Primary Care Nutrition
Writing the Nutrition Prescription

This book contains the necessary knowledge and tools to incorporate nutrition into primary care practice. As a practical matter, this effort is led by a dedicated primary care physician with the help of motivated registered dietitians, nurses, psychologists, physical therapists, and office staff whether within a known practice or by referral to the community. It is essential that the nutrition prescription provided by the physician be as efficient as possible. While many team members have superior knowledge in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and psychology, the health practitioner remains the focus of patient confidence in a therapy plan. Therefore, the endorsement of the plan rather than the implementation of the plan is the most important task of the physician.

This book proposes a significant change in attitude of primary health care providers in terms of the power of nutrition in prevention and treatment of common disease. It features detailed and referenced information on the role of nutrition in the most common conditions encountered in primary care practice. In the past, treatment focused primarily on drugs and surgery for the treatment of disease with nutrition as an afterthought. Advanced technologies and drugs are effective for the treatment of acute disease, but many of the most common diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are not preventable with drugs and surgery. While there is mention of prevention of heart disease, this largely relates to the use of statins with some modest discussion of a healthy diet. Similarly, prevention of type 2 diabetes is the early introduction of metformin or intensive insulin therapy.

Chapter 1 Incorporating Nutrition into the Primary Care Practice

Chapter 2 Personalization of Nutrition Advice

Chapter 3 Nutrition and the Immune System

Chapter 4 Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Disorders

Chapter 5 Approach to the Overweight and Obese Patient: The Elephant in the Room

Chapter 6 Evolution of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Chapter 7 Managing Diabetes without Weight Gain

Chapter 8 Fatty Liver Disease

Chapter 9 Lipid Disorders and Management

Chapter 10 Nutrition and Coronary Artery Disease

Chapter 11 Hypertension and Obesity

Chapter 12 Nutrition, Chronic Kidney Disease, and Kidney Failure

Chapter 13 Nutrition and Heart Failure

Chapter 14 Pulmonary Function, Asthma, and Obesity

Chapter 15 Frailty, Nutrition, and the Elderly

Chapter 16 Nutrition in Neurodegenerative Disorders and Cognitive Impairment

Chapter 17 Gene–Nutrient Interaction

Chapter 18 Nutrition and the Risk of Common Forms of Cancer

Chapter 19 Nutrition and the Cancer Patient

Chapter 20 Writing the Nutrition Prescription