For vitamins A (Retinol Activity Equivalent [RAE]), D, alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), and K:
• Record the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for each vitamin.
• Record your intake for each vitamin.
• Record the percent DRI met.
• List two specific foods that are excellent sources of this vitamin that you could include in your diet to improve your intake.
Which of your vitamin intakes failed to meet your recommendation (i.e., less than 90 percent of your DRI)? Did you exceed 100 percent of the DRI for any vitamin?
- Go to the Intake Spreadsheet Report for the chosen day. Scroll down until you see the columns for vitamin D, vitamin A (RAE units), vitamin K, and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E). For each of the fat-soluble vitamins, list the foods that were highest in vitamin quantity. Write the amount (in milligrams or micrograms) of the vitamin each food provided. Did any of the foods listed above contribute significantly to your Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for the vitamin?
- What is your assessment of your overall vitamin intake? For example, if your overall intake is low, is it because you are not eating enough kcalories or not enough of a variety of foods, or are you eating processed foods? Explain.
- For the vitamins you identified in question #1 that met less than 90 percent of your goal, what foods could you incorporate into your meals to increase these vitamins? Make sure to be specific about the foods and the vitamin(s) they would supply.
- For the vitamins you identified in question #1 that met more than 100 percent of your goal, what foods contributed to the total vitamin intake being greater than 100 percent? For example, were some of the foods you ate fortified with the vitamin?
- Did you exceed the upper limit for any of these vitamins? If so, list below, and state the needed dietary changes to avoid exceeding your intakes in the future.
- For the vitamins listed in answers 5 or 6, are you also taking a vitamin supplement that contains this vitamin? If so, is the combination of both your average intake and the quantity of the vitamin in the supplement causing you to exceed the upper limit for the vitamin? (Note: If you exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL), you may need to discontinue the supplement. Check with your medical practitioner.)
Icon Key
•
•
Sample Solution
