Cardiac Rehabilitation: The Nutrition Counseling Component
Cardiac rehabilitation following a cardiac event is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program that includes lifestyle counseling in nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and smoking cessation.Special concerns that can affect implementation of cardiac rehabilitation in older patients include complicated co-morbidities; functional limitations, alterations in taste, smell, and appetite; difficulties with medication use/effectiveness; and limited financial, social, and/or caregiver resources.Recommendations for dietary modification in cardiac rehabilitation include advice to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, to substitute non-hydrogenated unsaturated fats for saturated and trans-fats, and to increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids. Cardiac rehabilitation following a cardiac event is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program that includes lifestyle counseling in nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and smoking cessation. Special concerns that can affect implementation of cardiac rehabilitation in older patients include complicated co-morbidities; functional limitations, alterations in taste, smell, and appetite; difficulties with medication use/effectiveness; and limited financial, social, and/or caregiver resources. Recommendations for dietary modification in cardiac rehabilitation include advice to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, to substitute non-hydrogenated unsaturated fats for saturated and trans-fats, and to increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
