Karen is a 20-year old health-conscious individual, in her first year of dental hygiene. She recently learned that a diet high in saturated fat can contribute to high blood cholesterol and that exercise is beneficial for the heart. Karen now takes a 30 minute brisk walk each morning before going to class, and she has started to cut as much fat out of her diet as she can, replacing it mostly with carbohydrates.

A typical daily intake for Karen now might begin with a breakfast of a bowl of Fruit Loops with 1 cup of skim milk and ½ c. apple juice. For lunch, she might pack a turkey sandwich on white bread with lettuce, tomato and mustard; a small package of fat-free pretzels; and a handful of low-fat cookies. Dinner could be a large portion of pasta with some olive oil and garlic, and a small iceberg lettuce salad with lemon juice squeezed over. Her snacks are usually baked chips, low-fat cookies, fat-free frozen yogurt, or fat-free pretzels. She drinks diet soft drinks throughout the day as her main beverage. (Wardlaw, 2003, p. 144).

Tom is a 24-year old healthy male who consumes a high carbohydrate diet, however, the quality of his food choices are not the greatest. The majority of the carbohydrate in his diet comes from highly refined, low-fibre sources such as white bread, instant rice and noodles, breakfast cereals such as Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes, cookies, cakes, donuts, fruit beverages, soft drinks and sugars/syrups/jams. He has a history of dental caries (cavities) and complains of frequent headaches and feeling tired, weak and dizzy.

His eating patterns are often erratic and he often does not eat his first meal until the middle of the day. He has noticed he has been gaining weight lately but has had very little time for physical activity. His mother has recently developed type 2 diabetes, however, Tom does not feel he is at risk. He needs information on how to eat less refined sugar and more complex carbohydrate. He knows this regime is being encouraged but is not sure about all the health reasons. Fibre intake is also important to him, but he is not knowledgeable about the types of food needed or the benefits (Davis & Stegeman, 1998, p. 72).

Carole is a 21-year old student at SIAST Wascana Campus. She shares an apartment with a roommate close to the campus. She walks (or bikes) to classes every day and is an aerobics instructor in the afternoon. She eats two or three meals a day at the college and snacks between meals. Carole and her roommate both decided to become vegetarians because they recently read a magazine article on the health benefits of a vegetarian diet. Yesterday, her vegetarian diet consisted of a pop tart for breakfast, a tomato-pasta dish (no meat) with a bun and diet soft drink for lunch. In the afternoon, after her aerobics class, she had a few cookies. At dinnertime, she had a vegetarian submarine sandwich with two glasses of fruit punch. In the evening, she had a bowl of popcorn (Wardlaw, 2003, p.188).

Crystal has a hectic schedule. She works during the day for a “temp” agency, primarily performing clerical duties. Three times a week she attends night classes at the local community college in pursuit of computer certification. She has little time to think about what she eats – convenience rules. She usually grabs a banana on her way out of the door for breakfast; has a muffin with butter and coffee in the mid-morning; grabs a “fast food” meal (MacDonald’s, KFC, Subway or Taco Time) at lunch and supper; and usually nibbles on a bag chips with a Coke in the evenings.

Unfortunately, over the past few years, Crystal’s weight has been climbing. Watching television a few nights ago, she saw an infomercial for a product that promises she can eat large portions of tasty foods, but not gain weight. Famous celebrities support the claim that this product allows one to eat at will and not gain weight. She doesn’t have a lot of spare money, but the claim to “take this product and eat whatever you want and lose weight” is tempting (Wardlaw, 2003, p. 340).

Tracy and her husband of 4 years have decided that they are ready to prepare for Tracy’s first pregnancy. Tracy has been reading everything she can find on pregnancy because she knows that her pre-pregnancy health is important to the success of her pregnancy.

She just turned 25. Based on her reading, she knows to avoid alcohol, especially because she could become pregnant and not find out right away. She is not a smoker, doesn’t take medications and limits her coffee intake to 6 cups per day.

Mrs. C is at her 6-month recall and brags about her 6 month old daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer weighed 7 lbs at birth and now weighs 15 lbs. She was bottle-fed from birth. At 3 months, Mrs. C introduced cereals, but Jennifer resisted all attempts to increase her solid food intake. Mrs. C has not tried re-introducing solid foods again, however, she does give Jennifer apple juice in her bottle when she thinks she may be thirsty.

Jennifer is allowed to go to sleep with a bottle at bedtime and at the day care centre. Mrs.C also mentions that formula is expensive and that she is anxious to switch Jennifer to milk (Davis & Stegeman, 1998, p. 283).

Keith is a 16 year old male who has complained to you about pain from dental caries. He is active in athletics at school and has a part-time job. You determine from his dietary history that his appetite is very good and he eats everything and anything in sight except for vegetables. Keith rarely has time to sit down for breakfast and usually grabs something on the go. He eats fast foods several times a week. Snacking, principally soft drinks/juice, crackers, chips, granola bars or cookies, constitutes almost 40% of his total caloric intake. He also sips on a bottle of Gatorade and eats Energy Bars when he is playing sports.

Frances is a 78-year-old woman who suffers from macular degeneration, osteoporosis and arthritis. Her husband died suddenly 6 months ago, and she has moved from their family house to a small one-bedroom apartment. Her eyesight is getting worse, making it hard to grocery shop or even cook for herself. Her only daughter lives in a distant city and works two jobs, but visits whenever she can.

Frances doesn’t have much of an appetite and as a result, often skips meals throughout the week. She has resorted to eating mostly cold foods that are simple to prepare. She is slowly losing weight as a result of her limited food intake.