Devising a basic dietary pattern for use in planning standard hospital diets in the Middle East. (c1974)

Abstract

Food plays an important role in maintaining health, in the prevention of deficiency diseases, and in the treatment of various disease conditions. Therapeutic diets play an important role in maintaining the best possible health especially if the patient is expected to live on e therapeutic diet for an extended period of time or for life. In essence, therapeutic defined diets save potential value in operative cases particularly when there is gastrointestinal disease, or any other particular disease. In addition, they are useful in the nutritional cases of those who are unable to eat or digest food in the normal-manner. In some pathological conditions the quantitative requirements of the individual may be altered, as is the case of diets focused on residue .Other conditions may require changes in the qualitative make up of the diet. In other situations, changes in the physical characteristics of the diet may be advisable, as in the case with liquid and soft diets. In all circumstances the diet should provide all essential nutrients as generally as its special characteristics permit, should be patterned as much as possible after a normal diet, and must be balanced to provide the nutritional needs of the patient. With a diet planned accordingly, the patient will not feel that he is different as an individual and therefore, suffer from self consciousness that his body metabolism is peculiar. Moreover, the diet should emphasize natural and commonly used foods which are readily available and easily prepared.