| Special
Diets
Diabetic
Diet  There
is no exact diabetic diet but more of a management plan to ensure diabetics follow
a healthy lifestyle, ensuring that blood glucose levels are controlled and the
risk of developing long term complications is minimised. There are different types
and causes of diabetes and this is why there is no specific diet, however, diabetics
are advised to follow a low fat, high carbohydrate diet that incorporates lots
of wholegrain foods, fruit and vegetables.
There
are 2 types of diabetes. Type 1 is insulin dependant, where the beta cells in
the pancreas have been destroyed and are unable to produce insulin. The insulin
must therefore be injected into the body to control blood glucose levels. Type
2 is when the body does not produce sufficient insulin when required, or when
the body does not respond to the insulin produced. Diet and exercise are very
important in the control of type 2 diabetes. For
more information visit the website www.diabetes-insight.info
Gluten
Free Diet All foods that contain
gluten must be excluded in this diet. Gluten is present in Wheat, Rye, Barley
and Oats. The most common source of gluten in a diet is wheat. Wheat flour is
used in numerous manufactured and processed foods and therefore the diet is very
complicated due to the diverse range of food that has to be avoided. Wheat, rye,
barley, oats and their flours are also used in staple foods such as bread, cakes,
biscuits, pasta and breakfast cereals, these must also be excluded or a gluten
free alternative used. Food labels must be read very carefully, as gluten is sometimes
a 'hidden' ingredient. Foods that are
naturally gluten free include rice, corn, soya, potato, pulses, fresh meat, fish,
dairy products, fruit and vegetables. Drinks
must also be considered in a gluten free diet, as some drinks such as beer, lager
and stout are made from barley. Gluten free drinks include wine, cider, tea, coffee
and fruit juices. A gluten free diet
is the treatment for coeliac disease dermatitis hepiformis and should be followed
with medical supervision. For more
information visit the following website: www.coeliac.co.uk
Lactose
Intolerance Diet This diet excludes
lactose, which is the sugar found in milk. All animal milk (including human milk)
contains lactose. As well as animal milk, dairy products and other products containing
animal milk must also be avoided such as yoghurt, butter and cheese. An enzyme
in the body called lactase is responsible for breaking lactose down to glucose,
which is then utilised by the body. A lactose free diet must be followed by individuals
that do not have the lactase enzyme and are therefore lactase deficient. The
symptoms of lactose intolerance usually include nausea, cramps, bloating gas and
wind diarrhoea. The severity of symptoms varies in accordance with the degree
of lactose intolerance. For more information
visit the website www.lactose.co.uk
Macrobiotic
Diet The diet incorporates the
Oriental theory of yin and yang. A macrobiotic diet classifies foods as either
yin or yang and a macrobiotic lifestyle aims to balance the yin and yang. Yin
foods tend to be grown in hot climates, acidic, sweet or hot and contain water.
Yang foods tend to be grown in cold climates, salty or bitter and are dry. Whole
grains form the foundation of this diet complimented natural foods chosen according
to the season. Processed foods, meat, poultry, animal fats, dairy products, eggs
and sugar are all avoided although fish is sometimes eaten.. The
diet is high in dietary fibre, rich in vitamins and low in fat so it is important
to learn about food and how to obtain all the necessary nutrients. www.macrobiotics.co.uk
Vegan
Diet The vegan diet completely
excludes all animal products; this includes meat, poultry, game, fish, animal
by-products, dairy products, eggs and quite often honey. Veganism
is quite often regarded as a natural progression from vegetarianism. For
more information visit The Vegan Society website at www.vegansociety.com
or the vegan village at www.veganvillage.co.uk
Vegetarian
Diet A vegetarian diet excludes
meat, poultry, game and fish. The diet also avoids animal by-products such as
gelatine and animal fats. The diet is based upon vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains,
pulses and seeds. There are different divisions of the vegetarian diet and therefore
dairy products and eggs may also be included. Lacto-ovo-vegetarian.
This diet includes dairy products and eggs. This diet is the most common class
of vegetarianism. Lacto-vegetarian
This diet includes dairy products but not eggs. Fruitarian
This can be also be classed as a vegan diet. The diet mainly consists of raw fruit,
grains and nuts. Most food is unprocessed and uncooked and is based upon plant
foods that can be harvested without killing the plant. The
vegetarian diet is considered to be healthy, if correctly balanced, because it
is low in saturated fat and high in fibre and complex carbohydrates. For
more information visit The Vegetarian Society website at www.vegsoc.org
Wheat
Free Diet In this diet it is wheat
that must be excluded and not gluten even though these 2 diets are often cross-referenced.
Again the wheat free diet is very complicated due to the use of wheat flour in
a diverse range of manufactured and processed foods. A
wheat free diet is not the same as a gluten free diet. Not all foods that are
gluten free are also wheat free; food labels must be read carefully as some gluten
free foods can contain treated wheat starch that complies with the Codex Alimentarius
standard for gluten free foods, this, however, must be excluded from a wheat free
diet. Rye, barley and oats are suitable
for a wheat free diet and can usually be eaten freely.. For
more information visit the following website: www.nutrition.org.uk
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