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Musician's diet needs a tuneup

Published October 4, 2006 at midnight

With each Rocky Food Diary, we ask nutritionist Jackie Berning to analyze the week's menu for habits, both good and bad. Berning holds a doctorate in nutrition and is a registered dietitian and an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

"Wendy's diet is like that of a shift worker because of her occupation," Berning says. "She works the 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift, but she may be up at 8 a.m. loading a truck for her next gig.

"Almost every meal is eaten out at a restaurant or fast food place. This style of eating makes it hard to get the nutrients a young woman needs to maintain health and energy for her busy life."

On the plus side, Berning is impressed at Woo's determination to exercise. "She exercised more than I thought she would," says Berning, "which is great."

Berning's concerns:

Overall diet: On average Woo eats about 1,700 calories per day. "She has days where she eats only about 1,100 calories and days where she eats over 3,000 calories. She needs to be more consistent with her eating habits so that her body doesn't think that it's in starvation mode and use muscles as an energy source. That leads to fatigue."

Fruits and vegetables: Low and/or almost nonexistent, which impacts her vitamin and mineral intake. Her calcium is 500 mg; it should be 1,000 mg. "That's not uncommon for someone who eats out as much as she does. She does better on vegetables . . .but she should be eating three cups of veggies a day, not one."

Berning's overall recommendations:

Stock up on healthier foods to take on the road. "Lowfat string cheese, whole grain crackers, apples, carrots and sweet Italian cherry tomatoes to increase her energy and nutrient intake."

Lower fat. Of the 1,700 calories, 41 percent are from fat. Her dietary intake of cholesterol is twice what it should be; her fiber intake is half. Because Woo loves breakfast, Berning suggests subbing food such as oatmeal with fresh fruit to increase fiber and nutrients. Try to consume no more than four eggs per week.

Get that slow cooker going summer, winter, spring and fall. "It's harder to get the nutrients and stay within your calorie range when you eat out every meal all week long. She should batch cook on the days when she's home longer, cooking two entrees and freezing one for later."

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