Strategies for Healthy Nutritional Intake and its Impact on Patients

This essay explores the critical role of healthy nutrition in promoting overall well-being and preventing diseases, particularly among patients. It highlights the importance of balanced diets rich in lean meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, while discouraging the consumption of unhealthy foods that can lead to complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. The essay discusses various strategies for maintaining healthy nutritional intake, including public health interventions, government policies promoting healthy lifestyles, proper food labeling, and nutrition education and training for nurses and patients. It emphasizes the responsibility of healthcare professionals in guiding patients towards healthier food choices and the importance of family support in ensuring proper nutrition during recovery. The essay concludes by underscoring the significance of healthy nutritional intake in affecting both mental and physical well-being and encourages individuals to prioritize nutrient-rich foods for a healthier life. Desklib provides access to a wealth of resources, including similar essays and solved assignments, to further support students' understanding of nutrition and health.

Running Head: STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE
Strategies for Healthy Nutritional Intake
Name
Institution
Tutor
Course
Date

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 2
Introduction
Good and healthy nutrition is essential for good health of every individual kids, adult.
Elderly and even the sick. Food has been established to be more much sophisticated and of
different varieties in order to be able to fit it the modern society and multiculturism we have
today. The society we live in today has been swept by people not eating normal food as they
used to. This is because our taste for food has been triggered by the taste buds of colorful
advertisements. A small number of people across the globe eat well but large population from
disadvantaged backgrounds and societies don’t care about their diet. Poor healthy nutrition is a
major challenge which is experienced by most countries and physical inactivity which has led to
the growth of obesity. The purpose of this paper is to create a difference in diet and nutrition and
the strategies which can be deployed to maintain a good healthy nutrition table among patients.
This is because poor nutrition has greatly affected the health and wellbeing of individuals. Eating
healthy foods like lean meat, fruits, vegetables and whole grain enhances patients moods and
healthy while eating unhealthy food like junk food staffs lead to a health complication like blood
pressure, heart diseases, and obesity. Patients are highly encouraged to have a balanced diet and
nutrition table which can help them enhance their health and physical wellbeing. The human
body needs a good healthy nutrition to function and thrive effectively (Agarwal et al., 2013). The
energy which the body of the patients receives from proper nutrition helps to in both physical
and mental state. Nutrients which are naturally found in food break down and get absorbed to
help our bodies medicinally as well. A lot of research has been conducted recently all over the
world on how certain on how different food staff provided various nutrients which are essential
for the body to be fit and strong.

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 3
Strategies for maintaining a healthy nutritional intake for patients
For patients to maintain a good intake of nutrition some strategies have been deployed to
help them maintain it. Public health has been established which is a method of preventing
diseases and prolonging life by promoting health through organized effort which gives clear
advice to the patients on the kind of food substances which are essential to their bodies (Bauer et
al. 2013). The main objective of public health intervention is to enhance health and quality of life
by controlling, preventing and treatment of diseases as well as physical and mental health
complications. The range of the public health intervention has increased in order to reduce food
which is related to ill health. Due to an increased rate of individual who have nutritional issues
due to poor diets which have led to diseases some policies have been established. In the policy,
the government wants its people and the patients in hospitals and even at home to eat and drink
more healthily while been active (Aburto et al., 2013). This can greatly help reduce diseases and
enable patients to be physically and mentally strong. The program promotes a healthy lifestyle as
their motto is to eat well and live longer (Deutz et al., 2014). The policy also emphasizes proper
labeling on packages to make it clear to the patients on what they are eating or drinking. By
giving guidance to the patients on the kind of diets and nutrients they should go for, the policy
helps professional to understand on how to reduce the risk of ill health associated with poor diet
intakes (Shepherd & Gibson, 2013). Despite the fact that it is the patients to make choice on
what to eat and drink, the government wants businesses to take the responsibility of the products
they are selling by making it easier for everyone to make healthier choices for both its staff and
customers. They have to include calorie information on the menus and help patients eat fewer
calories by changing the portion size and recipe of the product. The policy also involves the

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 4
councils in encouraging healthy nutritional intake to enhance healthier lives by making sure that
the right services are rendered to patients.
According to Martin, Geisel, Maresch, Krieger and Stein (2013), nutrition education and
training among nurses and patients is another strategy which can be deployed to enhance healthy
nutritional intake. It is the responsibility of nurses to ensure that patients who are admitted to
hospitals eat a well-nourished diet. Nurses are also responsible for recognizing patients who need
some nutrition modification. Patients need some training and education on the kind of nutrition
they should take and the effects they have on their health status (Young, Mudge, Banks, Ross &
Daniels, 2013). Patients should be highly encouraged to take vegetables, cereals, and vegetable
as they have some good health results to their bodies and discouraged from taking foodstuff
which is high in calories as they can lead to health complication such as blood pressure and
diabetes (Preiser et al., 2015). Nurses should be aware of the patient's economic background as
patients from poor background seem to be the most affected by diseases associated with poor
nutrition and advise them accordingly. Family members should also be made aware of the kind
of nutrients their patients need in order to recover from their illness (Ross, Caballero, Cousins,
Tucker & Ziegler, 2014). The society should be made aware of the kinds of nutrition which are
available in different foodstuff and how they are essential to their bodies through advertisements.
Conclusion
Good nutrition is very essential in promoting good health among all individual in our
society and can help in preventing diseases which are caused by poor diet. Nurses and the
medical team believes that a lot of patients who are admitted in the hospital are suffering from an
infection which is related to poor balance diet. There are a lot of benefits or patients having a

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 5
healthy nutritional intake compared to eating fast junk foods. Patients are encouraged to make
sure that the kind of food they take includes nutrients like vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and
minerals by drinking plenty of water and eating fruits and vegetables. Every person in our
society should be aware that healthy nutritional intake is very significant in our life. Several
studies conducted have shown that proper nutritional intake affects our mental and healthy
wellbeing.

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 6
References
Aburto, N. J., Ziolkovska, A., Hooper, L., Elliott, P., Cappuccio, F. P., & Meerpohl, J. J. (2013).
Effect of lower sodium intake on health: systematic review and meta-analyses. Bmj, 346,
f1326.
Agarwal, E., Ferguson, M., Banks, M., Batterham, M., Bauer, J., Capra, S., & Isenring, E.
(2013). Malnutrition and poor food intake are associated with prolonged hospital stay,
frequent readmissions, and greater in-hospital mortality: results from the Nutrition Care
Day Survey 2010. Clinical Nutrition, 32(5), 737-745.
Bauer, J., Biolo, G., Cederholm, T., Cesari, M., Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., Morley, J. E., ... &
Visvanathan, R. (2013). Evidence-based recommendations for optimal dietary protein
intake in older people: a position paper from the PROT-AGE Study Group. Journal of
the american Medical Directors association, 14(8), 542-559.
Deutz, N. E., Bauer, J. M., Barazzoni, R., Biolo, G., Boirie, Y., Bosy-Westphal, A., ... & Singer,
P. (2014). Protein intake and exercise for optimal muscle function with aging:
recommendations from the ESPEN Expert Group. Clinical nutrition, 33(6), 929-936.
Martin, J., Geisel, T., Maresch, C., Krieger, K., & Stein, J. (2013). Inadequate nutrient intake in
patients with celiac disease: results from a German dietary survey. Digestion, 87(4), 240-
246.

STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL INTAKE 7
Preiser, J. C., van Zanten, A. R., Berger, M. M., Biolo, G., Casaer, M. P., Doig, G. S., ... &
Laviano, A. (2015). Metabolic and nutritional support of critically ill patients: consensus
and controversies. Critical care, 19(1), 35.
Ross, A. C., Caballero, B., Cousins, R. J., Tucker, K. L., & Ziegler, T. R. (2014). Modern
nutrition in health and disease(No. Ed. 11). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Shepherd, S. J., & Gibson, P. R. (2013). Nutritional inadequacies of the gluten‐free diet in both
recently‐diagnosed and long‐term patients with coeliac disease. Journal of Human
Nutrition and Dietetics, 26(4), 349-358.
Young, A. M., Mudge, A. M., Banks, M. D., Ross, L. J., & Daniels, L. (2013). Encouraging,
assisting and time to EAT: improved nutritional intake for older medical patients
receiving protected mealtimes and/or additional nursing feeding assistance. Clinical
nutrition, 32(4), 543-549.