Personal Diet and Activity Plan
Over the course of the last five weeks I have been studying Nutrition in a very detailed manner. Wardlaw and Smith (2006) define nutrition as, “the science of food, the nutrients and the substances therein, their action, interaction, and balance in relation to health and disease, and the process by which the [human] organism ingests, digests, absorbs, transports, utilizes, and excretes food substances.” This course has taught me to look at food in a whole new way. Food is not only yummy and fun to eat, but it is also vital for our health. Food is full of many essential nutrients, and vitamins. In this paper I will explain what I have learned about my nutritional habits and choices, weight loss goals, and how I plan to continue to change my eating and activity patterns.
During the course I learned that my nutritional habits were not perfect. I thought that I was doing a good job when I was dieting, but never understood why I continued to rebound and what foods are not compatible with my body and why. I was following the twelve hundred calorie diet; I was not paying attention to what I was eating in the diet as long as I was only eating twelve hundred calories. While doing research for our Learning Team’s final presentation I learned that the food pyramid is vital to the success of your diet.
Zelman (2007) explains the 4-3-2-1 Biggest Loser Pyramid: The bottom, or widest tier, represents the fruits and vegetables in your diet. You should eat at least 4 servings daily. The next tier up represents protein foods, of which you should have 3 servings daily. The next tier is for whole grains, of which you should have 2 servings daily; and the top tier is extras, of which you can have 200 calories daily. A serving equals 8 ounces (or 1 cup), which comes out to be about the size of your hand.
This is what I applying to my daily caloric intake and it is already working for me. I have also purchased a food scale which takes the...