The nurse is helping the client with iron-deficient anemia to select appropriate menu choices. Which diet choice indicates that teaching has been effective?

Question

1. Tofu with mixed vegetables in curry, milk, whole-wheat bun
2. Roast beef, steamed spinach, tomato soup, orange juice
3. Pork chop, mashed potatoes and gravy, cauliflower, tea
4. Broiled fish, lettuce salad, grapefruit half, carrot sticks

Answer 1

2. Roast beef, steamed spinach, tomato soup, orange juice

Rationale:
This client is anemic and needs iron. This meal contains iron in the beef, folic acid in the spinach, and vitamin C in the tomato soup and orange juice. Vitamin C helps absorption of the iron; folic acid is needed for production of red cells. The meal of tofu with mixed vegetables in curry, milk, and a whole-wheat bun is high in calcium, but the client has iron-deficiency anemia and requires a high-iron diet. The meal with a pork chop, mashed potatoes and gravy, cauliflower, and tea has a moderate amount of protein, but no vitamin C. The meal of fish, lettuce, grapefruit, and carrot sticks is high in fiber, low in fat, and moderately high in protein, but low in iron.