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Dietitian Case Study

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Lesson 5
18. Read the following case study from the perspective of a dietitian. In point form, write five statements that you would discuss with Curtis, with the goal of improving his health. For each point, add a sentence that gives him information about metabolism that he should be aware of reasons why he should consider changing his diet and lifestyle.
Case study:
Curtis is a 50-year-old male. His job is sedentary and he participates in no physical activity. He quit smoking when he was 40, after having a near-fatal heart attack. His mother and father both suffered heart attacks in their fifties and his grandmother (on his mother’s side) had two stokes. He drinks energy drinks in the morning with bacon and eggs, and has two hamburgers and …show more content…

I would discuss the need to start his day off with healthier breakfast choices. This would provide his basic organs like his heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys the energy that is needed to run them efficiently. By eating a healthy breakfast with protein, it will regulate his body sugar and start his metabolism through digestion.
2. I would discuss the risk of becoming obese from his nutrition choices and sedentary lifestyle. His sedentary lifestyle means that because he is less active, the less energy he uses, therefore he may gain weight in the future or continue to gain weight simply because the amount of energy he expends is low. Excess adipose tissue, along with excess weight can lead to health problems including cardiovascular disease which he is already at risk for. He is having a calorie intake that is higher than the number of calories he burns, and will reduce his metabolism as this will lead to more fat than muscle tissue.
3. Curtis should increase his exercise, by meeting the daily requirement of at least 2 and a half hours of moderate activity. This will increase his muscle tone, and increase his metabolism since muscle cells burn more calories than fat muscles. Those who exercise, and lose weight will also be at a lower risk of heart attacks and …show more content…

Finally I would discuss the need to include healthier lunches and dinners. For these meals, he should aim at increasing his vegetable, fruit, fatty acid, and whole-wheat carbohydrate intake. He should eat five small meals throughout the day including his breakfast, since digesting food causes an increase of metabolism. For lunch, he should consider creating a healthy soup, or a tuna whole-wheat wrap with yogurt on the side to eat later, for example. For supper, he should swap his diet pop for water or pure fruit juice, keep the salad or eat steamed vegetables and switch his meat with steamed fish or chicken. Finally, for his snack he should replace this with a healthier alternative like raw vegetables, fresh fruit, nuts or plain

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