Yagobi's Nutritional Analysis

Considering that I am a growing teenager, my diet has had a roller coaster of what to eat and when. However, the common phrase of "I'm still growing" doesn't excuse the fact that I must still maintain a balanced diet to obtain full physical and mental health. The goal of this nutritional analysis is to infer what areas I have a balanced diet, and other areas that need major improvements. One of the first items that pop out on my Summary Data chart is the Fiber column. Weighing at 190 pounds at the height of 5'11", my recommended intake for fiber was just simply 39 grams. Despite this simple mark that is easily obtainable, I managed to fall short in this area by averaging only 23 grams of fiber a day.   To adjust this data to my recommended daily intakes, I will start to eat more leafy vegetables such as lettuce, and invest in whole wheat bread for my sandwiches instead of buttermilk bread. Another notable incident I noticed in my summary is that I am inconsistent with my Vitamin C intake. Some days I will have an abundance of the vitamin, and then other days I can be completely deficient of Vitamin C.  For example, the first two days of my diet had zero Vitamin C in my diet, while the next three started averaging about 1072 milligrams of Vitamin C per day. This inconsistency may not prove harm now, but in the future lacking in one day of Vitamin C could potentially lead to illnesses and potential harm. To prevent future illnesses from my deficiency in Vitamin C, I have decided to include more citrus in my diet. Notably, at least two oranges a day would suffice for my 94 milligrams of needed Vitamin C for my health. Although to many, an excess in nutrients such as minerals and vitamins can prove healthy. However, this is not necessarily not true, for an abundance of some minerals can actually do more harm to our health than good. One mineral that can apply to this category is sodium. Although needed in every diet, an overdose of sodium can actually lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease. This became alarming for me, for my average intake of sodium- 5434 milligrams - was 44.2 percent higher than my recommended of 3768 milligrams. It would further explain why sometimes I get headaches by just simply sitting down in my car or in my chair. In order to produce a healthy heart while avoiding heart disease caused by sodium, I have decided to cut down on fast food and eat more home-cooked meals that I have control of. Despite my statement, the action of cutting fast food will prove difficult since I work every week, and at least one day I have to eat fast food to keep up with my work schedule. That is why I will also begin to bring in my own packed lunch or dinner in hopes to avoid unhealthy fast food and balance my diet correctly while staying on track with my work schedule. One notable nutritional column I thought was interesting was my Iron intake. Despite my recommended being only 28 milligrams, I discovered that I was actually averaging 1652 milligrams of Iron per day- about a 5800 percent increase from my recommended intake. I was shell-shocked, for I have heard of stories of Iron poisoning where too much Iron could lead to abdominal pain, vomiting blood, and diarrhea. Yet I have had no such experiences and could still function normally without any symptoms of Iron poisoning. Before this analysis, I attributed my main reason of being slightly overweight is that I am not getting enough exercise. However, many of these inconsistencies in my diet has lead me to believe that diet plays a more important role in weight management then exercising. Another factor that plays into weight management is my daily intake of fat. Although my recommended amount is 102 grams of fat, I have found myself averaging 118 grams of fat per day- a 15.7 percent excess than needed. Overtime, these extra 16 grams of fat could prove costly to my body's shape and being. It would also begin to increase my chance of chronic diseases such as heart disease. To maintain proper body functions, I have decided to reduce diet plan to only one snack a day, in hopes to not only decrease unwanted fat, but unwanted calories that would be harder to burn. By gradually easing my way into my new, improved diet plan, I will soon be able to lose weight while maintain proper bodily functions and mental health to not only influence myself, but others too.