Diet, developed by Dr. Arthur Agatston, a cardiologist from the Miami Beach, Florida area, most met my nutritional and health needs. A positive is that this diet plan offers variety while not being restrictive in portion control. It supports a life-long change in eating in a more healthful way and offers many recipes and cooking tips to adopt.

Dr. Agatston began not by looking for a diet plan but by looking for ways to improve the health of his patients. He researched several of the recommended diets from the American Heart Association and found that these along with other low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets were very restricted. As a result, his patients were not following these diets and if they were, the reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides levels in their blood work was not as visible as promised. Dr. Agatston's work in developing a new diet included understanding obesity and how insulin works in the body. He recognized that "there was another not terribly well-understood diet-related problem that they shared, a so-called metabolic syndrome (prediabetes) found in close to half of all Americans who suffer heart attacks."(The South Beach Diet, 2003, p8.) He set out to learn about nutrition as an important part in developing a plan; incorporating healthy eating into each phase of his