What's Cookin' Winter 2006

Carbohydrate Diet Diary

This exercise is designed to help you gauge your carbohydrate intake. You will need to keep track of all food and liquids you ingest for 2 days. The days do not have to be sequential, but you do have to include one weekend day. This assignment is due on Monday January 23rd. NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED – NO EXCEPTIONS. GRIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH WRITTEN ANSWERS.

1. On the grids provided - keep track of all food and fluids consumed for 2 days. One of those days must be a weekend day. Using appendix A [and/or any on-line source], find each item and locate calories, carbohydrate [simple and complex] and fiber content. For those of you who consume alcoholic beverages, please also track the total grams of alcohol you consume in the space provided. If you use a packaged food, use the information from the label. Using the label, you will be able to also track sugar [simple carbohydrates]. Total each day’s values on grid sheet, in the space provided.

- Studies are currently addressing the amount of simple carbohydrates in our diets. The type of carbohydrate that is the biggest threat to our health are added simple sugars. WHO recommends that we limit added sugars to 10% of our daily caloric intake. The simple sugars in fruit, fruit or veggie juice, or dairy products are not considered added simple sugars, and are not harmful to health. Using labels, the handouts provided and information from the text, you should be able to roughly estimate the amount of added simple carbohydrates in your diet.

2. Answer the following questions - please type answers on a separate sheet of paper. And show math when appropriate – the math can be handwritten

o Assess your carbohydrate diet diary:

§ Did you meet, exceed or fall short of your daily caloric needs? [How do you know what that is? Use calculations from previous assignment.] State what your caloric needs are – and what the actual amount consumed was when the 2 days are averaged.

§ The text suggests that 50-60% of kcals be in the form of carbohydrates. Did your total meet this goal? Did your total carbohydrate intake fall in the recommended range of 50 - 60 % of your daily caloric intake? And of your daily carbohydrate intake- what % was from added simple carbohydrates? How did it compare to the recommendation that added simple sugars should contribute no more than 10 – 15% of total carbohydrates?

§ Was your fiber intake adequate? - Remember adults need 25 - 30 grams /day. [14 grams/ 1000 kcals consumed]

§ If you were within the dietary goals for these categories - congratulations!! If you are not meeting the suggested dietary guidelines, what recommendations could you make to bring your diet closer to these goals?

o Many people do not eat breakfast, and claim to function fine without it. If you suggest that they eat breakfast, they usually say ‘if I eat breakfast, I am hungry before lunchtime, but if I don’t eat breakfast, I am not as hungry at lunchtime.’ Knowing how the body utilizes energy, how might you explain this phenomenon?

Food/ Beverage Consumed	Kcals	Carbohydrates [grams]	Simple carbohydrates [grams]	Fiber [grams]	Alcohol [grams]
TOTALS