Final answer:
The medical assistant should remind patients to check the nutrition facts panel for nutrient amounts and the ingredients list for nutritional quality of food products.
Step-by-step explanation:
To avoid patients underestimating the specific amount of nutrients in a food product, the medical assistant should remind patients to check the nutrition facts panel on the packaging. The nutrition facts panel includes vital information such as serving size, calorie count, and amounts of macronutrients like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. Moreover, it provides details on micronutrients, showcasing the percents of selected vitamins and minerals supplied by one serving.
It's also important to check the ingredients list, which is arranged in descending order by weight. Therefore, ingredients listed first are present in larger amounts. This helps in identifying the nutritional quality of food items, encouraging the choice of options with whole grains, vegetables, and fruits over processed ingredients which could contain fewer nutrients.