1. Overview the findings from MyPyramid.gov as it relates to your diet.
Generally, I try to maintain a healthy diet and a healthy weight. My pyramid not only relates to the food but it relates to physical activity hence the person climbing the steps. Starting with the exercise I went for a 30 minute run which included doing some cross fit excersises. Following I biked (about 15-20 minutes). During the course of the day I drank three cans of soda, four cups of coffee, 1 litre of orange juice and three cups of water. For lunch I ate a mixture of grains (rice, bulgur), root vegetables, some chicken, some cheese and a piece of bread. For dinner I had a salad with olive oil. I also had 100 grams of chips and about 50 grams of candy.
The pyramid emphasizes that 27% of the diet should be grains and at least half as whole grains. I considered I consumed only about 10% of my diet to be whole grains.
Within the mixed vegetables at lunch and for dinner over 50% of the food I ate were vegetables. About 5% could be considered actual fruit that I consumed. Mypyramid recommends 15% Oils were virtually nothing compared to the recommended amount of 2% I had no milk or dairy based products in my diet. Mypyramid recommends 23%
2. Compare the major parts of your diet that the pyramid suggests to be high or low. Example: sodium intake is usually high for Americans. If it is high please tell me so, list the reasons why it may be high, and list ways to decrease your sodium intake. Other major categories would be fat intake (unsaturated or saturated), carbohydrate intake etc.)
As I had some chips I think the sodium content is quite high in this. The vegetable intake of my diet was higher than MyPyramid suggested as well as the meat intake seemed to be slightly higher. Fresh fruit and any grains were very low in my diet today. One major category would be carbohydrates. Today with the large number of sodas I drank and candy consume it has a lot of simple sugars that are not good. Also I did not consume any milk products at all. Nor did I eat a lot of fat during the day. Generally, I think my diet was below 2000 calories without the extra sugars consumed.
3. If your diet is different from the MyPyramid findings, write why it was different.
Generally, it is difficult to calculate the quantities of MyPyramid in things that you consume on a daily basis. Currently, as I am living alone and working & studying a lot. This routine leaves little time for going to the grocery store and meal planning. My fridge is usually empty and cheese or milk tends to go bad relatively quickly. Related to this I am not making food regularly and buy my major source of nutrients comes from the cafeteria or a restaurant. Thus I am at the mercy of the meal planners and cooks at these particular restaurants. This is probably not so good for my diet as people that have the ability to cook tend to be healthier, and may possibly have a wider range of foods that they eat (Lang, 1999). Within men it seems that diet and health are two different things (Gough, 2006). Additionally, since I am working a lot I tend to eat meat as this can satiate in my stomach longer and I can skip meals. Between or to replace any meals I snack on items which usually include carbohydrate items like soft drinks or chips. My diet may change day to day and on some days I might cover the pyramid whereas on other days it is swayed in one direction. Reflecting on my diet I could eat more fruits, grains and fish and less meat. If I lived with somebody I would be more inclined to cook and store particular foods which would increase the breadth of food so that the Mypyramid recommendations could be essentially covered. Mypyramid might not apply to my case and all the boxes might be difficult to fill. Perhaps they should make a Mypyramid for students or I should personalize it for my lifestyle.
References
MyPyramid.gov USDA n.d. web. Accessed April 27, 2015.
Gough, B., & Conner, M. T. (2006). Barriers to healthy eating amongst men: a qualitative analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 62(2), 387-395.
Lang, T., Caraher, M., Dixon, P., & Carr-Hill, R. (1999). Cooking skills and health. London: Health Education Authority.
