record and analyze everything you eat and drink for three days. Then, you will create a ‘perfect day’ menu based on your specific needs and set personal nutrition goals. 1) Reflect on recording your diet for 3 days. What was challenging, fun, interesting, enlightening, etc? What did you learn from it? Did you gain any new awareness of your eating habits? Give a brief analysis of your diet: quantity and quality of each of the six nutrients, consider balance, adequacy, variety, moderation, and portion size/calorie control. 2) Reflect on the food/symptom journal. What was challenging, fun, interesting, enlightening, etc? What symptoms, mental or physical states did you notice in relation to your diet? What did you learn from it? 3) Reflect on your Cronometer Diaries & Nutrient Report. What initially stood out to you when you did these analyses? Were there lots of nutrient needs you didn’t meet? Were there many nutrient needs you exceeded? Was there anything that surprised you? What did you learn? 4) For three micronutrients (vitamins or minerals) you were lacking (or, if you were sufficient in all, choose three that you feel might generally be low in your diet), research and write 1-2 paragraphs about each nutrient, including: This nutrient’s importance/ roles in the body What happens if you are deficient? If you ingest too much? What can deplete your body of this nutrient? (medications, diseases, excesses of other nutrients, insufficient intake, problems with digestion/absorption, etc) Find two foods that are good sources of that nutrient that you could incorporate into your diet. Explain why you chose these foods, how it is realistic for you, and how you would incorporate it into your diet. 5) For one of these micronutrients you were low in, choose a disease/condition that is a result of deficiency or excess. Research this disease/condition and write a ~1/2 to 1 page summary of the disease, including: What is it? What causes it? What are the signs/symptoms? How is nutrition involved? (what nutrients are involved?) What are three nutritional recommendations you might make for someone with this disease/condition? 6) Reflect on your “perfect day” diet. Was it challenging or easy to create a diet that meets your specific needs? In what ways is your “perfect diet” similar or different from the three days you observed? Does your “perfect diet” seem like one that will nourish you and leave you feeling satisfied? Why or why not? Summarize what you learned about your eating habits and patterns, and the influence of certain foods & eating habits on your physical, emotional, and mental states. Reflect on what you have learned about your personal dietary needs, based on your calculations and your “perfect diet.” What are you doing well already, and what needs improvement? What challenges do you face in regards to your diet and eating habits? How could you overcome them or avoid them? Did you enjoy this assignment? What will you take away from this assignment? Based on these reflections, come up with three specific goals related to your nutritional health and wellbeing. For each goal, explain what specific steps you can take to attain these goals. Example Goal: Reduce my added sugars. Steps: Replace one soda per day with seltzer water. Replace nightly ice cream with whole yogurt & fruit. Example Goal: Have more energy. Steps: Eat a balanced breakfast (protein, carbs, good fats) every day. Get 30 minutes more sleep per night. Example Goal: Meet daily protein needs on a vegetarian diet. Steps: Add one serving of beans/lentils 3-4 times per week. Your final project should include, in this order: A cover Page Your 3-day Food and Symptom Journal Screenshot of each day’s “Diary” from Cronometer.com Screenshot of your 3-day cumulative “Nutrient Report” from Cronometer.com Calculations of your personal nutrient needs Your “perfect day” diet
