3 Day Food Record Essay

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In my opinion, a 3 day food record is a useful tool for determining the dietary intake and analyzing an individual’s nutritional status. The 3 day food record considers an individual’s unique dietary consumptions throughout the whole day including beverages and other products such as pop. By considering an individual diet for three days rather than just one day enables an average to be distinguished. By recognizing an individual’s patterns over three days it gives a good overview of dietary patterns. As well, it allows a good comparison to the Health Canada’s Food guide to distinguish where differences may occur. Additionally, the 3 day food record is a good breakdown for individuals who are interested in understanding the reasons for their…show more content…
Firstly, it is a great way to understand where the average individual in a specific age group and gender should stand with their diet. Secondly, the food guide gives great accommodations for individuals of different cultures, an important factor for Canada’s diverse population. However, the cons of the Canada’s Food Guide is that it only applies to the average individual meaning it does not take into consideration an individual’s weight or height. Therefore, an obese individual who is trying to lose weight cannot drastically decrease their daily consumption without feeling major consequences such feeling hungry and fatigued (Rolls, Drewnowski, Ledikwe, 2005, pg. 102). Secondly, the guide does not consider the individual’s physical activity. Some individuals would not be able to follow this guide due to their daily lifestyle requiring more or less food servings to meet energy requirements (Thompson et al, 2012, pg. 40). According to Nowson (2007), to ensure each individual is consuming efficient energy requirements they should be assessed on an individual level, which accounts for their physical and psychological conditions, as well as their body weight and medication use (pg.150). Therefore, the Canada’s Food Guide applies strictly to an average individual making it insignificance to those who are not

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