Question

Caleb, a 20 year old basketball player and college student, would like to gain 20 pounds, and especially gain muscle mass. He decides to do intermittent fasting since he heard that it is healthier and it will help him to build muscle faster. He is now doing the 16:8 intermittent fasting method, which is fasting for 16 hours a day and eating during an 8 hour time window. He is only eating between 10am to 6pm. Since he would like to "bulk up" and gain muscle mass while losing some body fat, he is also on a low-fat diet.

Caleb's Information:

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 146 pounds

Activity Level: Very Active

Weight Goal: gain one pound per week



Caleb's typical day of eating:

10:00am: 2 cups Raisin Bran cereal

1 cup fat-free milk

1 banana

1:00pm: turkey sandwich

2 slices wheat bread

4 slices turkey (lunchmeat)

2 slices tomato

5:30pm: 4 oz grilled chicken breast (skinless)

1 cup white rice

1 cup green beans (canned)

1 cup orange juice

Beverages: 5 cups water



Workout Schedule:

Basketball Practice: 2:00pm - 5:00pm

Work out at gym with weights: 7:30pm-8:30pm

How is Caleb's dietary fiber intake? (Reminder: recommended range is about 25-40 grams)

a. it is perfect

b. It is a little bit too low

c. it is a little bit too high

d. it is at the high end of normal range

Answer 1

Caleb's dietary fiber intake is likely a little bit too low given his current food choices. To meet the recommended fiber intake, he should add more whole grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and vegetables to his diet.

Step-by-step explanation:

Looking at Caleb's daily food intake and taking into account standard nutritional content for the food items listed, we can estimate his dietary fiber intake. Considering the 2 cups of Raisin Bran cereal, 1 cup of fat-free milk, 1 banana, turkey sandwich with 2 slices of wheat bread, 4 slices of turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 4 oz skinless grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of white rice, 1 cup of canned green beans, and 1 cup of orange juice, Caleb's fiber intake is likely below the recommended range of 25-40 grams per day. The Raisin Bran cereal and the wheat bread do contain fiber, as do the fruits and vegetables to a lesser extent, but overall, the low-fat diet may not provide enough high-fiber foods.

To increase dietary fiber intake, Caleb could consider incorporating more whole-grain products, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits with the skin on, and a variety of vegetables into his diet. While his current intake does have some fiber, it is not sufficient to reach the recommended range, and therefore, the answer to how Caleb's dietary fiber intake is would be: b. It is a little bit too low.