Special Diets and Therapeutic Nutrition Flashcards

Which diet is prescribed as the primary treatment for a patient newly diagnosed with celiac disease?

Answer: Strict gluten-free diet

Celiac disease requires strict elimination of gluten — found in wheat, barley, and rye — to prevent intestinal villous atrophy and malabsorption.

A patient ordered nectar-thick liquids should receive beverages with which consistency?

Answer: Flows slowly and coats a spoon like nectar juice

Nectar-thick liquids (IDDSI Level 2) flow slowly and coat a spoon, slowing bolus transit to improve swallowing safety in mild-to-moderate dysphagia.

What is the primary purpose of enteral nutrition delivered via nasogastric tube?

Answer: To deliver nutrients to patients with functioning GI tracts who cannot eat adequately by mouth

Enteral tube feeding provides complete or supplemental nutrition to patients whose GI tract is functional but who cannot meet nutritional needs orally.

Which nutrient is primarily restricted in a low-residue diet?

Answer: Dietary fiber and high-residue foods

Low-residue diets restrict dietary fiber and other food components that increase stool bulk, used before colonoscopy or during GI disease flares.

A patient with phenylketonuria (PKU) requires a diet strictly limited in which amino acid?

Answer: Phenylalanine

PKU patients cannot metabolize phenylalanine due to enzyme deficiency, so dietary restriction prevents toxic accumulation that causes neurological damage.

When calculating protein needs for a patient post-surgery, which factor most increases requirements above normal?

Answer: Metabolic stress factor from surgical trauma elevating protein catabolism

Post-surgical metabolic stress increases protein catabolism and nitrogen losses, requiring elevated intake of 1.2–2.0 g/kg to support wound healing.