Student Name:

Andrea Alvarez (Rosillo)

UTD HLTH 1322 Human Nutrition

SuperTracker Food Intake Record and Analysis Project:

Discussion of Findings and Supportive Materials

Instructions:
Use this document template to complete and submit your project. Format
submission to reduce blank space. All supporting SuperTracker reports
must display your profile name and dates.
I. Discussion of Findings (5 Paragraphs per directions with single-1.5 line spacing,
600-700 word max.)
Upon completion of this project and examination of the SuperTracker reports, I found that keeping
weekly notes of my food intake for the past year made it less difficult when having to analyze the foods I
choose to eat. After looking closely at the variety of my food intake on a regular weekday, I was surprised
that I still did not meet the recommended amounts for vegetables, carbohydrates, vitamin D, and potassium.
Before completing this dietary analysis, I considered my diet to be as healthy as could be but this projects
reports led me to realize that there are some areas of nutritional importance that I need to improve on.
The first nutrient I will discuss is protein and its importance as a macronutrient in my daily diet.
According to my Nutrients Report, about 25% of my calorie intake is protein and it falls right at the center of
the recommended target of 10-35%. Seeing as I participate in a daily routine of exercising on the elliptical
machine and doing strength exercises for a total of 50 minutes, my protein-intake seems to be just moderate
enough to maintain my muscle growth at a normal rate. However, I did notice in my Food Groups and
Calories Report that I do not eat enough seafood regularly. I will definitely increase my seafood intake seeing
as it is an excellent source of not only protein but potassium, which is a mineral I also do not get enough of.
Protein will continue to be the macronutrient that I choose to focus on because I would like to eat more lowcalorie protein foods in order to maintain a 2000 calorie allowance and still have some low-protein
chocolates as a snack.
The second nutrient of interest is vitamin D and how its inadequacy in my regular diet can impact
my health. When I looked at my Nutrients Report and saw that my dietary intake of vitamin D (9g) was
below the target amount of 15g, I was not surprised. About two years ago I had my blood
drawn and was told that I had a vitamin D deficiency. Since then, I have been taking
supplements in order to absorb calcium and promote bone growth to prevent any
possibility of misshapen bones or osteoporosis in my future. A great source of vitamin
D is sunlight, which I do not receive enough of being inside most of the time.
Therefore, in addition to my supplement, I need to increase my intake of fortified dairy
products, salmon, and tuna. I hope that by increasing my dietary intake of vitamin D,
the next time my blood is analyzed, there will be a large improvement and I will meet
the recommended targets.
The third nutrient to highlight is dietary fiber and why it is important to my diet and overall
wellbeing. Most of my fathers family, myself included, suffer from a genetic defect that results in decreased
neurotransmission to the muscles lining the colon, causing constipation. Since I was a teenager, high amounts
of dietary fiber, specifically soluble fiber, were essential to my diet in order to allow more water through my
intestines. As seen in my Nutrients report, my food intake is above the recommended target for dietary fiber
at 29% but under the carbohydrate target percentage of calories. This is because I have a low-carb, high-fat
diet and typically only eat high-carbohydrate food items that also contain high dietary fiber. However, my
Food Groups and Calories Report states that I am not meeting the target for vegetables so I will try to
incorporate more into my diet as well.
In conclusion, this project has allowed me to realize that although I may have had an overall view of
my diet, I was not fully aware of the micronutrient and macronutrient targets that I am over and/or under.

Food Intake and Analysis Project, continued

Now that I have this new-found knowledge of the impact of my food choices on a well-balanced diet, I hope
to improve my energy intake by increasing my intake of seafood, foods fortified with vitamin D, and
maintaining the appropriate amount of protein and fiber for my lifestyle.
REQUIRED SUPPORTING SUPERTRACKER REPORTS:
II. Meal Summary Report (NOTE: export from SuperTracker as PDF and
copy/paste each page here. Be sure your format includes ALL report pages!
You may need to open the PDF, then copy/paste each page separately using

Edit-Copy file to clipboard tool.)

Food Intake and Analysis Project, continued

III.Food Groups and Calories Report (NOTE: export from SuperTracker as pdf
and copy/paste here.)

Food Intake and Analysis Project, continued

IV. Nutrients Report (NOTE: export from SuperTracker as PDF and copy/paste
each page here. Be sure your format shows ALL the nutrients reported,
including ALL 12 vitamins! You may need to open the PDF, then copy/paste
each page separately using Edit-Copy file to clipboard tool.)

Food Intake and Analysis Project, continued