NUTRITION AND DIET

Instructions: Read carefully and write your answer in an essay form. (At least 3 sentences each)

1. How do exercise and food relate to good nutrition?

Exercise helps people lose weight and lower risk of some diseases. It also keeps
your body at a healthy weight and makes you age well. On the other hand, food, especially
healthy and balanced food, supplies nutrients to your body needed to work effectively.

In short, these two terms, exercise and food (healthy and adequate food) greatly
enhances one’s nutrition. Without exercise and balanced food, our body will be more
prone to diseases, infection, fatigue and low performance.

2. How do nurses and RD’s work together in a hospital or clinical setting?

RNs and RDs can greatly support one another in the work that they do. Because a RN
is at the forefront of patient care, they are able to provide RDs with a wealth of
information regarding a patient’s nutrition status. Whether it is enteral or parenteral
nutrition tolerance, food and supplement intake, family concern for appetite or weight loss
prior to admission, or other clinical information, RNs play a vital role in helping the RD
come up with a clinical plan of care for the patient.
Moreover, if nurses have questions regarding the appropriateness of a diet or
supplement, enteral or parenteral tolerance, or diet consistencies, they can contact the RD
available on staff. As the experts, RD’s will be able to help streamline any problems and
create the best nutrition plan for patients. Nurses’ help is invaluable to the care registered
dietitians provide. They could not do their jobs without nurses.

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3. What resources can an RD provide to assist with a nursing plan of care?

After the nurse conducts all the prerequisites in making a nursing care plan such as
cephalocaudal assessment, the nurse may seek assistance to a registered dietitian
especially in formulating interventions related to the patient’s diet.

Registered Dietitians helps the nurse and the health care team in maintaining the
optimal standard of care for people. Not only do these professionals have specialized
knowledge for the nutrition needs of many disease states and allergies, but they also play a
role in food preparation and menu planning, counseling patients, and administering
therapeutic diets.

4. How do surgery, infection, and different developmental stages affect nutritional

requirements?

Our nutritional needs change with different life stages or depending on the state of
health we have. Hence, health professionals would advise us with these nutritional
requirements to compensate and meet our body’s needs.

Post-surgery patients, for example, are required to have higher intake of protein,
zinc and vitamin C for faster healing. Whereas, pregnant women will have increased
requirements for folate, iron, Vitamin B₁₂ and iodine which is important for normal growth
and development of the baby.

However, regardless of the type of diet we are prescribed, it is necessary that we

follow it faithfully to keep us healthy and fit and never abuse it. Besides, Ms. Universe 2018
Catriona Gray has stated, “everything is good but in moderation”.

5. Why is nutritional status related to disease prevention and recovery from surgery or
other trauma?
Someone’s nutritional status has long been an indicator for possibility of chronic
diseases. And, basically by assessing one’s nutrition as early as possible, we are able to
explore various interventions to counter the probability of these diseases. If found out that
you are consuming large amount of sugar then it is not surprising that you will be prone to
diabetes. By knowing it earlier, you will be able to lessen the amount of sugar you consume
and may rather use organic sweeteners, like honey, instead.
Furthermore, to speak of the patients who have undergone surgery or trauma,
nutritional status is vital in their recovery as well. In fact, a recent meta-analysis of
randomized controlled trials showed that nutrition interventions in patients with poor
nutritional status reduced the risk of postoperative infectious complications and the length
of their hospitalization.