Category: Nutrition

Skills You’ll Gain by Completing This Assignment
Analyze diet from a “whole picture” approach
Consider small ways to change intake to better meet your individualized needs
Evaluate possible barriers to making successful lifestyle changes
Introduction to Your Assignment
Check this brief video for an orientation to NUTR 100 resources and assignments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6dhea-iNIs
After all the readings you’ve reviewed and skills you’ve practiced in our course so far, it’s time to take a step back and look at everything from a bird’s eye view.
Consider your food journaling experience, your Cronometer analysis, as well as your MyPlate comparison and look for overarching themes and connections.
The goal of this assignment is to help you find areas that could make the biggest positive impact on your health! In this assignment, you will:
Consider your diet as a full picture
Discover options for changes that could help you better meet the recommendations for the general population or your own calculated needs
Connect these changes to health outcomes
Brainstorm potential barriers that could get in the way of your success in making these changes
See example assignment and rubric (below) for additional assistance before starting on this assignment. Make sure to review the rubric before submitting your assignment to ensure that you have included all the assignment expectations.
NOTE: Please carefully read the rubric (see below) before submitting your assignment to ensure that you have included all the assignment expectations. After your grade has been posted, please check the grading rubric for detailed feedback from your instructor and suggestions for improvement.
NOTE: If you completed an alternative assignment for Units 4 and 5 Assignments due to the triggering nature of the assignment criteria, continue using the same approach you used previously or please reach out to your instructor for an alternate assignment option.
Instructions
You should include about seven paragraphs in your paper.
An introduction paragraph, explaining how the course activities have helped you see possible areas of change in your diet
One paragraph per change you suggest to yourself, for a total of five paragraphs
A conclusion that ties your goals together into one complete picture of your diet
Make sure to include APA formatted in-text citations and a reference list when appropriate. While there is no minimum word count, most students find that they can convey their thoughts in a detailed, clear manner in about 500 – 700 words.
You must address the following in paragraph format:
How have the course activities helped you see areas of possible improvements in your diet?
Five unique, specific changes you would like to make after everything you’ve learned in this course
Consider nutrients, food groups, and specific goals you are working toward.
Provide specifics such as food substitutions or changes and/or numerical data from past assignments or reliable sources.
Changes should be focused on foods and beverages, not supplements.
Provide details as to exactly what this change entails.
Examples: What will you add and how will you add it? What will you replace and what will you replace it with? Etc.
What health outcome might you expect from making this change?
Explain the health-based/nutrition-science-based reason for making each change.
If you removed a food or beverage, why?
If you added something to your diet, explain what nutrient(s) you were trying to add and why. Etc.
Make sure to connect these health outcomes to credible and reliable sources in APA format.
A conclusion that creates one complete picture of your diet
Which nutrients or food groups were you the most worried about in terms of lack or excess throughout the course assignments?
How do your above goals tie into those areas of improvement?
Include numerical data from your past assignments when appropriate.
Optional: Want to Expand Even More?
This optional content is not required and is not worth additional points.
These additional topics may be interesting to consider as you close out this course. Feel free to add these talking points to your paper if you wish.
What factors could impact your ability to keep up with these changes long term?
Consider environmental, mental, physical, and emotional barriers that could impact your ability to continue these changes.
Are any of these factors completely out of your control? If so, what could you do to mitigate the impact of that factor?
Connect your goals to your most recent laboratory report or your most recent physical with your doctor.
How will these changes help reach the goals set by you and your medical team?
Are your goals realistic? As we learned in this course, it’s important to make small, achievable goals.
Discuss why they are or are not realistic and what that means for your success.
Due on Oct 1, 2024 11:59 PM
Week 6- MyPlate Plan
Throughout this course I am learning that the Ketogenic Diet may not be the healthiest for my long term benefit. I feel sustained but I may not be consuming adequate calories to meet my nutritional needs. I also exercise daily and have not adjusted my caloric intake to compensate for the expended energy. According to the MyPlate Plan I should consume 2200 calories to achieve a healthy weight or 2600 calories to maintain my current weight. I am currently trying to lose 20lbs.
One food group I am able to comfortably meet my target goals is Protein. MyPlate Plan suggests 6 oz of protein daily. I consume approximately 12 ounces / 77 grams of protein daily. 2 large hard boiled eggs equals 12 grams of protein (2 oz), 2 thick cut slices of bacon equals 6 grams of protein (.5 oz), 1 chicken thigh is 25 grams of protein (3.5oz), ½ cup of pistachios equals 12 grams of protein (2.5 oz) and 1 pork chop equals 22 grams of protein (4 oz).
The next food group is vegetables. According to MyPlate I should consume 3 cups of vegetables daily, I consume approximately 2.5 cups. 8 asparagus spears equals 1 cup, ½ cup of steamed broccoli equals .5 cups. 1 medium sweet potato equals 1 cup and 1 deli pickle equals 3 oz.
In the category of Grains I am nowhere near meeting the 7 oz requirement. I do not consume bread, cereal, rice or pasta. Moving forward I would like to at least try to incorporate small servings of pasta into my ketogenic diet.
The next food category is Fruit, I am meeting my target for fruit each day byI consuming 2 cups of cubed watermelon daily.
In the category of Dairy I am not meeting the goal of 3 cups. I only consume 1 cup of Chobani yogurt and 1 kraft string cheese (1 oz) daily.
My saturated fat intake was under the recommendation of 29 grams at 12.8 grams of saturated fat. I did not currently make any special considerations when making food choices to help me stay under this limit but I feel that adjustments are necessary in the near future based on what I’ve learned in this class.
My sodium intake is within the target limit of 1300 mgs. I currently consume approximately 857 mgs.
Overall, I feel that my current ketogenic diet can lead to a lack of vitamins, minerals and fiber due to the food restrictions. Abstaining from whole grains and fruits definitely helps me lose and maintain my weight but I am sacrificing nutrients that my body needs to be healthy. I also face the risk of increased LDL cholesterol which is linked to heart disease.
SAMPLE!!
Unit 7 Sample Assignment
Name
Date
Many concepts have been covered and many skills practiced over the past seven weeks in NUTR 100. I learned how to maintain a food journal with emphasis on the amount of each item I was consuming. Completing a nutrient analysis was a first for me, as was comparing my intake to a tool like MyPlate. All these skills collectively informed me of the importance of paying attention to what I am eating. Thanks to these assignments and all our course readings, I now have a few plans for changes in my real diet to help lower my risk of chronic disease!
One of our first tasks was to complete a food journal. During this task, I learned the importance of measuring serving sizes. I never realized how much of each food I was eating before. My first change will be to continue measuring my foods and that includes measuring out ingredients in the dishes I make all the time. This can help me maintain a healthy weight and ensure I’m reaching my MyPlate goals daily. Meeting MyPlate goals can help me maintain a healthy weight (United States Department of Agriculture, n.d.).
While filling out my original food journal, and later in the nutrient analysis, I realized I was eating a lot of fat sources. My current intake is 39% of total calories, above the AMDR of 20-35%. While some of my fat intake is from avocado, a lot of it is from butter. To help keep my heart healthy, I will substitute avocado, olive oil, or nut butter for the original salted butter I had on my food log a few weeks ago (Callahan, Leonard, & Powell, 2020).
I also learned that I have a very limited fiber intake. This was demonstrated in the Cronometer Nutrition Report but also highlighted by my lack of vegetables and whole grains in the MyPlate assignment. Increasing my fiber intake could help with the constipation I occasionally experience and lower my risk of cardiovascular disease (Callahan, Leonard, & Powell, 2020).
Speaking of heart health, I am worried about the lack of unsaturated fats in my diet. Unsaturated fats can be helpful for lowering LDL cholesterol (Callahan, Leonard, & Powell, 2020), which I need to work on. I would like to add a serving of walnuts or pistachios every day to add in more unsaturated fats in an easy way.
One more change that I feel I should make is bringing snacks with me to work. Since I sometimes forget my lunch at home, I end up eating fast food more often than I would like to. To help combat the need to go out and get lunch from a nearby fast food restaurant, I would like to bring in snacks for me to use in place of lunch in a pinch. I think some easy, tasty options could be the nuts I mentioned in my discussion on unsaturated fats, freeze dried fruits, and whole grain crackers. These foods will help me add in more fiber and increase my unsaturated fat intake, which will be helpful for both heart and gut health, as discussed above. In addition, replacing the fast food with these items will help me decrease my saturated fat and sodium intake, which will be awesome as well!
Overall, I was most concerned about my fat and fiber intake while working on the course assignments. I could clearly see I was taking in more saturated fat than the recommended 10% of calories per day and not taking in enough unsaturated fat. It was also very evident that I was only taking in less than 30% of the recommended fiber I should be, with only 8 grams per day on average. These nutrients are being highlighted in the goals I have outlined above and together; I should notice a difference in my LDL cholesterol at my next appointment!
Callahan, A., Leonard, H. & Powell, T. (2020). Nutrition: Science & Everyday Application, v. 2.0. https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/nutritionscience2e/
United States Department of Agriculture. (n.d.). MyPlate. https://www.myplate.gov
Unit 4 Assignment Nutrient Tables (STEP 3)
To complete these tables, please have your Nutrition Report available (report from Trends – Nutrition Report on Cronometer). The shaded table cells are the sections you’ll need to enter your information.
See the sample assignment for an example. Also, feel free to ask questions via the Ask the Professor discussion board or through email.
Table 1: Calories (Energy)
Use the “Energy Summary” circles on your Nutrition Report to fill in this table. Make sure to include “Remaining” or “Over” with your numerical answer in the third column. (Example: 304 calories over)
Calories Consumed
Calories Burned
Remaining/Over
614
2125
1510
Table 2: Percent of Nutrients from Each Macronutrient
You will need to be in your active Nutrition Report in the open Cronometer website to obtain the three nutrient percentages needed for your table below (gray boxes). To get the percent values, hover over the blue (carbohydrates), red (fat), or protein (green) sections of the “Consumed” circle in the “Energy Summary” section of your “live” Nutrition report.
Be sure to add up the three percentages to make sure they equal 100%. Your total may be slightly over or under due to rounding (or under 100% due to inclusion of alcohol in your original Cronometer entries). Enter the sum of percentages of total calories from carbohydrates, fat, and protein into the fourth-row middle column.
Nutrient
Percent of Total Calories
AMDR
Carbohydrates
29%
45 – 65%
Fat
55%
20 – 35%
Protein
36%
10 – 35%
Total:
=100 %
Table 3: Micronutrients
To complete this table, you will use your Cronometer report as well as the RDA/AI and Tolerable Upper Limit information available at the following links. Your ‘Average Intake’ will come from the Cronometer report.
The RDA/AI column information will come from the links labeled with “RDA/AI” except for Vitamin D.
For Vitamin D, the units from Cronometer do not match the RDA/AI units found in the link below. While this is the most recent publication for RDA/AIs, presently IUs are the preferable measurement for vitamin D. As a result, Cronometer provides the results in IUs for this vitamin. Use the following reference:
Vitamin D – RDA 600 IU for males and females
The Tolerable Upper Intake Level column information will come from the links labeled with “Tolerable Upper Limits.”
Vitamins RDA/AI (RDA/AI column in the table below)
Note: Vitamin D is not in the same unit of measurement as the Cronometer Nutrition Report. Please us 600 IU in the RDA/AI column.
Vitamins Tolerable Upper Limits (Tolerable Upper Limit column in the table below)
Note: Vitamin D is not in the same unit of measurement as the Cronometer Nutrition Report. Please us 4000 IU in the Tolerable Upper Intake Level column.
Minerals RDA/AI (RDA/AI column in the table below)
Note: Copper is not in the same unit of measurement as the Cronometer Nutrition Report. Please convert the RDA/AI to mg by dividing the RDA/AI from the link by 1000 to obtain the information in mg.
Minerals Tolerable Upper Limits (Tolerable Upper Limit column in the table below)
Note: The phosphorus Tolerable Upper Intake Level is in grams. Please multiply by 1000 to obtain the correct information in the same measurement unit. Example: 4 g x 1000 = 4,000 mg.
Nutrient
Average Intake
RDA/AI
Tolerable Upper Intake Level
B1 (Thiamine)
,4mg
1.1mg
ND
B2 (Riboflavin)
.7mg
1.1mg
ND
B3 (Niacin)
8.7mg
14mg
35mg
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
2.4mg
5*mg
ND
B6 (Pyridoxine)
.9mg
1.5mg
100mg
B12 (Cobalamin)
2.6µg
2.4µg
ND
Folate
160.6µg
400µg
1000µg
Vitamin A
433.5µg
700µg
3000µg
Vitamin C
41.7mg
75mg
2000mg
Vitamin D
141.2IU
600IU
4000IU
Vitamin E
4.2mg
15mg
1000mg
Vitamin K
286.8µg
90µg
ND
Calcium
267.7mg
1200mg
2000mg
Copper
.4µg
900µg
10,000µg
Iron
4.0mg
8mg
45mg
Magnesium
68.8mg
320mg
350mg
Manganese
.7mg
1.8mg
11mg
Phosphorus
392.4mg
700mg
4mg
Potassium
1032.8mg
2600mg
ND
Selenium
51.5µg
55µg
400µg
Sodium
855.8mg
1500mg
ND
Zinc
5.4mg
8mg
40mg
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) are published by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
NIH Nutrient References and Databases available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/nutrientrecommendations.aspx

In place of the Reflection Question Assignment, for this module, please do the following assignment.

Step 1: Please use the link below to access and watch this video. Be sure to prepare careful notes about what you have viewed/learned.
“Genetic Roulette”Links to an external site.
Step 2:
Based on the information presented in the film, “Genetic Roulette”, please compose a short (350-550 word) essay focusing on ONE of the following questions: 1) “Briefly describe the process of creating a “GMO”. How does this possibly “set the stage” for a potential “health issue” later in life (e.g., IBS). 2) “Do GMOs add anything of value to our food supply? Please explain your position. 3) “What crops in the U.S. are currently dominated by “GMO seed stock”? What are the benefits (if any) and potential consequences of this? 4) “What individual and collective actions are you willing to take to alter the concentration of GMO foods in our environment (from home pantry to supermarket shelves?)” 5) “Should the FDA demand better research of the companies producing GMO seed stock/plants? Why or why not?” 6) What are your principle criticisms concerning this film (if any) and positive affirmations?

“GMOs Have No Real Role in Producing Food Allergies?” Do you agree with this statement? Please explain your position.
Instructions for completing this DQA:
Please create your own 350 to 550 word post. You will need to do some “outside research” concerning this topic.
Be sure to cite your sources using an APA format.
Your post should be accurate, thoughtful, thought provoking, and contain good depth and detail to support your position.
Your post should be free of spelling and grammar errors, and not be written as though you were “texting to a friend”.

Step #1:
Please click the following link to watch “Forks Over Knives”Links to an external site.. Please watch the entire video and take notes.
If you are having trouble accessing the above copy of this video, please check on YouTube. Please try using this link:
Spanish language subtitled version of “Forks Over Knives”Links to an external site.
(Assuming this link is still active when you attempt to access it, you will note that the subtitles are in Spanish. You can alter the “closed captioning” subtitles to English if need be. The spoken language in this copy of the video is English. You will also need to “sign in” to verify your age with YouTube).
Step #2:
Please compose a short (450-850 word) essay summarizing the research of both Dr. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, as presented in the video, “Forks Over Knives”. (Please address these questions: “What did each do?” “What was the methodology of their respective research projects?” “What were their findings?”).

Do not attach a file. Cut and paste your answers to Part III on the discussion board so it is easier to read.
Review the meal plans your classmates created for Mike. Do you agree with the number of choices recommended from each food group? Why/why not? Come to an agreement on a diet prescription for Mike.
At least three posts required on at least two different days.

Do not attach a file. Cut and paste your answers to Part III on the discussion board so it is easier to read.
Review the meal plans your classmates created for Mike. Do you agree with the number of choices recommended from each food group? Why/why not? Come to an agreement on a diet prescription for Mike.
At least three posts required on at least two different days.

Do not attach a file. Cut and paste your answers to Part III on the discussion board so it is easier to read.
Review the meal plans your classmates created for Mike. Do you agree with the number of choices recommended from each food group? Why/why not? Come to an agreement on a diet prescription for Mike.
At least three posts required on at least two different days.

Do not attach a file. Cut and paste your answers to Part III on the discussion board so it is easier to read.
Review the meal plans your classmates created for Mike. Do you agree with the number of choices recommended from each food group? Why/why not? Come to an agreement on a diet prescription for Mike.
At least three posts required on at least two different days.

Do not attach a file. Cut and paste your answers to Part III on the discussion board so it is easier to read.
Review the meal plans your classmates created for Mike. Do you agree with the number of choices recommended from each food group? Why/why not? Come to an agreement on a diet prescription for Mike.
At least three posts required on at least two different days.

Please read the following link. Open the link and investigate three (3) GI digestive disorders.
Write down two takeaways about each disorder.

Common Gastrointestinal (GI) Symptoms