Fundamentals of Nursing Q 70
The nurse is instructing a woman on a low-fat, high-fiber diet. Which of the following food choices, if selected by the client, indicate an understanding of a low-fat, high-fiber diet?
A. Tuna salad sandwich on whole-wheat bread.
B. Vegetable soup made with vegetable stock, carrots, celery, and legumes served with toasted oat bread.
C. Chef’s salad with hard-boiled eggs and fat-free dressing.
D. Broiled chicken stuffed with chopped apples and walnuts.
Correct Answer: B. Vegetable soup made with vegetable stock, carrots, celery, and legumes served with toasted oat bread.
This choice shows a low-fat soup (which would have been higher in fat if made with chicken or beef stock) and high-fiber bread and soup contents (both the vegetables and the legumes). Eating a high-fiber diet that is low in fat can help maintain overall health. Fiber-rich foods are naturally low in fat and contain cancer-fighting and heart-healthy properties. While a low-fat diet is good, it is important that the client does not dismiss all fats, however. Eat some foods containing unsaturated fats because they are necessary for an overall healthy diet.
Option A: Mayonnaise in tuna salad is high in fat. The whole-wheat bread has some fiber. Fiber’s presence in the digestive tract can help reduce the body’s cholesterol absorption. This is especially true if you take statins, which are medications to lower cholesterol, and use fiber supplements like psyllium fiber
Option C: Salad is high in fiber, but hard-boiled eggs are high in fat. In fact, a single egg contains 212 mg of cholesterol, which is 71% of the recommended daily intake. Plus, 62% of the calories in whole eggs are from fat.
Option D: There is some fiber in the apples and walnuts. The walnuts are high in fat, as is the chicken. Nuts have a high-fat content, so are high in energy. In most nuts, this is mainly unsaturated fat: either polyunsaturated fats in walnuts and pine nuts or monounsaturated fats in almonds, pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts, for example. Brazil nuts, cashews, and macadamia nuts are higher in saturated fat.