Editing Nutrition (section)

== Cultural, Religious, and Ethical Considerations ==

* Diet is deeply cultural. Assess food preferences and restrictions rather than assuming them from ethnicity or a chart label.
* Common religious patterns include kosher practice (no pork or shellfish, no mixing meat and dairy), halal practice (no pork or alcohol, ritual slaughter), Hindu vegetarianism and avoidance of beef, Seventh-day Adventist vegetarianism, and fasting periods in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Illness generally exempts a person from religious fasting obligations, but this is the patient's decision to make.
* Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood products, which is relevant to nutrition support because albumin infusions and some products are derived from blood.
* Artificial nutrition and hydration are medical treatments that a competent patient or an authorized surrogate may accept or refuse. Advance directives frequently address feeding tubes specifically. The nurse's role is to ensure the patient's documented wishes are known and honored, and to escalate conflicts to the care team and ethics resources.