1

Diet Assessment
Kelli Baumgardner
FN 3100

Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Methods ............................................................................................................................................................... 3
Results .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
Dietary Guidelines Table ......................................................................................................................... 4
Discussion............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Diet Strengths ......................................................................................................................................... 12
Diet Weaknesses ..................................................................................................................................... 12
SuperTracker Strengths .......................................................................................................................... 13
SuperTracker Weaknesses ...................................................................................................................... 13
Main Areas of the Diet Requiring Improvement .................................................................................... 14

3
Introduction
The client of whom this diet assessment was done for is a 23 year old, white Caucasian male. He is 5
feet 9 inches and weighs 180 pounds. This would put his BMI at 26.6 which is considered to be
overweight; this however does not take into the account of the weight of muscle versus the weight of
fat. His physical activity level is an active 1.75. He does moderate to intense, 60 minutes per day, 4 days
a week workouts, in which he does weight lifting and sprinting/jogging. The client has a bicuspid aortic
valve issues which are monitored annually and a family history of alcoholism. He currently takes 3 ZMAs
per day which is a zinc and magnesium capsule with vitamin B6. This ends up being 10.5 mg of B6, 450
mg magnesium and 30 mg of zinc. He also takes 1 scoop of Dymatize whey protein isolate to make
protein shakes for some of his snacks. His main concern with this diet assessment is weight loss and to
watch insulin sensitivity.

Methods
To obtain information about the client, he was interviewed via email and asked questions such as
height, weight, medical conditions, activity level, etc. He was also asked to keep a three day food log of
everything he ate, which included two week days and one weekend day. When keeping the three day
food log, he was asked to record everything he ate, along with his best estimate of how much, along
with any sauces, spreads, beverages etc. After the log was completed it was sent to be analyzed. A
profile on SuperTracker was made for him in accordance to his proper specifications and activity levels.
Then each food he ate was entered into the SuperTracker by meal and day. When entering in foods to
SuperTracker it is important to be as specific as possible, along with entering in the correct amount of
food eaten. Once the whole three day log was entered into the SuperTracker, different reports could be
generated to show his nutrient status. After the reports were generated, the Dietary Guidelines 2010
were used as a comparison against the reports generated by the SuperTracker. To analyze his diet, each
macronutrient, vitamin, mineral, etc. was looked at individually and determined whether he met each
guideline or not. From there the results were analyzed and goals were determined based on his diet
and the Dietary Guidelines 2010.

4
Results
Dietary Guidelines 2010 Table
BALANCING CALORIES TO MANAGE WEIGHT
Key Recommendations

Prevent and/or reduce overweight and obesity through

improved eating and physical activity behaviors.

Control total calorie intake to manage body weight. For

people who are overweight or obese, this will mean
consuming fewer calories from foods and beverages.

Increase physical activity and reduce time spent in sedentary

behaviors.

Yes/no; provide specific number

when possible (e.g., gram amount,
number of servings); describe
behaviors; compare to guidelines.
No
Currently has a BMI of 26.6
and is in the overweight
category and eats more
calories on average than
what he really needs. He
does get in a good amount
of physical activity though
Adults should be in the
normal BMI category which
is 18.5-24.9. So he is over
by 1.7. Moving down to a
normal healthy BMI can be
obtained by proper eating
habits and physical activity.
No
3042 kcal/d
For a male of his age, size,
and physical activity level
he should be eating on
average 3000 kilocalories
per day. He was over this
on average by 42 kcal,
being that he needs to be
working on losing some
weight; he should be
consuming less than 3000
kcal per day.
Yes
4 times a week does 60
minute moderate to
intense weight lifting and
sprinting/jogging.
Adults should get 2 hours
and 30 minutes a week of
moderate aerobic exercise
or 1 hour and 15 minutes a
week of vigorous aerobic
exercise. In addition to
this, adults should do

Maintain appropriate calorie balance during each stage of

lifechildhood, adolescence, adulthood, pregnancy and
breastfeeding, and older age.

FOODS AND FOOD COMPONENTS TO REDUCE

Key Recommendations
Reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg)
and further reduce intake to 1,500 mg among persons who are
51 and older and those of any age who are African American
or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. The
1,500 mg recommendation applies to about half of the U.S.
population, including children, and the majority of adults.

Consume less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fatty

acids by replacing them with monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fatty acids.

strengthening exercises at
least 2 times a week. On
average he gets about 4
hours a week of moderate
to vigorous exercise, which
is at least an hour and a
half over the
recommended amount.
No
3042 kcal/d
For an adult male of his
age, size, and activity level
he should be consuming
3000 kcal a day. He
consumed on average 3042
kcal per day, which was
over by 42 kcal.

No
4215 mg/d sodium
The recommended sodium
intake for the average adult
is 2300 mg/day but being
he is worried about his
insulin sensitivity, which
could be the start of
diabetes, so it would
probably be good to
recommend cutting down
his sodium intake to 1500
mg/day. So then he would
be over his sodium intake
by 2715 mg/day.
No
13% kcals from SFA
The dietary guidelines
recommend that less than
10% of kilocalories should
come from saturated fatty
acids. The client consumed
13% of his kcal from
saturated fatty acids which
is 3% over what the max
should be. He should work
on replacing more of his
saturated fatty acids with
more monounsaturated

Consume less than 300 mg per day of dietary cholesterol.

Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible by

limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fats, such
as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats.

Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars.

Limit the consumption of foods that contain refined grains,

especially refined grain foods that contain solid fats, added
sugars, and sodium.

and polyunsaturated fatty

acids.
No
663 mg/d cholesterol
The daily recommendation
is 300 mg per day of dietary
cholesterol and he
consumed on average 663
mg/day which is 363 mg
per day over what it should
be.
No
Exact amount of Trans fat is
unknown, however, he
consumed 460 calories in
solid fats- g/d trans fats
The dietary guidelines
recommend replacing solid
fats with monounsaturated
fatty acids and
polyunsaturated fatty acids.
No
On average, 508 empty
calories were eaten which
included solid fats and
added sugars.
The dietary guidelines
recommend that 459 kcal
should come from the
diets calories. This means
he has consumed at least
49 more empty calories
than what he should have.
He should reduce the
amount of solid fats and
added sugars in his diet to
lower this number
No
Majority of the grains came
from refined grains which
contains solid fats, sugars,
and sodium. Out of the 11
oz of grains eaten, only 1
oz were whole grain.
The dietary guidelines
recommend that at least
half of grains should be

If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation

up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for
menand only by adults of legal drinking age.

FOOD AND NUTRIENTS TO INCREASE

Key Recommendations
Increase vegetable and fruit intake.

Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green and red and

orange vegetables and beans and peas.

whole grains. He needs to

eat at least 3 oz more of
whole grains to get to 5 oz
of whole grains.
Yes
0 drinks/d
According to the dietary
guidelines, a male should
consume alcohol in
moderation, which for a
male is up to 2 drinks per
day. He consumed no
alcoholic drinks, so was
under that limit by 2 drinks.

Yes and no
3 cups vegetables/d
4 cups fruits/d
The guidelines recommend
4 cups of vegetables. He
consumed 3 cup of
vegetables, which was
under the recommended
amount by cup. The
recommended amount of
fruits was 2 cup, which
he consumed 4 cups of
fruit, which was actually
over the recommendation
by 1 cups.
No
cup dark-green
vegetables/wk
1 cup red and orange
vegetables/wk
0 beans/wk
0 peas/wk
The guidelines recommend
a variety of vegetables; it
recommends 2 cups of
dark green vegetables,
which he consumed cup,
which is 2 cups under the
recommendation. It also
recommends 7 cups of
red and orange vegetables

Consume at least half of all grains as whole grains. Increase

whole-grain intake by replacing refined grains with whole
grains.

Increase intake of fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products,

such as milk, yogurt, cheese, or fortified soy beverages.

Choose a variety of protein foods, which include seafood, lean

meat and poultry, eggs, beans and peas, soy products, and
unsalted nuts and seeds.

per week, 3 cups of beans

and peas per week. He
consumed 1 cups of red
and orange vegetables and
no beans or peas. So he is
under the recommendation
of red and orange
vegetables by 6 cups and
under the recommendation
for beans and peas by 3
cups. However, it is also
important to note that this
was only a 3 day log and
the recommendations were
for a week.
No
1 oz whole grains/d
The guidelines recommend
that half of the grains
should be whole grains,
which would be 5 oz or
more and he only
consumed 1 oz, so he
would need to consume 3
oz more of whole grains.
Being that he is concerned
with his insulin sensitivity,
this is especially important
because refined grains
often contain added sugars.
No
2 cups dairy servings/d
The recommended
guidelines for dairy is 3
cups per day and he
consumed 2 cups, so he
was under the
recommendation by cup,
which is very close to the
recommendation.
Yes and no
0 seafood servings/wk
4 lean meat servings/d
6 eggs/wk
0 beans/wk
0 peas/wk
0 soy products/wk

Increase the amount and variety of seafood consumed by

choosing seafood in place of some meat and poultry.

Replace protein foods that are higher in solid fats with choices
that are lower in solid fats and calories and/or are sources of
oils.

1 cups unsalted nuts/wk

0 unsalted seeds/wk
The dietary guidelines
recommend 34 oz of lean
meat and eggs per week,
which would be equivalent
to about 14.5 oz for 3 days.
It also recommends 5 oz
per week of nuts, seeds,
and soy products, which
would be a little over 2 oz
for 3 days. He consumed
about 16 oz of lean meats
and eggs, and about 6 oz of
nuts. So he was above on
both of those, however, he
also consumed quite a few
medium to high fat
proteins and also failed to
consume any seafood. In
addition to all this, he also
consumes more protein in
the protein shakes that he
makes for some snacks.
No
0 seafood servings/d
The dietary guidelines
recommend 11 oz of
seafood per week for a
3000 kcal diet. He ate no
seafood, so he is under this
recommendation by 11 oz.
No
There were a lot of high fat
protein foods consumed in
this diet such as sausage,
lunch meat, and steak.
The dietary guidelines
recommend replacing the
high fat protein foods with
lean protein foods. If he
could replace these higher
fat proteins with lean
proteins such as adding
beans, peas, and legumes
this would help cut down
his total fat.

10

Use oils to replace solid fats where possible.

Choose foods that provide more potassium, dietary fiber,

calcium, and vitamin D, which are nutrients of concern in
American diets. These foods include vegetables, fruits, whole
grains, and milk and milk products.

INDIVIDUALS AGE 50 YEARS OR OLDER

Consume foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as fortified
cereals, or dietary supplements.

No
Much of the time, butter
(solid fat) and mayo were
used as spreads and
cooking.
The dietary guidelines
recommend replacing solid
fats with oils, which will
help cut down on the
saturated fats and in turn
replace them with
monounsaturated and poly
unsaturated fatty acids. By
using olive oil in cooking
instead of butter and using
a low fat mayo, he could
cut out a lot of the solid
fats.
Yes and no
4385 mg/d potassium
33 g/d fiber
1309 mg/d calcium
6 g/d vitamin D
The guidelines recommend
4700 mg/day of potassium,
so he consumed 315 mg
less than the
recommended amount.
The guideline for fiber is 34
g/day, which he was
extremely close to, only
being 1 gram off. The
calcium recommendation
was 1000 mg/day, so he
was over the
recommendation by 309
mg. and the Vitamin D
recommendation was 15
g/day, so he was under
that recommendation by 9
g.
Not applicable- 23 yrs old.
5 g/d vitamin B12
Even though he is not
above 50 years old, the
recommendation was still

11
at 2.4 g, so he was over
that recommendation by
2.6 g.
BUILDING HEALTHY EATING PATTERNS
Key Recommendations
Select an eating pattern that meets nutrient needs over time
at an appropriate calorie level.

Account for all foods and beverages consumed and assess how
they fit within a total healthy eating pattern.

Follow food safety recommendations when preparing and

eating foods to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.

No
3042 kcal/d
The guidelines recommend
for a male of his age, size
and activity level to
consume 3000 kcal/day, in
which on average he
consumed a little more
than this (42 kcal).
No
The client consumes a high
protein, and fat diet, with a
decent amount of fruits
and vegetables and high in
refined grains.
The dietary guidelines 2010
recommend, a healthy
eating pattern limits intake
of sodium, solid fats, added
sugars, and refined grains
and emphasizes nutrientdense foods and
beveragesvegetables,
fruits, whole grains, fat-free
or low-fat milk and milk
products, seafood, lean
meats and poultry, eggs,
beans and peas, and nuts
and seeds.
Yes
Per the log given, it was
assumed everything was
cooked and held at proper
temperatures, along with
produce washed
accordingly.
The Dietary Guidelines
2010 recommend to; clean
hands, food contact
surfaces, and vegetables
and fruits, separate raw,
cooked, and ready-to-eat

12
foods while shopping,
storing, and preparing
foods, cook foods to a safe
temperature, and chill
(refrigerate) perishable
foods promptly

Discussion
Strengths of diet
After analyzing the clients diet with the Dietary Guidelines 2010, strengths, and weaknesses were
determined. A major strength of this clients diet was his good fiber intake. Even though he was one
gram shy of the 34 gram per day recommendation, he more than exceeded the fruit intake and was of
a cup shy of the vegetable intake. A high fiber diet helps people to maintain a healthy weight while also
lowering their risk of diabetes and heart disease. Being that this client is concerned with his insulin
sensitivity and has a few heart issues, he should be aware of his fiber intake, in which he is off to a good
start, although even more would help. Another strength of this clients diet is his excellent calcium
intake. The recommended amount was only 1000 mg/day and he consumed 1309 mg/day on average.
Being that he likes to lift weights, this calcium will help keep his bones strong and able to do the kinds of
activity that he likes to do. He also typically uses low fat milk products which will help cut down on his
total fat and help decrease his risk for cardiovascular disease. Finally this client does have an excellent
protein intake. As a male who likes to lift weight, protein is necessary to help build new muscle. Protein
is also the building block just about everything in the body (hair, enzymes, nails, etc.). It is important
however to make sure these proteins are lean sources of proteins.
Weaknesses
This client does have several areas of weakness in his diet. One of the major weaknesses of this diet is
the sodium intake. Being that he is concerned with insulin levels and already has some heart issues, it
would be advised that he cut down his sodium intake to less than 1500 mg/day. He is currently
consuming 4215 mg/day, which is over by 2715 mg/day. High sodium diets can lead to hypertension
and other heart related diseases. Another weakness is his consumption of almost all refined grains; out
of the 11 oz of grains he consumed, only 1 oz were whole grain. Refined grains contain a lot of
added fat and sugar, and being he is trying to watch his weight and insulin sensitivity levels, he should

13
not be eating a lot of added fat or sugar. A final weakness of this diet is the excess of empty calories. He
consumed 508 empty kilocalories, and 3042 kilocalories on average. He should only be consuming 3000
kilocalories on average and less than 459 empty kilocalories. As a person who is in the overweight BMI
category, he should be consuming less than the 3000 kilocalories if he wants to lose weight. By cutting
out many of these empty calories, he would potentially be able to consume less than 3000 kilocalories
per day.
SuperTracker Strengths
SuperTracker is a fantastic computer program to help track and analyze ones diet. One of the major
strength of it is that is does give you a good estimate of exactly how much a person is eating per day
along with numerous other factors such as macronutrients, vitamins, minerals, etc. Another strength is
its ability to build exportable reports which can be easily be used by either dietetic professionals or the
common person to analyze, along with providing coaching and a goal center to help one achieve
whatever that might be. Finally, it is extremely customizable and can be personalized to each individual
depending on their gender, age, size, activity level, along with other things. This allows for the best
possible estimates of dietary needs for each person.
SuperTracker Weaknesses
The SuperTracker however does have its weaknesses as well. Even though it has a very large database
of foods, it doesnt contain everything, and sometimes can be hard to get to exactly what food that a
person wants, and even if the proper food is found, different brands/types/flavors all contain slightly
different nutrients. Another weakness is for a non-trained person, entering in the serving size of what
they ate can be a little confusing. Often it will list things in ounces or some other unit of measurement
that people arent always familiar with. This is why it is so important to teach the public proper serving
sizes. Finally, just like any other diet assessment tool, people can lie about what they ate or how much
they ate. Often times people will be ashamed of something they ate and are afraid it will look bad if
they tell the truth of exactly how much they ate. This is why its so important to gain a good relationship
with your client and not show any sign of judgment when conducting such evaluations. This is often
unavoidable however.

14
Main Areas of the Diet Requiring Improvement
The first goal for this client would be to increase protein variety, replacing the high fat proteins with lean
meats, seafood, beans, peas and legumes. This will help decrease the number of empty calories from
saturated fat, which will ultimately help decrease the total empty calories and total calories to help him
lose weight and get down to a healthy BMI. Being that he is a weight lifter, the lean proteins, beans,
seafood, peas, and legumes will still provide adequate protein sources for building muscle, but it will
help decrease his risk of cardiovascular disease and other weight related diseases such as diabetes.
The second goal would be to decrease his sodium intake. As someone who already has a few heart
issues, he should be consuming less than 1500 mg/day of sodium. A high sodium diet can lead to
hypertension, which can also lead to other heart related diseases. To lower his sodium intake, he should
consume more less processed foods, and consume more plant foods. The meats should be watched
very closely to ensure there isnt a lot of excess sodium. When cooking, he should use a variety of other
spices and herbs to add favor rather than salt.
A final goal for this client would be to make at least half of all the grains consumed whole grains and
increase the amounts of complex carbohydrates. He is currently consuming very little whole grains.
Whole grains are an important source for dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin,
and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium). In addition to containing all of these
important nutrients, a diet rich in whole grains is said to help reduce blood cholesterol levels and could
even lower risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, these all being of concern for this client.
Adding whole grains can be extremely easy; just by switching out white bread for whole wheat, or
normal pasta for whole grain pasta.