Medical Nutrition Therapy involves the assessment of the nutritional status of patients/clients with a condition, illness, or injury that puts them at risk. This includes review and analysis of medical and diet history, laboratory values, and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, percent ideal body weight, BMI (body mass index), waist/hip ratio, body measurements). Based on the assessment, nutrition intervention most appropriate to manage the condition or treat the illness or injury is chosen and includes the following:
- Diet modification and counseling leading to the development of a personal meal plan to achieve nutritional goals and desired health outcomes.
- Specialized nutrition therapies
including supplementation with medical foods for those unable to obtain adequate nutrients through food intake only; and enteral nutrition delivered via tube feeding into the gastrointestinal tract for those unable to ingest or digest food.
- Nutrition monitoring and evaluation
to verify the effectiveness of the nutrition intervention and to modify the care plan as necessary.
Medical Nutrition Therapy services keep people healthy, eliminate the need for medication, prevent medical complications and decrease hospitalization rates. These services are provided by a registered dietitian.
Some specific conditions that are successfully treated with nutrition therapy:
| General
Nutrition - Pediatrics, Adolescents, Adults, Geriatrics |
Hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol, high
triglycerides) |
| Obesity and
Weight Loss |
Cancer |
| Weight
Gain |
Malnutrition |
| Weight
Maintenance |
Fatigue |
| Diabetes Mellitus |
Menopausal
Symptoms |
| Gestational Diabetes |
Vegetarian
Meal Planning |
| Insulin Resistance |
Nutrition in
Pregnancy |
| Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome |
Hypertension |
| Hypoglycemia |
Liver Disease |
| Cardiovascular Disease |
Renal Insufficiency/Renal Disease |
Medical Nutrition Therapy services
also are highly valuable in treating gastrointestinal
conditions, such as:
| Irritable bowel syndrome |
Gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) |
| Ulcerative colitis
|
Hiatal hernia |
| Crohn’s disease
|
Duodenal and gastric ulcers |
| Diverticulosis/Diverticulitis
|
Constipation |
Don't see your medical condition or
nutritional issue listed here? Contact
us to find out how medical nutrition therapy can
help you!
The Importance of Good Nutrition
Good nutrition is reflected not only in the growth and function of the body but also in its appearance. The eyes, skin, hair, and teeth indicate whether body nourishment is good or poor. A poorly nourished child will fail to grow properly; a poorly nourished adult will have a decreased resistance to infection and disease. A diet deficient in proteins causes a disease called kwashiorkor in children; a diet deficient in both protein and calories results in marasmus, with lethargy, abdominal enlargement, and wasting—the classical malnutrition syndrome. Poor nutrition may result from excesses in the diet as well as deficiencies; excess of certain vitamins or minerals can produce potentially lethal disease states, and excess of carbohydrates or fat can result in obesity.
Lifestyle Counseling
The application of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) and lifestyle counseling as a part of the Nutrition Care Process is an integral component of the medical treatment for management of specific disease states and conditions and should be the initial step in the management of these situations.
Lifestyle counseling enhances MNT by providing insight into the behaviors and/or events that are associated with appropriate as well as inappropriate eating and exercise behaviors. Behavior modification techniques are taught with strategies provided to assist in making positive behavioral changes for a lifetime. MNT and lifestyle counseling are cost-effective means of treating a number of diseases and their symptoms.
Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) is not only about treating an illness or condition, it’s about prevention!
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