Diet Analysis

When I computed my findings, I was seriously shocked. I didn't think my diet would be this unbalanced, but it was, and I kept thinking about what Ms Chionh said in class.

So here is the table for the Food Intake Assessment (highlight to see):

	Energy (kcal)	Carbohydrate (g)	Protein (g)	Total Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Cholesterol (mg)	Calcium (mg)	Dietary Fibre (g)	Sodium (mg)
Average intake per day	2,289	350.6	73.0	66.1	29.8	223.9	548.0	12.7	2,545.5
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)	2,148	322.2	76.1	71.6	23.9	214.8	1,000.0	21.5	1,432.6
% of recommendation met	107	109	96	92	125	104	55	59	178

Shocked? Yeah, I was shocked too. 

The first thing I looked at was the dietary fibre column because I don't eat my veggies and I still remember the look of colon cancer. Lo and behold, I don't have enough dietary fibre! 

Looking at the HPB website, they told me that dietary fibre helps 'promote proper bowel functions, reduce blood cholesterol and control blood glucose levels'. I don't quite understand what they're talking about but yeah, dietary fibre sounds great. I think I'll start eating more dietary fibre (in the form of the green stuff clearly non-existent in my diet) from now on.

Anyway, according to the table I have more energy than what I need, about 7%. Which means that this 7% excess energy will be stored as body fat - so I have to think about burning that 7% fat from now on. Furthermore, consultation with the website tells me that excessive body fat leads to 'blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and even certain cancers'. It means that I'm in risk for several cancers as I am now. 

My future doesn't sound promising at all.

But although my carbohydrates are above 100%, there's another table that puts my mind at ease (highlight to see):

% of total energy intake Your diet Recommendation Total Carbohydrates 61% 55 - 65% Total Protein 13% 10 - 15% Total Fat 26% 25 - 30%

So, this means that my total carbohydrates, protein and fat are within an accepted and recommended range - and hence I don't need to worry about them. I hope. 

My saturated fat was 25% more than the recommended amount, and the website says that an excess saturated fat can 'raise your blood cholesterol, subsequently increasing your risk of heart disease'. So, on top of cancers I get heart disease? Yeah, I'm beginning to like my diet even more.

Risks of stroke and heart attacks are also icnreased by sodium, which is more than recommended amounts. Which means I have more bad stuff to look forward to. 

And that's not all. Cholesterol was also more than recommended amounts, and it puts me at risk of heart diseases. Seriously, I think I'll die of heart disease before I get to go through torturous cancer. 

And even though calcium is less than the recommended amount, I'm still at risk of developing osteoporosis, where my bones become weak and brittle. I haven't gotten weak and brittle bones yet, but I do realise my fingernails are slightly translucent and easily bend when I apply pressure on them. I'm guessing that this is also a sign I'm not getting enough calcium. 

All in all, I have to give my diet a complete revamp, and the first thing I've got to do is eat those green stuff and down 2 more cups of chocolate milk.