Making Best Practice, Every Day Practice
As health professionals, we can spend considerable time encouraging patients to think about what they eat and how their diet affects their health. But we tend to focus less on what they drink, which is perhaps surprising because fluid intake also plays a vital role in maintaining good health.
The health risks of obesity are only too obvious but, despite this, its prevalence continues to increase. It is a leading cause of both physical and psychological ill health, and is notoriously difficult to treat. For this reason, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) emphasises the importance of preventing obesity and has produced guidelines on the most effective approaches. Many health professionals wish to support their patients with weight loss, but research has shown that they do not always feel well equipped to do this. In this article we review the importance of a behavioural approach in managing overweight and obesity and provide practical advice on how to help overweight patients achieve sustainable behavioural change.
Obesity is, quite literally, the big health problem of the 21st century, with rapidly increasing rates in both adults and children. In this article we explore why obesity is such a challenge and the role of primary healthcare professionals in addressing the problem. We try to unravel the wide range of factors that cause obesity before focusing on why people eat what they do and how we can help patients to review their eating habits, introduce changes to eat more healthily and then sustain those changes.
Dietary fibre is a frequently neglected nutrient, with eight out of ten UK adults eating less than is needed for good health. Most people think of fibre simply as roughage or bran and know that it helps with constipation and bowel disorders, but fibre is far more than this, with a wide range of health benefits. Evidence indicates that eating a fibre-rich diet will not only improve digestive health, but also aid weight loss, help to reduce cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk of certain cancers (including bowel and breast cancer) and type 2 diabetes. It will also boost intake of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. This review explores the major role of fibre in health and wellbeing and gives practical tips for dietary advice.
The seeds of cultivated cereal crops, or grains as they are also known, have been used as a staple of man’s diet for thousands of years. Indeed the cultivation of rye, the first cereal crop from around 10,000 BC, is credited with enabling our hunter-gatherer ancestors to form more settled, complex civilisations. Throughout most of our history we’ve eaten these grains “whole” in the form of unpolished rice or wholewheat flour, for example. It’s only in last 120 years or so that more refined milling techniques have enabled the white or refined forms of these cereal crops to become the preferred choice in much of western society. What impact does this change have for our health?
Do you see patients with diabetes? Do you advise them about their diet? If so, you have an incredibly important role in developing patients’ self-confidence and empowering them to be able to make healthier choices. In this article we look at how to advise patients newly diagnosed with diabetes about diet. A patient-centred approach is vital, with advice offered in a supportive, non-judgmental and non-didactic manner.
Obesity poses a major threat to the nation’s health and a national strategy is required to stem the rising prevalence, decrease the morbidity and mortality from associated conditions, and reduce pressure on the National Health Service. Primary healthcare staff will be at the centre of any such approach. Practice nurse-led lifestyle clinics have demonstrated that clinically beneficial weight loss can be achieved with a structured approach to weight management. In this article, we explore the impact of obesity and best practice strategies to help patients lose weight.
There is no argument about the fact that childhood obesity in the UK is a serious problem. According to the Department of Health, childhood obesity affected 14.3% of 2-10 year olds in England in 2004. This was almost 5% more compared to the 1995 figures, and the estimated prevalence for 2010 is 20% if nothing is done, meaning that one million children will be obese. What can we do to reverse this growing epidemic of childhood obesity?
We’re recommended to eat a maximum of a teaspoon a day but nearly all of us eat more. Salt provides sodium which is needed in small amounts for maintaining water balance and is used in nerve activity – but too much can lead to serious health complications. How can we help our patients to cut down on their salt intake?
The consistency and magnitude of cholesterol lowering achieved following the introduction of statins has resulted in less importance being given to long-term diet-based interventions over the past few years. Nevertheless, lifestyle changes are, and will remain, the preferred option before resorting to long-term drug therapy. They are also essential in people below the cut-off cholesterol level for drug treatment or where side-effects limit drug use. This article reviews the portfolio diet and its role in cholesterol management.
If people are going to make informed decisions about what they eat, they need to know the contents of the food they buy. Food manufacturers and supermarkets are starting to get the message, with some adopting the ‘traffic light’ system of labelling on the front of food packs. How do we interpret food labels and help our patients to make sense of what they mean so they can eat more healthily?
A unique new e-platform for primary care
By continuing to this site you are confirming that you are a healthcare professional and are opting into the use of cookies.
