/ Published in HR Management Essay

Sample Admission Essay on Week 2: Nutrition and Physical Fitness Plan

  1. Instructions

    1. Create a meal diary for yourself for one day. Create a healthy version of each meal and snack and an unhealthy version. Write a summary of the meal including the required elements listed. Include references in APA format for any sources used. Answer the questions located below the tables.

     

    Healthy Meal Components Meal summary including calories, fat,

    and general health value
     Breakfast 1 egg baked with no fat;

    3 slices of bread, 100% whole wheat homemade;

    1 cup of milk low fat (1%)

    		 The egg contains 60 calories, 4 grams of fat and it is rich in protein, minerals and vitamin A. The milk contains 102 calories, 2 grams of fat and it is rich in protein, carbohydrate, calcium, potassium and vitamin A. The bread contains 327 calories, 5 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (63g), protein (12g) and potassium (346mg).
     Lunch 1 cup of orange juice;

    1 meal (12.4 oz) fish diet frozen with creamy parmesan sauce and broccoli;

    1 cup of brown rice casserole with cheese;

     

    		 The orange juice contains 112 calories, 0 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates and vitamin A and C. The fish diet contains 218 calories, 6 grams of fat and it is rich in protein (23g), carbohydrates (19g) and potassium (660mg) as well as vitamin A and K. The rice contains 375 calories, 14 grams of fat and it is rich in both carbohydrates and proteins.
     Dinner 1 medium breast of fried chicken, fried in oil, skinless and breading not eaten;

    1 cup of chopped cabbages, green and eaten raw;

     

    		 The chicken contains 170 calories, 6 grams of fat and it is rich in protein. The cabbage contains 22 calories, 0 grams of fat and it is rich in vitamin A, C and K as well as potassium.
     Snack 1 cup of salsa made with mango Contains 130 calories, 1 gram of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (34g), vitamin A and C.

     

     Unhealthy Meal Components Meal summary including calories, fat,

    and general health value
     Breakfast 4 regular slices of bread 100% whole wheat;

    2 cups of milk low fat (1%)

    		 The bread contains 282 calories, 4 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (48g), protein (14g) and potassium (284mg). The milk contains 204 calories, 4 grams of fat and it is rich in protein, carbohydrate, calcium, potassium and vitamin A.
     Lunch 2 cup of gnocchi potato

    1 cup of tamarind drink, Puerto Rican;

    2 medium chicken thigh baked and skin eaten

    		 Gnocchi potatoes contain 500 calories, 23 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (64g), sodium (1087 mg) and vitamin A (214 µg RAE). The tamarind drink contains 268 calories, 0 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (69g) and potassium (360mg). The tamarind drink contains 128 calories of added sugar. The chicken contains 279 calories, 18 grams of fat and it is rich in protein (29g)
     Dinner 1 cup of gnocchi potato

    1 cup of tamarind drink, Puerto Rican;

    1 medium chicken thigh baked and skin eaten

    		 Gnocchi potatoes contain 250 calories, 12 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (32g), sodium (543 mg) and vitamin A (107 µg RAE). The tamarind drink contains 268 calories, 0 grams of fat and it is rich in carbohydrates (69g) and potassium (360mg). The tamarind drink contains 128 calories of added sugar. The chicken contains 140 calories, 9 grams of fat and it is rich in protein (14g).
     Snack 4 bananas chocolate-covered with nuts The bananas contain 1328 calories, 75 grams of fat and they are rich in carbohydrates (170g), protein (27g) and potassium (2245mg).

     

     

    1. Discuss which meal diary is more reasonable for you when considering work and family schedules? (100- to 200-words).

     

    For a work schedule, the more reasonable meal for me would be the one that would provide me with energy more than anything else. Such a meal diary would have more proteins, fats and carbohydrates (Lynch, Elmore, & Kotecki, 2015). These nutrients would be broken down to provide me with the energy that I would require in my body to perform my duties. On the other hand, for a family schedule, the more reasonable meal diary would be the one that would be nutritious. Such a meal diary would help the family to live healthy and it would include both macro and micro nutrients. This does not mean that I would not require micronutrients for work schedules, but it means that I would not require these nutrients as much as I would require macronutrients. However, the micronutrients would be required to facilitate metabolism in the body.

     

     

    1. Is it possible to eat healthy meals when dining outside of the home? Why or why not? Provide examples. (100- to 200-words).

     

    Although some restaurants try their level best to offer healthy food options, I do not think that it is possible to eat healthy meals when you dine outside of your home. First, the food that is prepared in majority of these restaurants is not prepared with you in mind. As a result, even if they might appear to be healthy, they might not be nutritious as they might be if you were to prepare them at your home. Considerable studies have shown that food prepared at home is more nutritious than food prepared at restaurants (Corbin et al., 2014). For this reason, if you dine outside of your home, you are not likely to eat healthy meals. Second, although restaurants try to offer healthy meals, they in return compromise this practice by offering other foods that increase calorie intake. Such foods include soft drinks and fast foods. By offering these foods, one is tempted to consume the unhealthy meals after consuming the healthy ones. For example, one is tempted to drink soft drink after taking the healthy meals. Third, majority of the restaurants tend to offer meals with saturated fat (Lynch, Elmore, & Kotecki, 2015). One may not know it, but the fact remains that when you consume this food, you eat unhealthy meal. Consequently, it is not possible to eat healthy meals when dining outside of the home.

     

     

    1. Create a physical fitness plan for yourself. List 3 physical activities, work out details and health benefits of the activity.

     

    Activity How many times per week? Length of workout? Health benefits including calories burned.
      Dancing 30 minutes (3 times a week) 220 calories burned. Benefits include increased aerobic fitness, weight management and improved condition of the lungs and heart (Lynch, Elmore, & Kotecki, 2015).
      Cycling Cycling moderately for 30 minutes (3 times a week) 210 calories burned. Benefits include living longer, improving health and overcome some heart diseases.
      Lifting weight Lifting weight for one hour (2 times a week) 180 calories burned. Benefits include improving muscles, improved heart and lung condition as well as managing weight (Hoeger et al., 2015).

     

     

    1. Should the calories burned in a workout be the primary concern when choosing work out routine? Why or why not? (100-200 words)

     

    I do not think that calories burned should be the only primary concern when choosing a workout routine. For me, others things need to be considered and the first thing would be the practicality of the workout routine. The practicality in this case refers to the suitability of workout routine to the person conducting the exercise. It also refers to the capacity of the person to stick to the routine so that desired outcomes can be achieved. If the workout routine would not be suitable to the person involved in the exercise, then the amount of calories burned would be immaterial because the person might not stick to the routine. If this is to happen, then desired outcomes would not be achieved. The second thing that should be considered would be the outcomes to be achieved at the end of the exercise (Lynch, Elmore, & Kotecki, 2015). If desired outcome such as losing weight would not be achieved, then the amount of calories burned would be immaterial because nothing tangible would be achieved at the end of the exercise.

     

    List References in APA format below:

    Corbin, C. et al. (2014).Health opportunities through physical education. Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics.

    Hoeger, W. et al. (2015). Lifetime physical fitness & wellness: A personalized program. Boston: Cengage learning.

    Lynch, A., Elmore, B., & Kotecki, J. (2015). Choosing health. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. Pearson education