Nutrition Assessment in 3 Easy Steps
Why are nutrition assessments hard to do?
Problems with nutrition analysis
(Blog updated October 8th 2020) Determining a proper nutrition assessment can be tough. It doesn’t matter if you are a dietitian or a skilled nutritionist. The calculations are just hard. Metabolic equations are complicated. How do you figure out how good (or poor) your clients eating habits are?
What percentage of carbohydrates, fat and protein do they eat? How can you tell if a client is lacking in certain nutrients and vitamins just by looking at them? Are they getting enough selenium, potassium or vitamin B? Or are they getting too much sodium or cholesterol?
Once you do figure out what they are lacking, how do you know what foods they should be eating to get healthy? How many calories should they be eating to lose the weight they want? Without knowing this vital information in a nutrition assessment, it is almost impossible to provide a good nutrition consult.
Diet analysis can be easy
Using the right nutrition assessment tool is crucial. Not all software programs are equal in their ability to perform nutrition assessments. There is a simple solution for nutrition assessment that can be done in 3 easy steps. But be sure to use the right nutrition analysis software program. And be sure to use one that will consider age, gender, activity level and weight loss goals.
Step 1 - Obtain assessment data
Your client provide a detailed diet diary. This diary needs to be for enough time to get a good snapshot of their eating habits and food intake. This is usually three to five days. The client records every food and drink they eat and the quantity. Using Nutrition Maker, they can do it directly on their computer. For example, a breakfast diary for day one might be three eggs with one quarter ounce of ham, one ounce of cheddar cheese and eight ounces of whole milk.
Step 2 - Diet analysis
This is the best part. The software will automatically calculate the data. No math to perform. And it is fast. The nutrition program will create 3 detailed reports. The first report will show the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and protein. The second report provides a detailed list of nutrient deficiencies and just as important, what foods contain this nutrient. The third report lists the types of excesses typically found in many diets, like cholesterol and sodium.
Step 3 - Consult with client
Now that all the work is done, the last thing is to consult with the client. Review the results of the reports. Offer suggestions and create a plan so they can improve their eating habits. The nutrition software will assist you in providing the proper meal plans. The meals plans come with recipes and complete shopping lists.
Diet analysis can be easy.
Nutrition assessment can seem like a very troubling task at first. But with the rights tools and nutrition resources, you can get your client on track to better eating and a healthy lifestyle. Simple as one, two, three.
Blog updated October 8th 2020