I am a bit worried about my nutrition, so I registered for an account at fitday.com. Can someone help me with the results? I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for, really. I think I may be eating too many carbs? Here's my pie chart for today:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/donna4909/pie_chart.jpg

And I'm lacking on a few vitamins (most notably, K), but I take a multi... However, it doesn't contain Vitamin K.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v474/donna4909/nutrition.jpg

So what should I be looking to eat more/less of?

I don't know that much about nutrition at all, but looking at your chart it definitely does seem like you have way too many carbs in your diet. I had the same problem a while back - when I went veg I gained a LOT of weight... which shouldn't happen since it's so much healthier for you. When I cut back my carbs I lost all the weight back. To this day, I can only have maybe 3 main servings of carbs a day.

It's not too hard to cut down on your carbs though (especially if you like to cook!). Instead of eating so much break, pasta, etc., I try using a wider variety of fruit/veggies, tofu, beans, etc. Also, I find it easier if I leave the bread off sandwiches, put more tofu/veggies in pasta dishes, and cut out pretty much all candy/deserts (they almost always contain dairy products anyway, so if you're on your way to vegan it's a great way to start anyway).

Like I said, I'm definitely no expert, but that's what worked for me. Hope that helps! :)

I'm really not sure where all my carbs are coming from... It's probably the Mt. Dew.

For example, today I ate:

Reese's Puffs cereal with Silk Soy milk

About 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

A bean burrito w/ refried beans, brown rice, and sour supreme

A boca burger on a wheat bun with nayonaise, ketchup, 2 large slices of tomato, and a large leaf of romaine lettuce

And approximately 24 oz. of Mt. Dew. I am trying to cut back. I normally drink about 2 liters a day, and I'm going through terrible withdrawls right now. I get headaches and dizziness when I don't drink as much as I'm used to, but I'm trying to deal with it. I don't know if it's the lack of caffine, sugar, or calories, but it makes me feel terrible. I'm hoping it goes away soon.

NO! Carbs are GOOD (unless they're from things like Mt. Dew)! You have a good amount in your diet. You need carbs for energy. As long as you're not super tall, your protein intake looks fine too.

Considering that all of the vitamins listed are above 50% (excepting Vitamin K), I wouldn't worry. That is, unless you're getting most of these nutrients from pills. It's important to get vitamins and minerals from whole foods, that way absorption is ensured.

Yes, carbs are good....though complex carbs (so carbs from brown bread/pasta/rice) are better than simple sugars. Looking at your pie chart I'd say you've got it about right. Most of your daily energy should come from carbs. Then protein requirements vary from person to person...the nutrition folks in the UK recommend 1g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. So if you're around 50kg or so then your spot on. Fat...hmmm, I can't remember fat requirements..I may need to look that up.

As for the vitamins...you're close on most of them. I wouldn't worry about vitamin A, vitamin C or phosphorus as they're so close to the RDA (and you're certainly over the bare minimum requirement for vitamin C). For vitamin D you don't have to worry about getting that in your diet so long as you spend some time out in sunlight each day...as it's made in our bodies from the action of sunlight on the skin. Vitamin K...I believe there's evidence to show this is made by bacteria in the gut...however, I don't think anyone has worked out whether we can absorb that or if just goes out of the system.

Carbs are a wonderful thing, so long as they're the right kind of carbs! If you're drinking mountain dew and eating Reese Puffs, a whole lot of your carbs are coming from refined sugar, which can do some very yucky things to your body. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a total anti-sugar activist...I like sweets as much as the next person...but to have whole meals based on sugar isn't good for you.

I think that you need more fibre! If you're eating 60% of your calories from carbs and only getting 13 grams of fibre, I really think that you're choosing the wrong carbs. You also seem to be eating almost no fruit and veggies. I think that you posted before about not liking them? (I'm not sure if it was you or someone else) If you don't like fruit and veggies, it definitely makes it harder to eat a healthy diet. Have you experimented a bit and found some that you enjoy?

I also don't think you eat anywhere enough! How many of your calories are you drinking in the form of soft drink? I'd say about 300 or so...that means you're only eating 1400 calories worth of actual food (and I'm not sure the Reese Puffs really constitute "food"...they're more of a dessert-type snack, IMO. Could you sub the sugary cereal for a whole grain cereal in the morning?).

As for Vitamin K, I know that you can get it from kiwi fruit and leafy greens. When I started eating a kiwi in the morning, my Vit K jumped up quite a lot.

I'm really not sure where all my carbs are coming from... It's probably the Mt. Dew.

For example, today I ate:

Reese's Puffs cereal with Silk Soy milk

About 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds

A bean burrito w/ refried beans, brown rice, and sour supreme

A boca burger on a wheat bun with nayonaise, ketchup, 2 large slices of tomato, and a large leaf of romaine lettuce

And approximately 24 oz. of Mt. Dew. I am trying to cut back. I normally drink about 2 liters a day, and I'm going through terrible withdrawls right now. I get headaches and dizziness when I don't drink as much as I'm used to, but I'm trying to deal with it. I don't know if it's the lack of caffine, sugar, or calories, but it makes me feel terrible. I'm hoping it goes away soon.


Hi Donna! Random gave some great advice!^^^

60% of your diet in carbs isn't bad, but you are not getting the kind of carbs you need- whole grains, veggies.

try to cut down on the soda, slowly so you don't get the caffeine headaches-and add in a bit more veggies and fruit.

I agree that your charts don't look too bad - but the sugar could be a problem! You might get the sweet taste you're looking for at breakfast if you get a better cereal and then put some fruit on top. (This will also add some fiber - which I think should be closer to 25 mg per day.) Fresh fruit is plentiful this time of year. Bananas or berries would be really good. (Or, if these are among the fruits you don't care for, and the fruits you do like don't go with cereal too well, have some next to your cereal.)

Keep up the good work on the Mt. Dew!

My breakfast which is heavenly for anyone with a sweet tooth increases my calcium, fruit, protein, fibre and omega 3 intake.

Just a bowl of berries: strawberry, blackberries, rasberries and blueberries, with some banana pieces, soygurt (or you can use yogurt) and milled flax seeds.

It's more like a dessert than anything else. You can also add granola to it to make it more substantial! But it's definitely better than reese's puffs!

My breakfast which is heavenly for anyone with a sweet tooth increases my calcium, fruit, protein, fibre and omega 3 intake.

Just a bowl of berries: strawberry, blackberries, rasberries and blueberries, with some banana pieces, soygurt (or you can use yogurt) and milled flax seeds.

It's more like a dessert than anything else. You can also add granola to it to make it more substantial! But it's definitely better than reese's puffs!


I love breakfasts like that! I often use frozen berries that are partially thawed, so they still retain some iciness. I eat this more in the warmer months, but I never really get tired of it!

I don't like any berries or soy yogurt (or any yogurt for that matter). I'm eating Reese's Puffs just because I know it's vegan. If someone knows of a brand of Raisin Bran that is vegan, I'd be glad to have it instead.

For fruit, I like melons, tomatoes, bananas, and apples. I usually try to eat one of these items everyday... but veggies are difficult. I've wasted so much money on trying different veggies (squash, eggplant, kale, etc.), and I haven't found a single new food I like. :( For now I'm sticking to what I know and like. Corn, peas, potatoes, lettuce, etc.

Today, I've had:

PB and banana sandwich (natural PB, no sugar)
Spaghetti, mashed potatoes, and corn
And about 8 oz. of Mt. Dew
And I'll probably eat a Riblet and a salad later. Wish I had a cucumber for my salad...

Wheaties Raisin Bran is vegan. (http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-breakfast.asp?Category=Breakfast%20(Dry)) :)

Have you tried dried veggies? I can't stand raw zucchini, but I love it dried. I'm sure there are other ways to dehydrate veggies if you don't have a dehydrator.

Do you like soy sauce? Braggs? I love frozen broccoli cooked, and then spritzed with Braggs.

I'm really not sure where all my carbs are coming from... It's probably the Mt. Dew.


Ah... well I saw a pretty neat special a year or so ago about a girl who was a little overweight. She'd tried a lot of diets unsuccesfully, so she decided to cut out one food at a time - her first cut was all soda - she lost enough weight in 2 months from just leaving soda out of her diet that she didn't need to cut out any other food!

The study seems a little extreme, but I thought it was interesting. It often is that little stuff you eat/drink throughout the day that you don't think of that causes those kinds of problems. Soda contains all that bad sugar for you that some carbs turn into (like a lot of cereal for example).

Donna, don't give up on those veggies! I am 47 years old and I have never liked beans. I have such a problem with texture! However, I never gave up trying them and now (a fairly recent occurrance) I eat beans regularly. To this day I can't eat a mouthful of just beans because I gag, but I eat them in things. Blended in soups to give it a thick, creamy consistency, fat free refried in my own version of tostados, as bean dip topped with tomatoes and sliced green onions, in quesadillas, etc.

To start, try finely dicing veggies by hand or food processor and adding to a sauce to serve over pasta or add to a soup. When I used to make meatloaf I used my food processor to finely chop veggies, the saute them and added to the meatloaf. Now I do the same with my vegetarian entree loaf.

Make smoothies for breakfast. You can put in whatever you like. This morining I had one with unsweetened cranberry juice, unsweetened soy milk, frozen blueberries (you can use any fruit if you dont like berries) and strawberries, flax seed meal, fresh spinach (sounds odd, but it is good and you don't taste it really), a few raw almonds and stevia plus for sweetness.

Be creative and keep trying. Good luck!

you'll find your vitamin K if you eat more green leafies.

also, i have always been told that 60% of calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 10% from protein are good numbers to shoot for (and pretty much how i eat w/o really trying to, LOL), you're not getting too many carbs, per se, but too many refined ones.

you'll find your vitamin K if you eat more green leafies.

also, i have always been told that 60% of calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 10% from protein are good numbers to shoot for (and pretty much how i eat w/o really trying to, LOL), you're not getting too many carbs, per se, but too many refined ones.


The USDA actually calls for for 50% carbs, 35% fats, and 15% proteins.

To the OP: Note that potatoes and corn are very high carb, beans and legumes are very high carb, the wrap that your burrito was in is high carb, as is your cereal and bread. 60% sounds about right for that day.

Carbs are wonderful and necessary, but you have to know how to use them. To me, it looks as though you need to find a way to incorporate more protien into your diet. I know that it's hard (this all coming from somebody who is in a very similar situation), but it's very important.

I plan on adding protein shakes to my morning routine that contain either soy protein powder or silken tofu with fruit. Now it's just a matter of getting myself to make them every morning. :-/

I Eat to Live (http://www.drfuhrman.com/) and I've found that it's amazing for meeting all of my nutritional needs (Barring vitamin B12 and D, which I supplement). It may look hard, but it's easy for me.