Dietary assessment is important since it helps in detecting the risk of nutrition problems. Additionally, nutrition assessment helps in determining the nutrition status of a person. Poor nutrition is associated with many health concerns. Indeed, individuals who have inadequate intake of nutrients are likely to develop many health-related problems. Poor nutrition can also adversely affect the effectiveness of medications. Therefore, a proper diet is an integral part of medical interventions. This paper provides findings of the dietary assessment conducted using the food frequency questionnaire. The assessment showed that the client’s diet does not meet all the RDA recommendations. The findings also showed that the client’s diet does not meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 adequately. However, the diet was found to be adequate in some nutrients.
The assessment of the client’s diet revealed that the diet is high in certain foods and low in others. The nutrients found to be in excess in the client’s diet were the following: carbohydrates; PFA 18:2, Linoleic; PFA 18:3, Linolenic; sodium; folate. Concerning the client’s carbohydrates intake, the assessment revealed an intake of approximately 178.364g per day. However, the recommended daily intake for carbohydrate is 130g. Therefore, the client’s intake was found to be 137% of the recommended intake.
The client also registered excess intake of sodium. In this case, he recorded an average daily intake of 2800.844mg. This amount makes up 187% of the recommended amount: 1500mg per day. This excessive consumption is attributed to the fact that dishes such as soy sauce, dill pickles, frozen dinners, and catsup constituted a significant portion of the client’s diet.
Another finding made from the assessment was that the client had an excess daily intake of PFA 18:2 (Linoleic acid) and PFA 18:3 (Linolenic). The intake was 18.714g and 1.864g for PFA 18:2 (Linoleic acid) and PFA 18:3 (Linolenic) respectively. On the other hand, the recommended amount is 12g and 1.1g for PFA 18:2and PFA 18:3 respectively. The high intake of the two nutrients is attributed to the fact that the client uses vegetable oil as an ingredient when preparing most of his dishes. Besides, the client’s intake of nuts, wheat cream, and coconut oil has increased of late. The assessment further revealed an excess intake of folate (DFE). In this case, the client’s intake was found to be 555.263µg while the recommended level is 400µg, making the client’s intake 39% more than the recommended amount.
The assessment also indicates that the client’s diet is deficient in some nutrients. To start with, while a daily intake of 4700mg of potassium is recommended for the client, the client diet was found to provide an average potassium daily intake of 1641.298mg. Therefore, the client’s diet only provides 35% of the recommended amount of potassium. This deficiency implies that the client’s intake of foods rich in potassium is low.
The assessment further revealed that the client’s intake was inadequate in iron. In this case, while the recommended daily intake of iron for the client is 18mg, the client’s intake level is 10.786mg accounting for 60% of the recommended intake. This finding could be explained by inadequate intake of foods rich in iron such as nuts and seeds, broccoli, meat, and apricots among others.
Vitamin A (RAE) intake was also found to be inadequate. In this case, the recommended amount of intake is 700µg. However, the client’s diet provides 445.012µg of vitamin A. This amount is only 64% of the recommended amount. The deficiency is attributed to the low intake of foods rich in Vitamin A such as dark green vegetables, deep yellow fruits and vegetables, broccoli, peaches, and whole milk among others.
Another deficiency detected during the assessment is the intake of vitamin D. The assessment found that the client’s diet provided an average daily intake of 3.859µg. However, the recommended intake level is 15µg per day. Therefore, the client’s daily intake of vitamin D provides only 26% of the recommended amount. The low vitamin D intake can be explained by low intake of foods rich in nutrients such as fortified milk, fortified margarine, and fish oil among other sources. The assessment also revealed that the client’s diet is deficient in alpha-Tocopherol. In this case, while an intake of 15mg per day is recommended, the client’s intake is 5.096mg.
Carbohydrate is the primary source of energy for the body. Besides, many foods rich in carbohydrates are also rich in vitamins and minerals needed in the body for growth and maintenance of good health. However, an intake of excess amounts of carbohydrates can result in some nutritional problems. For instance, studies have linked excessive intake of carbohydrates to obesity. However, not all carbohydrates can cause obesity or an increase in body weight. Instead, studies have found that carbohydrates with high glycemic index are more linked to obesity than those with low glycemic index. For instance, in a study conducted by Ma and colleagues (2005) to investigate the association between dietary carbohydrates and body weight, it was found that body mass index is positively associated with glycemic index. If one’s diet is high in simple carbohydrates, then one is not likely to develop obesity. Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, contain fiber which helps in weight loss. Therefore, diets high in soft drinks and sugars predispose people to obesity and overweight more than diets high in complex carbohydrates. Since the client’s diet was found to be high in simple carbohydrates, he is at risk of developing obesity.
Consumption of excess sodium is a risk factor for hypertension. Hypertension, on the other hand, predisposes people to cardiovascular diseases (Goodacre, Collins & Slattery, 2013). Considering that the client’s level of sodium intake was found to be 187% of the recommended level, he is at risk of developing hypertension and cardiovascular disease in the long run. The risk of heart disease gets even higher in diets high in sodium but low in potassium. The assessment reveals that the client’s diet is high in sodium but low in potassium, thus confirming that the client is at a high risk of developing heart disease.
Iron plays a major role in the body. For instance, it is a part of the protein hemoglobin that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. Deficiency of iron can lead to iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia. While iron deficiency does not result in the impairment of the body functions, iron deficiency anemia does. However, both conditions pose health concerns especially to children and pregnant women. Iron deficiency anemia also causes fatigue. This assessment finds that the client’s diet supply inadequate iron. Therefore, if the client continues to follow this diet, he will be at a high risk of developing iron deficiency anemia.
Even though the client’s diet is low in vitamin D, it cannot be deduced that he is at a high risk of developing vitamin D deficiency. This is due to the fact that apart from diet, vitamin D can also be obtained from sunlight. Therefore, in case the diet fails to supply adequate vitamin A, one can top up the deficit by basking in the sun. Therefore, unless it is confirmed that the client has inadequate daily sunlight exposure, he cannot be said to be at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.
Based on the findings of the dietary assessment, three main risk factors were identified: high-sodium and low potassium intake, high carbohydrate intake, and low iron intake. The priority need of the client is to reduce the intake of sodium while raising the intake of potassium to reduce the chances of developing cardiovascular diseases. The high-sodium low-potassium diet is given priority because heart diseases (cardiovascular disease) are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The need to address inadequate iron intake comes second in terms of priority because of the severity of iron deficiency anemia. Vitamin A intake should also be improved since it is associated with serious health conditions. There is also the need for the client to reduce his intake of carbohydrates to the recommended amount to prevent the risk of developing obesity or dental caries.
The following adjustments can be made to the diet to prevent the risks mentioned above. First, the client should reduce the intake of sodium in the diet drastically. Since dietary sodium mostly comes from table salt, the client should not take more than 0.75teaspoons of salt per day. The client should also increase his intake of potassium up to the recommended level. In this case, he should add the following foods to his diet: fish, cereals, bananas, and fruit juices among others. The client should also modify his diet to increase the intake of foods high in iron. In this case, sources of heme iron are preferable to non-heme because they are more bioavailable than the non-heme sources. Some of the iron-rich foods that the client should include in the diet are the following: lean meat, seafood, nuts, fortified grains, and beans. The client should also include foods fortified with vitamin A in the diet to boost the level of its consumption. These modifications will reduce the client’s level of risk of developing the conditions mentioned above while also providing his nutritional needs.
References
Goodacre, S., Collins, C., & Slattery, C. (2013). Cambridge VCE Health and Human Development Units 3 and 4 Pack. Cambridge University Press.
Ma, Y., Olendzki, B., Chiriboga, D., Hebert, J. R., Li, Y., Li, W., & Ockene, I. S. (2005). Association between dietary carbohydrates and body weight. American journal of epidemiology, 161(4), 359-367.
