MV Nutrition offers a wide range of services from Medical Nutrition Therapy to nutrition counseling for preganant and lactating mothers and vegetarians.
Medical Nutrition Therapy
Medical nutrition therapy (MNT) can improve patients' health and quality of life, effectively treat and manage disease, reduce complications and decrease the need for prescription drugs. It can help patients manage conditions such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, kidney disease, obesity and related complications, cancer, and HIV/AIDS.
Patients who undergo medical nutrition therapy receive an assessment by a registered dietitian followed by appropriate therapy, such as:
• Medical and diet history
• Blood chemistry values
• Anthropometric measurements to determine nutritional status and treatment methods of high risk patients for malnutrition
• Diet modification (diet therapy)
• Counseling and education
• Food and drug interactions
• Disease self-management skills training
• Administration of special therapies such as medical foods, supplementations, enteral feedings, and intravenous nutrition
Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension
Using medical nutrition therapy, MV Nutrition will assist you in achieving normal levels of your total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Learn how to choose foods that can decrease your “bad” cholesterol and increase you “good” cholesterol. You will learn about omega 6 and omega 3 polyunsaturated fats, monounsaturated fats, saturated fats, and how to implement these fats into your diet.
Find out your nutritional needs and learn how to distribute your calories using nutrient dense foods containing omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, soy, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.
Guidelines to prevent cardiovascular disease:
- If overweight/obese, especially with concomitant hypertension and high lipid levels, individuals need to reduce towards his/her desirable body weight; moderate exercise is useful.
- Decrease dietary saturated fatty acids to about 10% of total calories and increase polyunsaturated to about 10% of total calories.
- Decrease dietary cholesterol to 300 mg/day or less; but continue to consume high quality protein from lean meats and vegetables.
- Increase complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Consume dietary carbohydrates from cereal grains, vegetables and fruits to about 55-60% of total energy and reduce intake of sugars and sweets.
- Limit dietary salt (sodium is about 40% sodium chloride) because of its relationship to hypertension.
- If alcohol is consumed, drink in moderation (two or less drinks per day).
Diabetes
- How do I determine my total calorie needs?
- What distribution of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are healthy?
- How does alcohol affect my diabetes?
- What do I need to know about sugar and sugar substitutes?
- What about type 2 diabetes?
- Do I really have to lose weight to help my diabetes?
Type 2 Diabetes
MV Nutrition uses medical nutrition therapy to help you achieve and maintain optimal blood glucose and blood lipid levels through appropriate food choices. An individualized menu plan will be provided that will supply calories for ideal weight maintenance and improve overall health.
There are two main meal planning systems: Exchange lists and carbohydrate counting. With your health care team, you will decide which system best meets your needs. You might be able to use a combination of systems for greater flexibility.
Studies show that appropriate nutrition and weight loss can reduce both short- and long- term complications of diabetes.
The goals of medical nutrition therapy for pregnancy are to provide you with adequate nutrition, energy intake, and vitamins and minerals. It is also the goal of medical nutrition therapy to obtain an appropriate weight gain and to achieve and maintain blood sugar control in order to have a healthy baby.
Women who experience gestational diabetes have a 60 to 80 percent risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, there are some modifiable lifestyle patterns that can be changed to lower the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
It is recommended for women who experience gestational diabetes to follow these guidelines:
- Return to pre-pregnancy weight
- Eat a low-fat and high-fiber diet
- Exercise
- Breastfeed
Digestive Disorders
Digestive disorders are common diseases that often originate in the food supply. Diet revision should be primary therapy. The gastrointestinal tract is a sensing, reactive device which monitors the material flowing through it. Symptoms arising from this system provide information about its dysfunction. Seven basic symptoms alert you to the gastrointestinal tract's displeasure with your food choices - nausea, heartburn, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, and diarrhea.
Examples of digestive disordres
- Crohn's disease
- Celiac disease
- Diverticular disease
- Gastritis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease/Heartburn
- Hepatitis
- Pancreatitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Ulcerative colitis
- Lactose intolerance
Using medical nutrition therapy, MV Nutrition can help you:
- Prevent or minimize gastrointestinal symptoms
- Prevent malabsorption
- Normalize bowel function
- Provide adequate energy and nutrients
HIV/AIDS Nutrition
Weight loss, wasting, and malnutrition continue to be common problems in people diagnosed with HIV. Furthermore, many people with HIV/ AIDS are experiencing lypodystrophy syndrome which can lead to fat wasting, insulin resistance, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and eventually cardiovascular disease. Studies are showing that these problems persist despite the use of Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy.
Good nutrition helps keep your immune system strong, enabling you to better fight disease. A healthy diet improves quality of life. Also, a well-balanced diet helps the body process the many medications taken by people with HIV.
Using medical nutrition therapy, MV Nutrition can help you reduce symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue. Through good nutrition reduce the risk of metabolic abnormalities such as high blood sugar, cholesterol, and triglycerides.
Find out your nutritional needs and learn how to increase your calories using nutrient-dense foods containing omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, and phytochemicals.
Medical Nutrition Therapy Articles
MNT is critical to prevent and treat cronic disease
Findings from the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that diet and exercise can effectively delay diabetes in a diverse American population of overweight persons with impaired glucose intolerance by 58%. Over 3,200 participants ranging in age from 25 to 85 participated study. In the lifestyle intervention provided by RDs, participants received training in diet, exercise, and behavior modification skills. On average, this group maintained their physical activity at 30 minutes per day, usually with walking or other moderate intensity exercise, and lost 5-7 percent of their body weight. Participants randomized to treatment with the drug metformin reduced their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by only 31 percent. Evidence-based research strongly supports that MNT provided by RDs is clinically effective in the management of diabetes with documented reductions in HbA1c of 1-2%. (http://www.preventdiabetes.com. Aug 8, 2001, Diabetes Care, 2002).
Diet more effective than drugs in cardiovascular disease
A 50-70% reduction in recurrent cardiovascular disease events (cardiac death, non-fatal heart attacks, angina, stroke) may be achieved in people on diet treatment alone. The Mediterranean style diet is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in omega-3 fatty acids and emphasized fruits, vegetables, bread and cereals, and fish. Based on current evidence, the results of the Lyon Diet Heart Study have shown that a Mediterranean-style diet intervention can reduce cardiovascular disease risk twice as much as combined drug and diet therapy. (Circulation 1999;99:779-785; ATP III Report, NIH/NHLBI 2002).
Diet therapy lowers blood pressure similar to drug therapy
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study concluded that the diet focused on decreased sodium, increased fruits, vegetables, and fat-free dairy products is likely to show up to 12 percent reduction in risk of CHD. Study was hailed as offering the most significant evidence to date of the role of diet in health promotion, disease prevention, and disease treatment. Studies also showed that combining various components of diet therapy would enhance results, such as plant sterols with low fat diets, or oat products combined with low fat diets. Additional benefits were seen with sodium restriction. To effectively integrate these multiple changes requires the unique skills of a registered dietitian. (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2001, Athlerosclerosis, 2001, European Journal of Nutrition, 2001,Obesity Research, 2001) A Cochrane review confirms that Registered Dietitian (RD) counseling is more effective than physician counseling in the short to medium term for lowering cholesterol. Delahanty, et al reported that clients who received MNT from dietitians showed better outcomes than usual care from a physician and reported a cost-effectiveness ratio of $36 per 1% decrease in cholesterol. Although current Medicare guides indicate that nutrition counseling should be provide prior to initiating medication, Congress omitted coverage of cardiovascular conditions from the coverage of Medical Nutrition Therapy. (Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2001, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2001).
MNT improves quality of life
Registered Dietitians who provide MNT for patients with high cholesterol levels can achieve a positive impact on satisfaction and quality of life (QOL) outcomes when compared to patients receiving usual care from their physicians. According to Delahanty et al, the MNT group reported significant and lasting improvements in perceived QOL related to self-care. They were more satisfied with their ability to manage their cholesterol, eating habits, and life in general. (Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2002).