Nutritional Services
Nutritional Services are services provided by a patient’s doctor and sometimes a dietitian to help create healthy and wholesome nutrition for the patient. Services provided include education and counseling about weight management and healthy eating as well as eating disorders and preventative nutrition.
At Capital Medical Center we offer patient room service. Patients are able to select their meals from a restaurant-style menu that is unique to their individual diet order. Dietary staff members take the patients’ order over the phone, cook the food to order, and deliver the meal directly to the patients’ room within 45 minutes. Although this program requires a significant amount of change, it provides our patients with a much better experience, including: greater control over the timing of their meals, better quality food, greater menu variety, and individualized meal plans. In addition, patients are expected to have better food intake with less food waste.
We are also have carbohydrate-controlled diabetic meal plans. This meal-planning approach eliminates calorie restrictions and instead focuses on carbohydrate counting as a key strategy to achieving glycemic control. The new meal plans include:
■ Low Carbohydrate: 45g carbohydrate at meals; 15g carbohydrate at snacks
■ Medium Carbohydrate: 60g carbohydrate at meals; 15g carbohydrate at snacks
■ High Carbohydrate: 75g carbohydrate at meals; 30g carbohydrate at snacks
These carbohydrate restrictions have also been applied to patients on clear or full liquid diabetic diets. Providers are asked to select from one of these options when ordering diabetic meals. If an order is received for a calorie-controlled or “ADA” diet, the dietitian or nurse will contact the ordering provider for clarification.
Good nutrition is important to staying well. Especially if you are struggling to manage health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, digestive disorders, obesity, or high blood pressure. Not only will you want to be educated about the foods you can eat or may want to stay away from, you may want to ask about cooking methods, portion sizes, shopping at the grocery store, and resources available to assist you.
Achieving balance for optimal health is challenging, as demonstrated by the fact that approximately 65% of Americans are either overweight or obese. The economic, physical, and social consequences are enormous. At Capital Medical Center, we are ready to help you eat smart and stay healthy. We offer private consultation in nutrition instruction, evaluation or nutritional status, and follow-up sessions designed to meet your individual needs.
The Food & Nutrition Services at CMC provide medical nutrition therapy for inpatients and outpatients through registered, licensed dietitians. Comprehensive nutritional care for all admitted patients may include nutritional screening, assessments, diet instructions and/or nutritional intervention as needed. Outpatients may receive diet instructions from the dietitian upon referral by the patient’s physician.