Evaluating
Your Diet
Step
One:
Keep a record
of your food intake for at least a week.
This will give
you an idea of your total food consumption.
Keep a small
notebook with you to record every single
thing you eat
and drink.
Record also the
size of your portion, as accurately as you can.
Describe food
as carefully as you can, especially combination
dishes such as
soups and stews, and casseroles. Read the labels, record the fats, carbohydrates,
calories, unsaturated fats, cholesterol, minerals etc.
Don't forget
the less obvious things such as butter on bread or vegetables,
salad dressings,
mayo on a sandwhich, sugar and cream in coffee.
Sample:
The Daily Record
Meal
Breakfast
|
Food
apple juice
oatmeal with honey
wheat germ
skim milk
coffee w cream and sugar
|
Measure
1/2 cup -4 ounces
1 cup cooked
1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons
1/4 cup
1 teaspoon
1 tablespoon
|
Step
Two:
Once all the
food is recorded, you are ready to seperate all the foods
you have eaten
into their food groups.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Group 7
Group 8
Group 9
Group 10
Group 11
Group 12
Group 13
|
Meat, Poultry, Fish
Eggs
Milk and Dairy
Fruit
Vegetables
Flour, Cereal Grains
Legumes and Nuts
Fats and Oils
Sugars and Sweets
Alcoholic Carbonated Beverages
Soups
Baby Foods
Miscellanaeous
|
By seperating
these foods into different categories you will begin to see
how each contributes
to your nutrient intake and how lack of foods
in a given area
may lead to nutritional inadequacies.
You will also
get an idea of simply how much food you consume.
Step
Three:
This important
step will require patience.
Starting with
the first entry, translate the total measure of each food
into it's constituent
nutrients.
In terms of
: protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and calories.
Step
Four:
Now it's time
to add it all up. This is your average daily intake of each
of the nutrients
listed. With this Diet Survey Chart you can see your total
intake. And you
will also have a basis for comparing your
diet with any
others. And you can see for yourself where any changes
may be made.
For instance:
If you see you
are lacking in Calcium, you should try to locate the most
available supplies
of this mineral. If you find you have consumed too
many fats, you
may try substituting low fat foods when possible.
Summary
:
This is an indication
of where your diet is leading you.
Too generous
a supply of calories may cause weight gain, low levels of
the B
Vitamins might be what is causing your fatigue.
All in all this
will serve as a guideline for continuing your present
style of eating,
or changing your food habits, or your style of cooking.
You will probably
not get an exact count unless you are a dietician,
but this should
serve as a guideline to a better diet.
And a healthier
"You" !
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