While you may equate the term "diet" with a plan to eat less, your diet is actually composed of everything you eat, which means there are healthy diets and not-so-healthy diets. Assessing your personal diet can be a helpful method for identifying whether you are eating on a healthy track. It can also help you to identify areas you can improve. Your physician may also want to gain a better understanding of what you are eating to develop a treatment plan for a particular health condition.
Step 1
Record everything you eat and drink for the specified period by using an online tool such as LIVESTRONG's MyPlate application or a spreadsheet. Duration of this analysis varies. When you are performing your own analysis, you may choose a week. Your physician or a nutritionist may ask you to assess your eating habits for two or four weeks. Eat as you normally would, without tailoring your diet for fear that you will be judged. The goal of a diet analysis is to examine your typical eating habits to make any necessary adjustments.
Step 2
Review the nutritional label to find the amount of calories, fat, sugar, dietary fiber and protein in each food item you eat if you are using a spreadsheet. Obtain data for foods such as meats, fruits or vegetables from a nutritional database such as that of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Step 3
Record details about the amount of calories, fat, sugar, dietary fiber and protein contained in each food or beverage item you consume if you are using a spreadsheet. List calories as a whole number and fat, sugar, dietary fiber and protein in grams. Include water and beverages as well.
Step 4
Total the numbers for calories and other values daily to obtain a base for your analysis. For example, if you eat 300 calories at breakfast, 500 calories at lunch and 450 calories at dinner; adding these values together yields 1,250 total calories for the day.
Step 5
Compare the total amount of calories you ate each day to your recommended daily caloric intake. Your physician or a nutritionist can help you determine your target caloric range. On average, adults consume 2,000 per day; this can vary according to your age and activity level.
Step 6
Compare the total amount of fat grams you consumed compared to the recommended fat intake. You should limit your intake of total fat to between 44 and 78 g each day, MayoClinic.com recommends. Eating too much fat without exercising or burning it off can lead to weight gain and the development of cardiovascular disease.
Step 7
Compare your intake of sugar to the American Heart Association recommendations that men limit their intake of sugar to 45 g per day and women, 30 g. If you are diabetic, your physician may recommend a lower limit or ask you to remove sugar from your diet.
Step 8
Determine how your total intake of dietary fiber measures up against the recommended daily intake of 21 to 25 g for women and 30 and 38 g for men. Dietary fiber aids in the digestive process and helps to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.
Step 9
Assess your protein intake as it compares to the recommended daily amount. If you eat a 2,000-calorie diet, your figures should read between 50 and 175 g of protein each day to provide the body with energy and keep muscles healthy. Protein can be obtained from lean meats as well as legumes and other plant-based proteins.
Step 10
Visit your physician or a nutritionist to identify the areas that appear to be excessive or deficient. For example, if you are consuming more than the recommended amounts, you will need to reduce your intake of certain foods or eat versions of these foods that are cooked in healthier ways. He will review each area with you and make recommendations to improve your intake and create a more balanced diet.
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