Different variations of a medical diet

1. When talking about a diet, people often think of a diet for weight loss. Yet the term diet originally meant something else, namely a prescription from a doctor to make changes in the diet. Think of a salt-free diet or a diet that contains fewer calories. Today this type of diet is often referred to as a medical diet. What forms of medical diets or dietary requirements exist and what does this mean for the people who have to follow the diet?

What is a diet

1. A diet is simply said food that deviates from the normal diet for medical reasons. However, most dieters do it of their own free will because they want to lose weight. Although often referred to as diet, the "real" diet comes from the medical world, where people have to follow a modified diet for whatever reason. This can happen if someone has to lose weight, but also, for example, if someone has to eat less (or even no) salt because of (too) high blood pressure.

How is a diet developed?

1. If someone has complaints, the attending physician may include a diet prescription in the treatment plan. This can be for various reasons, such as obesity, high blood pressure, etc. If you have to follow a diet, the doctor will have the dietary prescription (in nutrients) translated by a dietician into dietary advice (in foods). This sounds difficult, but it is actually very simple. If the blood pressure is too high, a doctor indicates in the diet prescription that someone should eat without salt. He sends this to the dietician. The dietitian, in turn, makes dietary advice (in foods) based on the diet prescription. The dietitian provides a list of foods that contain no to very little salt. In addition, the dietitian will provide further information about the diet and you will receive all kinds of tips that allow you to put together your own diet. [! 163317 => 1130 = 3101!] Indications for various types of diets (dietetics)

1. Someone who is a lot concerned with composing diets and the like, is busy with dietetics. In dietetics, all nutrients have their own abbreviation. The abbreviations for various nutrients are:

Nutrient enriched diet

1. With a nutrient-enriched diet, more of a particular nutrient is added to the diet. This nutrient, if possible abbreviated, is marked with a + (plus). For example, a nutrient-enriched diet of fiber is referred to as Fiber +.

Nutrient-restricted diet

1. The nutrient-restricted diet is prescribed when someone is allowed to have less or none at all of a certain nutrient in their diet. This nutrient is marked with a - (min). For example, a sodium-restricted (low-salt) diet will be described as Na-.

Nutrient-limiting diet

1. With this type of diet, a certain nutrient should not be present at all in the diet. In case of hypersensitivity to gluten, a gluten-free diet is often prescribed. A 0 (zero) is then written next to the nutrient, such as Glut 0.

Nutrient constant diet

1. With this type of diet, the premise is that the patient should consume the same amount of a certain nutrient every day. This type of diet is often prescribed for patients with diabetes mellitus, where the amount of carbohydrates must be adjusted to the client's energy expenditure. With "constant" the "c" is used as an abbreviation. For a carbohydrate-constant diet the following abbreviation is used: Kh c.

Research Diet

1. In a research diet, the diet is based on the research a person must undergo in the near future. For example, someone on a research diet will be given a prescription with the nutrition that may or must be consumed prior to the study. You can think of someone with high blood pressure who is on a controlled sodium diet. This is a single research diet. When someone has to stick to more prescriptions, it's called a compound research diet. You can think of a sodium-restricted diet (for high blood pressure) and a cholesterol-lowering diet (for cardiovascular diseases).

The energy-enriched diet

1. This type of diet is usually combined with a protein enriched diet and is often prescribed for:

Protein enriched diet

1. The protein enriched diet is often prescribed to patients with a poor nutritional status. These patients have an increased need for protein. Patients who, for example, have undergone major surgery, who have burns or undergo severe treatments for cancer, for example, need extra protein in their diet. A high-protein diet can only develop if the diet provides sufficient energy, which is why this type of diet is in most cases combined with an energy-enriched diet. The use of cheese, meat and meat products, eggs and milk or dairy products are additionally recommended in this diet. Since patients on this diet often have little appetite, it is important to take the following advice:

Energy-restricted diet

1. The energy-restricted diet means that you limit the amount of energy consumed per day. This type of diet is almost always prescribed for people with severe to morbid obesity. Obesity is a major problem worldwide and can cause a variety of conditions that can eventually be paid for with death. Some very common complaints of obesity are:

Low protein diet

1. A protein-restricted diet is often prescribed to patients whose liver and / or kidneys no longer function properly. For example, the liver may no longer be able to properly process the waste products from protein breakdown, or the kidneys may no longer be (properly) able to excrete those waste products sufficiently through the urine. The aim of the protein-restricted diet is to limit further liver and / or kidney deterioration. But people with a protein-restricted diet also have a need for proteins. Protein is very important for the maintenance and construction of the body's own tissue and to prevent malnutrition. Therefore, about 40 grams of protein are prescribed daily with this diet. When the protein content is lower, the patient also gets too little iron, calcium and B vitamins.

Sodium restricted diet (salt restricted diet)

1. The controlled sodium diet is prescribed to patients with one or more of the following complaints:

Diet with elevated cholesterol

1. This type of diet is often prescribed for people who suffer from high cholesterol in their blood and / or cardiovascular disease. This type of diet is also often combined with an energy-restricted diet. With the cholesterol-lowering diet you replace saturated fatty acids as much as possible with unsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids. The latter in particular is known for its cholesterol-lowering effect. You can find polyunsaturated fatty acids in soybean oil, sunflower oil, maize germ oil, diet margarine, diet margarine and many vegetable margarines. Coffee creamer is also available in which animal fats have been replaced by polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Dietary fiber restricted diet

1. The dietary fiber restricted diet is prescribed for people who suffer from severe diarrhea and / or disorders of the small or large intestine. It is then better not to eat dietary fibers or products with a strong laxative effect. When someone has severe diarrhea, one can observe the following rules:

Dietary fiber enriched diet

1. This type of diet is mainly prescribed for patients who suffer from constipation (constipation). In addition to taking in enough fiber, bran can also be added to various dishes. If someone suffers from constipation for a longer period of time, it is better to consume more fibers first, because these make the stool smoother and softer. Only when a dietary fiber-enriched diet does not help or does not help sufficiently, a laxative can be tried in consultation with the doctor. This is because laxatives are known for making the digestive system "lazy and dependent" on the laxative. Remedies that one can try at home to make the stool more flexible are:

Diabetes diet (carbohydrate constant)

1. Diabetes mellitus, diabetes or diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas secretes no or insufficient insulin to the body. As a result, the blood sugar level in the blood can no longer be properly regulated and various complications can arise. There are two types of diabetes mellitus, namely:

Gluten-free diet

1. Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in certain grains such as wheat, oats, rye and barley. Gluten-intolerant patients experience diarrhea when they eat gluten. Gluten intolerance is often diagnosed at a young age. The disease that causes this intolerance is called celiac disease. However, gluten hypersensitivity can also occur after an intestinal infection. When the infection has cleared, people can often simply eat gluten again. This is in contrast to celiac patients, who cannot tolerate gluten for life.

Research diet for food intolerance

1. This type of diet can be used to determine whether someone is hypersensitive or allergic to certain foods or nutrients. Hypersensitivity or allergic reactions to foods or substances is called food intolerance. The symptoms of food intolerance are often itching, vomiting, rash, tightness, aggressiveness, depression, headache and diarrhea. The substance that causes the reaction is called an allergen. The allergy can arise from natural substances, such as chocolate, coffee, strawberries, nuts and fish, but additives (additives) to the food (E numbers) can also trigger such a reaction.