| Course | HW320 Contemporary Diet and Nutrition |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Client nutrition memo |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW320 Unit 9
Lift the Weights, Ask Before the Shakes: A Unit 9 Client Nutrition Memo for a Lifter With Stage 3 Kidney Disease
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW320: Contemporary Diet and Nutrition
Unit 9 Client Nutrition Memo
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The client, her diagnosis details and her gym are composite; the kidney nutrition guidelines and the exercise review cited are real.
Memo Heading
To: Dolores Varga. From: Wellness coach, Lakeside Community Fitness Center. Date: October 14. Subject: Your question about protein shakes.
Summary
You asked whether you should add two protein shakes a day now that you have started strength training. Strength training is a good idea and is supported for people with kidney disease. The amount of protein you should eat, however, depends on your kidney function, and your nephrologist or a kidney dietitian should set it before you add shakes.
Your Situation
You told me you were diagnosed with stage 3a chronic kidney disease two years ago, that your nephrologist sees you twice a year, and that you do not have diabetes. You joined our center last month and started a twice-weekly strength class. The trainer suggested two protein shakes a day, about 25 grams of protein each, "to build muscle." You eat a fairly typical diet, with meat or fish at dinner and eggs or yogurt at breakfast, and you would like to start the shakes on Monday. Your goals, in your words: "get stronger so I can keep up with my grandkids" and "not make my kidneys worse."
Why Protein Needs a Kidney Specialist's Input
Healthy kidneys clear the waste products made when the body breaks down protein. When kidney function is reduced, a high protein intake adds to their workload. For this reason, kidney guidelines recommend lower protein intakes for many people with chronic kidney disease than for the general public. One major guideline recommends, for metabolically stable adults with stage 3 to 5 disease who have not started dialysis, a protein intake of about 0.55 to 0.6 grams per kilogram per day under close clinical supervision (Ikizler et al., 2020). Another international guideline suggests about 0.8 grams per kilogram per day for adults with stage 3 to 5 disease and advises avoiding intakes above 1.3 grams per kilogram (KDIGO CKD Work Group, 2024).
Your usual meals likely already supply about 70 to 80 grams of protein a day. Two shakes would add about 50 grams. For a woman of your weight, that total could be well above the levels both guidelines describe. The right number for you depends on your current kidney function, your weight, any protein in your urine and your other health conditions, which your nephrologist knows and I do not.
I can encourage your strength training and help you plan meals, but the amount of protein you eat is now part of your kidney treatment, so that number has to come from your nephrologist or a kidney dietitian before you buy the shakes.
What I Can Offer
Keep training. A review of exercise trials in adults with chronic kidney disease found that regular exercise, including resistance training, improved physical fitness, walking capacity and quality of life (Heiwe & Jacobson, 2011). Your strength class is a good choice.
Muscle needs more than protein. Muscle grows in response to the training itself; enough total food energy, regular meals and rest matter as much as extra protein. Many people who start a strength class gain strength in the first months mainly because their nervous system learns the movements, which needs no change in diet at all.
Bring questions to your appointment. Ask your nephrologist or kidney dietitian: How much protein should I eat each day? Are protein shakes safe for me, and if so, what kind? Do I need to watch potassium or phosphorus, which some shakes contain?
Read shake labels. If your care team approves a shake, check the label for protein, potassium and phosphorus, since some products add minerals that matter for kidney disease.
What This Memo Is Not
It is not a diet prescription, and it does not tell you to stop or start any food or product. If you notice swelling, changes in urination or unusual tiredness, contact your nephrologist promptly.
Next Steps
1. Keep attending your strength class.
2. Hold off on the shakes until you have talked with your nephrologist or a kidney dietitian. Your next visit is in six weeks; you could also call the office sooner.
3. Bring this memo to that appointment.
4. Let me know what your care team recommends, and we can plan meals and snacks around it.
References
Heiwe, S., & Jacobson, S. H. (2011). Exercise training for adults with chronic kidney disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011(10), Article CD003236. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD003236.pub2
Ikizler, T. A., Burrowes, J. D., Byham-Gray, L. D., Campbell, K. L., Carrero, J.-J., Chan, W., Fouque, D., Friedman, A. N., Ghaddar, S., Goldstein-Fuchs, D. J., Kaysen, G. A., Kopple, J. D., Teta, D., Yee-Moon Wang, A., & Cuppari, L. (2020). KDOQI clinical practice guideline for nutrition in CKD: 2020 update. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 76(3, Suppl. 1), S1-S107. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.05.006
KDIGO CKD Work Group. (2024). KDIGO 2024 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and management of chronic kidney disease. Kidney International, 105(4S), S117-S314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kint.2023.10.018
The Purdue Global HW320 Unit 9 instructions
The memo unit asks students to write directly to a described client, answering a nutrition question within the limits of a wellness role. Prompts commonly require a heading, a short summary, the client's situation in her own words, general guidance, a clear explanation of any referral and next steps. Identify the referral point first: a diagnosis, symptoms, medications or a request for a therapeutic diet. Explain why the question belongs to a clinician in plain language, citing guidelines rather than prescribing from them. Offer the general guidance that stays within scope. Give the client concrete questions to take to her appointment. Avoid telling her to stop or start a product. Keep to about two pages.
Inside the HW320 Unit 9 example
A heading block and a three-sentence summary give the question, the answer and the referral. Her situation follows: the diagnosis, the twice-yearly nephrologist visits, the strength class and the trainer's advice, with her goals in her words. A section explains how kidneys handle protein and reports the ranges in two guidelines, then estimates what two shakes would add to her usual intake, and the highlighted sentence states the referral plainly. A section on what the coach can offer encourages training, cites an exercise review, explains early strength gains and lists questions for her appointment. Short sections say what the memo is not and set out four next steps, including bringing the memo to her visit.
HW320 Unit 9 rubric: what earns full points
HW320 client memo rubrics tend to emphasize scope and referral above all: the student must recognize when a question belongs to a clinician and explain why. Accuracy of the general information provided is a second major criterion. Communication with the client, judged by plain language, respectful tone and organization, carries significant weight. Practical usefulness, such as questions to ask and next steps, earns points. Correct citation of guidelines, without turning them into a personal prescription, is assessed under evidence. Memo format and length complete the rubric. Memos that set a protein target for a client with kidney disease, or that discourage healthy activity, typically lose points.
HW320 Unit 9 help from the desk
Client memos in this course often miss the referral point, answering a therapeutic question as if it were a general one. Others refer so broadly that they offer the client nothing useful. A common error is quoting a guideline's protein range as if it were the client's personal target. Jargon such as glomerular filtration rate appears without explanation. Many memos forget to give the client questions to bring to the appointment. Some discourage exercise out of caution, though it is generally recommended. If you have a client scenario with a possible referral point, describe the condition and the question, and our writers can help you shape a memo that is useful and stays within scope.
Get an HW320 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
Paste the client description exactly as your Unit 9 prompt gives it, with the rubric and any memo template your section supplies. The memo is written to that client in plain language, the scope line and referral point placed where a grader will find them. Turnaround is 24-48h, and a first memo is free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HW320 Unit 9 questions, answered
How do I know where the referral point is in a case?
Look for a diagnosed condition, symptoms that could indicate one, medications, pregnancy, or a request for a therapeutic diet. Any of those usually marks the point where a wellness role hands off to a physician or registered dietitian. Prompts in this unit are often built around exactly one such detail, so read the case twice and name it explicitly in the memo.
Can the memo still give advice if a referral is needed?
Yes. General healthy eating information stays within scope even when part of the question belongs to a clinician, as long as it neither diagnoses nor treats. The memo can describe balanced meals, fiber sources or a simple way to record food and symptoms, while making clear that the specific concern goes to the right professional.
What tone should the memo take with the client?
Plain, respectful and direct, as if written to an intelligent adult without a science background. Avoid jargon, or define it the first time it appears, and keep sentences short enough to read on a phone. The referral should sound like a reasoned next step rather than a warning, since a client who feels judged is less likely to act on it.
Where can I find a free HW320 Unit 9 sample paper?
This page holds a complete Unit 9 client nutrition memo for a lifter with stage 3 kidney disease asking about protein shakes, with margin notes and APA references.
Should someone with kidney disease avoid strength training?
No. A review of exercise trials in adults with chronic kidney disease found improvements in fitness and quality of life. What needs a specialist's input is the amount of protein, not the training itself.