Question

(A): Normal diet is used as a basis for planning therapeutic diets.
(R): A normal diet in a hospital setting is a balanced diet that meets the nutritional requirements of an individual/patient.

• A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
• B. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is not correct explanation of (A).
• C. (A) is true, but (R) is false.
• D. (A) is false, but (R) is true.

Hint:

Therapeutic diets are not designed as completely new eating plans. Instead, they are structured as simple modifications of a normal, balanced diet to make them easier for the patient to adhere to and simpler for the hospital kitchen to prepare.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Evaluating the Assertion (A):
A normal (regular) diet serves as the standard baseline for planning any therapeutic diet. A therapeutic diet is simply a modification of the normal diet in terms of consistency, nutrient composition, or food groups to meet the specific physiological needs of a patient during illness. Thus, the assertion is True.

Step 2: Evaluating the Reason (R):
A normal hospital diet is a balanced diet designed to meet the standard recommended dietary allowances (RDA) of essential nutrients (proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water) for an individual. It provides a complete, healthy nutritional baseline, making the reason True.

Step 3: Determining the Logical Link:
Because the normal diet is balanced and meets all standard nutritional requirements, it provides the perfect baseline for making modifications. This direct logical link means the reason (R) is the correct explanation for the assertion (A).