WHAT SHOULD BE THE DIET OF A PATIENT WITH OBESITY?
The diet represents the fundamental pillar of the treatment of obesity.. It is important to remember that weight gain is produced because of an imbalance between ingested food and the use of energy. A diet intends to achieve a negative balance through a decrease in caloric intake.
To instill appropriate and precise dietary guidelines, it is vital to know the history of the eating habits of the patient through a dietary inquest. It is also important to know the possible alterations in eating behavior such as the custom to snack, significant appetite for sweets, or evening hunger. The presence of symptoms should be evaluated carefully if they suggest eating behavior illnesses such as the presence of self-induced vomiting, compulsive eating, etc. Dietotherapy of obesity should have a structured and balanced but open dietary plan, with a path towards the reduction of ingested calories, a decrease in the amount of calories in foods and the correction of the patterns of eating behavior. The prescription of a diet should be accompanied by adequate nutritional education, imparting nutritional advice and a healthy lifestyle to reinforce the indications of the diet and facilitate its completion.