Nutrition: Diet Manual

The diet manual is a critical component of nutrition care in any health care setting. The diet manual provides information for normal and therapeutic nutrition. The diet manual needs to be based on the latest scientific evidence.

The diet manual is the basis for writing the menus. It is the diet manual that states how many servings of the different food groups are necessary for optimal nutrition for different groups of people. It also states what changes are necessary in nutrients and textures to meet the needs of people with special dietetic needs such as diabetes, heart conditions, and dysphasia.

Menus cannot be written based on what the writer “thinks” a diet should contain. Menus need to be written based on the latest scientific research. The diet manual provides this.

If you are purchasing menus, ask for a copy of the diet manual upon which the menu was based. This is your foundation for ensuring good nutritional status of your residents! This is the first step in meeting the nutritional needs of the residents. It is also your first line of defense if surveyors question why you are providing residents with certain food items or withholding certain food items.

The diet manual is critical!