Understanding Therapeutic Diets in Diet Therapy

  

Date Posted: 3/15/2018 2:40:07 PM

Posted By: Alfuayo  Membership Level: Bronze  Total Points: 42

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Have you ever come across the term Diet Therapy? And probably wondering what it means and what it entails.Here is the definition and its applications to human health. Diet therapy refers to the use of diet or foods in the treatment and management of diseases. To understand diet therapy we need to define various terms :

a)Food.it refers to any edible substance either solid or liquid in which when ingested into the body provide nourishment.

b)Nutrition it is the science of food and how they are utilized in the body.

c) Diet, refers to the quality of how the nutrients affects the health of an individual.

Therapy is a term used when referring to the treatment of any diseases.Diet Therapy therefore can also be defined as the study of nutrients and how they interact with diseases.Nutrients are the chemical properties found in food.They may be classified as organic and inorganic nutrients, Essential and non essential nutrients, Macro and Micro nutrients. The most common is macro-nutrients which forms the major part of the Diet which includes,Carbohydrates,proteins,fruits and vegetables,Fats and oils.While micro-nutrients refers to vitamins and minerals found in various foods.The importance of diet therapy is that it may be used to bring about weight changes whenever necessary alongside management of specific conditions, it ensures that the major nutrients are metabolized and utilized in the body system,it also corrects any deficiencies that may be present as well as providing rest to various body parts affected by the illness.However there are four major purposes of Diet therapy.They include,Assisting the body organs to function well, for instance in renal patients potassium and sodium are restricted to prevent edema and other complications.To promote resistance to diseases and infections.To prevent the negative resistance to drugs and finally to regulate amount of food intake and improve the health conditions of

the patient.In Human Nutrition Normal diets or balanced diets can be modified to fit various health conditions of a person.The modified diets are usually referred to as Therapeutic diets.They are normal diets in which they have been altered to meet and manage specific health complications.The modifications that can be done to diets are; removing or adding certain foods.Changing nutrients texture or modifying the caloric contents of food,also it may involve increasing or decreasing bulk in the diet such diet includes a low or high fiber diet.Therapeutic diets are normally prescribed by a doctor and planned by a registered and licensed dietitian.

They include:
Clear Liquid Diets
This is a type of diet that consists of clear liquids.They are usually temporary in nature.They contain water, carbohydrates, and electrolytes. They do not form gas,cause irritation or stimulation.They are used for a very short period of time 24 to 48 hours. Since they are not nutritionally sufficient.It is a diet used for preoperative patients,patients prior to colonoscopy examination, The post operative patients, patients with temporary food intolerance, and may also be used to relieve thirst and for patients whom colonic fecal matter is to be reduced.

Full fluid diet

Refers to all foods that are liquids or can be liquids at room and body temperatures. It is also a diet free from condiments,spices and other irritants.It can be made to be nutritionally adequate through a proper planning.porridge and milk are good examples of this type of diet.The diet is used for patients with mild gastrointestinal problems, patients with Acute gastric infections, patients who have undergone oral surgery and plastic surgery of the neck and the face area.patients with stomach disorders who cannot tolerate solid foods due to anatomical complications.

Soft Diets
They are nutritionally balanced and adequate, soft in consistency.Easy to chew.Simple and easy to digest.It has no or contain very minimal amounts of food fiber and connective tissue content.It is not highly flavored. It can be taken as three main meals a day without eating anything in between. The diet is used for those who cannot tolerate general diets due to operations, those with mild GI problems,Weak patients or those patients who have dental problems.Those individuals with acute infections, and Diarrhea convalescence patients.

Mechanical soft diets
When diets are made to be soft so as to allow individuals who have teeth problems or who have no teeth to consume,the diet is therefore termed as mechanical soft.In this diet vegetables may be chopped or diced before cooking.Fruits and vegetables that are hard are excluded.Dried fruits and nuts are given in powdered form.Meats are finely minced and ground.Tough skins and seeds are removed from fruits and vegetables.However soft breads,chapatis and mandazi may be given.Mechanically Soft diet is used for patients with limited chewing and swallowing abilities,those with dental problems,those with anatomical esophageal structures and those patients that have undergone head and neck surgery.

Cold semi liquid diets
This kind of diet is given to those patients that have undergone tonsillectomy or throat surgery.It consists of cold beverage's and Luke warm preparations.

Blenderized Liquid diet
Solid foods are made softer and tender then they are put into a blender with addition of soups the food turns to a liquid.This diet is nutritionally adequate since it gives room for more modification. It is used for patients with reduced pharyngeal peristalsis,patients involved in an accident, people with wired jaws, oral surgery patients and dysphagia.patients with inadequate oral control are also best fitted for this kind of diet.

Normal/Balanced diet
A diet is said to be normal or balanced if it contains foods from all groups in the correct amounts and proportions. There are no restrictions in this kind of diet.However in patients still on hospital bed,10%energy giving foods are reduced and protein intake is increased by 10%.For a quicker recovery.
Apart from the stated,Diet therapy has a wider field.including diets for specific diseases conditions such as Diabetes,Hypertension, kidney diseases,among other s.It also looks into The effects of drugs on nutrients and Vice versa under Drug-Nutrient interactions.If Diet therapy is well utilized one will be able to recover from an ailing conditions within a very short period of time.For best results experts advice for a combination of Diet and exercise.

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