Goal-setting is crucial for nutritional clients as it provides direction, motivation, and a
framework for achieving desired outcomes. It allows clients to focus their efforts, track progress,
and make necessary adjustments along the way. Nutrition coaches play a vital role in guiding
clients through the goal-setting process to ensure they set realistic, achievable, and meaningful
goals.
There are different types of goals that nutrition coaches should be concerned with:
Outcome goals: These are the ultimate goals clients want to achieve. They are typically broader
and long-term, focusing on overall results. Example: Lose 20 pounds in six months.
Performance goals: These goals focus on improving specific skills or abilities related to nutrition
and health. Example: Increase vegetable intake to five servings per day.
Behavioral goals: These goals target specific actions and behaviors that contribute to overall
nutrition and health. Example: Pack a healthy lunch four days a week.
There are seven steps involved in the goal-setting process:
1-Assess the client: Gather information about the client's current health status, lifestyle,
preferences, and goals. This helps establish a baseline and understand the client's specific needs.
2-Define specific goals: Work with the client to establish clear, specific, and measurable goals.
Ensure the goals align with the client's values, motivations, and capabilities.
3-Break goals into smaller steps: Help the client break down their goals into smaller, manageable
steps. This makes the goals less overwhelming and easier to achieve.
4-Set realistic and challenging goals: Ensure that the goals are both attainable and challenging
enough to motivate the client. Unrealistic goals can lead to frustration, while easily achievable
goals may lack excitement.
5-Develop an action plan: Collaborate with the client to create a detailed action plan that outlines
the specific actions, strategies, and timelines for achieving the goals. This plan should be
personalized to the client's lifestyle and preferences.
6-Monitor progress: Regularly assess and track the client's progress towards their goals. This
helps identify areas of improvement, celebrate successes, and make necessary adjustments.
7-Provide support and accountability: As a nutrition coach, offer ongoing support, guidance, and
motivation to the client. Regular check-ins, feedback, and encouragement can keep the client
engaged and accountable to their goals.
By following these steps, nutrition coaches can help clients set meaningful goals, establish a
clear path to success, and enhance their overall adherence and motivation throughout their
journey.
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the blood glucose response after consuming a
carbohydrate-containing meal compared to a reference food of the same quantity. Usually, the
reference food is white bread or glucose. GI of foods is rated between 0 - 100. in which foods
with 0-55 value are considered to have low GI and 55-100 being very high GI.
Glycemic index or raise in a blood-glucose level depends on several factors. Higher
Carbohydrates in a meal would mean more blood glucose level rises and higher GI value of the
food. The digestible sugars in a meal depends on the intake amount as different types of sugars
and carbs have different effects. Not all sugars and carbs raise blood glucose levels. Fibre or
digestion resistant starch in a meal are beneficial as many carbohydrates in a meal will be in a
digestible form. Cellulose contains glucose residues but it is not digestible by the human
intestine which means that it does not contribute to the blood-glucose levels. Therefore, foods
with high fibre content have low GI values.
Today millions of food items have been tested for their GI values. These values help in planning
the dietary schedule of chronic disease patients. People with diabetes should consume foods with
low GI values, as their blood sugar levels are already high.
Foods with low GI(<50-55) do not increase the blood glucose levels quickly. The
communication between insulin and hormones usually controls those levels. Digestion of this
food and release of carbohydrates will be much slower of foods with a low GI such as whole
grains and fibre containing food items.
On the other hand, foods with a high GI (>55- 100) will raise blood sugar levels sharply. These
foods usually contain more simple sugar such as glucose. It would be very hard for insulinglucagon hormones to control the steep blood-glucose levels. This increases the risk of getting
chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes etc. Examples of food containing high GI values are white
flour, refined food items.
Carbohydrates: this is the primary source of energy for the body which is found in foods like
grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and dairy products. These foods provide the energy which is
required to fuel the body how long with all the cells and organs. It is recommended that the daily
allowance for carbohydrates should be approximately between 45 to 65% of the total calories
that a person intakes. Carbohydrates are very beneficial because they're easy to digest it by our
body. It also includes complex sugar which is present in foods like rice potatoes and whole
grains and they're very important because they provide the necessary starch and glucose.
Proteins: this is very important for the human body. Proteins are complex molecules which are
made of smaller amino acids and linked together. Proteins conduct some of the most important
tasks in the human body which are very important and essential for the proper health and
operation of the body's tissues and organs. Fish, dairy, nuts and seeds Are some of the foods that
are high in protein. The daily recommended intake for proteins is at least 0.8 grams of protein
per kilogram of body.
Fats: these are the nutrients in the body which produce energy and he's gramma fat contains 9
calories. They also contains different types of vitamins such as A,D,E and K. There are mainly
two types of fats saturated and unsaturated. The human body uses fat as a source of fuel because
it is very highly concentrated energy source. The recommendation is to have daily consumption
of diet which contains at least 20-35% of total daily calories comprise of fats.
The process of converting ATP to energy within the human body involves a series of
biochemical reactions that occur in the cells which serves as the primary energy source for the
cells. A molecule inside the cell which carries energy consists of the ATP which is broken down
into 2 parts ADP and PI by the ATPases enzyme as the Body demands energy. This process of
ATP hydrolysis occurs in the cellular respiration which as a result produces energy rich
molecules. The body uses stored energy from this ATP for various functions such as nerve
communication and muscle regeneration.
Respiratory system delivers air to the lungs which enters bloodstream and provides oxygen to
various parts throughout the body.
Digestive system provides food that has entered the body. It includes many organs like the
mouth, salivary glands, stomach, liver, gallbladder, intestine.
Circulatory system is also called the cardiovascular system and its main function is to transport
oxygen, nutrients and other important substances to the cells. It includes the heart, blood and
blood vessels.
Excretory system removes excess and waste materials from the body. It includes kidneys,
bladder and urethra.
Nervous system collects information and transfers it throughout the body. This includes the
brain, the spinal cord, and sensory organs.
Endocrine system provides communication throughout the body through hormone regulation to
maintain homeostasis in the body.
Immune system fights the body against pathogens that enter the body.
Integumentary system provides the body with protection from fluid loss and injury.
Skeletal system provides support to your body through structures like bones, joints, cartilage, and
tendons.
Muscular system provides movement to the body and provides support from the muscles.
Reproductive system produces gametes for reproduction. It is also responsible for regulating and
producing sex hormones.
The Food Pyramid and MyPlate are both visual tools designed to guide individuals in making
healthy food choices. There are differences in the presentation of both tools. The Food Pyramid
utilizes a pyramid-shaped diagram that divides food groups into broad categories and provides
general recommendations without specific portion sizes. On the other hand, MyPlate uses a plate
icon that visually represents a balanced meal by dividing it into 4 sections for fruits, vegetables,
grains, and proteins. This makes it very helpful in easy understanding and usability by the
average person to verify their diet intakes. It also enables them to make healthier choices by
eating different kinds of healthy foods.