Creating a Personalized Diet Plan and Physical Activity Routine - Essay Sample

Introduction

The food that most people are fond of taking is popularly known as a diet. After consuming a particular meal, individuals usually engage in body movement exercises in the form of physical activities to burn the consumed food. The health of a person largely depends on the quality of diet and the physical activities performed. This essay is about a personalized diet plan and the physical activities I usually perform. Furthermore, the paper evaluates the barriers to fulfilling the diet and physical activity guidelines given by the United States government to the American People. The essay ends by analyzing how the social and physical environment affects individuals’ ability to meet the dietary and physical activity guidelines.

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Thesis Statement

Knowing dietary and workout habits is crucial because it affects our abilities to stick to the required dietary and physical activity guidelines issued by the government.

Dietary Intake Pattern

The daily dietary plan comprises of two meals – with grains and proteins being my favorite food intake. The above nutritional plan does not meet the guidelines set by the United States government since most of the time, and I find myself skipping meals, especially breakfast. The protein diet that I consume most of the time includes chicken, steak, and nuts. Furthermore, I consume a lot of milk and other dairy products as part of my daily dietary plan. The meals I consume as part of my grain diet include oat, cereal, and bread. The above dietary plan gets supplemented with an intake of about two to 4 snacks a day.

The Food in My Diet for Each Food Group

My dietary plan consists of the following food group; fruit, vegetable, grains, dairy, and proteins. Items in specific food groups get categorized as either Go, Slow, or Whoa!. The food items labeled as Go have low-fat content, and people can consume them anytime. On the other hand, Slow food has high-fat content and get consumed sometimes. However, Whoa! Food has a high-fat content, and processed sugar and consumption is supposed to be once in a long time (Jakubowski et al., 2018). I usually consume apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple under the category of fruits. Fruits are one of the Go food – hence any person can decide to consume them at any time without worrying about the negative health impacts. The main factors that influence my fruit intake include flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Nonetheless, I have noticed that my consumption of fruits amounts to 0.7 cup, which is below the recommended 2 cups.

Portfolio one I filled shows that my protein intakes are 6.3 ounces out of the required 6.5 ounces specified in the dietary guidelines. The exact food item consumed under the protein food group includes chicken, steak, and nuts. The above figures show that protein is among the highest food eaten as compared to other dietary plans. The factors that lead to high protein intake include the presence of flavor, nutritional value, and meat’s love. Food with protein content is among the dietary plan categorized as Go since they possess very low-fat content.

Even though vegetables are among the best Go food, I do not particularly appreciate consuming them because of their taste. Some of the vegetables I consume include spinach, lettuce, and onion. The units of consumption amount to 1 cup out of the 3 cups recommended by the dietary guidelines. I also consumed bread, oatmeal, rice, bagel, cereal, and pasta under the grains food category. Since grains are the Slow foods, I feared to take them, resulting in a consumption of 3.4 ounces out of the required 8 ounces. The last food category is the dairy products, which I unconsciously ate 0.8 ounces out of the required 3 ounces.

The 2015 – 2015 Dietary Guidelines For Americans

The following are the dietary guidelines for the year 2015 – 2020, as given by the United States government for the American people (Health.gov, n.d).

• Follow a healthy eating pattern.
• Focus on the variety and amount of nutrient-dense food.
• Limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake.
• Shift to healthier food and beverage choices.
• Support healthy eating patterns for all.

Lifestyle Physical Activity

The main physical activities I used to engage in include walking half a mile to catch a bus to school and walking while working as a tour guide. Walking is one of the best non-strenuous physical activity; however, the COVID-19 has made me completely inactive. The FITT summary describing my exercise habit shows that my workout frequency is 4 to 5 times per week with a moderate intensity level. Furthermore, the type of exercise is aerobic, which lasts for an average of 3 hours per day.

Guidelines of the 2018 Physical Activity

The following are the critical physical activity guidelines issued in 2018 for my age group (Health.gov, n.d).

Those adults whose moderate physical activity lasts less than 150 minutes weekly get considered as inactive.

On the other hand, those adults whose moderate physical activities is equivalent to 150 minutes weekly are active.

Similarly, those adults with moderate physical activities lasting more than 300 minutes combined with intense muscle-toning activities every week are considered highly active.

The pre-coronavirus period shows that my physical activities meet the guidelines given by the United States government.

Barriers to Meeting the Dietary and Physical Activity

The main challenge encountered in meeting dietary guidelines is consuming enough vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy products. The problem emanates from the fact that I am fond of taking junk food. When it comes to physical activity, the body ache after exercising makes me fear working out.

Conclusion

A proper diet plan can save people and the country much money incurred on health expenses. Therefore, one needs to observe an appropriately nutritious diet to enhance a healthy lifestyle. Consequently, people should also incorporate physical activity in their lives since exercising also improves the quality of life. An observation made shows that the social and physical environment affects people’s ability to follow the dietary and physical activity guidelines issued by the government. Additionally, an individual’s preference for certain foods stands out as a barrier to developing a proper nutritional plan.

References

Health.gov. (n.d). Physical Activity. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf

Health.gov. (n.d). 2015 - 2020 Dietary Guidelines. Retrieved June 6, 2020, from https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/2015-2020_Dietary_Guidelines.pdf

Jakubowski, T. L., Perron, T., Farrell, A., Kenner, C., & Hullings, C. (2018). The Smart Nutrition and.