Cooking For People With Special Diets - Part 2

Lactose intolerant diet:

The low down: Milk (cow, goat, sheep, human…) contains a sugar called lactose, which is normally broken down by an enzyme called lactase. If your body produces too little lactase, the unprocessed lactose can feed bacteria in the lower gut causing pain, bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea.

Ingredients to avoid; Milk, plus other dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, butter, buttermilk, cream, ice-cream, whey curd, whey protein, quark, many types of bread, custards and ready-made desserts, some stock cubes, lactose and basically anything else on an ingredient list that begins with ‘lact-.

Ingredients to get creative with: Fruits and vegetables, unprocessed meat, whole-grains, lentils and pulses, soy milk, coconut milk, meat, soy yoghurt, coconut ‘butter’, almond milk, rice milk.

Meal ideas to impress: Coconut milk based Thai green curry; falafel pita pockets with hummus and salad; Italian tomato meatballs sprinkled with loads of fresh herbs based on spelt spaghetti; coconut butter/oil based chocolate brownies, soy ice-cream sundaes with berry compote and honey toasted almonds.

Diabetes diet:

The low down: Diabetes is a result of problems with the pancreatic hormone insulin. In people with diabetes, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of being taken into (and used by) the cells. This can increase the risk of heart disease, and can also damage the eyes, nerves, kidneys, and blood vessels. There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2, and while treatment is different for each, general dietary considerations are similar.

Ingredients to avoid: Minimise the use of saturated fat, sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates (e.g. white rice, white flour) and potatoes.

Ingredients to get creative with: Vegetables, pulses, brown rice, quinoa, millet, oats, sweet potato, nuts and seeds, stevia (a natural sweetener that has no effect on blood sugar levels), plain yoghurt, fish, chicken, tofu, eggs.

Meal ideas to impress: Roast chicken stuffed with pistachio, fresh herbs and polenta; Sesame crusted seared tuna served on bok choy; lamb meat balls served with sugar-free fresh mint chutney and tzatziki; stevia sweetened fruit whips with chopped almonds sprinkled on top.

Pregnancy diet:

The low down: Far from a disease or intolerance, but still a health ‘condition’ that can throw people’s aprons in a twist when faced with cooking for a Mum-to-be. Pregnancy lasts for approximately 40 weeks and is divided into three periods, or ‘trimesters’.  Nutritional needs increase when a woman is pregnant, so it is important than ever to have a balanced diet that is high in nutrients and low in bad fats and refined foods. It is also necessary to avoid certain food and drinks that pose a risk to the mother or unborn child.

Ingredients to avoid: Uncooked eggs, coffee, alcohol, rare or undercooked poultry or fish, oysters, sashimi, soft cheese (eg. blue cheese, feta, brie, camembert, cottage, ricotta) pate, liver.

Ingredients to get creative with: Foods rich in iron such has green leafy vegetables, raisins, red meat (preferably organic) and whole-grains.  Calcium and potassium rich foods such as almonds, bananas, cottage cheese, sardines, sesame seeds, soy products and yoghurt.

Meal ideas to impress: Mediterranean hummus, olive and marinated mushroom platter; rosemary lemon-chicken strips with roast vegetables; spelt pasta beef and parmesan lasagne; banana and walnut cake; pomegranate, soda water and mint mocktails.
Happy and healthy cooking!

Live well, live long, live naturally

Renée x