Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets

Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets — page 3 — Diets in History The first known diet was carved into a stone tablet in 2500 BCE It advised people suffering from stomach troubles that they should not eat onions for three days In ancient China approximately 500 BCE foods were organized as hot including spices and meat or cold including green vegetables A healthy diet balanced both kinds In 1747 Dr James Lind of the British Royal Navy discovered eating limes could cure scurvy Scurvy is caused by a lack of vitamin C 6 found in grains such as wheat What can you eat What can you not eat A gluten-free diet is one of many special diets that can affect day-to-day routine Learning more about these diets can help you better understand nutrition and identify possible food issues Special diets are becoming more common all over the world A special diet can make a big difference for people with medical conditions people wanting to lose weight or people wanting to be healthier The word diet causes most people to think about losing weight But the word refers to foods a person or

Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets — page 4 — People who cannot or do not eat dairy products can buy items such as lactose-free milk community eats regularly not just to special foods that someone eats or avoids eating to lose weight People eating gluten-free dairy-free or meat-free diets intentionally avoid eating certain kinds of foods Doctor’s Orders Scientists and nutritionists create balanced diets They make sure people take in enough nutrients to stay healthy These experts know how foods 7

Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets — page 5 — affect the body in different ways Doctors can use this knowledge as well as specific medical tests to determine what foods might be making someone sick They help people tailor their food choices to deal with illnesses or live healthier lives Doctors or dietitians may give their patients information about diets for weight loss especially for obese people But there are also diets for people with certain medical conditions Illnesses such as obesity diabetes heart disease high blood pressure and high cholesterol are often related to or made worse by what a person eats Some nutrients that are healthy in small amounts can be harmful in excess Too much salt fat or sugar can be bad for people suffering from one of these conditions There are also medical conditions that make eating certain foods dangerous People with celiac disease have digestive systems that are unable to process wheat People who are lactose intolerant cannot properly digest the sugar found in milk and 8

Gluten-Free and Other Special Diets — page 6 — Eating too many foods with high amounts of certain ingredients such as sugar or salt can be harmful for some people with health conditions most dairy products These conditions require a complete change in what a person consumes In other cases some people follow special diets because of their religious beliefs or ethical values Some or all meats are often avoided for these reasons There are also some people who only eat what they can grow for themselves 9

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