American University of Science and Technology

Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Laboratory Science and Technology

NFS 361: Therapeutic Nutrition 1 Lab

Topic: Case Studies

Yara Nahle
ID: 12180635
Mrs. Chakeh Hajjar Saade
Case 1:

1. Maria is a 40 year old woman that is already prone to obesity and health
issues due to her age that is around menopause because the metabolism
decreases with age and with hormonal changes. She has followed several
strict diets with no exercise as well as she weighed 77kg as a teenager for 3
years, then lost some weight to become 59kg at the age of 30 (maintained for
2 years), and now she weighs 88kg at the age of 40. Maria is facing the state
of yoyo effect since she lost weight and regained them again with addition
kilos. Maria has a blood pressure of 160/90 which is considered
hypertensive since the normal range is 120/80, in addition to that, maria
takes several cardiac medications which means she has cardiac issues and
she cannot remember the name of the medications. The yoyo effect may
cause hypertension and cardiac issues due to increased body weight and fat
as well as mental distraction due to stress caused from the strict diets and
stressing from the idea of not losing weight.

2. To treat Maria’s case, she should:

 Stop following strict diets because people think that strict diets may
help them lose weight a lot and faster but they sometimes lead to a
block in the body and following such diets in addition to losing weight
that fast is not healthy for all the body and may lead to regaining
weight more than before.

 Build new habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle such as avoiding fried
foods that are dense with fats, eat variety of fruits and vegetables, eat
healthy fats such as nuts, sleep well during night, try to stay active and
exercise.

 Incorporate with physical activities like aerobics and resistance

training or a combination of both. Exercising is important for
cardiovascular diseases and it helps in increasing the lean body mass
in the body which in return increases the metabolism, as well as it
helps burn more fats and adding up muscles, it can also improve the
sense of well-being and control. It is recommended to exercise 60 to
 90 minutes per day, or at least 30 minutes of daily activity of
moderate intensity.

 Don’t eat less but eat smarter and healthier within your caloric intake.
It is very important to know how to choose the type of foods you have
to eat. Choose dense food rich in nutrients. Consume whole grain and
high fiber foods. Limit intake of saturated fat to less than 7% of
energy, trans fat to less 1% and cholesterol to less than 300mg per
day. Choose lean meats and low fat dairy products. Minimize the
consumption of foods with added sugars and consume alcohol in
moderation to 1 cup per day.

 Change your mindset and set minor goals to achieve. Do not panic
and cause stress to your body because stress might affect your body
negatively and not let you lose weight. In addition to that, putting
yourself under stress might let you eat more or have eating disorders.
Try not to compare yourself to others because this might cause stress
as well. Set small goals to reach a healthy lifestyle and habits such as
planning to start eating healthy and exercising every day.

3. Maria has hypertension thus the first nutrient to be discussed is sodium such
that she should avoid eating foods with high sodium and avoid foods with
added salt. As well as Maria takes cardiac medications thus she has to limit
the consumption of fats that might cause cardiac problems and manage to
exercise in order to reduce the total fat mass and increase lean body mass.
Maria should concentrate on eating fruits and vegetables because they
contain potassium, magnesium, and fibers that help in managing blood
pressure and cardiac diseases.

4. Maria should practice sports and physical activity in order to increase her
total body mass. She should practice aerobics or training exercises or a
combination of both for 60 to 90 minutes daily. If she has no time to attend a
gym or physical classes, she should try walking at least 30 minutes every
day, try walking every time you are talking on the phone, try walking on a
treadmill when watching tv, try walking to the supermarket and walk as
much as you can while shopping, take the stairs any time you can instead of
the elevator.