The Field of Nutrition and Diets - Essay Example

College Q1) Health is wealth. Many governments and NGO’s have spent huge billions of U.S dollars to fund the field of nutrition and diets for her own citizens .United States government have been on record to have the muscles to meet the heavy demand in this vital field .Severe research has been done and the stake holder reworked on how best to meet the nutritional standards. The U.S government has conducted several surveys with a sole purpose securing a healthy nation, (Lee, National dietary and Nutrition Surveys). These Surveys have a crucial role in obtaining very important information on any form of diagnosed and any undiagnosed abnormality in the growth, overweight, obesity, development and the many risk factors prone to its citizens. Environmental factors are put into consideration as to determine what are the citizens are exposed to. These surveys are necessary as they are conducted to determine the missing link in the welfare of the citizens. This includes quality check of life from the young to the old. This must be encouraged year after year and all the necessary information dispensed to the nation at large including the social media facilities at our countries disposal, (Nieman, National dietary and Nutrition Surveys). Reference Lee and Nieman. National dietary and Nutrition surveys in Nutritional Assessment. Q2) Energy is measured in values termed as kilocalories (kcals).This energy is obtained from food that human beings consume. A lot of research has been done to determine the caloric value in the various type of food human take. To determine the food caloric value, one needs to classify the content of food in terms of carbohydrate, fat and protein values. It has been noted that carbohydrates give 4kcal per given gram (g), proteins giving the same value of 4 kcal and fats having recorded the highest at 9 kcal, (Stanfield, Meeting Energy Needs in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). The quest to determine energy needs is done on three major classifications that is activity, thermic effect on food, and basal metabolic rate. The basal metabolism is the energy required to drive the vital life procedures in a human being and is positive or negatively affected by; physiological status, body temperature, body composition, age and sex. Physical activity burns out calories while mental work does much lesser. Production of heat after having meals brings thermic effect; this largely depends on the type of food taken, (Stanfield, Meeting Energy Needs in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). This energy intake needs to be balanced. It’s very important to maintain the energy need. Too little or lack of the vital nutrients will lead to under-nutrition. Excess of the same nutrient or over nutrition will be harmful causing severe side effects like overweight and obesity. The extreme of both is harmful and totally unacceptable. Inadequate nutrition is classified under primary and secondary malnutrition. In the primary level of malnutrition is where an individual has poor choice of food or lacks the supply of the food. In the secondary level is the inability of the body to digest and process essential foods. Over nutrition arises when the food intake is in excess and it’s not burnt out in the body. This leads to overweight cases, (Stanfield, Meeting Energy Needs in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). Ideal weight and healthy weights can be differentiated by use of formulas to calculate a healthy weight commonly referred to as body mass Index. To determine the BMI it’s derived from an individual’s height in meters divided by his weight in kilograms, squared. Where, the ideal body is determined by the body composition in terms leanness or fatness of a given individual. This paper suggest that deliberate effort are needed to keep a healthy weight and regular exercise to burnt out the excess calories and maintain healthy long life, (Stanfield, Meeting Energy Needs in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). Reference Stanfield and Hui. Meeting Energy Needs in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self- Instructional Modules Q3) The diets one consumes can lessen the effect of drugs. Clients need to be considerate on what type of food they are taking when on medication, and taking drugs. The drugs are intended to give certain outcome in our bodies. Food on the other hand can change drug absorption, excretion rate and neutralization drug effect. Doctors and physicians prescribe drugs that offer maximum effect, (Stanfield, Drugs and Nutrition in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). It is advisable that patients are given a hint on what type of food to combine with which type of drugs. The portions that correspond to the drugs are also very important. It has also been noted that meals have high glucose cause transient decrease in the flow of blood in the gastrointestinal tract which slows drug absorption in the body, (Stanfield, Drugs and Nutrition in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). It’s also is very important to let the client the effects of drugs depending on the food that the take during medication and the expected outcome on consuming the drugs. Fatty foods, and with low-fiber meals have slowed emptying the stomach to a tune of two hours. Strict adherence to the dosage must be met; the time and frequency of the drug usage should well communicate to the end user, (Stanfield, Drugs and Nutrition in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). Reference Stanfield and Hui. Drugs and Nutrition in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self- Instructional Modules. Q4) The three important things that a client or a patient should know about dietary supplements is one is that dietary supplements are not to be replaced as conventional food or a diet. Secondly it has to be labeled as a dietary supplement, and finally it’s not meant to cure, prevent any form of disease. The client should make informed decision before taking the supplements and enlightened of the risks involved while taking the dietary supplements, (Stanfield, Dietary Supplements in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). As much as everyone has the quest to healthy life style excess of some nutrients can be harmful. Information is power. The client needs reliable information from authorized organization. Some the best organizations to access the required trusted information are the non profit making organization, university extension offices and the government agencies like the (FDA).The patient should question the integrity and training on nutrition and medicine of these person who touts to do magic on their health, (Stanfield, Dietary Supplements in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules). Reference Stanfield and Hui. Dietary Supplements in Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Self-Instructional Modules. Read More