PLANNING AND PREPARATION OF THERAPEUTIC DIET

Introduction :

Just like obesity causes health concerns, having less weight than the normal also poses health
issues. Being underweight can be the result of poor nutrition and should be a matter of concern.
If the body does not receive adequate amounts of nutrients, the body fails to function to its
utmost. This could result in an imbalance in the metabolism. Inculcating a healthy diet for
underweight will provide the necessary nutrients for better functioning of the body.

To deal with underweight, maintaining a proper nutritious diet is important. We create a weight
gain meal plan for underweight, easily followed by both males and females. We try to add food
with high-calorie foods for underweight adults. This diet meal plan is used to provide the right
nutrients, vitamins, and minerals required by the body. You can easily buy food items listed in
the underweight diet meal plan in your local markets.

We also list those food items that should be avoided while following the underweight meal plan.
While following this Indian diet meal plan, also follow these lifestyle changes and habits. We
also listed out meal timing and what food items you need to eat to gain weight. These healthy
meals are listed after discussion with professional dietitians.

These are quick health tips for the person suffering from underweight should include this in your
diet plan:

1. Heavy food items that are more in calories.

2. Frequent consumption of food items which are rich in nutrients, it could be snacks,
shakes or juices, or proper meals.
3. Adding extra ingredients that are high in calories to a regular diet, for example, including
eggs and bananas in morning breakfast, etc., can help in increasing the weight.
4. Consume protein supplements along with adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits.
5. Eating calorie dense food and maintaining a balanced diet will help in gaining weight.
 6. However, the diet shouldn’t be started drastically and instead, should be implemented
gradually so that the body is accustomed with it.

Do's And Don't While Following Diet Plan for Underweight

In Underweight condition, you can start making some simple changes in your lifestyles and food
habits which are mentioned below, along with the diet plan mentioned above:

Do's:

1. Eat more often

2. Drink Milk
3. Try Weight gainer shakes
4. Use Bigger Plates
5. Add cream to your coffee
6. Take Creatine
7. Get Quality Sleep
8. Eat your protein first and vegetables last

Don'ts:

1. Drink water before meals

2. Smoke

Food Items You Can Easily Consume in Underweight Diet Plan

1. Lean Red Meat: Steak contains a ton of protein and iron. Red meat is high in cholesterol,
so most food professionals don’t recommend it as part of a healthy diet more than a few
times per week.
2. Real Nut Butters: Natural peanut butter is packed with protein and fats, making it a great
choice for people trying to gain weight the healthy way. One tablespoon contains around
100 calories and has 4 grams of protein.
 3. Whole Fat Milk: Dietitians say that one simple substitution you can make when trying to
gain weight is swapping your skim milk for whole milk. It’s only 60 calories more a glass
as the fat is left in.
4. Tropical Fruit: Fruits like mango, papaya, bananas, and pineapple are amazing choices
according to food experts. They are full of natural sugars and can give you great energy.
5. Avocado: These delicious green vegetables are an excellent way to add heart-healthy fats
to your diet. One half of an avocado contains 140 calories, but also contains high levels
of potassium, folic acid, and vitamin E.
6. Natural Granola: Natural granola with no added refined sugar is a great cereal to enjoy if
you are trying to gain weight. This tasty snack is made from rolled oats, sugar, and
healthy fats (like nuts and coconut oil). More dried fruit and nuts can also be added.
7. Whole Wheat Bread: Nutritionists say that eating healthy bread products is a great way to
start gaining weight. If you’re adding bread to your diet, look for whole grains. Nuts:
Nuts are a great snack for gaining weight. They are full of fat and nutrients, but also
contain a great deal of fiber. Eating only a handful of nuts can keep you full for hours.
Not all nuts are equal for fiber though.
8. Cheese: Try goat cheese with eggs, Swiss with roasted chicken, and Parmesan on top of
asparagus. On its own, cheese also makes a great snack because it’s high in protein.

Nutrition Diagnosis (PES statement) (ref. Krause & Mahan edt.13 for NCP)
1. Critical thinking: to determine MNT regime with Nutrition Principles
Problem - Underweight
Etiology - an acute or chronic illness, a restricted diet, a poor appetite, feeding problems
Signs and symptom - constipation, medication,prematurity, developmental delays
Diagnosis - 1) Anthropometry : Weight and % weight change, Body mass index (BMI), Mid
upper arm circumference (MUAC), Skin fold thickness, Mid arm muscle circumference
(MAMC).

2) Clinical assessment : The blood tests conducted within a nutrition assessment are interpreted
in conjunction with a clinical examination; previous medical history; and current medications.
Measure levels of chemical substances present in the blood. Functional tests measure the
function of vital organs such as the kidneys or liver.

3) Dietary assessment : 24 hours dietary recall, food frequency questionnaire, dietary history
since early life, food diary technique, observed food consumption.

PES Statement - Underweight resulted in Inadequate oral food / beverage intake related to
poor appetite and lack of prior nutrition related education.

III. Nutrition Intervention:

● Medical Nutrition Therapy (regime)
Goals
Short term goals:
Weight should be stabilised
BMI will be normalised
Growth velocity will be improved
Long term goals:
Provide a suitable diet
Provide required nutrients daily through described process
Recommended increase in calories to 2300-2500

Macronutrient
● Energy(Kcal) - 2300-2500
● Carbohydrate(g) - 300-400
● Protein(g) - 75-80
● Fat(g) - 40 to 50
● Calcium (mg) - 600
● Iron(mg) -30 to 40
● Fibre (g) - 30 to 40
● Vitamin C(mg) - 60 to 80
Nutritional composition of meals for the prescribed Medical Nutrition Therapy :

Ingredients Amoun Energy Proteins Carbs Fats Calcium Vit C Iron Fiber
t
Nos. kcals gms gms gms mg mg mg gms
Milk 350 255 12 27 15 410 7 0.53 -
Egg 30 13 3 - 0.02 1.6 - 0.02 -
(white)
Bread 100 245 9 51 0.7 11 - 1.1 0.2
Mint 30 11 1.4 0.72 0.2 - 5 2 1
Coconut 30 122 1.15 1.89 12 2 0.24 0.39 3
Orange 50 18 0.35 3 0.07 7 21 0.41 0.65
Cashew 3 17 0.56 0.76 1 1.02 - 0.18 0.12
Almond 4 24 0.83 0.42 2 9 0.03 0.18 0.52
Walnut 2 13 0.3 0.2 1 2 0.02 0.06 0.11
Banana 70 73 0.86 16 0.03 3 3.33 0.2 1.36
Rajma 15 44 2 7 0.25 15 - 0.95 2
Spinach 80 19 1.71 1.64 0.51 65 22 2 1.9
Potato 60 36 0.81 7 0.13 5 12 0.32 1.01
Rice 80 314 10 38 12 50 - 25 3
Apple 50 31 0.14 6 0.02 6 1.79 0.13 1.3
Cucumber 30 5 0.25 0.85 0.05 5.78 1.86 0.18 0.64
Carrot 30 9 0.29 1.67 0.14 10 1.87 0.18 1.25
Wheat 70 246 9 51 0.53 14 - 1.24 1.93
flour
Rice flakes 70 247 5 53 0.8 6 - 3 2
Green 5 2 0.12 0.29 0.04 0.92 4 0.06 0.24
chilli
Cabbage 10 2 0.14 0.33 0.01 5 3 0.04 0.28
Bell 10 1.63 0.11 0.18 0.03 1.48 12 0.05 0.21
pepper
Peas 10 8 0.73 1.19 0.01 2 3 0.16 0.63
Tomato 20 3 0.18 0.54 0.09 2.03 5 0.06 0.35
Coriander 5 1.55 0.18 0.1 0.04 5 1.19 0.27 0.23
Chicken 50 62 16 1.4 0.65 - - - -
Apple 20 12 0.06 2 0.11 1.08 0.8 0.05 0.41
Kiwi 20 70 - 17 - 13 0.8 0.24 0.66
Grapes 20 11 0.15 2 0.06 2 3 0.05 0.25
Blueberry 20 11 0.15 2 0.07 1.2 1.9 0.06 0.48
Honey 10 31 0.03 7 - 0.5 - 0.07 -
Oil 15 134 - 0.13 14 0.15 - 0.01 -
Salt 10 - - - - - - - -
 Onion 20 11 0.36 2 0.03 3 2 0.11 0.23
TOTAL 2320.7 77.86 303.31 58.7 642.18 97.83 49.3 32.87
8 4 1

Detailed prescribed Menu :

Timings Meal Menu Household Measures

6.30am Early morning Milk 1 glass

8.30am Breakfast Egg sandwich with 2 egg bread
green chutney sandwich + green
,orange juice chutney + 1 glass
, nut bowl orange juice + 3
cashews + 4
almonds + 2 walnuts
11.00am Mid-morning Banana shake 1cup banana shake
1.30pm Lunch Rajma curry, 1 cup rajma curry +
spinach potato 1 cup spinach potato
,chapati,rice, + 3 chapati + 1/2 cup
vegetable salad rice + ½ bowl
vegetable salad salad
3.30pm Snack Apple Juice 1 cup apple juice
5.30pm Mid-evening Vegetable poha 1 cup vegetable poha

7.30pm Dinner Chicken curry, 1 cup chicken curry

appam, fruit salad + 3 appam + 1 cup
fruit salad
9.00pm Bedtime Almond Milk 1 cup