Customizing Your Nutrient Goals

There are two related articles on customizing goals: this one and another entitled Customizing Your Calorie Goals. If you have questions regarding how to customize calories, then please refer to that article.

This article will cover customizing goals for fat, protein, carbohydrates, sodium, and Vitamin D.

When you first started to use MyNetDiary, or even if you simply tried the MyNetDiary free test drive, then you probably noticed that you had to answer a series of questions before starting. Specifically, you provided your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level so that the program could calculate your estimated calorie intake to maintain body weight, as well as the amount of essential dietary nutrients needed for your age and sex group. Both the calorie estimate and the nutrient levels come from the Institute of Medicine's Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). You can also find out the DRIs on MyNetDiary site by clicking on "Help" link in the Plan section. For various reasons, the Institute of Medicine does not have DRIs for all nutrients. To fully customize nutrient goals, we can borrow guidelines from the American Heart Association to complete those missing nutrient levels, as well as use recommendations from the DRIs for ranges of intake (even if they do not have a specific level published.) If there is a DRI for a nutrient, then you will see the value listed in your Personalized DRI (row 1 of "My daily nutrition plan" in Plan section).

Customizing Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates

These three nutrients are called macronutrients, as they provide the energy - calories, and they constitute the bulk of what you eat.

And these are the nutrients that should deviate from the DRI if you want to lose weight - you need to consume less of them, to lose calories!

It is very important to reduce macronutrient consumption properly, as your body needs all of them - you cannot just stop eating fats. The key here are percentages of calories that you should get from each of the three macronutrients.

The DRIs include an Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for all three nutrients that provide calories: carbohydrates (carbs), fat, and protein. The range is quite wide, which allows us to have a lot of flexibility in our eating pattern.

Macronutrient	Percentage of total calories
Carbohydrate	45- 65% of total calories
Fat	20 - 35% of total calories
Protein	10 - 35% of total calories

More on Carbohydrates

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or the dietary intake level sufficient to meet the needs of nearly all healthy people is only 130 grams! For a 1200 Calorie intake, 130 grams is 43% of total calories. I would not recommend using 130 grams as a daily goal for higher calorie intakes, especially for people who are physically active. If we set goals that fall within the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 45% - 65% total calories, then carb goals will vary between 205 - 295 grams for an 1800 Calorie intake. The Personalized DRIs for carbs are set at about the midpoint of the range (about 52% total calories). You can change the carb goal by modifying the amount in My daily consumption row in the Plan section.

        Example of how to determine grams of carbs as a goal:
        Goal = 1800 Calories, 55% Calories from carbs
        1800 x 0.55 = 990 Calories
        990 Calories / 4 Calories/gram carb = 247.5 grams carbs
        

More on Fat

Technically, there is an RDA published for two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic Acid and Alpha Linolenic Acid. These fatty acids are typically found in needed amounts when individuals include fats in their diet. Individuals who eliminate or severely restrict fat in their diet are at risk for fatty acid deficiency. Please see the RDAs for more information on these essential fatty acids.

The American Heart Association has recommendations for intake of fats and cholesterol to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease:

• Saturated fat: aim for less than 7% of total calories
• Trans fats (partially hydrogenated oils): less than 1% of total calories
• Polyunsaturated fats: try to eat fish twice weekly or take a fish oil supplement to get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Monounsaturated fats: no specific goal, but try to get most of your fats from nuts, nut oils, avocado, and other plant-based sources.
• Cholesterol: aim for less than 300 mg a day

The Personalized DRI for total fat provides fat grams equivalent to about 27% of total calories, which is roughly the midpoint of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 20% - 35% total calories. If you wish, you can change the fat goal by modifying the amount in My daily consumption in the Plan section. Changing total fat grams ("Fat") will affect your calorie goal. However, changing subtypes of fat gram goals (e.g. Saturated, Trans, Polyunsaturated, and Monounsaturated fats) will not affect your calorie goal since the parent group "Fat" serves that purpose.

Example of how to determine grams of fat as a goal

        Total fat: Goal = 1800 Calories, 30% Calories from fat
        1800 x 0.30 = 540 Calories
        540 Calories / 9 Calories/gram fat = 60 grams total fat

        Saturated fat:  less than 7% calories (American Heart Association recommendation)
        1800 x 0.07 = 126 Calories
        126 Calories / 9 Calories/gram fat = 14 grams saturated fat

        Trans fat:  less than 1% calories (American Heart Association recommendation)
        1800 x 0.01 = 18 Calories
        18 / 9 Calories/gram fat = 2 grams trans fat
        

If math is a nightmare for you, then simply use the table below to set your Saturated and Trans fat goals.

Calorie Level	Saturated Fat Grams (< 7% total calories)	Trans Fat Grams (< 1% total calories)
1200	< 9.5 grams	< 1 gram
1500	< 11.5 grams	< 1.5 grams
1800	< 14 grams	< 2 grams
2000	< 15.5 grams	< 2 grams
2200	< 17 grams	< 2.5 grams
2500	< 19.5 grams	< 3 grams
2700	< 21 grams	< 3 grams
3000	< 23.5 grams	< 3.5 grams

More on Protein

There are two ways to set your goal for protein - use the RDA or use a percentage of total calories. Whichever method you choose, avoid using a goal that is below the RDA.

The RDA for protein is only 0.8 grams/kilogram of body weight. Your weight in pounds/2.2 = weight in kilograms.

        RDA Example:
        200 lb person/2.2 = 91 kilograms.
        RDA for protein = 91 kilograms x 0.8 grams protein/kilogram of body weight = 73 grams.
        

The Personalized DRI for protein is approximately 20% total calories, about the midpoint of the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range of 10 - 35% total calories. If you override the Personalized DRI for calories and set your calorie goal very low (e.g. 1200 Calories), then the percentage of calories coming from protein should be near the upper end of the range to insure that you meet your RDA. Although I do not ordinarily recommend 1200 Calorie diets, here is an example of how your might use percentage of total calories as a goal for protein.

        Example of how to determine grams of protein as a goal:
        Goal = 1200 Calories, 30% Calories from protein
        1200 x 0.30 = 360 Calories
        360 Calories / 4 Calories/gram protein = 90 grams protein
        

RDA check: If protein grams are equal to or greater than your RDA for protein, then your goal is adequate. If your RDA is above the amount you just calculated from using percentage of total calories, then use your RDA instead. That is, do not set a protein goal that is below your RDA for protein.

Unless you have been told otherwise by your physician, it is typically safe to eat more than the RDA for protein. Many of us get double the RDA for protein and do just fine with it. If you are consuming animal protein, then you might want to limit portion size and use low fat dairy, lean meat, or fish in place of higher fat versions. To lower your risk of certain cancers, limit intake of meat to about 5 oz and add more fish and plant-based protein sources to your diet. Try a "meatless Monday" to help cut down on meat intake. Many low fat and fat free dairy products are great sources of protein, so try to include about 3 servings of those in your diet. Low fat/fat free dairy consumption is also associated with better blood pressure control. See DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) for more information.

Plant-based sources of protein include soy, soy products, dried beans/peas (e.g. black beans, lentils), nuts, and seeds. If you are vegetarian, try to include variety in your plant-based sources.

Customizing Sodium Intake

The Personalized DRI is set for 1500 mg of sodium, which is termed an "Adequate Intake" by the DRIs. The DRI defines "Adequate Intake" as "the recommended average daily intake level based on observed or experimentally determined approximations or estimates of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of apparently healthy people that are assumed to be adequate, used when an RDA cannot be determined."

The DRI "Tolerable Upper Limit (UL)" for sodium is set at 2300 mg for adults - this is "the highest average daily nutrient intake level that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all individuals in the general population. As intake increases above the UL, the potential risk of adverse effects may increase." In other words, to reduce risk of high blood pressure, try to keep your sodium intake at or below 2300 mg of sodium. Incidentally, that is about the amount of sodium contained in one teaspoon of salt. If you do not have high blood pressure, and you find that meeting the 1500 mg sodium goal is not realistic, then consider changing your goal to 2300 mg sodium.

If you train or exercise vigorously in high heat or sweat profusely, then your sodium loss will be greater than typical and intake of sodium could be greater than 2300 mg without increasing risk of high blood pressure. Please consult a sports dietitian or physician if you need help in determining goals for training.

Of special note, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been shown to effectively reduce blood pressure at both 1500 mg and 2300 mg sodium intake levels. Blood pressure lowering was greatest with intake of 1500 mg sodium in those with high blood pressure. The DASH diet emphasizes intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, and low fat/fat free dairy products to insure adequate intake of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, in addition to lower sodium intake. If you have high blood pressure, then please consult your doctor for an appropriate sodium intake goal.

Customizing Vitamin D Intake

There is current debate as to whether or not the current DRI (RDA) for Vitamin D is adequate. If you are curious, there is an abstract and an editorial from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that you can read to get a sense of what the debate is about and what some researchers report would be a more a more appropriate intake goal. Vitamin D is not found in very many foods (fatty fish, cod liver oil, live, and fortified dairy products and cereals are the exception) - we get most of our vitamin D from sun exposure. Individuals at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency are those that:

• Get very little sun exposure
• Have darkly pigmented skin
• Have fat malabsorption disorders (e.g. liver failure, Crohn's disease, Whipple's disease, or Celiac disease)
• Take certain types of medications (e.g. glucocorticoids or certain seizure medications)
• Are over 65 years of age

In case the reader is curious, I take 1000 IU of Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) and I live in sunny Colorado. However, I also wear sunscreen, so I have effectively reduced my ultra violet light exposure (which is what allows conversion of the vitamin D precursor in the skin). Although I cannot recommend that all individuals take a Vitamin D supplement, I think it would be wise to ask your doctor if he/she thinks it might be beneficial for you to take one. Vitamin D is involved in many important bodily functions, including calcium absorption and bone health.

Customizing Other Nutrients

There are certain medications and disease states that can cause an increased need for certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Please work with your doctor or dietitian to customize any other nutrient.

Katherine Isacks, MPS, RD