Essay About High Values And High-Protein Diets

Fitday Maketing
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1. Based on what we have recorded over the period of a week using FitDay, we were able to track fitness and nutrition levels. In terms of nutrition, hen looking back through my week, it is easy to see that I consume more than enough nutrients, with my percentages often being over double the RDA%. I have met all requirements for nutrients throughout the week, which is definitely a positive. As for physical activity levels, nearly 80% of my calories are being burned through logged, physical activities, with just 20% being burned through menial, daily tasks. There is a lot to take from recording and tracking yourself over a period of time like this. For example, I could see that my calorie intake doesn’t always equal what’s being burned off, so I need more calories/food. However, I do need to watch what I am eating because I don’t want to overload my body with too much of one thing. One other key thing I took from this was how I underestimated how many calories are being burned by just doing your normal daily routine, I need to take this into consideration more when planning my goals and activities. 2. My eating patterns were evaluated throughout the week as well. Carbohydrates made up 47% of my diet, 35% coming from fats and 16% coming from proteins. According to the charts and reports on FitDay, my daily carbohydrate consumption is at 143% of the daily recommended amount for a 2000 calorie diet, protein is at 317% of what I need and fat is at 210% and saturated fats are coming in at 190%. There can be benefits as well as risks associated with high values in these categories. If this type of diet is continued, it could have some benefits, but could also have some consequences. High-protein diets are beneficial to my activity levels and wanting to increase size, as protein is essential for growth. However, high-protein diets can also lead to many long-term problems as well, including: “high cholesterol, kidney problems and osteoporosis.” (“High-protein, Low-carb Diets Explained,” 2015) High-carbohydrate diets are essential for any athlete like myself; we use the carbohydrates and turn it into energy for the short-term for activities that require a lot of energy. It is clear that we need carbs to adequately perform to our abilities, however a diet that is too high in carbs can potentially lead to, “ increased cancer risks, weight changes, vitamin deficiencies and even psychological effects.” (“The Effect of a High Carb Diet,” 2015) Fats are essential to the body because they create energy and transport nutrients. If used correctly, can actually help with health issues such as weight loss. However, too much fat, more specifically saturated fats, can lead to health risks over time such as: “weight gain, constipation, slower metabolism and increased risk of heart disease.” (“The Risks of High-fat Diets,” 2015) For the future, I plan to cut down on some of the meats I eat, which contain high amounts of fat and also some of the unnecessary carbs. I feel this needs to change because my fat levels are very high and the associated risks with this are grave. 3. My report shows a diet that is high in all the vitamins and minerals listed. I reach my RDA level in every category, with vitamin D being the lowest, but still at exactly 100% of the RDA. Several of the categories have much higher percentages than the recommended amount. “The UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level) is the maximum amount of daily vitamins and minerals that you can safely take without risk of an overdose or serious side effects,” (“Vitamins and Minerals: How much,” n.d.) so if we continuously go beyond this level, we risk the chance of having toxicities in our bodies from the over-abundance of vitamins and minerals. I don’t seem to be going over in any of the so-called risky categories of vitamins and minerals, however I feel with the reduction of meats and carbs, as discussed in question 2, that it should help diminish some of these numbers.