Dr. Phil - Nutritional Assessment

Nutritional Assessment

Chapter 8, page 158.

Most people misjudge how poorly they really eat or how often they consume various foods, and as a result, have no idea of how their food choices are driving weight-gaining behavior. By completing this assessment, you'll take a big step toward understanding where you are nutritionally, and where you could be. You'll confront the ways in which you're harming your health and stonewalling your weight-control efforts. Keep these questions — and your answers — in mind as you continue to work through the rest of this key.
This is a multiple-choice assessment organized into seven separate sections. For each section, answer the questions honestly, then click on the score button at the end of the tests. The points you receive for each answer appear at the right. After completing the assessment, you'll have a total of seven different scores. How to interpret those scores is discussed a the end of the assessment.

Section 1: MEAL & SNACKS

1. How many meals do you eat each day?

a. 3 meals and 2 snacks 3

b. 3 meals and 1 snacks 2

c. 2 meals 1

d. 1 meal 0

2. How often do you eat breakfast?

a. Every day 3

b. 4 to 6 days a week 2

c. 1 to 3 days a week 1

d. Never 0

3. Breakfast usually includes:

a. An egg, whole-wheat toast or cereal, and fruit or fruit juice 3

b. A bowl of sugary cereal with milk, or pancakes with syrup 2

c. A doughnut 1

d. Nothing 0

4. How would you characterize most of your dinners?

a. Homecooked, with meat, chicken, or fish, vegetables, a salad 3

b. Whatever I can pop into the microwave 2

c. Eaten at a restaurant 1

d. Eaten at a fast-food restaurant or as take out 0

5. How often do you eat at fast-food restaurants?

a. Rarely 3

b. 1 to 3 times a week 2

c. 4 to 7 times a week 1

d. More than 8 times a week 0

6. How often do you vary the foods you eat through the week?

a. Very often 3

b. Often 2

c. Rarely 1

d. Never — I eat the same foods all the time 0

7. How would you describe your snacking habits?

a. I snack nutritiously, to supplement my diet with extra nutrients 3

b. I occasionally snack 2

c. I always seem to be snacking 1

d. Snacking leads to a full-blown binge 0

8. For snacks, your typical choices are:

a. Fresh fruits or vegetables, or nutritional drinks or bars 3

b. Grain-based foods like pretzels, rice cakes, or crackers 2

c. Chips like potato chips or taco chips, or other salty snack food 1

d. Candy, cookies, or any type of sweet 0

Your Score for Section 1:

Section 2: NUTRIENT BALANCE

1. How many servings do you eat each day of grain products? (One serving = 1 slice of bread; or ½ cup cooked grain, such as pasta, rice or barley; or ½ cup of dry cereal. Do not include biscuits, croissants, cookies, cakes, or other high-fat/high-sugar choices)

a. 3 or more servings a day 3

b. 2 servings a day 2

c. 1 serving a day 1

d. None 0

2. How many servings of calcium-rich milk and dairy foods (like low-fat milk low-fat yogurt, or reduced-fat cheese) do you eat each day? (One serving = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1 ounce cheese, ½ cup canned salmon, or 4 ounces of tofu)

a. 3 3

b. 2 2

c. 1 1

d. None 0

3. How many servings do you eat each day of dark green leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, or collard greens? (One serving = 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked)

a. 2 or more a day 3

b. 1 2

c. ½ 1

d. None 0

4. During the week, how many servings of orange or yellow vegetables or fruit do you eat? (Examples include winter squash, pumpkin, carrots, melons, peaches, and apricots. One serving = 1 cup raw, or ½ cup cooked)

a. 3 or more 3

b. 2 2

c. 1 1

d. None 0

5. During the week, how many servings do you eat of high vitamin C fruits? (Examples include citrus fruits, strawberries, or kiwi fruit. One serving = 1 piece of fruit, ½ cup juice, 1 cup of raw diced fruit)

a. 3 or more 3

b. 2 2

c. 1 1

d. None 0

6. During the week, how many servings of other vegetables do you eat? (Examples include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, turnips, or beets. One serving = ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw)

a. 5 or more 3

b. 3 to 4 2

c. 1 to 2 1

d. None 0

7. During the week, do you eat at least one serving of lean red meat, or at least two servings of chicken or turkey?

a. Yes 3

b. Sometimes 2

c. Never 1

Your Score for Section 2:

Section 3: FIBER

1. Are you generally aware of the fiber content in the foods you eat?

a. Yes 3

b. No 1

2. What type of cereal do you normally eat?

a. Something high in fiber, usually with bran, or cooked oat bran 3

b. A cooked cereal like oatmeal or cream of wheat 2

c. A packaged cereal, one that's sweet -2

d. I never eat cereals of any kind -3

3. What type of bread (including rolls, bagels, and muffins) do you usually eat?

a. Whole-wheat, whole grain, or mixed grain 3

b. Partial whole-wheat 2

c. White bread 0

4. How often do you eat beans or legumes such as kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzos, soybeans, lentils, or split peas?

a. 5 or more times a week 3

b. 2 to 4 times a week 2

c. Once a week 1

d. Never 0

5. How often do you eat cooked whole grains, such as brown rice, bulgur wheat, or barley?

a. 5 or more times a week 3

b. 2 to 4 times a week 2

c. Once a week 1

d. Never 0

6. How many servings of fresh or raw vegetables do you eat each day?

a. 7 to 8 servings or more a day 3

b. 4 to 6 servings a day 2

c. 1 to 3 servings a day 1

d. Hardly ever 0

Your Score for Section 3:

Section 4: SUGAR & PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES

1. How often do you eat candy or cookies?

a. Never, or a few times a year 3

b. Several times a month 2

c. A few times a week -2

d. Almost daily -3

2. How often do you eat desserts (pies, cakes, or other baked sweets), other than fruit?

a. Never, or a few times a year 3

b. Several times a month 2

c. A few times a week -2

d. Almost daily -3

3. How often do you eat full-fat ice cream, milk shakes, or frozen desserts?

a. Never, or a few times a year 3

b. Several times a month 2

c. A few times a week -2

d. Almost daily -3

4. How often do you drink sugared sodas?

a. Never, or a few times a year 3

b. Several times a month 2

c. A few times a week -2

d. Almost daily -3

5. How often do you drink flavored coffees and similar beverages?

a. Never, or a few times a year 3

b. Several times a month 2

c. A few times a week -2

d. Almost daily -3

Your Score for Section 4:

Section 5: FAT INTAKE

1. When you eat bread, toast, bagels, or rolls, what type of spread do you put on them?

a. Sugar-free fruit spreads, nonfat cream cheese, or nothing 3

b. Jam 2

c. Butter 1

d. Margarine or chream cheese 0

2. How many times during a typical week do you eat processed meats, such as bacon, luncheon meats, sausage, hot dogs, or salami?

a. Never 3

b. 1 to 2 times a week 2

c. 3 to 5 times a week 1

d. Nearly every day 0

3. When you eat at a fast-food restaurant, do you usually order:

a. A salad or other light entrée 3

b. Hamburgers, but in junior or small-size servings 2

c. Cheeseburger, hamburger, or other sandwich 1

d. Any large-size sandwich, with fries 0

4. What do you ordinarily put on your salad?

a. Nothing, or vinegar or lemon juice 3

b. Reduced calorie or nonfat salad dressing 2

c. Regular salad dressing or oil and vinegar 1

d. Creamy salad dressings — the more, the better 0

5. How often do you eat red meat during a typical week?

a. Once, or seldom 3

b. 2 to 3 times a week 2

c. 4 to 6 times a week -2

d. 7 or more times a week -3

6. Which types of foods do you usually eat from the following two lists?
High Saturated Fat Foods: red meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, luncheon meats, sour cream, butter, full-fat cheeses (cheddar, jack, Swiss, Brie, etc.), whole milk, 2% milk, cream, half-and-half, full-fat ice cream, and fried foods
Low Saturated Fat Foods: poultry with skin removed, fish, low-fat dairy products (nonfat, skim, or 1% milk) vegetables, pasta, and legumes

a. I eat mostly foods that are low in saturated fat 3

b. I eat about the same from each list 1

c. I eat mostly foods that are high in saturated fat -3

7. When cooking with fats or oils, do you typically:

a. Reduce the amount of fat in recipes, or substitute applesauce for fat 3

b. Use reduced-fat products, or oils high in monounsaturated fats (olive, canola) 2

c. Use other vegetable oils (soy, safflower, corn) 1

d. Use margarine, butter, or vegetable shortening 0

Your Score for Section 5:

Section 6: SALT

1. How often do you salt your foods when cooking or eating?

a. Never or rarely 3

b. Occasionally 2

c. Usually 1

d. Always 0

2. How often do you eat salted chips or nuts, luncheon meats, or crackers?

a. Never or rarely 3

b. A few times a week 2

c. Once a day 1

d. Several times a day 0

3. To season your foods, you typically use:

a. Herbs, lemon juice, or other non-sodium spices 3

b. A salt substitute 2

c. Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce 1

d. Salt 0

Your Score for Section 6:

Section 7: FLUIDS

1. How much water do you drink each day?

a. 8 to 10 cups 3

b. 5 to 7 cups 2

c. 3 to 4 cups 1

d. Less than 3 cups 0

2. How many servings of caffeine-containing beverages do you drink each day? (One serving = 1 cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea, or 12 ounces of a soft drink)

a. One or none 3

b. 2 2

c. 3 to 4 1

d. More than 4 0

Your Score for Section 7:

Section 1:
Section 2:
Section 3:
Section 4:
Section 5:
Section 6:
Section 7:

SCORING

Let's look at your scores for each separate section so that you will have a clear idea of how you're doing in specific areas of your nutrition.

Section 1: If you scored above 16 points, you have developed some excellent meal and snack habits. Eating three meals a day, with healthy snacks in between, is importatnt to weight control since it keeps your metabolism humming along throughout the day. Equally important to weight control is breakfast; studies have found that breakfast eaters have fewer cravings and hunger pangs later in the day, and are better able to control their appetites at other meals. This section also underlines the importance of eating a variety of foods, including healthy snacks, so that your body is fueled with the broadest range of nutrients possible. A score under 16 indicates the need for improvement in these areas.

Section 2: If you scored more than 14 points, your present diet is abundant in vitamin and minerals. Grains supply B vitamins. Dairy products provide calcium, which is important not only for bone building but also for regulating body weight. Green vegetables are vital sources of folic acid, a vitamin now known to protect against a range of diseases, including heart disease and cancer. You get vitamin A and other protective nutrients from orange and yellow vegetables, and vitamin C from citrus fruits. If your score shows you're skimping in any of these areas, it's time for a nutritional overhaul.

Section 3: If your score is 12 or higher, you're well on the road to high-fiber eating. That's good, because fiber provides a number of weight- and appetite-controlling advantages (not to mention excellent digestive health). If you flunked the fiber part of this assessment, begin eating more whole grains, beans and legumes — and start reading labels to ascertain the fiber content of foods. You need between 20 and 35 grams of fiber daily.

Section 4: If you scored 10 or higher (preferably closer to 15), congratulations. You've successfully shunned a class of foods — sugar and processed foods — that in long-term excess burdens your metabolism. Eating too much sugar makes you hungry for more sugar, and so a vicious cycle ensues. The overabundance of sugar, sugary processed foods, along with saturated fats from animal sources, shoulders much of the blame for "insulin resistance," a condition that occurs when the body builds up a tolerance to the hormone insulin. Insulin's job is to keep your blood sugar within normal ranges — neither too high nor too low — by shuttling that bood sugar into your muscle cells for energy. With insulin resistance, your body is less efficient at controlling blood sugar, which piles up in your bloodstream, creating a toxic metabolic environment. Many experts believe that insulin resistance encourages obesity and leads to diabetes and heart disease.

Section 5: If your score is above 13, you do a good job of curbing the fat in your diet. A low score, or one that's in negative territory, should be a loud wake-up call. Reevaluate what you're doing. Eating the wrong types of fat, namely the saturated variety, can harm your health and make you so much more susceptible to life-shortening illnesses.

Section 6: If your score is over 6, your intake of sodium (the mineral in salt) is well controlled. But if your score is less than 6, start reducing your sodium by controlling the salt shaker. Salty foods also tend to be high in fat — a combination that is addictive in its taste appeal and compels you to devour greasy foods like potato chips in ever-increasing amounts. But when it comes to salt, less is better. Cutting back on salt can reduce high blood pressure in people who are sensitive to sodium's effects.

Section 7: If your score is above 4, you're watering your body well and monitoring your intake of caffeine. Both are good habits for people who want to say healthy. Water is required by every cell in your body for peak health.

Section 1: MEAL & SNACKS
1.	How many meals do you eat each day?
	a.	3 meals and 2 snacks	3
	b.	3 meals and 1 snacks	2
	c.	2 meals	1
	d.	1 meal	0

2.	How often do you eat breakfast?
	a.	Every day	3
	b.	4 to 6 days a week	2
	c.	1 to 3 days a week	1
	d.	Never	0

3.	Breakfast usually includes:
	a.	An egg, whole-wheat toast or cereal, and fruit or fruit juice	3
	b.	A bowl of sugary cereal with milk, or pancakes with syrup	2
	c.	A doughnut	1
	d.	Nothing	0

4.	How would you characterize most of your dinners?
	a.	Homecooked, with meat, chicken, or fish, vegetables, a salad	3
	b.	Whatever I can pop into the microwave	2
	c.	Eaten at a restaurant	1
	d.	Eaten at a fast-food restaurant or as take out	0

5.	How often do you eat at fast-food restaurants?
	a.	Rarely	3
	b.	1 to 3 times a week	2
	c.	4 to 7 times a week	1
	d.	More than 8 times a week	0

6.	How often do you vary the foods you eat through the week?
	a.	Very often	3
	b.	Often	2
	c.	Rarely	1
	d.	Never — I eat the same foods all the time	0

7.	How would you describe your snacking habits?
	a.	I snack nutritiously, to supplement my diet with extra nutrients	3
	b.	I occasionally snack	2
	c.	I always seem to be snacking	1
	d.	Snacking leads to a full-blown binge	0

8.	For snacks, your typical choices are:
	a.	Fresh fruits or vegetables, or nutritional drinks or bars	3
	b.	Grain-based foods like pretzels, rice cakes, or crackers	2
	c.	Chips like potato chips or taco chips, or other salty snack food	1
	d.	Candy, cookies, or any type of sweet	0
Your Score for Section 1:

Section 2: NUTRIENT BALANCE
1.	How many servings do you eat each day of grain products? (One serving = 1 slice of bread; or ½ cup cooked grain, such as pasta, rice or barley; or ½ cup of dry cereal. Do not include biscuits, croissants, cookies, cakes, or other high-fat/high-sugar choices)
	a.	3 or more servings a day	3
	b.	2 servings a day	2
	c.	1 serving a day	1
	d.	None	0

2.	How many servings of calcium-rich milk and dairy foods (like low-fat milk low-fat yogurt, or reduced-fat cheese) do you eat each day? (One serving = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1 ounce cheese, ½ cup canned salmon, or 4 ounces of tofu)
	a.	3	3
	b.	2	2
	c.	1	1
	d.	None	0

3.	How many servings do you eat each day of dark green leafy vegetables such as romaine lettuce, spinach, kale, or collard greens? (One serving = 1 cup raw or ½ cup cooked)
	a.	2 or more a day	3
	b.	1	2
	c.	½	1
	d.	None	0

4.	During the week, how many servings of orange or yellow vegetables or fruit do you eat? (Examples include winter squash, pumpkin, carrots, melons, peaches, and apricots. One serving = 1 cup raw, or ½ cup cooked)
	a.	3 or more	3
	b.	2	2
	c.	1	1
	d.	None	0

5.	During the week, how many servings do you eat of high vitamin C fruits? (Examples include citrus fruits, strawberries, or kiwi fruit. One serving = 1 piece of fruit, ½ cup juice, 1 cup of raw diced fruit)
	a.	3 or more	3
	b.	2	2
	c.	1	1
	d.	None	0

6.	During the week, how many servings of other vegetables do you eat? (Examples include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, summer squash, zucchini, green beans, turnips, or beets. One serving = ½ cup cooked or 1 cup raw)
	a.	5 or more	3
	b.	3 to 4	2
	c.	1 to 2	1
	d.	None	0

7.	During the week, do you eat at least one serving of lean red meat, or at least two servings of chicken or turkey?
	a.	Yes	3
	b.	Sometimes	2
	c.	Never	1
Your Score for Section 2:

Section 3: FIBER
1.	Are you generally aware of the fiber content in the foods you eat?
	a.	Yes	3
	b.	No	1

2.	What type of cereal do you normally eat?
	a.	Something high in fiber, usually with bran, or cooked oat bran	3
	b.	A cooked cereal like oatmeal or cream of wheat	2
	c.	A packaged cereal, one that's sweet	-2
	d.	I never eat cereals of any kind	-3

3.	What type of bread (including rolls, bagels, and muffins) do you usually eat?
	a.	Whole-wheat, whole grain, or mixed grain	3
	b.	Partial whole-wheat	2
	c.	White bread	0

4.	How often do you eat beans or legumes such as kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans, garbanzos, soybeans, lentils, or split peas?
	a.	5 or more times a week	3
	b.	2 to 4 times a week	2
	c.	Once a week	1
	d.	Never	0

5.	How often do you eat cooked whole grains, such as brown rice, bulgur wheat, or barley?
	a.	5 or more times a week	3
	b.	2 to 4 times a week	2
	c.	Once a week	1
	d.	Never	0

6.	How many servings of fresh or raw vegetables do you eat each day?
	a.	7 to 8 servings or more a day	3
	b.	4 to 6 servings a day	2
	c.	1 to 3 servings a day	1
	d.	Hardly ever	0
Your Score for Section 3:

Section 4: SUGAR & PROCESSED CARBOHYDRATES
1.	How often do you eat candy or cookies?
	a.	Never, or a few times a year	3
	b.	Several times a month	2
	c.	A few times a week	-2
	d.	Almost daily	-3

2.	How often do you eat desserts (pies, cakes, or other baked sweets), other than fruit?
	a.	Never, or a few times a year	3
	b.	Several times a month	2
	c.	A few times a week	-2
	d.	Almost daily	-3

3.	How often do you eat full-fat ice cream, milk shakes, or frozen desserts?
	a.	Never, or a few times a year	3
	b.	Several times a month	2
	c.	A few times a week	-2
	d.	Almost daily	-3

4.	How often do you drink sugared sodas?
	a.	Never, or a few times a year	3
	b.	Several times a month	2
	c.	A few times a week	-2
	d.	Almost daily	-3

5.	How often do you drink flavored coffees and similar beverages?
	a.	Never, or a few times a year	3
	b.	Several times a month	2
	c.	A few times a week	-2
	d.	Almost daily	-3
Your Score for Section 4:

Section 5: FAT INTAKE
1.	When you eat bread, toast, bagels, or rolls, what type of spread do you put on them?
	a.	Sugar-free fruit spreads, nonfat cream cheese, or nothing	3
	b.	Jam	2
	c.	Butter	1
	d.	Margarine or chream cheese	0

2.	How many times during a typical week do you eat processed meats, such as bacon, luncheon meats, sausage, hot dogs, or salami?
	a.	Never	3
	b.	1 to 2 times a week	2
	c.	3 to 5 times a week	1
	d.	Nearly every day	0

3.	When you eat at a fast-food restaurant, do you usually order:
	a.	A salad or other light entrée	3
	b.	Hamburgers, but in junior or small-size servings	2
	c.	Cheeseburger, hamburger, or other sandwich	1
	d.	Any large-size sandwich, with fries	0

4.	What do you ordinarily put on your salad?
	a.	Nothing, or vinegar or lemon juice	3
	b.	Reduced calorie or nonfat salad dressing	2
	c.	Regular salad dressing or oil and vinegar	1
	d.	Creamy salad dressings — the more, the better	0

5.	How often do you eat red meat during a typical week?
	a.	Once, or seldom	3
	b.	2 to 3 times a week	2
	c.	4 to 6 times a week	-2
	d.	7 or more times a week	-3

6.	Which types of foods do you usually eat from the following two lists? High Saturated Fat Foods: red meat, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, luncheon meats, sour cream, butter, full-fat cheeses (cheddar, jack, Swiss, Brie, etc.), whole milk, 2% milk, cream, half-and-half, full-fat ice cream, and fried foods Low Saturated Fat Foods: poultry with skin removed, fish, low-fat dairy products (nonfat, skim, or 1% milk) vegetables, pasta, and legumes
	a.	I eat mostly foods that are low in saturated fat	3
	b.	I eat about the same from each list	1
	c.	I eat mostly foods that are high in saturated fat	-3

7.	When cooking with fats or oils, do you typically:
	a.	Reduce the amount of fat in recipes, or substitute applesauce for fat	3
	b.	Use reduced-fat products, or oils high in monounsaturated fats (olive, canola)	2
	c.	Use other vegetable oils (soy, safflower, corn)	1
	d.	Use margarine, butter, or vegetable shortening	0
Your Score for Section 5:

Section 6: SALT
1.	How often do you salt your foods when cooking or eating?
	a.	Never or rarely	3
	b.	Occasionally	2
	c.	Usually	1
	d.	Always	0

2.	How often do you eat salted chips or nuts, luncheon meats, or crackers?
	a.	Never or rarely	3
	b.	A few times a week	2
	c.	Once a day	1
	d.	Several times a day	0

3.	To season your foods, you typically use:
	a.	Herbs, lemon juice, or other non-sodium spices	3
	b.	A salt substitute	2
	c.	Soy sauce or teriyaki sauce	1
	d.	Salt	0
Your Score for Section 6:

Section 7: FLUIDS
1.	How much water do you drink each day?
	a.	8 to 10 cups	3
	b.	5 to 7 cups	2
	c.	3 to 4 cups	1
	d.	Less than 3 cups	0

2.	How many servings of caffeine-containing beverages do you drink each day? (One serving = 1 cup of coffee, 2 cups of tea, or 12 ounces of a soft drink)
	a.	One or none	3
	b.	2	2
	c.	3 to 4	1
	d.	More than 4	0
Your Score for Section 7: