Advising patients on nutrition and healthy eating

This article looks at the current UK guidelines for a healthy diet for the general population and considers the current debates and changes within that advice and how they may affect health outcomes. It is impossible to read a newspaper, magazine or social media article without being exposed to dietary advice, nutritional research or the latest diet craze. It is essential that nurses are able to advise their patients on research-based UK guidelines for a healthy diet, and be able to respond to patient questions on diet-related matters, ensuring the information they give is not based on current media opinion or celebrity views. This paper summarises the evidence found within current guidelines to help nurses ensure their practice is evidence based. This will help meet the requirements of the Nursing and Midwofery Council's (2015) Code, including delivering fundamentals of care and being able to practise in line with best available evidence.