Basic food and nutrition is essential for nurses to understand. Food and nutrition are human needs that are necessary to survive. Proper functioning of the body is dependent upon food and nutrition. People can suffer from a variety of medical conditions when their bodies do not receive an adequate amount of food. As part of the care that nurses provide, this nursing class helps nurses ensures that their patients know the basic food and nutrition requirements to keep their bodies healthy and strong.
What is Basic Food and Nutrition?
Basic food and nutrition refers to the minimum requirements of food and nutrients needed for a human being to survive. Knowledge of food and nutrition are not only good for people who want to stay healthy but also for nurses working in the nursing profession. Food and nutrition classes teach about food and nutrition in relation to disease and health.
Vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fibers, water, and minerals make up the nutritional elements of food. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates provide the body with a source of energy. Vitamins help to regulate tissue and cell growth in the body. Minerals promote the healthy growth of bones. Proteins are needed for healthy growth of humans, and they are also known as the body’s building blocks. Fibers help humans ease the process of defecation. Water helps the body prevent dehydration.
Food and nutrition must be consumed in healthy portions to perform their duties. Proper food and nutrition maintains the good heath of the body and helps maintain metabolism. Nurses are available to help patients who need help creating a plan of proper food and nutrition so that they can get their health back in good standings.
How Nurses Use Basic Food and Nutrition on the Job
Many people rely on nutritionists and dieticians to help them identify proper food and nutrition. Nurses are beginning to assume this role as more and more people are suffering from diseases and conditions that are directly related to improper food and nutrition intake. Nurses understand that patients cannot just depend on a pill to remedy their current health ailments; they must exercise proper food and nutrition to reduce or prevent certain diseases and conditions.
Nurses are the connection between the patient and the entire healthcare system so they are the people who will likely provide patients with information on basic food and nutrition. Nurses use basic food and nutrition to help prevent their patients from spending time in the hospital. If patients follow the advice that nurses provide in regards to their health, they can prevent a plethora of medical conditions that stem from poor nutrition.
They also help their patients who are suffering from illnesses heal their bodies naturally, which can only take place when the patients practice good nutrition. Nurses also use basic food and nutrition to help the older population to prevent frailty by exercising good food and nutrition practices.
How to Pass Nutrition and Diet Therapy in Nursing School and Study Guide
Many student find that it can be difficult remembering all the necessary nutrition information to help patient get better. The key is to find out the information that is the most important. The easiest way to do this is to get a study book that will help highlight the most important information that you will be likely tested on.
A great study guide to help with this class is by Mary Ann Hogan called “Prentice Hall Reviews & Rationales: Nutrition & Diet Therapy“. Here is what it looks like:
Tips on How to Study for Basic Food and Nutrition in Nursing School
Studying for nursing courses can be very time consuming. It is important to have a plan in place before the start of the Food and Nutrition course so that nursing student can be successful in their studies. Here are a few study tips that can help.
- Break the text into smaller chunks. It is better to create a realistic plan to execute rather than plan for an unreasonable amount of studying. Studying in small chunks helps students create a strong foundation in which to build upon to become nurses.
- Allow some time to relax. Studying for hours at a time is not a good idea. Lengthy studying sessions without breaks has the potential to be very unproductive. It is a good idea to take breaks to do something enjoyable before returning to study more food and nutrition content.
- Make mnemonics devices to help study content. Using the first letter of words helps students to remember important medical information. Students can use this method to make learning a little easier.
- Check the pronunciation of technical terms before class. Reading the content before class helps students to get a better understanding of the information they hear in the lecture. Not knowing the pronunciation of technical terms before class can cause students to miss information.
Studying to pass food and nutrition courses in nursing school is so important to the overall health of their patients. Patients depend on the expertise of nurses to help them live longer, healthier lives.