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Diet and Nutrition
One thing that is universally common in all of us is that we all need food for survival. Food and beverages that we eat provide the nutrients as well as the energy needed for the overall function of the body, managing diseases, improving health, and reducing the risk of diseases. Nutrition and nutrients do not just involve eating a 'good' diet; it is about providing nourishment to the body at all levels. In addition, it involves having a relationship with our own body, family, friends, community, and surroundings.
The understanding of nutrition is very much essential for optimum health. Nutrition is defined as the science of food, the substances, and nutrients therein, their mechanism of action, interaction with each other, and balance with respect to disease and health. It is the process by which a living body undergo ingestion, digestion, absorption, transportation, utilization, and excretion of the food material.
The critical role of the diet is to eat foods that give us six necessary nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. The correct variety of food with the correct amount provides all the essential nutrients insufficient for optimum health and weight management.
The department of Diet and Nutrition at Sprint Medical offers a comprehensive range of services for people of all age groups. The Diet and Nutrition department has qualified personnel's experience and expertise to perform a wide range of treatments through diet. As every individual is unique, they require special diet plans, specifically designed for each individual while keeping their disease, food preferences, allergies, medications, etc., in mind. The diet plans are tailor-made to meet the need of each individual. It offers a caring and therapeutic environment focusing on recovery from the disease (if any), quality of life, and the overall health of an individual.
Who is a Dietician (General)
A dietician is a health professional, ideally trained to implement and change the dietary habits of an individual or population. In other words, we can say that a dietician is a person with legally recognized qualifications in nutrition and diet who applies the science of nutrition to the feeding and education of the population and individuals in health and disease.
Responsibilities of a Dietician
Following are the responsibilities of a dietician with respect to their client and profession:
The Dietician is responsible for recognizing and exercising professional judgment within the limits of their qualifications and collaborates with others, seeks counsel, or makes referrals as appropriate.
The Dietician treats clients and patients with respect and consideration.
The Dietician protects confidential information and makes full disclosure about any limitations on their ability to guarantee complete confidentiality.
The dietician practices dietetics based on evidence-based principles and current information.
The Dietician presents reliable and substantiated information and interprets controversial information without personal bias, recognizing that legitimate differences of opinion exist.
The Dietician provides professional services with objectivity and respect for the individuals' unique needs and values.
Diet Planning
Since dietary habits vary widely in any population, prescribing an appropriate diet for an individual patient for a particular disease becomes challenging. The dietary prescriptions are made based on the patient's age, sex, activity, body weight, and the type of treatment they are undergoing. Income, education level, marital status, and ethnicity are also considered before prescribing the diet.
The daily record of the intake of calories and other nutrients is very important. The convenient way is to administer a detailed questionnaire regarding the type of food item and quantities consumed, throughout the day, in terms of cooked volumes. That is converted to raw ingredients, and nutritional value is calculated using the standard food tables. Diet prescription should meet all the nutrient requirements of the patient.
Diet Counselling
Diet counseling is a combination of nutrition expertise and psychological skills delivered by a trained dietician. A diet counselor's role is no longer seen as a mere information dispenser but rather as an agent for changing food and eating behavior for better health. The process of diet counseling requires three basic skills, namely, interviewing, counseling, and consulting. Interviewing is the gathering of information and data. Counseling is listening, accepting, clarifying, and helping clients form their conclusions, identify problems and develop their plan of action. Finally, consulting involves developing plans or proposals for and with the client based on observations and evaluations, adding and enhancing knowledge and understanding of the individual seeking help.
To have consultation with Sprint Medical's dietitian in Allahabad, book your appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Dietitians are trained individuals who promote overall health and treat medical complications through diet and medical nutrition therapy. They prescribe diet plans to people who are diagnosed with chronic diseases and suggest changes in their diet. For instance, a dietitian could prescribe a detailed diet plan for patients suffering from high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, etc., to manage their condition.
On the other hand, nutritionists are more focused on promoting a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Therefore, they do not treat patients suffering from any diseases. Instead, they work with healthy individuals keen to improve their eating and lifestyle patterns by making better and healthy food choices.
A dietician must have at least four years of an accredited university degree, especially around nutritional sciences. Dieticians look at food as a whole substance and study individual macro and micronutrients to prescribe healthy diet plans for each individual. A dietician's recommendations are based on recent research rather than the latest trends in eating patterns and dieting. On the other hand, a personal trainer has a certificate for creating and delivering safe and efficient exercise plans. Likewise, a naturopath is an individual who deals with a form of alternative medicine that uses various pseudoscientific methods that are natural, non-invasive, and promotes self-healing.
Anyone who has a desire or needs to improve their diet can consult a dietitian. Anyone who wants to lose weight, gain weight, or keep themselves fit can see a dietitian. Anyone suffering from any disease that requires special dietary patterns such as kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, cardiac disease, etc., can talk to a dietitian for their specific diet plans.
The Dietitian will talk to you through the session and learn about your lifestyle, eating pattern, and activity level. The Dietitian will listen to you and ask questions to understand your life, routine, and diet pattern. You will get your health and diet-related answers. You can also clear all the confusion and myths related to diet and being healthy. You will get lots of practical information and an action plan at the end of the session.
At the end of the session, you will get a fully personalized diet plan designed according to your food preferences, age, lifestyle, and medical conditions.
The dietitians at Sprint Medical will provide dietary and nutritional counseling with the help of video calling/audio calling. Using this mode of communication will help you in connecting with the expert virtually. In addition, this will give you the flexibility to talk to the Dietitian from the comfort of your home.