Most people think of a diet as a food regimen followed for weight loss. But there are millions of people who must follow special dietary restrictions for their health. Sometimes this is referred to as “Medical Nutrition Therapy”. It’s used to control blood sugars in people who have diabetes, blood pressure in people with hypertension, and allergic reactions to people with gluten intolerance and other food-triggered reactions, among other conditions. People with kidney problems, heart problems and clogged arteries must follow certain dietary guidelines to extend their life. Intestinal illnesses may require either high- or low-fiber diets and still others may require a high- or low-fat dietary intake.

Foods are there for our pleasure and nutrition. Our diet provides us with the energy, protein, vitamins and minerals we need for our bodies to function properly. But for some, certain food components can be life-threatening. Take, for example, a person whose kidneys no longer work. The kidneys rid our body of waste products but they also have other functions: they excrete extra sodium and potassium; they convert the inactive form of vitamin D to the active form; they make a hormone that keeps our red blood cells forming in the bone marrow; and they filter out extra fluid. Without kidney dialysis–along with a proper diet–a person could literally die in a short time from consuming too much salt, too much potassium, too much fluid or the wrong amount of protein. In order to balance the diet, people with kidney failure must often consume disproportionately high amounts of sugar and fat just to get in enough calories. Foods they must avoid often include those we usually think of as very healthy–oranges, bananas, potatoes, dairy products, and beans–because of their high potassium and/or protein content.

Think about your diet today and the fact that, if you are healthy, you can eat whatever you like! People who try to lose weight focus on the foods they should avoid, like chocolate and peanut butter and potato chips and pie. What if you were told you couldn’t have orange juice anymore, or kidney beans? What if you had to avoid all products made from wheat flour because of a severe intolerance? How would you feel if salty foods like pickles and ham suddenly became a threat to your life?

Putting a “diet” in perspective can really turn your mind around and make you appreciate what you can have! Today, think about the foods that are good for you right now that you love: enjoy sipping on grapefruit juice, biting into a ripe peach, tasting freshly steamed broccoli and enjoying a bowl of chili that you might never be able to have again if you were not healthy today. Stop thinking about what you “can’t” have on your diet and cherish all the wonderful and tasty foods that you have the ability to enjoy today!

Leave us a comment about a food you found new appreciation for after thinking about it!