You Are What You Eat Coursework Example

Name
Instructor
Course
Date You Are What You Eat
Human beings depend on food to live. Food is, therefore, the source of energy for the human body. The amount of energy the human body gets from the metabolism process is measured in units known as calories. The amounts of calories differ from one food to another. Different foods have different levels of calories. For individuals to lead healthy lives, they have to ensure that they take a balanced diet. A balanced diet will consist of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and fats. All foods consumed by human beings fall under these categories. However, some foods can contain all the categories of a balanced diet. An imbalanced or poorly constituted diet can result in problems for the human body. Every category has its functions in the body, and the lack thereof can cause food deficiency diseases.
The case study involves the collection and analysis of diet data. The data is collected for three days and recorded in the table below. The amounts of calories generated by every food are recorded in parenthesis alongside the food type. The collected data is an average (Sizer 1).
Note- The number in brackets shows the amount of calories
Sunday (3/11) Tuesday (3/12) Wednesday (3/13)
Breakfast Bacon (150), eggs (90), grits (59), toast (313) and orange juice (40) Fruit-grapes (55), strawberry (10)) & 2 scrambled eggs (180), bottle water (0) Bacon (150) egg (90) cheese bagel (330) & bottle water (0)
Snack N/A Blueberry Yogurt (90) N/A
Lunch Turkey Sandwich/wheat
Bread (130) & bottle water (0) Chicken (220) fried rice (163) & coke (150) Chicken Noodle soup (36) & bottle water (0)
Snack N/A N/A Blueberry Muffin (377)
Dinner Stuffed bell pepper with ground beef (216), brown rice(111), cheese (371) & bottle water (0) Baked Steelhead Trout with Green Beans (74) & bottle water (0) Rotisserie Chicken (148) Breast with macaroni (134) & cheese (371) with bottle water (0)
Importance of collected data
The collected data is intended to help us in analyzing the nature of our diet.

For instance, the amounts of calories required by our bodies. Below are some of the answers to the questions arising from the collected data. The questions will help us digest information about the nature of our diet, and what needs to change in our diet for a healthy life.
What were the average calories per day?
Total calories for the 3 days is 3895
3895 divided by 3 days. =1298 calories per day on average.
2. What item (s) had the highest and lowest calorie content?
Cheese had the highest calories while strawberry had the lowest. Bottled water had no calories.
3. What were the calorie contents of these items?
Cheese had 371 while strawberry had 10.
4. What is the source of your information?
http://www.mypyramid.org/plan.php https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-truth-about-seven-common-food-additives#1 https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/chemical-cuisine https://www.choosemyplate.gov/tools-supertracker5. Compare your average diet over the three days to the recommended diet. Compare and discuss what your recommended diet is to your actual diet.
The recommended calories amount is 2400 calories to maintain my current weight and 2600 to achieve a healthy weight. My calories level is at an average of 1298 calories per day.
6. What are the most compelling differences, if any?
Not applicable.
7. What are the reasons for the differences?
Not applicable.
8. Do you think there is a long-term implication to the diet you currently have? What might that be?
The implications are that of being overweight as the number of calories for the three days exceeds the recommended number of calories.
Additives and their Effects
Artificial coloring is additives used to color food. They are sourced from chemical dyes. Artificial coloring is found in many foods including colored drinks and beverages. According to researched facts, food coloring can accelerate asthmatic conditions and increase hyperactivity in children (Conners 4).
Aspartame is another type of additive. The additive is used as a sweetener, especially in soft drinks. The additive, according to research can cause cancer, reduced brain performance, and seizures. The additive is, therefore, dangerous to the health of individuals. The use of the additive in soft drinks has been found to cause brain tumors. One can recognize the presence of aspartame by checking the list of ingredients.
Monosodium glutamate(MSG), is another common additive. The additive is in the form of crystals and is often found in products like soybeans and tomatoes. However, in these products, the additive occurs naturally. Nevertheless, it is also used in seasoning a variety of foods. The additive has been found to result in allergic reactions (Duyff 567). Check for MSG on the ingredients list.
Another common additive is the high fructose corn syrup. The additive is used as a sweetener in foods and soft drinks. The effects of the additive are that it could result in obesity. Furthermore, excess consumption of the same could result in diabetes. The additive can be found on the list of ingredients of a soft drink or food in which it has been used.
Sodium nitrite is an additive found in foods like canned beef. The additive helps in the preservation of meat like products. The problems associated with the additive is that it can cause gastric cancer (Duyff 567). The use of sodium nitrite in food can be observed from the list of ingredients of the said food.
Sodium Benzoate is used to preserve foods. It is added to food to preserve it from getting bad. Despite its importance in preserving food, sodium benzoate can be harmful to the body if consumed. The additive can result in cancer. Potassium bromate found in bread can also cause health issues.

Works Cited
Conners, C. Keith. Food additives and hyperactive children. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012.
Duyff, Roberta Larson. American Dietetic Association complete food and nutrition guide. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
Sizer, Frances Sienkiewicz, et al. Nutrition: concepts and controversies. Cengage Learning, 2012.