Introduction

Dietary Prescription is a drug or food administered by a physician or other health

care givers as a product intended for ingestion which contains dietary ingredients to add
further nutritional value. Nutrition prescriptions are one way for physicians and other
health care providers to outline a healthy, balanced eating plan for patients. Based on
the Dietary Guidelines for adults, children, and adolescents, nutrition prescriptions
establish achievable goals for patients and their families. Health care providers check
progress at each office visit and a nutrition specialist is consulted for dietary advice as
needed. Some nutrition prescription programs partner with local farmers’ markets
produce prescription or fruit and vegetable prescription in these programs, prescriptions
for fruit and vegetables are redeemed at participating markets. Such prescriptions
typically support purchase of at least one serving of produce per day for each patient
and their family members.

Kinds of Dietary Prescription Plan:

Calcium-Rich Diet Plan - Calcium plays a large role in muscle contraction, nervous
system functions, controlling blood clotting, fighting degenerative diseases, and building
strong bones and teeth. Adequate amounts of consumed calcium help prevent common
diseases such as Rickets and Osteoporosis, which involve a loss of bone mass.

Cardiac Diet Plan- The cardiac diet can vary from person to person depending on
diagnoses, current nutritional status, lab values, etc. Regardless, it generally restricts
cholesterol, fat, saturated fat, sodium, fluids, and promotes small frequent meals with
adequate nutrition intake.

Fiber Restricted/ High Fiber Diet Plan- High fiber diets increase fecal bulk, promote
regular bowel movements, and are used to prevent or treat various gastrointestinal,
cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases.

Low Cholesterol Diet Plan- A low cholesterol diet consists of lowering the in-take of
certain fats. It is to prevent build-up of cholesterol and forming deposits in the arteries
that causes a person to have a stroke or heart attack.

Potassium-Modified Diet Plan- The diet consists of modifying foods that are either
high in potassium or low in potassium to meet your nutritional needs. It is to achieve and
maintain normal potassium levels in individuals at risk for hypokalemia or hyperkalemia.

Sodium Controlled Diet Plan- Sodium, commonly referred to as salt, is a mineral

that works to promote good health. Limiting amounts of sodium will help with future
complications of hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.
Vitamin K Limiting Diet Plan- This consists of eating a well-balanced diet which
consists of a constant intake of foods that contain vitamin K. It is to promote consistent
blood levels while taking in the proper amounts of vitamin K. It plays an important role in
blood clot formation. Vitamin K stops external bleeding which may be hard when taking
blood thinning medication.

Definition of Terms
 Background

Poor dietary intake and reduced total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) appear to
be at the root of obesity and malnutrition development. Hormonal changes associated
with the menopausal transition, as well as factors related to aging (lower metabolic rate
and more sedentary lifestyle), result in weight gain. The aim of fine-tuning a diet is to
establish the prescription for optimal efficacy and on-going dietary modifications are an
essential component of the dietetic care. A patient’s nutritional status can be evaluated
by using and integrating information obtained from a past medical history, family history
and a social history. It is worthwhile to assess the nutritional status of every patient.
Many complaints such as fatigue, headaches, and digestive disturbances can be
improved by simple changes in diet. Nutrition also plays a pivotal role in prevention.
Nutritional assessment becomes especially important when the patient has certain
nutritional "red flags", such as Elderly, No regular exercise regime or sedentary lifestyle
and Alcoholism.

Past Medical History

 Immunizations, hospitalizations, operations, major injuries, chronic illnesses, and

significant acute illnesses
 Current or recent prescription medications, vitamins and minerals, laxatives,
topical medications, OTC medications, and nutritional supplements
 Potential drug-nutrient interactions, such as those caused by potassium-wasting
diuretics
 Food allergies or lactose intolerance

Family History

 Family history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, and

osteoporosis
 Parents, siblings, children, spouse: include ages, current health status, and
cause of death if deceased

Social History

 Occupation, daily exercise pattern, marital and family status

 Economic status, educational level, residence, emotional response to illness and
coping skills
 Duration and frequency of use of substances, including tobacco, alcohol, illegal
drugs, and caffeine
 Management
Prescribed diet is fundamental to optimize nutritional treatment in geriatric
patients. Nitr (2015), a researcher, investigated routines regarding dietary prescriptions
and monitoring of food intake in geriatric patients and to see how well the prescribed
diet conforms to the patients' nutritional status and ability to eat. He prescribed diet
differed significantly from a diet based upon the patient's nutritional status and ability to
eat. Only 30% of the patients were prescribed an energy-enriched diet in contrast to
60% that was in need of it. The most common reason for not finishing the meal was lack
of appetite. Diet prescription for the patient was based upon information about eating
difficulties identified in the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF) at
admission and the type of diet that was prescribed on a previous ward. Monitoring of the
patients' food intake was described as a continuous process discussed daily between
the staff.

Patients' nutritional status and to what extent they were able to eat a complete
meal was not routinely considered when prescribing food and monitoring food intake in
this study. By making use of this information the diet could be tailored to the patients'
needs, thereby improving their nutritional treatment.

Recommended Therapeutics
 References
David Geffen, UCLA Medicine (2003)

https://apps.medsch.ucla.edu/nutrition/dietassess.htm

Individually Prescribed Diet for the Patients, Clin Nutr (2015)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25998583

Dietary Prescription for Better Health, Colin Zhu Do (2019)

https://www.physicianspractice.com/article/healthy-food-prescription-better-health