Blog on Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition

It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver – (Mahatma Gandhi)

So let this be the advice for “HEALTHIER YOU” for now and later years. This is within your reach

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Healthy living is a life time commitment with no short cuts. Small steps taken in the right directions will make today healthy and pave the way for a healthier tomorrow.

For A Healthy Life:

A nutritionally balanced diet in terms of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes and vitamins is essential for general well-being. It enhances the immunity of the person by providing daily requirement of nutrients to the body. Therefore, healthy eating habits go a long way in ensuring a healthy life.

Good Nutritional Statusis essential for:

·         Normal organ development and function

·         Normal reproduction

·         Growth and maintenance

·         Optimum activity and working efficiency

·         Resistance to infection

·         The ability to repair body damage or injury

Poor Nutritional Status:

·         Exists when a person is deprived of an adequate amount of the essential nutrients over an extended period of time and it’s this poor nutritional status that leads to deficiency diseases.

·         Poor nutrition status can influence the incidence and severity of infections, diseases and recovery after surgery.

·         Infection and nutrition are interrelated. Infection results in Malnutrition and Malnutrition predisposes and aggravates infection.

Poor nutritional status leads to:

·         Decrease in energy levels and lethargy

·         Protein calorie malnutrition

·         Slow recovery and frequent recurrence of disease

·         Poor wound healing

·         Increased risk of infection in the presence of nutritional deficiencies.

·         It is for this reason that good nutrition during illness and recovery phase is of prime importance.

On The Other End Of The Scale Is:

Over nutrition or obesityis leading to early onset of diseases like diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

These to a certain extent can be controlled with a well-balanced diet and a good exercise regime.

Dietetics At Apollo:

·         Provision of adequate nutrition makes a major contribution towards improvement of clinical, biochemical, cellular, and psychological status of the patient in the face of the disease process and the side effects of various treatments.

·         Dietetics is about good eating practices which acts as a preventive and curative means and aids in a healthier life.

·         Patients in Apollo Hospital are met and assessed for nutritional status by the dietician on a daily basis.

Assessment of Nutritional Statusof the patient is based mainly on:

·         Anthropometric measurements

·         Biochemical indices

·         Clinical examination

·         Dietary history

The dietary intervention is done taking into consideration the disease condition, social background and nutritional status of the patients. The patients are visited and assessed on daily basis by the dietician and thediets are modified in accordance to the progress of the patients.

For critically ill patients, the nutritional status is assessed on a daily basis and special tube feeds are indigenously prepared for each patients and closely monitored on daily basis in coordination with the medical team. These special tailor-made feeds help the patient in recovery from the critical illness maintaining his nutritional status which plays a vital role in the curative and recovery phase of the patient.

The Goals of Nutritional Therapy

·         Prevent or reverse nutritional deficiencies

·         Preserve lean body mass

·         Help patient better tolerate treatment

·         Minimize nutrition related side effects and complication

·         Maintain strength and energy

·         Protect immune function and decrease the risk of infection

·         Aid in recovery and healing

·         Maximize the quality of life

Clinical Dietetics Department

·         In our department, Counselling forms the main tool for disseminating the dietetic knowledge to both indoor and outdoor patients. Individual diet cards are prepared with detailed instructions so that they can take care of the medical problems more scientifically.

·         At the Diet Clinic the diets are planned in accordance to the medical, social and physiological condition of the patient.

Clinical Dietetic Department: Specialties

·         Congenital Metabolic Disorder

·         Paediatric Diets

·         Diets in pregnancy

·         Cardiac Disorders

·         Neurological disorders

·         Diabetes

·         Liver Diseases

·         Kidney Disorders

·         Gastrointestinal Disturbances

·         Weight Management

·         Weight management – Post Bariatric Surgery

·         Organ Transplant : Kidney, Liver

·         Hypo allergic Diets

·         Diets for oncology patients

A large team of dedicated and committed dieticians ensures individual personalized attention.

Our Diet Clinic is operational every day at:

Clinical Nutrition Department, Gate No. 4 At: Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals
Sarita Vihar, Delhi-Mathura Road,
New Delhi. 110076, (India)

Timing: 9.00 - 17.00 hrs.

Phone No: +91-011-26925858, 26925801 (Extn. 2083, 2092)