Following a special diet demands a certain amount of
self-discipline and the co-operation of those around you. However, if you are
determined to get and keep well it is worth any inconvenience.
With the increased awareness of the relation between diet
and health, and recent scientific discoveries about the connection between
certain foods and illnesses, more and more people are being advised to follow
special diets.
These are usually prescribed because some part of the body
is not working properly. For example if there is some problem with your
digestive system a change in your eating habits will give it a chance to rest
and heal. Dietary restrictions may also be imposed after serious illnesses when
appetite is impaired or certain foods cannot be tolerated. And sometimes people
develop allergies to specific foods which should be excluded from their diets.
Special diets can vary from only slight modification to the
normal eating pattern to a complete change in the type of food consumed. But
whatever the diet, it is essential that it is followed carefully for maximum
benefit.
Preparing special diet foods
When the restrictions imposed by the special diet try to
make sure that the food you prepare is tempting enough to help restore the appetite
- whether yours or someone else’s.
One way to do this is to vary the menu as much as possible.
On a low-fat diet, for example, it may be easy to serve grilled white fish
every day but the dish will very quickly lose its appeal. A little advanced
planning is really worth the extra effort to provide a changing menu, which
makes the person on the diet look forward to mealtimes.
You can also enliven special diet meals by experimenting
with different flavorings and seasonings. Although some diets specifically
exclude sodium products such as salt, most permit at least a small amount of
herbs. But do use heavy species with discretion - special diets do not usually
permit spicy foods such as curries and some also exclude highly flavored
vegetables such as onions and garlic.
Because most special diets permit only a limited variety of
foods, it is important to get the maximum goodness out of those that are
allowed. You should therefore use the freshest possible foods and if you buy,
packaged products read the list of ingredients on the label carefully to make
certain they do not contain any of the foods excluded by the particular dietary
restrictions.
The correct cooking process is also important as cooking can
reduce food’s nutritional value and make it hard to digest. Cheese, if
permitted, should be cooked only lightly; meat should be lean and well-cooked
without being overdone. Vegetables should be lightly cooked in as little water
as possible so that their vitamins and minerals are conserved. They should also
be served immediately and never reheated.
Being on a special diet should not prevent you from eating
out as long as you take steps to overcome any possible problems. For instance,
if you are invited to a dinner party warn your host in advance and tell them
which foods you cannot eat. When eating out, it may also help to suggest a dish
that they could easily provide in restaurants, it is not always possible to
trust the menu descriptions so you may have to ask the waiter exactly what the
various dishes contain and to specify anything you may want left out.
