ABSTRACT
Nutrition care in the outpatient setting may be the key to disease prevention and/or managing progression. It is hard to name a disease process that does not have a nutrition component. Gastrointestinal (GI) disease may significantly affect nutrition status through intake, assimilation, and metabolism. A nutritious diet can be had for all including those individuals that have a preference for or commitment to a specific diet such as vegan, vegetarian, low-fat, low-carbohydrate, or an eating style such as multiple small meals or circadian rhythm. Food and eating have many connotations from enjoyment of being with friends and family, to nourishment for a life change such as pregnancy or an athletic or recreational sports event, to health maintenance or repair. People may have an illness, disease process, or disorder that changes their ability to tolerate certain foods. They may have challenges with eating – whether amount, types of foods, composition of the food, or method of receiving nutrition.
