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NursingWritten assignmentNutrition

Diet analysis assignment food log and NutriCalc guide

Keep a detailed three-day food diary on the supplied record form, enter it into the NutriCalc program under weight maintenance with an accurate activity level, and produce the Bar Graph, Calorie Assessment and MyPlate reports that the rest of the project depends on.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 14, 2026

01

Get the data right, because Parts 1 and 2 rest on it

This is the first of three parts and everything later inherits it, so treat accuracy as the assignment rather than as diligence. The brief is unusually specific about configuration and each instruction has a reason. Use NutriCalc rather than another tracker, because the later parts need reports those apps do not generate, and the brief states plainly that work done in other software will not receive credit. Use the provided food record form rather than the one inside the program. Choose three consecutive days, two weekdays and one weekend day, and choose typical ones: recording on a birthday, during illness, or on a day the cupboards were empty produces an analysis of an unusual week rather than of your diet. Record immediately after eating rather than at the end of the day, because recall shrinks portions and drops whatever was eaten without thinking. Carry the form with you: a diary written from memory in the evening is a different document.

Portion size is where the error lives, which is why the brief flags it twice. The tools in chapters 1 and 2 exist to convert what is on the plate into something the program can price, and fifteen French fries entered as fifteen servings of French fries is the brief's own illustration of how far one slip travels. Set the profile to weight maintenance rather than weight loss: if weight change is a goal you discuss it in the paper, but the analysis is of the diet you actually have. Be honest about activity level, since overestimating it raises every reference value and makes an inadequate intake look adequate. Then apply the plausibility check the brief hands you, where intakes above 2,500 calories for women or 3,500 for men, or below 1,500 for anyone, are more likely to be entry errors than facts. Save all three reports as PDFs before the deadline rather than after it.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Record dietary intake with the detail required for accurate analysis.
  • 02
    Recognise portion estimation as the main source of error in food records.
  • 03
    Select representative days rather than convenient ones.
  • 04
    Configure dietary analysis software so its reference values are correct.
  • 05
    Identify implausible intake totals before submitting an analysis.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Assignment Diet Analysis Assignment Diet Analysis Assignment The diet analysis is an important project. The project requires 3 steps – 1. Getting the data. This requires keeping a food log, entering the food in the Nutricalc program, and getting the correct print out. Since this is the basis of the project, this part is due by March 3, 2018. It can be submitted at any time 2. Using the data obtained above to write and submit Part 1 3. Using the data obtained above to write and submit Part 2 Please read the directions for the diet analysis. Here are the directions related to data gathering: You will need the NutriCalc diet analysis software available with the purchase of your access code with your textbook. You are not to use other meal tracker systems on the internet (i.e. MyFitnessPal, SuperTracker, etc.) as these will not generate the sophisticated reports you will require to complete your project. If you do this project using another software you will not receive credit for the work! You will need to keep a food diary for 3 days. Use the instructions for keeping the diary. You will collect food, beverage, and behavioral data for the food log. You will use a provided food record form that is available in the Diet Analysis Link. Do not use the one in the nutricalc program. Handwritten records are fine, you are welcome to simply scan them for submission. Diet Analysis Assignment Once you have collected the record you will then set up a profile in the NutriCalc program. There is a short tutorial video provided when you are on the front page of the NutriCalc program. Note: DO NOT SET UP PROGRAM FOR WEIGHT LOSS. If weight change is needed, you can talk about this in your paper, but this project is to assess your diet needs in the current time and with your current weight. After you have set up the profile you will then be able to enter the foods and beverages you consumed over the 3 day period. Make sure to save your work frequently Step 1: Keeping an accurate food log is the first step. 1. Keep a food diary for 3 days- 2 week days and 1 weekend day (consecutive days). Choose days that are fairly typical of your intake so that you can better understand your usual diet. In other words – don’t record on days that you are sick, your birthday, when you don’t have any food in the house, etc. Carry the food record with you and record everything or eat or drink Record immediately after eating with as much detail as possible Be accurate with portion sizes – this is IMPORTANT. Refer to the tools in Chapters 1 and 2 to help determine serving size. Do not include vitamin and mineral supplements since you are looking only at food intake. Similarly, do not record vitamin waters and energy drinks with added vitamins. Diet Analysis Assignment If you take a protein supplement or drink protein shakes, include these as they will influence calorie and macronutrient intake You need to record your intake on the Diet Diary Form be very detailed in the description of what you ate. It will be easier to do the analysis if you keep good records of everything that you eat and drink. record the meal and time you ate – you decide what the meal is. If you get up at noon on Saturday and you eat – that might be your breakfast and it might be lunch record the food/beverage in as much detail as possible and the portion. You do not have to record method of preparation unless it will affect the food. For example – a pop tart is the same if it is toasted or not. But chicken is different if it is fried or baked. Record the portion size – accurately. Again – tools in chapter 1 and 2. Record where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing when eating. For example, you might have been alone at kitchen table reading your nutrition book, or in the lunchroom at work with co-workers, or you might be with friends watching TV Assignment Diet Analysis Assignment Rate your hunger on scale of 1= not hungry and 5 = famished Assess how you were feeling (bored, happy, stressed, rushed, etc.) Estimate how long it took you to eat. Next Step: Use NutritionCalc Plus http://nutritioncalc3.mheducation.com/ncplus3/ – a. Set up your profile. b. CHOOSE WEIGHT MAINTENANCE – do not choose weight loss. c. Carefully choose your physical activity level. There are athletes who practice 4 or more hours a day. They are very active. Make sure you consider the time that you sit with school work, computer, car, TV etc. Do not over estimate your activity Enter your food Sometimes you might not be able to find exactly what you ate. Try to pick something that comes close. You might also try putting in the ingredients. After you have entered all of your information, you need to print out your reports. Recipes and custom foods can be entered as well – please review the tutorial for assistance – caution: if you add recipes make sure to double check the MyPlate report to verify that the servings of the components of your recipe have been added to this report. VERY IMPORTANT: Check over your reports. If calories are very high or low, make sure you entered the right amounts. 15 French fries is different than 15 servings of French fries! In general – if females find their intake over 2500 or if males are over 3500, recheck your work. Also, if calories are very low (intakes less than 1500 calories a day), make sure you recorded everything that you ate and that these are usual days. Diet Analysis Assignment If you have any questions or problems – please contact me early! The Reports or printouts that you need: When you have entered all of your food data in the program, go to the Reports. Choose the 3 days that you have recorded. Save these reports in PDF – the Bar Graph, Calorie Assessment, and MyPlate report
02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    A three-day food diary covering two weekdays and one weekend day.
  2. 02
    The record kept on the provided food record form, not the program's own.
  3. 03
    A NutriCalc profile set to weight maintenance with an accurate activity level.
  4. 04
    All food and beverage entered, with recipes checked against the MyPlate report.
  5. 05
    The Bar Graph, Calorie Assessment and MyPlate reports saved as PDFs.
03

Choosing days, recording, entering, reporting

01

Choosing the three days

Select consecutive, representative days and justify the choice.

02

Recording in the moment

Set out the discipline of recording immediately and in detail.

03

Portion accuracy

Explain estimation techniques and why they dominate the error.

04

Setting up NutriCalc

Configure profile, weight maintenance and activity level correctly.

05

Checking before you report

Apply the plausibility checks the brief supplies and produce the reports.

04

What accurate dietary assessment requires

Recommended databases

  • MedlinePlus
  • StatPearls via NCBI Bookshelf
  • NutritionCalc Plus documentation
  • Your course textbook chapters 1 and 2
  • PubMed

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Read chapters 1 and 2 for the portion estimation tools the brief refers to.
  2. 2.
    Watch the NutriCalc tutorial before creating the profile.
  3. 3.
    Check what counts as each activity level, and locate yourself honestly.
  4. 4.
    Read a reference on dietary assessment error before judging your totals.
  5. 5.
    Verify each of the three reports exists before the deadline.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Nutritional Assessment

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024

    What a dietary assessment is meant to capture and where its errors come from.

  2. 02

    Nutrition

    MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine · 2024

    Authoritative reference for nutrient categories the reports will break intake into.

  3. 03

    Vitamin D Deficiency

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    Illustrates why the brief excludes supplements when assessing food intake alone.

  4. 04

    Iron Deficiency and Microcytic Hypochromic Anemia

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2024

    A worked example of how a dietary shortfall shows up clinically, for the later analysis parts.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Using another tracking app, which the brief says will not receive credit.
  • Choosing atypical days such as a birthday or a day of illness.
  • Setting the profile to weight loss when the brief says maintenance.
  • Overestimating activity level, which inflates every reference value.
  • Recording supplements and fortified drinks, which the brief excludes.
  • Confusing fifteen French fries with fifteen servings of French fries.

Submission checklist

  • Three consecutive days are covered, including one weekend day.
  • Each entry records meal, time, portion, location, company and activity.
  • Hunger rating, mood and eating duration are recorded.
  • The profile is set to weight maintenance.
  • Total intake is plausible for your sex and activity level.
  • All three required reports are saved and submitted.

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Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

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Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

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Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

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