Human Nutrition - Use of Protein - Essay Example

Milk does not contain as much protein as meat.  I can also reduce the amount of meat that I consume by eating fewer portions of it.  I can also eat more beans and legumes as they provide fiber and my daily intake of fiber is lower than it should be.  These do not contain as much protein as meat.  However, overall, my meat servings need to be smaller. 

The foods in my recorded daily intake that contain the protein are flan (which contains eggs and milk), scrambled eggs, sausages, and the ground beef in the taco salad and the soft taco supreme.  The foods contain complete proteins as they are meat and animal products.  Incomplete proteins come from beans and legumes and must be combined with other foods to provide complete proteins.    

I was not surprised by the overabundance of protein that I consumed today as I usually do not eat fast food on a normal basis.  Today consisted of extra special events; therefore, I was on the go.  I knew that processed and junk food eating would contribute to a high fat, high protein intake.  I will go back to my usual intake tomorrow as I will go back to my normal schedule. 

         Consuming too little protein can lead to anemia, which as defined by anemia (n.d.) is “a quantitative deficiency of the hemoglobin, often accompanied by a reduced number of red blood cells and causing pallor, weakness, and breathlessness.”  Parts of the body that require more protein such as muscles and hair will start to weaken and even decrease if there is not enough protein.  A decrease in lean body mass and muscle can lead to weakness and fatigue.  Protein provides amino acids and is the building block of each cell in the human body.  Too little protein means that the body cannot renew and repair its cells and itself.   

         Eating too much protein can cause you to gain weight as it does contain extra calories.  Nelson (2002) reports, “So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive to flush these ketones from your body.  As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.  That water loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss.  But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium.  Dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.  And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.”

         My fiber intake was a little lower than recommended due to the consumption of refined carbohydrates in the soft tortilla and pancake that I had.  An excessive amount of protein intake also kept me from eating enough fiber.  There is no fiber in white flour products, which I ate too much of, and meat does not contain fiber.  Fruits and vegetables contain the most fiber.  Although I had an overabundance of these, I did not eat the ones that were high in fiber such as celery and apples.  By consuming more broccoli, bran, whole wheat, grains, apricots, raisins, and such I can get more fiber in my daily intake.  If I had to advise someone on the increased intake of fiber and decrease in protein, I would state that meat and meat products that are high in protein do not contain much fiber.  I would recommend beans and legumes to get more fiber and also the amount of recommended protein as these foods are high in both protein and fiber.  I did not practice what I would preach because today’s recorded intake did not contain beans and legumes.

         By drinking fruit juices, a person decreases their fiber intake as the juices do not contain the pulp and parts of the fruit that contain fiber.  If an individual eats an apple, they are getting fiber from the whole fruit.  However, if they drink apple juice the fiber has been removed or has been processed until there is no fiber left.  Drinking only fruit juices instead of consuming whole fruits increases a person’s caloric intake and decreases his or her fiber intake. 

Here is the food displayed on 11/6/2006

Select your serving sizes and specify how many servings you consumed for each. When you are done, click Save & Analyze to save your food entry information and to analyze your food intake. If you want to make more than one day's food entry, click Return to log in to save a day's food entry information and make another day's food entry. For a record of today's food entry, click Print Food Record before saving the food entry. To return to initial values, click Reset Values. To add or remove food items, click Enter Foods.

Foods Consumed

Select Serving Size

Number of
Servings
(Enter a number
(e.g. 1.5))

BLUEBERRIES, FRESH

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup 50 berries Don`t Know

COFFEE & CHICORY, MADE FROM GROUND

<Please select a serving size> 1 fl oz 1 coffee cup (6 fl oz) 1 mug (8 fl oz) Don`t Know

FLAN CUSTARD

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup Don`t Know

MUSHROOMS, RAW

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup pieces or slices 1 cup whole 1 oz 1 large 1 medium 1 slice 1 small Don`t Know

PANCAKES, PLAIN

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup raw batter yields 1 large pancake (7" dia) 1 medium pancake (5" dia) 1 pancake (1" dia) 1 pancake (1-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (10" dia) 1 pancake (2" dia) 1 pancake (2-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (3-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (4" dia) 1 pancake (4-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (5-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (6" dia) 1 pancake (6-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (7-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (8" dia) 1 pancake (8-1/2" dia) 1 pancake (9" dia) 1 pancake (9-1/2" dia) 1 small pancake (3" dia) Don`t Know

SAUSAGE

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup cooked 1 oz cooked 1 large patty 1 link 1 medium patty 1 small patty Don`t Know

SCRAMBLED EGGS, FROM PACKAGED LIQUID MIXTURE

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup, cooked (made from 15 tablespoons of uncooked liquid mixture) Don`t Know

SNOWPEA (PEA POD), RAW

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup chopped 1 cup whole 10 pea pods Don`t Know

STRAWBERRIES, FRESH

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup halves 1 cup pureed 1 cup sliced 1 cup whole 1 extra large (1-5/8 dia) 1 large (1-3/8 dia) 1 medium (1-1/4 dia) 1 small (1 dia) Don`t Know

TACO BELL SOFT TACO SUPREME

<Please select a serving size> 1 Taco Bell Soft Taco Supreme 1 taco Don`t Know

TACO SALAD W/ BEEF & CHEESE, FRIED FLOUR TORTILLA

<Please select a serving size> 1 salad Don`t Know

TOMATOES (TOMATO), RAW

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup cherry tomato 1 cup chopped or sliced 1 oz 1 Italian tomato 1 cherry 1 large whole (3 dia) 1 medium whole (2-3/5 dia) 1 medium slice (1/4 thick) 1 plum tomato 1 small whole (2-2/5 dia) 1 thick/large slice (1/2 thick) 1 wedge (1/4 of medium tomato) 1 thin/small slice Don`t Know

WATER

<Please select a serving size> 1 cup 1 fl oz Don`t Know

Nutrient Intakes on 11/6/2006

Nutrient

Your Intake

Recommendation or
Acceptable Range

Food Energy/Total Calories (kcals)

1815

1841

Protein (gm)

97

46

Carbohydrate (gm)

199

130

Total Fiber (gm)

21

25

Total Fat (gm)

72.4

40.3 - 70.6

Saturated Fat (gm)

22.3

< 20.2

Monounsaturated Fat (gm)

28

**

Polyunsaturated Fat (gm)

15

**

Linoleic (omega 6) (gm)

12.9

12

Alpha-Linolenic (omega 3) (gm)

1.5

1.1

Cholesterol (mg)

236

< 300

Vitamin A (mcg RAE)

583.4

700

Vitamin C (mg)

243.3

75

Vitamin E (mg a-TE)

6.7

15

Thiamin (mg)

1.8

1.1

Riboflavin (mg)

3.2

1.1

Niacin (mg)

18.4

14

Folate (mcg, DFE)

373.6

400

Vitamin B6 (mg)

1.2

1.3

Vitamin B12 (mcg)

3.7

2.4

Calcium (mg)

969.5

1000

Phosphorus (mg)

1833.1

700

Magnesium (mg)

241

320

Iron (mg)

22.1

18

Zinc (mg)

12.3

8

Selenium (mcg)

155

55

Potassium (mg)

3452

4700

Sodium (mg)

3907

1500 - 2300

**

The nutrient has no established recommendation.

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Comparison of Your Intake with
MyPyramid Recommendations for user2000

Your Pyramid Stats

Milk Intake  

  1.1 cup equivalent

Milk Recommendation  

  3 cup equivalent

Meat and Beans Intake  

  10.4 oz equivalent

Meat and Beans Recommendation  

  5 oz equivalent

Vegetable Intake  

  4 cup equivalent

Vegetable Recommendation  

  2.5 cup equivalent

Fruits Intake  

  2.4 cup equivalent

Fruits Recommendation  

  1.5 cup equivalent

Grains Intake  

  6.2 oz equivalent

Grains Recommendation  

  6 oz equivalent

____________________________________________________________

Pyramid Categories

Percent Recommendation

Milk

37%

Meat and Beans

208%

Vegetables

160%

Fruits

160%

Grains

103%

 
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