Lucy Xing 1. Choose a current focus of how you would like your meals to impact you: a. Feel healthy and happy 2. Pick one of the following mindful “experiments” that you will do during this time: a. Put phone away while you are eating Day One - Sunday Breakfast: Miso soup (2 cups) with 8 pieces of nigiri (Salmon and rice), made of 1 cup of rice and 2 oz of salmon. Beverage displayed not consumed at the same time. Lunch : 3 tacos, ½ cup of pinto beans and ⅔ cup of rice. Tacos total 6 tablespoons of steak meat and 2 pieces of flour tortilla. Dinner: Chicken noodle soup, made of ⅔ cup of noodles, 2 cups of chicken broth, 1/4 cup of chicken meat and intestines, and 1/3 cup of pickled vegetables. Day Two - Monday Breakfast : Chicken gnocchi pasta, made of 3/4 cup of gnocchi, 1/2 oz of breaded fried chicken, and 1/2 cup of white sauce. Lunch: 8 in pepperoni pizza, with 3/4 lbs of flour, 2.25 oz of mozzarella cheese, 2 oz of red sauce, and 11 slices of pepperoni meat. Dinner: 1.5 cups of rice with 0.2 oz of radish toppings. 1 piece of flatbread, and 2 oz of lamb meat. 2 cups of water. Day Three - Tuesday Breakfast: 3 oz of salmon, with 2/3 cup of white rice, 1/5 cup of scallions and 1 oz of radish. 2 cups of water. Lunch : 1 hamburger, made of 2 oz of beef, 1 oz of lettuce, 2 slices of red tomato, and 1/4 cup of grilled onions. With 2/3 cup of french fries and 1 packet of thousand island sauce. Dinner : 1 cup of spaghetti, with 2/3 cup of meat and tomato sauce. 2 cups of water. Name: GT ID: Food Group MyPlate Plan Recommended Amount Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Fruit 2 cups Yes No Yes Vegetables 3 cups No Yes Yes Grains 8 ounces Yes No Yes Protein 6.5 ounces Yes Yes Yes Dairy 3 cups Yes Yes Yes Food Group MyPlate Plan Recommended Amount Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Fruit Vegetables Grains Protein Dairy Example Your Plan Fill in the area labeled "Your Plan" with the information from the My Plate Plan you received from the ChooseMyPlate.gov website. Use your picture food log from the ATE app to determine if you have met your MyPlate Plan recommended amount. Nutrition Assessment Reflection Questions In no more than 2-3 pages, write short answers to the following questions. Please answer below the questions so it is easier to grade. Notice that I use the verb “DISCUSS” for each of the questions so do not just put Yes or No. Please put some thought into your answers. 1. (1.5 points) Discuss your actual intake compared to MyPlate Plan recommendations. a. Which food groups do you need to eat more of, if any? i. Taking a look at my actual intake compared to the recommendations of MyPlatePlan, I need to eat more of the fruit, vegetables, and dairy food groups. b. Which food groups are you meeting the recommendations, if any? i. I am happy to be meeting the recommendations for the grains and protein food groups. c. Which food groups are you getting too much of, if any? i. I do not believe I am getting too much of any food groups for now, as for most days, I am just meeting the recommended portions of the grains and protein food groups, and need to be eating more fruits, vegetables, and dairy. 2. (3.5 points) Discuss the quality of the meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) you ate. a. Are you getting enough variety within each food group? i. I am getting a fair amount of variety in protein sources (salmon, steak, chicken, lamb), and grains in the form of rice, bread, and pasta. However, my current diet under- consumes vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. b. Are you eating several different colors of fruits? i. Currently, my fruit intake is not present enough to be consisted of several different varieties nor colors, an indication that I should be putting in more effort in consuming fruits. c. Are you eating several different colors of vegetables? i. While there are some vegetables in my meals, the variety of colors seems limited, and this is another element that requires more attention from me in my daily diet. d. Are you eating whole grains? i. Most of the grains I have been consuming (white rice, regular pasta, and white bread) are refined grains. Swapping some of these out for whole grains may be beneficial in providing me extra fiber and other nutrients. e. Are you eating low-fat dairy and lean meats instead of higher-fat versions? i. I have been eating some lean meats like chicken and salmon, but there's also higher-fat protein (steak, lamb, burger). In terms of dairy, I am currently not consuming enough low-fat dairy, although I have recently taken up oat milk. f. Are you including nuts, seeds, and beans in your diet? i. I do try to incorporate beans semi-regularly in my diet, but have not been paying sufficient attention to nuts nor seeds. g. Are you mindful of added sugars? i. Generally, I have not made the effort to be incredibly mindful of added sugars, and some foods I have included in my food journal, such as pizza, burger, and fries contain hidden sugars that I may want to pay more attention to in the future. 3. (1.5 points) Discuss the quality of the snacks that you ate. a. Are the snacks contributing to the overall quality of your diet? i. Generally, I have been making an effort to only eat full meals 3 times a day, and have been actively trying to not snack throughout the day. As shown in my food journal, I have been relatively successful in this endeavor. b. Are the snacks providing extra added sugars? i. Generally, I have been making an effort to only eat full meals 3 times a day, and have been actively trying to not snack throughout the day. As shown in my food journal, I have been relatively successful in this endeavor, and this is especially delightful to me in that I have been able to cut down on the added sugars that I used to consume in snacks previously. c. Are the snacks providing added fats (or the less helpful type of fats)? i. Generally, I have been making an effort to only eat full meals 3 times a day, and have been actively trying to not snack throughout the day. As shown in my food journal, I have been relatively successful in this endeavor. 4. (1 point) Discuss how satisfied you were with the meals and snacks that you ate. a. How satisfied were you with the meals you ate with regards to how full you were and if you felt energized from these meals? i. I am relatively satisfied with the meals I have eaten, particularly with regards to how full I felt and how energized I felt after these meals. However, after some heavier meals such as the whole personal pizza, I did experience some mild fatigue and needed to go on a walk before returning to my work. b. How satisfied were you with the snacks you ate with regards to how full you were and if you felt energized from these snacks? i. Generally, I have been making an effort to only eat full meals 3 times a day, and have been actively trying to not snack throughout the day. As shown in my food journal, I have been relatively successful in this endeavor, and this has furthermore benefited my overall energy levels and alertness throughout the day. 5. (1.5 points) Discuss the quality and number of beverages that you drank. a. Are the beverages you drank contributing to the overall quality of your diet? i. Generally, I have only been drinking water in my daily intake, and I do feel that this contributes to the overall quality of my diet. However, I can be consuming a bit more, especially in the case of the 3 days documented in my food journal. b. Are they providing extra calories or added sugars? i. My choice of water as my primary beverage does not provide extra calories or added sugars, making it a relatively healthy choice. c. Are they providing other non-nutritive substances, such as caffeine, alcohol, too much of a particular vitamin and/or mineral, etc.? i. Generally, I try to stay away from caffeine and alcohol consumption, especially as I am currently recovering from an illness. As such, water does not provide other non- nutritious substances such as those mentioned above, again contributing to my overall health. 6. (2 points) In 2-3 sentences, discuss your current focus and why you chose that focus. a. My current focus is on promoting overall health and happiness by maintaining a balanced diet and practicing mindful eating. I chose this focus because I believe that good physical health is a cornerstone of overall wellbeing. By paying more attention to what I consume and how I eat, I am taking steps to enhance not only my physical health but also my own mental clarity and emotional stability. 7. (4 points) In 2-3 sentences, discuss the “experiment” you chose, how it went, and if you will continue to do it. Here are some things to think about for each question: a. I chose to experiment with not using my phone while eating, to create a more mindful, present eating experience. Overall, I feel that the experiment went well. I noticed that I was able to enjoy my food more, taking the time to truly taste and savor each bite. This practice also allowed me to better recognize my body's hunger and fullness signals. Based on the success of this experiment, I plan to continue this practice. It has brought a new level of appreciation to my meals and significantly improved my relationship with food. 8. (5 points) Based on your answers above, please answer the following questions: a) Provide specific and realistic recommendations about how you can improve the overall quality of your meal and snack choices so that these recommendations would have a positive impact on your wellness. a. In order to improve the overall quality of my meals and snacks, I plan on including more fruits and a greater variety of vegetables in my diet. This could be as simple as having a piece of fruit for a snack or adding a side salad to my lunch or dinner. I also want to start choosing whole grains over refined grains when possible, such as brown rice or whole grain bread. For my protein sources, I will continue to prioritize lean meats like chicken and fish, but also look to incorporate more plant-based proteins like lentils or chickpeas. I realize that my dairy intake is somewhat lacking, so I'll explore adding more dairy or dairy alternatives to my diet. b) Discuss the importance of these changes on your health status. a. Increasing my fruit and vegetable intake will provide a broader spectrum of essential nutrients, improving my overall wellbeing and potentially reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Whole grains can contribute to better heart health and weight management due to their higher fiber content. Moreover, being more mindful of my protein and dairy choices will help maintain a balanced intake of nutrients and keep my saturated fat consumption in check. These are all immensely important dimensions to my health that I aim to be putting more attention to. c) Evaluate how external forces impact your meal/snack choices (e.g. your level of stress, time constraints, the social group you ate with, your food options, etc.) a. I have noticed several external factors that impact my meal habits. For example, when I'm stressed, I tend to lean towards comfort food or sometimes even skip meals. When I'm in a rush, I often settle for fast food or pre-packaged meals, which might not be the most nutritious choices. The company I keep while dining also plays a role; I notice that I choose different foods when dining with my friends than with my family.