DIET AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROJECT This assignment has the potential to be the most useful, most practical, most eye-opening undertaking of your college career! I say potential, because ultimately it boils down to your degree of motivation and attention to detail. The goal of this project is to provide you with an accurate snapshot of your current nutrition and physical activity status. You will learn about your personal nutrient deficiencies, toxicities, eating behaviors, weight management issues, and your risk for health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and anemia. Step 1: Record everything you eat and drink for 3 consecutive days. A major source of error with this sort of project is changing your eating habits when you are asked to write it all down. You want this project to be as accurate as possible so continue to eat normally. You will not be graded or judged in any way based on the quality of your diet, so please be open and honest. Use Thursday/Friday/Saturday for your three recording days. We all tend to eat and act a bit differently on the weekends, and that information needs to be averaged into your project. Record food data: o Use the Food Intake Log sheets. Feel free to make additional copies if needed. o For greatest accuracy, enter individual food items on separate lines. For example, one sandwich = 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 2 slices of deli turkey, 1 oz of cheese, 1 oz of tomato, 1 oz of lettuce, 1 tbsp mustard (each on a separate line). o Record brand names if available; it will help you navigate the computer database faster. o Don t forget the extras like salad dressings, condiments, sugar, cream, etc. o For each meal or snack, record the following information: Hunger rating. 1 = not hungry; 3 = hungry; 5 = starving What was your overall mood while eating? Happy, sad, angry, depressed, stressed, bored, etc? Did you eat mindfully (yes or no)? Eating mindfully means being fully present, aware, and attentive to all dimensions of eating. It means eating without distraction (no television, no reading, no driving, etc) and being in tune with your body s hunger and satiety cues (eating more when you are hungry, stopping when you are full). Record accurate portion sizes: o A major source of error is underestimating energy intake due to inaccurate recall of portion sizes, so please take care and be realistic. o Record portion sizes in terms of cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, ounces, slices, inches, etc. Do not use terms like glass, mug, or bowl because not all glasses, mugs and bowls are the same size. o For packaged foods use the serving size information on the food label. o You can easily estimate portion sizes using your hand or common household items: 1 teaspoon = tip of thumb 1 tablespoon = 2 thumbs 1 cup = fist, tennis ball 1 oz = thumb, matchbook, four dice 3 oz = palm of hand, deck of cards, bar of soap Special notes: o Do NOT record non-caloric vitamin and mineral supplements. One of the purposes of this project is to determine how well your food choices provide the nutrients you need without relying on supplements. o For grains, be sure to correctly indicate cooked ( ckd ) or uncooked ( dry ) quantities. o For combination dishes like burritos, casseroles, stir-fry, etc., you may choose a comparable item in the computer database, but for greatest accuracy record the individual ingredients if you know them. Determine the amount of the individual ingredients. For turkey casserole, this might look like 12oz elbow pasta, 2 medium zucchini, ½ lb of ground turkey, and 28oz of stewed tomatoes. If you only ate ¼ of it, then might look like 3oz elbow pasta, 1/2 medium zucchini, 2 oz ground turkey, and 7oz of stewed tomatoes (each on a separate line). Step 2: Record all purposeful physical activity for the same 3 days as above. A major source of error is overestimating energy expenditure due to inaccurate recall of exercise intensity and/or duration. Be as objective and conservative as possible about your physical activity. For example, did you really walk/jog/run for 60mins, or was that just the length of time that you had your shoes on?
Record physical activity data: o Use the Physical Activity Log sheet. o Record Intensity and duration for all activities. Record intensity in relative terms (easy, moderate, hard) or absolute terms (watts or mph). Relative example: 60 mins of moderate-intensity aerobics (less accurate). Absolute example: 30 min walking to/from class at 2mph (more accurate). o You may pool different periods of the same activity on a single line. For example, 10 mins of walking to and from 3 classes can be entered as 30 mins of walking at 2mph. o Do not record normal activities of daily living like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, preparing meals, etc. These sorts of activities will be accounted for later in the project. Step 3: Enter your food and physical activity data into the SuperTracker website. Log on to the USDA SuperTracker website and set up your profile (www.supertracker.usda.gov) o Click Create profile in the upper right corner of the screen and follow the registration instructions. o You must enter your body weight in order to calculate physical activity energy expenditure. o Register your account if you d like to access the data at a later date. Enter your food data o Click on the Food Tracker tab. o Select the proper date (top left of the screen) o Search for and add the foods that you ate from Day 1 of your Food Intake Log. The database is fairly comprehensive, but sometimes limited to specific terms. Try several variations of the food name if the first search doesn t meet your needs. Scroll to the bottom of each page to view all options. For example, cereal returns 200 options! Using brand names will help speed up the process. o Click on the best food match. Select the appropriate portion size. Select the meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks). Click + add ; continue until you have entered all of your foods for Day 1. o For days 2 and 3, select the proper date (top left of the screen) and repeat the above steps. Enter your physical activity data o IMPORTANT! Unlike your food data, you will need to enter your physical activity data for the full week. That is just how the program is set up. The good news is that the program allows you to select multiple days at once, so if you have a regular routine (e.g., workout Mon/Wed/Fri) it s easy to enter. o Click on the Physical Activity Tracker tab. o Search for and add the physical activities from Day 1 of your Physical Activity Log. Don t give up if your first search comes up empty. For example stairmaster doesn t work, but stair-treadmill machine does. Try the root word or different variations of the activity name. Find the best match from the list click Add+. Enter in the duration (time) and, check on the other days of the week that you perform the same activity. Generate your food intake and physical activity reports o Click on the My Reports tab. o Food intake data Select the Nutrients tab. Select the appropriate date ranges (View Report from: thru ) Click Create Report Print screen, or click Export Report As: PDF then print. o Physical activity data Select the Physical Activities tab. Select the appropriate week (View Report for the week of: ) Click Create Report Print screen, or click Export Report As: PDF then print.
Step 4: Micronutrient Deficiencies and Toxicities Worksheet Take a look at your Supertracker Nutrients Report. Calculate the percent of the target value that you consumed for each micronutrient (vitamins and minerals). Divide your actual intake for each micronutrient by it s target value and multiple by 100 to get a percent. Which two vitamins and minerals did you consume the LEAST of expressed as a percent of your target value? o Record these four micronutrients on your worksheet, along with how much you consumed, 1-2 primary functions, 1-2 deficiency symptoms, and 1-2 food sources for each. Which two vitamins and minerals did you consume the MOST of expressed as a percent of your target value? o Record these four micronutrients on your worksheet, along with how much you consumed, 1-2 primary functions, 1-2 toxicity symptoms, and 1-2 food sources for each Refer to your textbook or the chart provided on the class website for the primary functions, symptoms, and food sources. There are two textbooks on reserve at the COCC Library. Feel free to stop by my office hours if you would like to work through this step together. Step 5: Diet Composition Worksheet Calorie Sources o What percent of your calories are coming from carbohydrate, fat, and protein? This information is provided in the SuperTracker Nutrients Report under the average eaten column. How do each of your values compare to the target level? Are you over, within, or under the target? Lipid intake o Record your average daily intake of saturated fat, essential fatty acids, and cholesterol in the appropriate cells. These lipids play a primary role in the development of CVD. Fiber Intake o Record your average daily intake of total fiber. Ideally you would differentiate between soluble and insoluble fiber, but not all food manufacturers provide this information so the program can t accurately report these values. Fiber plays important roles in satiety, intestinal health, and blood cholesterol control. Step 6: Energy Balance Worksheet Calculate each component of your Total Energy Expenditure (TEE). o Use the appropriate gender equation for RMR energy expenditure. Is your value realistic? Think back to the estimates provided in class. o Multiply RMR by 0.2 to get an estimate of lifestyle energy expenditure. o Calculate your average daily physical activity energy expenditure. Determine your energy balance by subtracting TEE from your average daily caloric intake. o Your final energy balance calculation may or may not reflect reality. Energy balance values within +/- 250 kcal are generally considered accurate; within +/- 500 kcal are acceptable. o What are three potential sources of error when performing a 3-day diet and physical activity recall? (Hint: the answers are scattered throughout the project instructions). Step 7: Identify your strengths and weaknesses. Describe two strengths related to your diet and/or activity patterns. Explain why you consider these strengths. Describe two weaknesses related to your diet and/or activity patterns. Based on class content, suggest a course of action to improve each weakness. Step 7: Turn it in! Staple or clip all pages together in the order listed on the grade sheet and put them inside of a folder or large plain 9 x 12 envelope. Put your name on the outside. Don t seal the envelope, just close it with the metal clasp.
HEALTH PROJECT GRADE SHEET Name: Date: Make sure you get full credit! Turn in the following materials in the following order in a large envelope or folder. Points possible 1) Food Intake Logs (handwritten) Itemized meal descriptions / 5% Accurate portion size descriptions / 5% Hunger, mood, mindfulness ratings / 5% 2) Physical Activity Logs (handwritten) Activity mode, intensity, duration / 5% 3) Micronutrient Deficiency & Toxicity Worksheet Micronutrient deficiencies (10%) Micronutrient toxicities (10%) / 20% 4) Diet Composition Worksheet Calorie sources, part A (9%) Lipid intake (4%) Fiber intake (1%) / 14% 5) Energy Balance Worksheet Calculate energy balance (10%) Possible sources of error (3%) / 13% 7) Strengths and weaknesses Strengths and rationale (10%) Weaknesses and suggestions (13%) / 23% 8) Printed and accurate SuperTracker reports Nutrients report (5%) Physical activity report (5%) / 10% TOTAL: 100%
FOOD INTAKE LOG Day & date: Time 1 Food/Beverage Portion size 2 Hunger 3 Mood 4 Mindful 5 1 Time of day; 2 Standard portion size (see instructions); 3 Hunger scale 1-5 (see instructions); 4 Happy, sad, angry, depressed, stressed, rushed, bored, etc; 5 Did you eat mindfully without distraction (yes or no)?
FOOD INTAKE LOG Day & date: Time 1 Food/Beverage Portion size 2 Hunger 3 Mood 4 Mindful 5 1 Time of day; 2 Standard portion size (see instructions); 3 Hunger scale 1-5 (see instructions); 4 Happy, sad, angry, depressed, stressed, rushed, bored, etc; 5 Did you eat mindfully without distraction (yes or no)?
FOOD INTAKE LOG Day & date: Time 1 Food/Beverage Portion size 2 Hunger 3 Mood 4 Mindful 5 1 Time of day; 2 Standard portion size (see instructions); 3 Hunger scale 1-5 (see instructions); 4 Happy, sad, angry, depressed, stressed, rushed, bored, etc; 5 Did you eat mindfully without distraction (yes or no)?
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LOG Day 1 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 2 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 3 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 4 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 5 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 6 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) Day 7 - Physical activity 1 Intensity 2 Duration (min) 1 Must be purposeful physical activities or exercise (see instructions). 2 Absolute or relative intensity (see instructions).
NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES AND TOXCITIES WORKSHEET List the two vitamins and two minerals that you consumed the LEAST of expressed as percent of target value. Use your textbook or the chart provided on the class website to determine the primary function, 1-2 deficiency symptoms, and 2-3 food sources. Target % of Primary Primary Primary Vitamins value Target function deficiency food sources Minerals Target value % of Target Primary function Primary deficiency Primary food sources List the two vitamins and two minerals that you consumed the MOST of expressed as percent of target value. Use your textbook or the chart provided on the class website to determine the primary function, 1-2 toxicity symptoms, and 2-3 food sources. Target % of Primary Primary Primary Vitamins value target function toxicity food sources Minerals Target value % of target Primary function Primary toxicity Primary food sources
DIET COMPOSITION WORKSHEET CALORIE SOURCES What percent of your calories are coming from carbohydrate, fat, and protein? This information is provided in the SuperTracker Nutrients Report under the average eaten column. How do each of your values compare to the target level? Are you over, within, or under the target range? Macronutrient % of kcal (average eaten) Target range Over, within, or under? Carbohydrate Fat Protein LIPID INTAKE These lipids play a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease. How do you measure up to the target values? Average % kcal from saturated fat = % calories (Target = less than 10% of kcal) Average intake of linoleic (Omega-6) fat = g/day (Target = 12-17 g/day) Average intake of α-linolenic (Omega-3) fat = g/day (Target = 1-2 g/day) Average intake of cholesterol = mg/day (Target = less than 300mg/day) FIBER INTAKE Fiber is important for satiety, intestinal health, and blood cholesterol control. Are you getting enough? Average intake of dietary fiber = g/day (Target = 25-40g/day)
ENERGY BALANCE WORKSHEET RESTING METABOLIC RATE (RMR) 1) Convert your body weight from pounds to kilograms: pounds 2.2 = kilograms (kg) 2) Convert your height from inches to centimeters: inches x 2.54 = centimeters (cm) 3) Use the appropriate gender equation below to estimate your RMR. (Mifflin-St. Jeor equation) Males (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) (5 x age yrs) + 5 = Females (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) (5 x age yrs) 161 = kcal/day LIFESTYLE ENERGY EXPENDITURE (LEE): Multiply your RMR by a factor of 0.2. LEE = (RMR) x 0.2 = kcal/day PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ENERGY EXPENDITURE (PAEE): Use the data from your printed physical activity report. ENTER JUST THE CALORIES EXPENDED VIA PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. Add all seven days together then divide by seven to get a daily average. Day 1: kcal expended Day 4: kcal expended Day 7: kcal expended Day 2: kcal expended Day 3: kcal expended Day 5: kcal expended Day 6: kcal expended Average PAEE = kcal/day TOTAL ENERGY EXPENDITURE (TEE): Sum all of the individual energy expenditure components. Total energy expenditure (TEE) = RMR: + LEE: + PAEE: = kcal/day ENERGY BALANCE: Subtract TEE (above) from your average daily caloric intake. Energy balance = Average daily calories consumed: TEE: = kcal/day SOURCES OF ERROR: What are three possible sources of error related to energy balance when performing a three-day diet and physical activity recall? (Hint: answers are scattered throughout the project instructions). 1) 2) 3)
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. STRENGTHS: Identify your top two strengths related to your diet and/or physical activity patterns. Explain why you feel these qualify as strengths (e.g., physical, psychological, or social health reasons). WEAKNESSES: Identify your top two weaknesses related to your diet and/or physical activity patterns. These are things that you feel you could improve upon. Explain how you can address each weakness (at least the initial small steps).