Week 3 Discussion Post: Exploring Popular Diet Trends:
Question 1. Briefly describe the diet you have selected to consider.
I chose the paleo diet
... [Show More] due to a personal interest in this diet. The diet consists of lean meats, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, mackerel, catfish, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. And oils such as olive oil, and walnut oil. The aim of the diet is based on the notion that our bodies have not evolved to adapt to this modern day diet therefore it is healthier to return to a way of eating like our hunter-gatherer paleolithic ancestors use to eat more than ten thousand years ago. (Vashini, Gayathri, & Priya 2019 para. 2). With this diet food to avoid are grains, legumes, dairy products, sugar, salt, saturated fats, and highly processed foods. It is believed the paleo diet can help control blood glucose as well as lipid levels however, when we remove legumes and dairy, we are at risk of certain vitamins and minerals deficiencies (Vashini et al. 2019).
Question 2. Share how you would respond to your cousin. Please include questions you would ask, and your advice/recommendation.
I would want to know how much she knows regarding this diet, has she started on the diet? How much weight she is planning to lose? Does she or her friend eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner? How much of fluid does her friend or she drink per day. According to our textbook Kelley, J. H., & Weber, J. R. (2018) hydration is an important indicator of a client’ general health status" I also want to know how her friend is doing with the diet. Is she experiencing any fatigue, and how much weight she has loss since beginning the diet, does her diet include exercise plan? I would advise my cousin and her friend to ensure they are maintaining a balanced diet.
I would also let her know that although the paleo diet is said to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease since it eliminates saturated fats which is actually a good thing. Yes, it helps to gain lean muscle and strength, helps to balance blood sugar which is good in the management of diabetes. However, because it excludes dairy products it can lead to other nutritional deficiencies, such as inadequate vitamins and some minerals intake. It can cause diarrhea and headaches (Vashini et al. 2019 para. 2).
When starting any diet, it is advisable to consult with your primary care physician who can monitor and guide you to a proper way of eating healthy combine with exercise that can yield to a long term weight loss effect rather keeping to a strict diet that restrict you of certain nutrients, that can help your overall health.
Kelley, J. H., & Weber, J. R. (2018). Health Assessment in Nursing (6th ed). Philadelphia, PA: Wolter Kluwer Health. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Vashini, A., Gayathri, R., Priya, V. V. (2019) Awareness on the importance of paleo diet among college students -A survey. Drug Invention Today 11 (6) pp. 1304 – 1306. Retrieved July 21, 2020 from https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/eds/pdfviewer [Show Less]