Human Nutrition essay 
Human nutrition is a fundamental concept in achieving a healthy life. A balanced diet is essential for maintaining the nutritional requirements of human bodies and to prevent diseases, Fact Nutritional label enables one to determine their nutrient requirements when purchasing foodstuffs or in preparation of meals at home. The needs are from different sources that are divided and organized into a food group table. A report was drawn from a three days consumption examination period of my meal plan. The table is based on an individual’s age and body weight and a consumption allowance that ranges from two thousand to two thousand two hundred calories. In the report, the food group report indicates that the plan is based on two thousand two hundred calories allowance.
This paper focuses on the different factors that influence individuals eating habits and the food consumed. I will also compare My Diet against the SuperTrack Allowance by evaluating Food Groups and Calories Report, the Nutrients Report, and the Nutrition Analysis Project Answer Table. The Food Groups and Calories Report, the Nutrients Report acts as a guide to evaluating my food intake by reviewing whether there was an over intake, the right amount was eaten or the consumption of a particular food group was below the recommended amount.
The tables are a guide to evaluating my calories consumption, Fiber consumption and other food components such as fats and vitamins. The three days food report classify different types of foods into food groups and also enables a person to weigh his or her intake levels. The consumption food report will act as a guide in the discussion of the answered questions. I will also discuss some of the measures to use so as to reduce an over consumption and also to improve on the food groups consumed in fewer amounts than recommended. I will also examine the meals plan from tenth June 10, 2015, to thirteenth June 13, 2015, and suggest additional food groups to include and those to reduce or eliminate in the plan.
Factors Affecting What I Eat
The food choices we make are crucial components of the resultant health of our bodies. These decisions are influenced by the types of living conditions we experience daily. The choices are surprising to us, or we make the deliberately and aware of the future consequences of the feeding practice. Some of the factors that affected my food choices are cost, convenience, and culture; some are controllable while others cannot be changed. These factors play a fundamental role in human nutrition and balanced diet consumption. These affected my breakfast, lunch, and dinner and snacks consumption in the three days.
Firstly, the costs of purchasing the foods were a great influence on my food choices. The individual's purchasing power determined the decision on food groups to consume. Having inadequate income lowers the ability of a person to consume a balanced diet and sometimes the number of meals we take in a day. I was able to consume a balanced diet with proteins, fats, carbohydrates and fiber in all the three meals consumed in the first two days. The diet was facilitated by the fact that the cost of food was affordable. The breakfast consisted of bread, some milk, eggs and some fruit juice. The lunch and dinner were also well balanced to ensure proper nutrition and consumption of the recommended calories. The fruits had an affordable cost per calorie, and this enabled consumption of a fruit or fruit juice every day.
Another factor that affected my food choices was the convenience. It took me adequate planning to ensure that I took quality food. The budget was convenient for me to purchase quality foods such as the bread and sausage, pork, and other quality products consumed. Convenience foods availability also influenced the choice of diets to consume. The ease of preparing and accessing food in every meal of the day was a significant factor that affected the feeding. A busy day's schedule also led to skipping of lunch on day three and also snacks consumption. Convenience meals are well balanced in diet and are expensive, but people choose to take them.
Finally, culture may also influence the food choices that people make. Some cultures prevent people from feeding certain types of food or avoid some ingredients in food. An example is the avoiding of sugar by the Chinese culture. Asian culture was a significant factor that affected my nutritional purposes. I preferred having Asian dishes, such as Chinese ‘Bok Choy’ and food prepare the Eastern countries style, in my menu. In many cases, these cuisines had little fats content that was the culture of Asians in their feeding habits. In most instances, the I avoided adding fat and salt to the food or sugar in my drinks. Avoiding of fats and sugar in most dishes was a health measure to prevent diabetes and obesity.
My Diet vs. SuperTracker’s Targets/Allowances
The average foods consumption was a surprise to me. In some cases, the consumption was above the recommended while in other instances it was under or exactly the recommended. The consumption of proteins was above the required amount of calories. The excess was as a result of consuming foods rich in multiple nutrients. An example is milk consumed has a mixture of different types of food groups that I consumed with the little idea of many calories contained in it. Buying of snacks like chocolate and cheese led to an increase in milk consumption.
The grains consumption was above the25% targeted amount. The additional amount is not an issue of concern because grains are essential in prevent cancer and heart diseases. The average fruits consumption was under the targeted amount. Consumption of less than the required amounts of fruits poses a high risk of contracting diseases. One of the ways to increase fruits consumption is to balance the diet and adjust it to accommodate the additional purchase of fruits. Frequenting the fruits stores and eating more canned fruits will also help to increase the calories to the required level.
The average consumption of dairy products was also below the targeted level, hence making it an issue of less concern. Finally, I consumed much protein than the targeted amount. Excessive consumption of this food group results to a risk of weight gain, excessive body fats and stress to the kidneys. The first strategy to reduce excessive consumption of proteins is to substitute the certain amount of protein with salads and fruits. Meat consumption can be reduced by consuming one gram of each kilo of the body weight. Another useful measure is to plan meals earlier to calculate the number of calories required for each food group in the meal.
My Consumption of Calories
The amount of calories taken is equal to the percentage recommended for consumption. The empty caloric intake did not meet the recommended amount. The consumption of these food products was influenced by the excessive consumption of solid fats. The average consumption was 338 calories while the allowance was 228 calories. To reduce these empty calories, I will consider consuming one percent or fat-free milk or avoid dairy products. Another strategy is to take juices with no sugar added in them and drink a lot of water. Finally, low-fat beef and skinless chicken contain little solid fat and, therefore, recommendable to take.
My Fiber Consumption
The fiber consumption was below the target amount. The poor consumption of the inadequate amount of whole grains was a significant contribution towards the under-consumption of fiber calories in the diet. The primary sources of high fiber foods are into different categories. The first category is the whole grains. An example is the long grain rice that has approximately two grams of fiber per a hundred grams serving. Another important type of whole grain is bread that is rich in 5.2 grams fiber in two slices. Other categories of fiber include fruits such as apples, pears, raw strawberries and blackberries and mangos. Vegetables such as cabbages, spinach, carrots, potatoes, and broccoli are adequate and reliable sources of fiber.
In the diet, some of the fiber rich foods included was white bread, spinach, cabbages, oatmeal, potato chips and rice. The food required additional foods such as pumpkins, navy beans, kidney beans, barley and frozen peas to add the amount of fiber in it. These other foods were quickly and locally available at affordable costs.
Conclusion
The gains consumption was above targeted, and that has little risk of the body. Consumption of vegetables requires an adjustment to facilitate enough fiber content in the diet. The consumption of fruits, fiber and dairy products has to increase to meet the stipulated requirements. The proteins consumption was above the allowed calories and should be reduced to the required calories. The rate of consumption poses a future risk of suffering from obesity and kidney problems. In my meals plan, the amount of animal proteins taken during breakfast should be substituted with plant proteins such as peas and beans. Finally, the paper shows that in the three days evaluation period, the amount of calories consumed was equal to the allowed amount of consumption.
