Basic Care and Comfort – Cheat Sheet

Therapeutic Nutrition - Therapeutic nutrition can be defined as “The alteration in the intake of
food or nutritional supplements, to cure an acute disease and a few chronic conditions”. The
nutrient intake for each condition varies depending on age, pre existing health conditions and
food allergies.

✓ Diabetic Diet - A diet for people living with diabetes is based on eating healthy meals at
regular times. Eating meals at regular times helps to better use insulin that the body makes or
gets through medicine.

Recommended Food:
Healthy carbohydrates such as Fruits. Vegetables. Whole grains. Legumes, such as beans and
peas.
Good Fat: Foods containing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can help lower your
cholesterol levels. These include: Avocados. Nuts. Canola, olive and peanut oils.

Foods to avoid: Diabetes raises your risk of heart disease and stroke by raising the rate at which
you develop clogged and hardened arteries. Foods containing the following can work against
your goal of a heart-healthy diet.
1. Saturated fats. Avoid high-fat dairy products and animal proteins such as butter, beef,
hot dogs, sausage and bacon. Limit coconut and palm kernel oils.
2. Trans fats. Avoid trans fats found in processed snacks, baked goods, shortening and stick
margarines.
3. Cholesterol. Cholesterol sources include high-fat dairy products and high-fat animal
proteins, egg yolks, liver, and other organ meats. Aim for no more than 200 milligrams
(mg) of cholesterol a day.
4. Sodium. Aim for no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day. Your health care provider may
suggest you aim for a smaller amount if you have high blood pressure.

✓ DASH Diet - DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is a
healthy-eating plan designed to help prevent or treat high blood pressure, also called
hypertension. It also may help lower cholesterol linked to heart disease, called low density
lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Eat more vegetables and fruits.

Swap refined grains for whole grains.
Choose fat-free or low fat dairy products.
Choose lean protein sources like fish, poultry, and beans.
Cook with vegetable oils.
Limit your intake of foods high in added sugars, like soda and candy.
Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fats like fatty meats, full-fat dairy, and oils like
coconut and palm oil.
✓ Low Protein Diet: A low-protein diet requires you to restrict the amount of protein you
consume, typically so that it constitutes 4–8% of your daily calories. This translates to
somewhere between 20–50 grams of protein per day, depending on how many calories you
consume.

Healthy Low-Protein Foods to Include:

Fruits: Apples, bananas, pears, peaches, berries, grapefruit, etc.
Vegetables: Tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, broccoli, leafy greens, etc.
Grains: Rice, oats, bread, pasta, barley, etc.
Healthy fats: Includes avocados, olive oil and coconut oil.

Protein deficiency can cause impaired immune function, muscle loss and decreased growth. It
can also be challenging to reduce protein intake and requires careful planning to meet your
nutritional needs.

✓ High Protein Diet- A high protein diet is typically defined as a diet where 25-30% of caloric
intake comes from protein. The additional protein consumed is usually balanced with a reduced
intake of carbohydrates and fats.

The Best Protein Sources

Lean meats.
Seafood.
Beans.
Soy.
Low-fat dairy.
Eggs.
Nuts and seeds.

Your body may need extra protein if you have certain health conditions, such as cancer, burns,
or injuries. You may also need to follow this diet to get stronger after.

✓ Low Purine Diet - A low-purine diet is designed to help manage hyperuricemia and its
complications, such as gout. But the diet is also a reasonable lifestyle to adopt for general
health. It reduces sugar, alcohol and meat and emphasizes plants and alternative sources of
protein.

high-purine foods, including:

Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brains.
Meats, including bacon, beef, pork, and lamb.
Game meats and any other meats in large amounts.
Anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, and scallops.
Gravy.
Alcohol, especially beer and hard liquor
✓ Acid Ash Diet - The acid-ash diet mainly comprises moderate- and high-protein foods like
fish, shellfish, meats, eggs, cheese and grains. The acid-ash diet is based on the idea that you
can alter the composition of your diet to change the pH of your urine -- in this case, making it
more acidic, which may help eliminate some types of kidney stones.

Foods for Ash Diet: roast beef, chicken, ham, lamb, pork, veal and bacon qualify as acid-forming
animal proteins.

✓ Low/No Gluten/Gluten-Free Diet - A gluten-free diet excludes any foods that contain gluten,
which is a protein found in wheat and several other grains. It means eating only whole foods
that don't contain gluten, such as fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs, as well as processed gluten-
free foods like gluten-free bread or pasta.

This is advised for person with celiac disease.

✓ Low Fiber Diet - A low-fiber diet limits the types of vegetables, fruits and grains that you can
eat. Some of the foods that are allowed on a low-fiber diet include milk, cheese, yogurt, meat,
fish and eggs. People who are lactose intolerant should avoid milk and dairy products if they
cause stomach pain or diarrhea.

✓ Mechanical Soft Diet - A mechanical soft diet is a texture-modified diet that restricts foods
that are difficult to chew or swallow.

Mechanical” refers to making food softer, smaller, and easier to eat through the use of kitchen
implements like blenders, food processors, and grinders.

✓ Puree Diet - The purée diet is texture-modified food for those who can’t handle solid food
due to things like chewing or swallowing difficulties, or gut issues. Some people use it as a
weight loss method.

Who needs the purée diet?

Dysphagia: This is the medical term for swallowing problems, which can be caused by various
conditions. People with dysphagia may have difficulty forming a food bolus in their mouth or
experience a delay when they try to swallow it.
Gastroparesis: Sometimes called stomach paralysis, this is a digestive disorder that slows the
passage of food from your stomach into your gut.
Chewing difficulties: A puréed diet doesn’t require any chewing. This makes it particularly useful
for people with missing or painful teeth, ill-fitting dentures, or those who need to temporarily
limit the movement of their jaw, such as after surgery.
Babies: Purées can also be useful for infants who have yet to develop the motor skills necessary
to chew and swallow solid pieces of food safely.
✓ Liquid Diet - A full liquid diet is made up only of fluids and foods that are usually liquid, as
well as foods that turn to liquid when at room temperature, like ice cream or milkshakes. It
differs from a clear liquid diet in which you can only eat foods you can see through, like tea,
broth, and gelatin.

Indications for a full liquid diet include:

Swallowing problems (dysphagia)

Chewing problems
Severe mouth or throat sores
Jaw injuries
Digestion problems (such as gastroparesis and bowel strictures)
Recovery from a gastrointestinal infection, injury, or illness
Recovery from gastrointestinal, dental, oral, or weight loss surgery

✓ Vegetarian Diet – Vegetarian diets vary in what foods they include and exclude:

Lacto-vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs, as well as foods that contain them.
Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter, are included.

Ovo-vegetarian diets exclude meat, poultry, seafood and dairy products, but allow eggs.

Lacto-ovo vegetarian diets exclude meat, fish and poultry, but allow dairy products and eggs.

Pescatarian diets exclude meat and poultry, dairy, and eggs, but allow fish.

Vegan diets exclude meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as foods that contain
these products.

Some people follow a diet that is mostly plant-based, but they still eat meat, dairy, eggs, poultry
and fish on occasion or in small quantities. This is sometimes called a flexitarian diet.

Sleep and Rest – Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders (or sleep-wake disorders) involve problems with the quality, timing, and
amount of sleep, which result in daytime distress and impairment in functioning. Sleep-wake
disorders often occur along with medical conditions or other mental health conditions, such as
depression, anxiety, or cognitive disorders.
Sleep is a basic human need and is critical to both physical and mental health. There are two
types of sleep that generally occur in a pattern of three-to-five cycles per night:

Rapid eye movement (REM) – when most dreaming occurs

Non-REM – has three phases, including the deepest sleep

Sleep Disorder: Insomnia

Insomnia, the most common sleep disorder, involves problems getting to sleep or staying
asleep.

To be diagnosed with insomnia disorder, the sleep difficulties must occur at least three nights a
week for at least three months and cause significant distress or problems at work, school or
other important areas of a person's daily functioning.

Symptoms of insomnia can be:

Episodic (with an episode of symptoms lasting one to three months)

Persistent (with symptoms lasting three months or more)
Recurrent (with two or more episodes within a year)

Treatment and interventions:

Relaxation techniques, used before bedtime, can be helpful for insomnia.

Melatonin supplements may be helpful for people with some types of insomnia. Long-term
safety has not been investigated.

Mind and body approaches, such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, massage therapy and
acupuncture lack evidence to show their usefulness, but are generally considered safe.

Herbs and dietary supplements have not been shown to be effective for insomnia. There are
safety concerns about some, including L-tryptophan and Kava, while others may interact with
prescribed medications.

Sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea, most commonly called sleep apnea, involves breathing
interruptions during sleep. A person with sleep apnea will have repeated episodes of airway
obstruction during sleep causing snoring, snorting/gasping or breathing pauses.
This interrupted sleep causes daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with a
clinical sleep study. The sleep study (polysomnography) involves monitoring the number of
obstructive apneas (absence of airflow) or hypopneas (reduction in airflow) during sleep.

Treatment and Interventions:

Lifestyle changes, such as losing weight if needed or sleeping on your side, can improve sleep
apnea. In some cases a custom-fit plastic mouthpiece can help keep airways open during sleep.
The mouthpiece can be made by a dentist or orthodontist. For moderate to severe sleep apnea,
a physician can prescribe a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device. The CPAP works
to keep your airways open by gently blowing air through a tube and face mask covering your
mouth and/or nose.