Unit 6 MyPlate Comparison Analysis Paper [Name] [Date] Throughout the course, I

Unit 6 MyPlate Comparison Analysis Paper

[Name]

[Date]

Throughout the course, I have learned that my diet is far from adequate. I am taking in too many calories, too little vitamin D and calcium, and two of my three macronutrients are out of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range. Now, I will compare one day of my intake to the MyPlate Plan closest to my calorie target of 2,600 calories per day.

One group that I surpassed the target for was fruit. I consumed a total of four cup servings of fruit on this day. I determined that I met the target because I consumed 1 small banana, which counts as 1 cup fruit serving, 1 large apple, which counts as 2 cup servings of fruit, and 1 cup blueberries, which counts as 1 cup serving of fruit.

The next food group is vegetables. I consumed about 2.5 cup servings of vegetables, not quite making the goal of 3 ½ cups per day. I consumed 1 cup lettuce, which counts as ½ cup vegetable serving, 1 cup mashed potatoes, which counts as 1 cup vegetables, and 1 small tomato plus 1 mushroom, which I counted as 1 cup total of vegetables.

I was very far from meeting my grains target of 9 oz equivalents. I consumed 1 cup oatmeal, which counts as 2 oz equivalents, and 1 slice white bread, which counts as 1 oz equivalent, for a total of 3 oz equivalents.

My protein target is 6.5 oz equivalents. I surpassed this target by a lot! I consumed 4 Tbsp of peanut butter, which counts as 4 oz equivalents. I also consumed 3 large hardboiled eggs, which counts as 3 oz equivalents. I also consumed a total of 5 oz of chicken breast, which counts as 5 oz equivalents. This brings my total to 12 oz equivalents for the day, nearly double my target.

I did not consume any dairy on this day. My target is 3 cups of dairy.

I met my goal for limits. My saturated fat intake was under the recommendation of 29 grams at 20.4 grams of saturated fat. I did not make any special considerations when making food choices to help me stay under this limit.

My sodium intake was low, at 1,112 mg per day. I do try to limit my sodium to help me stay under the limit of less than 2,300 mg per day. I check food labels and make sure that my items do not contain more than 400 mg sodium per serving for most food items I consume.

Overall, I have learned that I have improvements I could make in my diet to improve the variety of foods I am eating. I consumed excess fruit and protein, but did not consume adequate vegetables, grains, or dairy. I also need to practice moderation with my protein intake. I consumed only three different sources, but ate almost twice as much protein as MyPlate recommends for me based on the 2,600 calorie MyPlate Plan.