Diet Analysis And Report, BA In Sports And Exercise Science

Nutrition Assessment (Case Study of Phil)
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Nutrition Assessment (Case Study of Phil)
Introduction
Healthy eating habit is essential for productive life. Nutritional status is the basic foundation of healthy and productive life. Poor nutritional status contributes to compromised immunity and high chances of contracting the tropical disease. More importantly, good nutritional status enhances school performance. Malnourished children have reduced IQ and are sometimes disabling. In other words, good nutritional status is the basic foundation of life. The human body needs adequate nutrients for optimal metabolic processes. However, inadequate supply of nutrient from the diet contribute to nutritional deficiency. Overnutrition is also harmful to the body. Some nutrients like protein are never required more than the body. It becomes toxic to the body when supplied in excess. Therefore overconsumption of nutrients is harmful to the body.
Keeping a healthy body weight is important for various health benefits. According to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the lean body reduces the chances of contracting breast cancer. Phil should, therefore, aim at reducing the body fat from current 29 percent to 20 percent. Healthy body weight also improves heart health. Individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 are more likely to show the signs of early plaque buildup in their veins and arteries (Astrup 2006). Other advantages of maintaining healthy body weight include increased fertility, improved sleep, and decreased risk of diabetes.
Weight gain is a product of diet. The quality and quantity of food in the diet has a strong impact on the weight. Excessive intake of calories contributes to rapid weight gain. Besides, physical inactivity and hereditary factors may also contribute to weight gain. Some individuals are genetically predisposed to gain weight than others. An active life is also important in weight control and health. Inadequate sleep may also contribute to intended weight gain. Lack of sleep disrupts the balance of essential hormones that control appetite. In other words, the sleep-deprived individuals are often hungrier than those who get enough rest each night.
Nutritional assessment is conducted to define patient’s nutritional status as well as monitoring the changes in the nutritional status. Appropriate nutritional assessment enables the health workers to health workers to establish and design relevant nutritional intervention programs. The nutritional education plans are also established on accurate assessment. There are various effective nutritional assessment methods used to establish the nutritional status of the population (Grant, 1986). These methods include clinical observation, biochemical assessment method, anthropometric method and dietary observation.
The anthropometric method focuses on the measurement of weight, height, waist to hip ratio, head circumference, and skinfold thickness. These measurements are used against the standards references to establish the nutritional status of the patient. MUAC measurements are essential for pregnant women while the length measurements are used for children to establish the growth curve of children. Clinical observation is b...