Applying the American Diabetes Association’s Nutrition Recommendations to Health Care Institutions

Abstract

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) position statement titled “Nutrition Recommendations and Principles for People with Diabetes Mellitus”1 was developed to offer guidance for people able to live independently and who have the functional, emotional, cognitive, and economic resources necessary to meet their basic nutritional needs. The ADA position statement titled “Translation of the Diabetes Nutrition Recommendations for Health Care Institutions,”2 which is reprinted in this issue (p. 39), and its accompanying technical review3 were initially published in 1997,4 and the statement has been only slightly modified since then. This translation document accurately reflects the fact that the bulk of diabetes teaching now occurs in ambulatory care settings, the increased severity and complexity of illness that patients with diabetes bring to the hospital on admission, and their increasingly shorter lengths of stay. The importance of basic nutrition education of all health professionals involved in diabetes management cannot be overemphasized. The discussion of special nutrition issues provides a brief overview of recommendations related to liquid diets, diets post-surgery and in patients who experience catabolic stress, and parenteral and enteral support. Additional issues that the position statement …