Nutrition and Diets Overview Quiz

Learning Outcomes

• Students should be able to define therapeutic diet
• Students should be able to state the purpose of therapeutic diet
• Students should be able to identify different types of therapeutic diet
• Students should be able to explain various types of therapeutic diet and their indications
• Students should be able to state the role of nurses in implementing therapeutic diet

Introduction

• Nutritional problems require dietary modification
• Modified diets should promote effective nutrition within the patient/client lifestyle
• This requires health education on avoiding certain foods or adding food items to the diet, considering these factors:
  • Sociocultural context
  • Economic restraints
  • Religious beliefs
  • Food preference

Therapeutic Diet

• Healing of diseases
• Related to the treatment of diseases or disorders
• The sum of food consumed by a person
• Modifications of normal diet prescribed by a doctor to improve specific health conditions of a client / patient
• Therapeutic diet prescribes the amount of food, kind of food, or frequency of eating

Types of Therapeutic Diet

• Regular diet
• Bland diet
• Liquid diet
• Protein modified diet
• Soft diet
• Low fat/cholesterol diet
• High fiber diet
• Low salt diet
• Diabetic diet
• Ketogenic diet
• Calorie modified diet (e.g., 1200 kcal, 1500 kcal, 1800 kcal, 2100kcal)
• Low potassium diet
• Low phosphate diet
• Low purine diet
• Low residue diet
• Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) diet
• Tonsillectomy diet
• Lactose free diet
• Gluten free diet
• Glucose-6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency diet

Regular Diet

• Balanced diet usually used for ambulatory patients
• Slightly reduced caloric content at times
• Foods like rich desserts, cream sauces, salad dressings, and fried foods may be reduced or omitted
• Indication:
  • Client recovering
  • Client with good appetite and no contraindications

Liquid Diet

• Nutritionally inadequate and used for short periods
• Indications:
  • Post-surgery patients
  • Patients with acute infections or digestive problems
  • Patients with fluid loss due to vomiting or diarrhea
  • Patients prior to digestive tract X-rays

Types of Liquid Diet

• Clear liquid diet: Water, clear fruit juice, fat-free broths, gelatin, popsicles, ginger drink, tea, coffee
• Full liquid diet: Everything in clear liquid diet plus strained soups, cereals, fruit and vegetable juices, smooth-textured dairy products, yogurt, hot cocoa, custard, ice cream, pudding, egg flip

Soft Diet

• Similar to regular diet, but foods must require little chewing and be easy to digest
• Avoid meat, shellfish (tough connective tissue), coarse cereals, spicy foods, rich desserts, fried foods, raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, and coconuts
• Indication:
  • Clients with difficulty chewing / swallowing
  • Clients with fever, stomach upset, or lack of appetite
  • Post-operative clients
• Examples: Porridge, steamed fish, mashed potato, puree

Bland Diet

• Consists of easily digested foods that do not irritate the digestive tract, low in dietary fiber, and not spicy
• Eliminates chemical and mechanical food irritants (fried foods, alcohol, caffeine) and coarse foods, highly seasoned foods, pastries, raw fruits and vegetables, carbonated beverages, nuts, tea, smoked and salted meats, and fish
• Indications:
  • Patients with peptic ulcers and other digestive diseases such as heartburn
  • Patients with excessive digestive enzyme

High Fiber Diet

• Contains additional dietary fiber (fruits and vegetables)
• Indication: Clients who suffer from constipation or hemorrhoids

Low Residue Diet

• Eliminates or limits foods high in bulk or fiber (raw fruits and vegetables, whole grains, cereals, nuts, seeds, beans, peas, coconut, limit dairy to 2 servings daily)
• Indications:
  • Clients with digestive or rectal diseases (diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, diarrhea)
  • Preparation for colon or rectum surgery

Diabetic Diet

• Used for patients with diabetes mellitus (body doesn't produce enough insulin to metabolize carbohydrates)
• Diet uses exchange lists, grouping foods by type, nutrients, and calories
• Patients are allowed a certain number of items from each exchange list according to individual needs
• Avoid sugar-heavy foods: candy, soft drinks, desserts, cookies, syrup, honey, condensed milk, sugared gum, jams, jellies
• New trend: count only carbohydrates as blood sugar levels are most affected by them Patients may need insulin based on the amount of carbs eaten.

Protein Modified Diet

• Includes high protein and low protein diets

High Protein Diet

• Regular diet with added protein from rich foods like meats, fish, milk, cheese, and eggs
• To improve client's growth and nutritional status
• Indications:
  • Children/adolescents who are malnourished and need additional growth
  • Clients with anemia
  • Pregnant or lactating mothers
  • Pre and post-operative patients
  • Patients with burns, injury, fever, or infections

Low Protein Diet

• Regular diet with limited or decreased protein
• Avoids animal byproducts (meat, eggs, fish, milk, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, nuts)
• Indication:
  • Clients with kidney or liver disease
  • Clients with certain allergic conditions

Low Fat/Cholesterol Diet

• Limits foods high in saturated fats (red meat, fatty meat, liver, egg yolks, cream, cheese, shellfish, whole milk, rich desserts, chocolate, coconut, palm oil products)
• Restricts cholesterol-containing foods
• Indication:
  • Patients with atherosclerosis and heart disease
  • Obese patients
  • Patients with gallbladder and liver diseases (acute hepatitis, cholelithiasis)

Low Salt/Sodium Diet

• Avoid/limit salt/sodium added to any food (e.g., smoked meats, fish, processed foods, pickles, processed cheeses).
• Indications:
  • Patients with cardiovascular disease (hypertension, congestive cardiac failure, heart failure)
  • Patients with kidney disease/failure
  • Patients with pitting edema

Ketogenic Diet

• Very low-carb diet (fat 70-90%, protein 8-25%, minimal carbs 2-5%)
• High fat, moderate protein, very low carbohydrate diet
• Produces ketones as an alternative fuel for the body when glucose is insufficient
• Proven benefits for weight loss and health performance
• Specific foods are limited or avoided

Roles of Nurses in Implementing Therapeutic Diet

• Reinforce the importance of therapeutic diet
• Identify and communicate patient needs for diet changes
• Identify and implement changes in feeding methods and timing
• Reinforce the meal plan with the patient and family
• Empower the patient in meeting their diet therapy
• Encourage eating, provide adaptive equipment, and create a conducive atmosphere
• Ensure all healthcare professionals are aware of the diet plan and its implementation

Conclusion

• Therapeutic diets are prescribed when necessary
• Menu design should aim for diet integration and modification considering:
  • Sociocultural context
  • Economic restraints
  • Religious beliefs
  • Food preferences
• It is the responsibility of nurses to ensure patient compliance with the prescribed therapeutic diet

Self-Directed Learning & Activity

• Search three research papers on the association between food and diseases/cancers
• Read further on ketogenic diet and provide comments based on reading
• Learn how to read a food label/nutrition facts label

This quiz tests your knowledge of various dietary guidelines, including low-fat/cholesterol, diabetic, and high protein diets. You'll learn about specific foods to avoid, the purposes of different diets, and common misconceptions. Perfect for students studying nutrition or health sciences!