M3: Assess how the plan will meet the nutritional needs of the chosen individual
D2: Evaluate how the nutritional plan might improve the health of the chosen individual
In this assignment, I will assess how the plan will meet my own nutritional needs. I will also evaluate how the
plan will improve my health in the short and long term.
(M3) The first change that has been made to the improved nutritional plan was the number of calories. I was
consuming around 2,600 calories a day in my first nutritional plan. In the improved plan I cut that down to
around 1,500-2,000 calories per day. As an 18-year-old female, I should be consuming 2,462 calories per day
in order to maintain a healthy weight. (NHS, 2018) The improved nutritional plan had less than the
recommended number of calories and the old nutritional plan had too many calories. However, the number
of calories that should be consumed also depends on activity levels, I do not get a lot of exercise so the new
nutritional plan is more suitable for me. I weigh 62kg which is a healthy weight for my height and I am not
trying to gain weight, the old nutritional plan would have made me gain weight because I was consuming
more calories than the recommended amount, especially combined with a lack of exercise. This again shows
that the new nutritional plan is more suitable for me because it will help me maintain my weight, whereas,
the old nutritional plan would make me gain weight.
(D2) A short term effect of reducing the calorie intake in the improved nutritional plan would be weight
maintenance, as mentioned above. It would help me maintain a healthy body weight. This is important
because “most adults between the ages of 18 and 49 gain 1-2 pounds each year” (HARVARD T.H. CHAN,
2013). This shows that it is common for adults to gain weight if they don’t watch what they eat and how
much exercise they get. Therefore, a long term effect would be the prevention of weight gain, obesity and
weight related illnesses such as diabetes. Obesity is caused by a combination of low activity levels and high
calorie intake, which is what I have been doing. The extra calories which have been consumed are stored in
the body as fat, because they will not be burned off due to lack of exercise. Also, a diet which is high in
calories can lead to insulin resistance and cause type 2 diabetes.
(M3) Another change that has been made to the improved nutritional plan was nutrient intake. Firstly, 65%
of our daily diet should consist of carbohydrates and the improved nutritional plan contains that roughly.
Women should consume around 45g of protein per day, which the new nutritional plan contains. The old
nutritional plan consisted of roughly 60g of protein per day which is more than the recommended daily
amount. Additionally, around 35% of the diet should come from fats for women. The new nutritional plan
contains foods such as peanut butter and avocado which are healthy but still have a high fat content.
Therefore, it does meet the recommended daily amount of fat. Whereas, the old nutritional plan exceeded
the recommended daily amount of fat as it contained fast food and junk food which has a high fat content.
This also includes saturated fats, “the average woman aged 19-64 years should eat no more than 20g of
saturated fat a day” (NHS, 2018). The old nutritional plan contained about 15g of saturated fats a day which
fits into the recommended amount, however, the improved nutritional plan contains less than 5g of
saturated fats a day which is a lot healthier. Furthermore, the fibre, salt and sugar intake has changed. The
recommended daily intake of fibre is 30g a day for adults, most people in the UK eat too little fibre (British
Nutrition Foundation, 2019). In the old nutritional plan I was roughly consuming 15g of fibre which is 50%
less than the recommended amount. However, in the new nutritional plan meets the recommended daily
amount of fibre because it consists of foods such as pasta, noodles, potatoes with skin, a granola bar and
whole grain cereal. Additionally, “Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day” (NHS,2018). In the old
nutritional plan I was consuming around 4g of salt per day which is below the recommended amount.
Unit 21 1
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