Dietary Restrictions & Nutrition
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A challenge with food restrictions can be ensuring adequate nutrition.
Finding safe foods to eat was already discussed here, but then on top of that it can make it difficult to getting all the fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals that are needed.
[A flower with the petals showing different vitamins and pictures of foods as examples of sources]
- Some helpful things to consider are what are your dietary needs? Not everyone needs the same amount of all the different nutrients.
- What nutrients tend to be lacking because of my specific restriction?
- What safe food sources are there for those nutrients?
- Are supplements an option? Some people simply can't get enough from food, or find it too difficult to do so.
- Who can I go to for help? Medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, dieticians or nutritionists may be offer things such as testing your levels, guidance with diet and advising or prescribing supplements.
Have you had any issues with meeting all your nutritional needs?
Do you have any tips for others?
@AffyAvo I have recenty been on a strict diet to lose weight. This lead to dysfunction menstrual cycle and I found out I need more B vitamins in my diet. Always listen to your body and customize accoarding to your needs! Thank you for the great post!
I have to drink nutrition shakes from insurance sends to me because am to small from my chromosome syndrome I eat lot of stuff just isn’t enough make big enough but they taste good at least so is ok
@theboymoana I'm glad they taste good!
I have been needing to direct my energy into just eating enough food every day. Depression, anxiety, and medications I take have contributed to a big loss of appetite for a number of years now. I also have ADHD and sensory integration disorder, so I tend to totally just not notice whenever I am hungry. Depression and idiopathic hypersomnia suck away a lot of my energy, so I tend to prepare really simple meals a lot of the time.
I literally set reminders on my phone to check in with my body to see if it needs any food or liquids and if I haven’t eaten in a few hours, to try and eat something regardless of how I feel.
I also have some food sensitivities. I have to avoid high amounts of certain FODMAPs which are a set of ingredients that tend to set off symptoms in folks with functional digestive disorders, especially irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). I don’t drink milk and try to avoid high amounts of dairy products that contain a lot of lactose. I also avoid high amounts of fructose, onions, garlic, and sugar alcohols.
I eat a lot of convenience foods and quick-prep meals. Sometimes I feel pressured by my own unnecessarily-high standards to eat more “healthily”. But I try to remember that “healthy” means something different to every individual. I also try to set smaller and more manageable goals for myself when it comes to getting the nutrients I need and not going too overboard with junk foods, and being gentle to myself when I do.
@AdzukiBeans Healthy is different for everyone! It sounds like you have some good systems. I like to keep some frozen fruit on hand too and microwave it. When it's hot, only partially thawing for a cool treat. Healthy and easy.I like quick things too.
For me, the diet has always been a challenge. Even though I managed to lose weight (I was 107 kilos and now I'm 82), and keep it for almost a year without changes, I still find it difficult. Thankfully, it's easy to find calories and other data on different products to calculate it easier. At least something helps.
(edited Feb 7, 2022)