The importance of good nutrition and hydration
The importance of good nutrition and hydration
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The food and drink that we consume must provide the nutrients that our bodies need to work properly.
A diet that does not include the right balance of everything we need can lead to ill-health.
A healthy, balanced diet will give an individual the nutrients their body needs to function properly.
The Eatwell Guide has been developed by Public Health England. It is the model used widely in the UK to illustrate a healthy diet and is suitable for most groups of people.
It shows the five main food groups and the proportions of each food group recommended as part of a daily healthy diet.
Select the tabs below for an overview of the five main food groups.
Carbohydrates
These provide most of the energy that we need. That includes energy for the basic actions that keep us alive (called the Basal Metabolic Rate) - for example, keeping the heart beating, enabling breathing, keeping blood circulating and for the production of hormones and enzymes and new tissues.
Examples are bread, potatoes, rice or pasta.
Vitamins
These support many different functions, including blood clotting, maintaining an effective immune system, and allowing the body to absorb energy from foods.
Fruit and vegetables are good sources of vitamins.
Minerals
These include calcium, which helps to build strong bones and teeth, and iron, which helps the blood to carry oxygen around the body.
Milk products are good providers of calcium and liver and shellfish are full of iron.
Protein
This is important for the body’s cells and tissues to be repaired and replaced.
You will find protein in milk products but also in meat, fish or beans.
Fibre
This promotes a healthy bowel and helps to remove waste products from the body.
Fruit, vegetables, wholemeal bread, nuts and seeds are high in fibre.
If an individual’s diet does not contain the right balance of nutrients it needs to function properly it will become malnourished. This could include under-nutrition, when a person does not get enough nutrients or over-nutrition, when a person has more nutrients than they need.
Around a third of people admitted to hospital or care in the UK are malnourished or at risk of becoming so.
What are the common signs and symptoms which indicate a person is not having the correct balance of nutrients?
Try and think of five, then click the pencil.
Signs and symptoms that a person is not having the correct balance of nutrients include:
Muscle weakness
Feeling tired all the time
Increased infections
More falls
Constipation
Lack of energy
Gaining or losing weight
Changes in behaviour
Depression
Poor wound healing
Without enough fluid the body cannot carry out basic processes that enable it to function correctly, such as:
Digesting food and enabling nutrients to be absorbed
Enabling blood to circulate around the body
Removing waste products via urine and faeces
Keeping cells and tissues moist, helping to avoid infection
Controlling body temperature by perspiration
Maintaining brain function
Select the image to reveal how much fluid we should be drinking each day.
Health and Safety
It is recommended that individuals should have about 1∙5–2 litres of fluid each day or 6–8 cups or glasses per day:
Most ordinary drinks (for example, fruit juices, milk, tea and coffee in moderation and low sugar drinks) count as fluid but lots of alcohol can lead to dehydration
The best fluid to rehydrate the body is water
Some medical conditions, such as certain types of heart condition or kidney disease will require individuals to drink less
There are times when an individual must not eat or drink anything for a set period of time, for example before an operation. This is known as 'nil-by-mouth' and will be clearly shown in their care plan. This must be followed for their own safety
An individual’s exact fluid requirements will be in their care plan and should be referred to when providing care and support
Dehydration happens when more fluid is lost by the body than is replaced by drinking liquids.
Symptoms of dehydration can range from mild to life threatening.
Early signs and symptoms of dehydration include:
Feelings of thirst as the body tries to increase fluid levels
Dark coloured urine as it tries to reduce fluid loss
Headaches, tiredness and confusion, as the flow of blood to the brain decreases. (These signs might also indicate an undiagnosed health problem, for example type 2 diabetes)
Ongoing dehydration can contribute to:
Constipation
Urinary tract infections, which are prevalent in some groups in care
Kidney stones and infections
Poor wound healing
If dehydration remains untreated, it can have serious consequences. Blood circulation can be affected or kidneys can fail.
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