DIET & NUTRITION COUNSELLING
Diet & Nutrition counselling for a lay man is required when they come with diseases which are affected by food choices. Food choices depend upon dietary habits, cultural and ethnic practices.
When they are given information regarding the outcome of different food items of common use, they are in better position to understand for selecting food items for themselves.
This counselling depends on, their disease, their habit of taking various food items, method of cooking, quality and quantity of food.
Diet counselling in following order:
- Assessment of the dietary change required:
- It depends on age, health status, medical history, life style, dietary habits and specific changes in diet required.
- Goals to achieve:
- Weight reduction.
- Managing blood sugar and hypertension.
- Lifestyle change, by adding physical activity in daily routine.
- Overcome nutritional deficiencies.
Education:
Knowledge about food groups and benefit of adding each group in specified proportion.
- Portion size help control weight as well as manage blood sugar and blood pressure
- Explaining impact of dietary choices on health of the patient.
- Learning to read food labels, so that injurious items can be avoided.
- Role of various nutrients, portion control, food groups and the patient will be able to understand impact of dietary choices on health.
;/b Meal Planning:
Guidance will help people understand their need of food according to their requirement. Individualized meal planning will focus more on their requirement according to their diseases. It may help control weight by modifying calorie intake of food items selected.
Behavior modification:
Helps identify barriers in healthy eating, like emotional eating, food cravings, lack of time for food preparation.
