There were many daily intakes recorded for the three days. Every food recorded provided different nutritional value. In 19th march, the proteins recorded were: eggs and chicken salad. In the same day, carbohydrate food recorded was THE BUDGET GOURMET LIGHT & HEALTHY Beef Sirloin Salisbury Steak with Red Skinned Potatoes & Vegetables. The lipids intake included: almonds, honey roasted. On 20th march, protein in the meals was Ham, Honey, smoked. The carbohydrate was the breakfast Sandwich, English muffin with Eggs, Cheese and Ham. The lipids taken in the same day was salad dressing, Caesar. On the last day, the protein was D’ANGELO’S Wrap, Turkey. The Carbohydrates were KELLOGG’S ALL BRAN Cereal and the Barbecued Chicken. Finally, the lipids in the uptake were the BACK TO NATURE Nuts, Almonds, California, Unroasted, and Unsalted. Each particular day, there was an intake of all the nutritional diets: proteins, carbohydrates and lipids (McDowell, 2003). The Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) is nutritional recommendations that was passed and approved by the National Academies (United States) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Each food taken on each day contained different nutrient levels. However, the nutrients levels were balanced because every day had different values of fiber, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, cholesterol, and fatty acids. Each food intake, for instance, breakfast, had a number of nutrients because a protein was mixed with a carbohydrate and vice versa. This is to ensure that the food contained many nutrients and also meets that Dietary Reference Intakes. However, in order to balance the dietary nutrition, there is need to combine the foods in order so that they may become complimentary. Not all proteins I took were complete therefore the need for combining the proteins. Different proteins have differing numbers of amino acids which are the building blocks for proteins. The amino acids have to come from the diet (McDowell, 2003). This is the reason proteins are combined so that they may provide all the required amino acids.
There is a daily recommended level of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids intakes. Carbohydrates are required by the body of human beings for energy. Carbohydrates break down into glucose which provides energy in the body. Because glucose is the main energy source for the body, most of the calories from the diet, needs to come from carbohydrates. They have about 4 calories per gram. This implies that if a body requires about 1,800 calories each day, then one need between 202 and 292 grams of carbohydrates. I was able to achieve the levels of carbohydrates because the first day, the intake was 262 grams; the second day was 289 grams; and the last day was 254 grams. This implies that the level for carbohydrates was achieved. However, to increase the levels of these nutrients in the body, people can increase the consumption of fresh produce, non-fat dairy products, legumes, vitamins and minerals. Proteins are required by the body of a person to give structure to the cells and to provide energy when fats and carbohydrates are not available. The daily diet should contain about 10 to 35 percent protein, which is 4 grams per proteins. When basing this on the 1,800 calories required by the body daily, it is estimated that the human body should consume about 45 to 100 grams of proteins. In my case, the daily consumption of proteins was about 39 grams. This level is fine for a sedentary person like me who do not handle strenuous jobs. Fat is also required by the body as a component of cells and blood vessels. Fats are also required in order to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. They also provide the body with energy then glucose is depleted in the body. The body needs about 40 to 70 grams of fat per day which was met by my daily consumptions which was ranging within 50 and 60 grams (Barness, 1993).
Having the macronutrients within the recommended levels is important to the health of human beings. A diet that has a balanced macronutrient distribution can help a person reduce the risk of contacting diseases while nurturing the process of gaining or losing weight. The most important nutrients are not only vitamins and minerals; the major ones are proteins, fat, and carbohydrates. These nutrients are important to the nutritional health and the well-being of the human body. In order to have a balance of the food intakes, the Dietary Reference Intakes was created to evaluate how nutritious a diet is. The factors in consideration include: estimated average requirement, adequate intake, estimated energy requirement, recommended dietary allowance, and the acceptable macronutrients distribution range, among others. The acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges for grown people are: proteins: 110-35%, fat: 20-35%, and carbohydrates: 45-65% (World Health Organization, 1996). Little carbohydrates in the body result to weight loss because of the little calorie intake. It also causes dizziness, weakness, fatigue, nausea, bad breath, among others. Lipids comprise of a groups of molecules that includes fat. Lack of enough lipids in the body may result in lack of enough fat-soluble vitamins. For instance, vitamin K is found in most green vegetables. Also, lack of enough lipids may result in the weakness of bones. Lack of enough proteins in the body is the decrease in the mass of the muscles and a physical weakness. In addition, the body of a person becomes less immune because of low protein intakes. The daily fiber intake does not meet the recommended values because of the little intake of fiber-containing diets. Foods that may be taken to increase the fiber contents are: spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked, the bran flakes, Barley, pearled, cooked, and Oat bran muffin. Foods with the list content of fiber include: white rice, white bread, pancakes or waffles, among others. To increase the fiber content, I will be consuming the foods mentioned above with the high content of fiber. Low or high amounts of macronutrients in the body may contribute to health or illness. For example, high intake of proteins might result in kidney failure, while low intake might result to the weakening of the immune system (Enser, 1998). I have learned that my diet is within the recommended values and I should continue consuming all the macronutrients.
References
McDowell, L. R. (2003). Minerals in animal and human nutrition (No. Ed. 2). Elsevier Science BV.
Barness, L. A. (1993). Pediatric nutrition handbook.
World Health Organization. (1996). Trace elements in human nutrition and health.
Enser, M., Hallett, K. G., Hewett, B., Fursey, G. A. J., Wood, J. D., & Harrington, G. (1998). Fatty acid content and composition of UK beef and lamb muscle in relation to production system and implications for human nutrition. Meat science, 49(3), 329-341.
