Nutrition Update

Since January 26th I’ve closely tracked my nutritional intake for 48 days; eating at home, carefully weighing portions on my digital scale, and relying on food labels for nutritional data. Excluding three days I ate at restaurants, the 48-day average, minimum, and maximum (through 3/16/15) intake for 9 nutrition factors (see table below) generally appear in line with recommendations; however, I should probably consume 400-600 more calories/day (hence the recent 10 pound weight loss). I’ve focused on increasing my protein and calcium intake while minimizing added sugar and total fat intake; I could probably stand to consume more good fat (ice cream?:) 

Measuring/weighing portions becomes a habit after awhile and I find it interesting to track the nutrients entering my body. My diet is pretty simple and I tend to eat the same meals each day; makes it easier to shop, prepare meals, and track intake. Tracking takes time, however, and makes me reluctant to eat out; all positive outcomes in my view:)

	Calories (kcal/day)	Calories from Fat (g)	Total Fat (g)	Protein (g)	Added Sugar (g)	Sodium (mg)	Dietary Fiber (g)	Total Carbs (g)	Calcium (mg)
Average	1950	400	45	100	17	1393	57	302	1340
Min	1542	230	25	74	3	697	37	227	890
Max	2339	668	76	144	40	2485	88	413	2450
Recommended Values from Two Sources for Active 58 Year Old 145 pound Male
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/	2634	-	59-102	53	-	1300-2300	30	296-428	1000
http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned	2636	-	73-102	53	-	-	30	296-428	1200

Intake recommendations vary widely depending on the source; some sources provide minimum value’s, while others recommend specific values, minimums, or maximums based on nutrition calculators that consider gender, age, and weights.

Fiber: the two sources in my table recommend at least 30g but WebMD recommends a minimum of 38g/day for men.

Carbohydrates: the two sources in my table recommend 45-65% of total calorie intake as carbs; since carbs provide 4 calories/gram, the 296-428 range is derived by dividing the product by 4.

Fat: The USDA source recommends 20-35% of total calories for fat; since fat provides 9 calories/gram; the 59-102 range is derived by dividing the product by 9. The nutritiondata.self.com source recommends 25-35%.