Kempner’s rice-fruit diet is prescribed for which condition?

Haryana CHO - 2022

Applied Nutrition & Dietetics

Easy

Appeared in: Haryana CHO - 2022

Explanation

The Kempner rice-fruit diet was specifically designed to treat severe and malignant hypertension.
Its mechanism relies on an extremely low sodium intake (typically less than 150 mg/day), which dramatically reduces blood pressure.
The diet also reduces the workload on the kidneys, making it a historical treatment for renal failure secondary to hypertension.
Modern dietary management for hypertension, like the DASH diet, is based on the same principle of sodium reduction, although less restrictive.

Option B: The Kempner diet is high in simple carbohydrates (white rice, fruit juice, sugar), which would cause dangerous spikes in blood sugar levels for a person with diabetes.
Option C: This diet, being based on white rice, is very low in dietary fiber. A low-fiber diet can cause or worsen constipation.
Option D: While a bland diet might be helpful for peptic ulcers, the Kempner diet's extreme restriction of protein and fat is not the primary goal. The focus for ulcers is on avoiding specific irritants.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Therapeutic Diets for Chronic Conditions as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Understanding the principles behind historical diets like Kempner's provides insight into the pathophysiology of diseases like hypertension and the fundamental role of sodium.
This knowledge reinforces the importance of patient education on sodium restriction, which is a key nursing intervention for managing hypertension, heart failure, and kidney disease.
While not used today, a nurse might encounter patients on severely restricted diets for other conditions (e.g., renal failure), and must monitor for nutritional deficiencies and electrolyte imbalances.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core subject of the question, which is the 'Kempner’s rice-fruit diet'. This is a specific, named therapeutic diet.
This is a factual recall question. Access your knowledge base about historical and current therapeutic diets.
Recall the primary purpose and composition of the Kempner diet. The key feature is its extremely low sodium content.
Connect the primary feature (low sodium) to the condition it is designed to treat. Low sodium is the cornerstone of hypertension management.
Evaluate the other options to confirm they are incorrect. A high-sugar diet is wrong for diabetes, a low-fiber diet is wrong for constipation, and a diet for peptic ulcers focuses on avoiding irritants, not just sodium.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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