Special Diets & Recipes

Special Diets: What Can I Eat?

Best Healthy Diet Snacks Slideshow

Learn about special diets as well as healthy foods to meet your changing dietary needs as you age. You'll also find recipes to suit your diet.

By Kathleen Zelman, MPH, RD/LD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Making small changes to your diet or eating plan can be exactly what you need for good health and healthy aging. Many diseases and conditions, including allergies, and/or your family history, can require changes in your diet to keep you feeling well and in good health.

In many cases, a doctor will prescribe a modified diet, along with exercise suited to your condition. Sometimes, this diet therapy is nothing more than a good, nutritious diet balanced in carbohydrates, proteins and fats, or one that requires frequent minimeals. Most special diets can be just as tasty and easy to follow as traditional eating plans.

Nutrients in foods are nature's secret weapons for good health. If you have any of these conditions, or would like to change your diet to improve your health, review the dietary recommendations to ensure you get all the nutrients you need:

• Cancer - Eating Right During Cancer Treatment
• Celiac Disease - Gluten Free Diet
• Diabetes - Eating Right
• Diabetes - Eating Well with Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease - Helping Your Loved One Eat Right
• Heart Healthy - Recipes for Romance
• Heart Healthy Foods - with Recipe Ideas
• Heartburn (GERD) - Lifestyle Changes to Manage Heartburn
• Heartburn - Holiday Recipes Makeover
• High Cholesterol - Stocking a Heart Healthy Kitchen
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - What do I Eat?
• Lactation - Your Nutritional Needs While Breastfeeding
• Menopause - Change of Life; Change of Diet
• Menopause - Managing Menopause Symptoms Through Diet
• Migraine - Eat to Minimize Your Migraine
• Pregnancy - Myths, Dos, and Don'ts
• Vegetarian - Vegetarian Diets and Organic Foods
• Vegetarian - Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes

Published February 2006.

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