My Food Diary

Introduction
A food diary refers to a daily log of what one eats and drinks on a daily basis. The diary assists one to understand their eating habits and also realize what they consume. Consequently, one can easily improve their overall health by eliminating certain poor foods and replacing them with rich ones. I conducted my food diary in early mornings because of the energy that I get after taking a healthy meal. Breakfast is the most important meal and hence the need to be careful about what one takes. The first step I took in preparing the diary was to write down all of the meals I take throughout the day. I included all the meals, drinks, snacks and even the small foods I nibbled at while I cooked.
The recording step was particularly easy because all I did was to write down anything that went into my mouth. However, the challenging section came in determining the quantities of whatever I took. I had to measure the foods using cups, bowls and other containers to ensure that I maintained track of what I consumed. I determined the quantities of what I consumed through estimation, whereby after determining the quantity through a cup or a plate, I would check the packaging to estimate the number of calories I consumed from a given food. I then noted down the date and time of what I consumed, and later recorded what I felt after consuming the food. I finalized by only highlighting the type of food that made me feel more energetic and determined how I spent the rest of my day, which was the breakfast meal.
Results
In the first day of my diary recording, I took Greek yoghurt, which contained 146 calories, 20 grams of proteins, 3.8 grams of fat, and 7.8 grams of carbohydrates. I purchased the meal in a supermarket and has its origin in the Middle East. On the second day, I took coffee, which contained 2.4 calories, zero fats, 4.8mg of sodium, zero carbohydrates, zero fiber, zero sugars, 0.3 grams of proteins, and 118 mg of potassium. The coffee was bred and processed in Brazil and then imported into the country. On the third day, I took oatmeal, which contains 95 calories, 5 grams of proteins, 3 grams of fats, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 1 gram sugar. I bought the oat from the supermarket and then prepared it at home. It has its origin in Scotland.
Reflection
An assessment of the type of foods I ate for the three days, keeping in mind what I consumed on the rest of the day and occasionally eat in smaller quantities, provides great insights on the diversity in our diets not only in terms of the nutrient contents, but also in terms of their origin. It shows that different regions were prominent for producing specific types of products that courtesy of globalization, have found their way to various parts of the world. For example, the foods I ate on the three days were all bought in the supermarket. However, their origin is traceable to different continents that are miles apart from each other. I tried to break down whatever I consumed to determine its contents. I realized that we consumed significantly different foods that our ancestors consumed. Our forefathers fed on unprocessed foods which mainly contained a single type of nutrient and hence had to supplement with different products to achieve a balance.
However, following the evolution of man, the diets also evolved and with the advent of globalization, people found ways of harnessing nutrients from different products to form more nutritious products that one could eat in a single meal. This evolution depicts the agricultural revolution that has characterized development around the world. Unlike in the past, where people planted crops that were suitable for a specific area and designed to meet specific needs of the people, in the modern world, there is the concept of selective breeding. According to Wieczorek and Wright (2012), approximately 10,000 years BC, people harvested their food from natural biological diversity that surrounded them. However, since then, farmers have selected better plant material and through selective breeding, are able to plant crops with the desired nutrients. It is easy to get food that is rich in different types of minerals in smaller but significant quantities unlike it was in the past.
I realized that my body reacted differently to the different foods I ate and also depending on the time I ate the food. Breakfast was the most important meal for me and the day when I did not eat f...