Nutrition and Diet Therapy: 5 Things to Keep in Mind

Nutrition and Diet therapy, also known as Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT),  is an evidence-based holistic approach designed to tweak one’s diet and lifestyle to improve health potential. This concept is developed to promote the therapeutic benefits of particular food groups to treat specific health conditions and diseases. 

Diet plays an integral part in Medical Nutritional therapy. A well-planned diet prepared after considering an individual’s medical history and current health status can not only help prevent the progression of a disease but also helps to curb the risk of the development of several diseases. 

A therapeutic diet primarily focuses on natural, unprocessed food that can help improve our body’s natural immunity and proper functioning. The diet should be nutritionally balanced and sustainable. If you are new to the concept of Medical Nutrition Therapy, this article is meant for you. Keep reading to explore five important things you must remember before incorporating nutritional therapy into your lifestyle. 

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Five Things You Should Keep in Mind About Nutrition and Diet Therapy

1. Therapeutic Diet Can Benefit Your Overall Health

Nutritional therapy is curated to improve your overall physical well-being. It can prevent or reverse the onset of several chronic diseases like Type-2 diabetes, digestive disorders, heart diseases, and even cancer. 

Diabetes:

Research has shown that medical nutrition therapy can help regulate the symptoms of diabetes. It reduces the presence of specific markers of diabetes like hemoglobin A1c. A lowered level of HbA1c suggests control of increased blood sugar level as associated with diabetes. 

Heart Diseases:

A few other studies have concluded that Nutritional therapy can help reduce the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. A balanced diet can help regulate bad cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides and thus, help reduce the chances of heart diseases.  

Cancer:

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy for cancer can reduce appetite, impair the gastrointestinal lining and make it difficult to digest foods, leading to malnutrition. Medical Nutrition Therapy, including an easily digestible fat and protein-rich diet, can help overcome the situation. 

Digestive Diseases:

Therapeutic diets can help treat several other digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and Celiac Disease. A dietician can customize a proper diet plan to help relieve the symptoms and facilitate a better life quality.

Kidney Diseases:

Kidney diseases can prevent your blood from being properly filtered. It can lead to several complications like increased calcium and potassium level in the blood, deficiency of iron, poor bone health, and even renal failure. A therapeutic diet restricts the intake of protein, potassium, phosphorus, and sodium in such patients to decrease the severity of renal diseases or delay their onset. 

2. Nutritional Therapy can Help Improve Mental Well-being

Research has shown that our diet and lifestyle can have a close relationship with our psychological health. Though “comfort food” can give your momentary relief, long-term mental well-being can be achieved by consuming an adequately planned diet regularly. It is recommended to include fruits, vegetables, beans, and probiotics in the diet to boost mental health. 

Foods like seafood, fresh herbs, olive oil, cereals, and grains can help relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression. Experts also suggest staying away from caffeine, sugar, and saturated fat. In addition, you should avoid cigarettes and alcohol and maintain a physically active lifestyle. 

3. There are Different Types of Therapeutic Diet:

Though therapeutic nutritional diets are tailored for each individual, there are a few basic types of therapeutic diets that you should know about. They are:

1. Gluten-free Diet: A gluten-free diet is a diet plan which excludes the consumption of gluten (protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats). The diet usually includes a lot of green vegetables and gluten-free grains like quinoa. 
2. Calorie-controlled Diet: This kind of diet is intended for diabetic patients or those who want to control their sugar intake. It limits the calorie intake of a person per day according to their metabolic rate. 
3. Clear Liquid Diet: Clear liquid diets are generally recommended after a person has undergone a medical or surgical procedure. It is also helpful for treating gastric distress. Clear liquid diets also help in body cleansing.  
4. Low-fat Diet: A low-fat diet restricts fat intake, usually saturated fat and cholesterol. This kind of diet is beneficial for people dealing with heart diseases and obesity. The diet plan contains low-fat or trans-fat food along with other macronutrients and micronutrients. 
5. High-fiber Diet: This diet includes high-fiber foods like whole grains, vegetables, fruits vegetables, nuts, and seeds. These fiber-rich foods take longer to chew and keep you full for a longer time. It prevents you from overeating and helps keep weight in control. Nutritionists recommend this diet to increase good bacteria in your gut and help treat irritable bowel movement. 

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4. Nutrition Therapy is a Personalised Approach

Nutrition therapy is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Every individual has different nutrition needs and metabolic rates. A professional nutritionist takes a detailed personal and family medical history to recognize the unique dietary and nutrition needs of each of his clients and curates a customized nutrition plan suitable for them. 

Nutritional therapy is not only cost-effective but also not so time-consuming. You would only have to consult your nutritionist a few times to develop an ideal diet plan for yourself. However, like any other medical treatment, MNT must be implemented at the right time and place.

MNT should be started only after a careful, in-depth assessment of the past and current health status by a registered healthcare professional and nutritionist. Generally, it is advised by doctors to patients who are admitted to a hospital. One can seek consultation about MNT from a doctor in case there is a nutrition-related concern.

5. Nutritional Therapy Should Not be considered a Substitute for Conventional Medicine

Though a healthy diet and a lifestyle change can prevent and delay the onset of several health conditions, nutritional therapy is not equivalent to modern medicine and drugs. Though people today have developed distrust towards chemical drugs, medicines do work when required. 

For example, nutritional therapy cannot replace vaccines or medications intended for treating genetic abnormalities and autoimmune diseases. However, for most ailments that result from improper lifestyle, food alone might help.

The Bottom Line:

Several clinical research, as well as anecdotal evidence, has established medical nutritional therapy as an effective approach for managing and relieving several health conditions. Studies have proved that it can help treat various chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart diseases, cancer, renal and digestive disorders. But, you need to remember that Nutritional therapy does not substitute medicine. We hope this article has been able to bestow adequate information about MNT and therapeutic diets.