Calories

Sometimes an exact calorie count is needed (and ordered by the physician). Sometimes an exact count is not necessary. Either way, however, it is important to know, generally, if a pt. is taking in the needed amount of calories.

Weight gain or loss depends upon the Calories in and out. I need about 2300 Calories per day to maintain weight. As I get older, that number will decrease as my BMR will decrease, so by eating the same amount of Calories, I will slowly experience weight gain.

Here's where a good knowledge of Nutrition comes in: If you have a 35 yom, 200 lb patient who is 5' 9" tall, their calculated BMR is 1834 Calories/Day. He exercises a bit, so his expenditure averages 2500 Calories/Day. He's only eating 1500 Calories/Day (meeting all nutritional needs except Calories) and he's gaining weight. This guy should be losing weight at a rate of about 2 lbs per week and he's not. You may want to suggest that he be more closely checked for metabolic (endocrine system) problems that are slowing his BMR down or perhaps some occult fluid retention problems.

Sure it is, especially if the person is sick. The body needs energy to heal and if a person is under nourished than they won't heal and can get worse.

we have a policy that if the patients consume

Calories are an important concept but I think understanding servings is more useful. If you can visualize what a serving is, know how many servings of ____ are recommended for the person's specific health and encourage the patient to eat enough servings of _____ nutrition-laden foods, it's a benefit. There's also limiting servings of non-beneficial foods to be considered...

Back in the olden days I worked in an eating disorder facility. We kept records of what the patient ate of each food, and the dietician calculated the nutrition. We recorded percentage of tray consumed as well as percentage of each food. The dietician used that information to negotiate what the patient was willing to eat afterwards.