Plotnikoff, G.A.; Dobberstein, L.; Raatz, S. Nutritional Assessment of the Symptomatic Patient on a Plant-Based Diet: Seven Key Questions. Nutrients2023, 15, 1387.
Plotnikoff, G.A.; Dobberstein, L.; Raatz, S. Nutritional Assessment of the Symptomatic Patient on a Plant-Based Diet: Seven Key Questions. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1387.
Plotnikoff, G.A.; Dobberstein, L.; Raatz, S. Nutritional Assessment of the Symptomatic Patient on a Plant-Based Diet: Seven Key Questions. Nutrients2023, 15, 1387.
Plotnikoff, G.A.; Dobberstein, L.; Raatz, S. Nutritional Assessment of the Symptomatic Patient on a Plant-Based Diet: Seven Key Questions. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1387.
Abstract
Plant-based diets are increasingly popular for health as well as financial, ethical, and religious reasons. The medical literature clearly demonstrates that plant-based diets can be both nutritionally sufficient and medically beneficial. However, any person on an intentionally restrictive but poorly-informed diet may predispose themselves to clinically-relevant nutritional deficiencies. For persons on a poorly-informed plant-based diet, deficiencies are possible in both macronutrients (protein, essential fatty acids) and micronutrients (vitamin B12, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin D). Practitioner evaluation of symptomatic patients on a plant-based diet requires special consideration of 7 key nutrient concerns for plant-based diets. This article translates these concerns into 7 practical questions that all practitioners can introduce into their patient assessments and clinical reasoning. Ideally, persons on plant-based diets should be able to answer these 7 questions. Each serves as a heuristic prompt for both clinician and patient attentiveness to a complete diet. As such, these 7 questions support increased patient nutrition knowledge and practitioner capacity to counsel, refer, and appropriately focus clinical resources.
Medicine and Pharmacology, Dietetics and Nutrition
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
