Foods for Special Dietary Regimens

The relationship between foods and health and their influence on the prevention of diseases was established a long time ago. To corroborate this relationship and impact on consumer health; this chapter focuses on definitions associated with special dietarian regimes, classifying and describing different types of consumers, and defining the types of special foods. It also describes the food functions and definitions associated with its function on the body. The macro and micronutrients, special dietary raw material, and the effect of the technological processes on food properties are addressed. The labeling and its legislation, steps for food development, and recipes to produce nonconventional flour are also discussed.

Since the vegetarian diet is gaining increasing interest, in this chapter, there is a brief discussion of the compilation of the vegetarian's nutritional and health implications. The discussion focuses on the type of vegetarian consumers, the guidelines for a vegetarian diet, and the vegetarian food pyramids published. It also discusses the vegetarian diets through life stages and some processed food for vegetarians, including some home recipes.

The aging process of any population is a function of the differences in genetics, lifestyle, and health. The relationship between aging and several diseases of older adults includes loss of appetite, gustatory dysfunctions, declining basal metabolism. Moreover, the situation is aggravated by economic issues that sometimes affecting this fraction of the population. This chapter stresses the relationship between nutrition and the elderly, emphasizing some chronic conditions or clinically identifiable complications that appear during the aging process. Therefore, it is briefly discussed chronic conditions such as anorexia, presbyphagia anosmia or hyposmia, sarcopenia, hypothyroidism, osteopenia/osteoporosis, and constipation. Also, there is a brief compilation of the information on food for the elderly and some home recipes.

Concerns about athlete's alimentation begin with food availability and its versatility at the markets due that sports foods offer is reduced and low investigated. The chapter highlights foods for sports topics, food development and nutrition, and managing athlete’s body composition, and their special requirements. The energy balance and availability, macro and micronutrients, and their importance in body function are also discussed. Finally, the goals of an adequate sports diet, and the use of supplements and performance enhancers, and recommendations of some recipes are mentioned.

The chapter deals with diabetes overview, focuses on the relation of diet and diabetes, the conventional and non-conventional raw material for the development of foods for the diabetic. The chapter also discusses natural and synthetic sweeteners’ overview. Dietary approaches to produce food for diabetic consumers also are addressed, with special emphasis on foods with insulin-secreting, insulin-sensitizing, and insulin-mimetic properties. Also, the terms: glycemic index, insulin index, and glycemic load are defined. And finally, some recipes for diabetic consumers are recommended.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of amino acid metabolism, characterized by persistent hyperphenylalaninemia. There is no cure for PKU, however, early diagnosis and treatment during the first month of life, make it possible to prevent all the mentioned consequences. The treatment of classic and moderate PKU is nutritional, based on a diet restricted in Phe, and supplemented with special formulas free of Phe. The chapter is handling phenylketonuria (PKU) overview, highflying the treatment strategies, incidence, nutrition, and PKU Diet, and development and innovation of food for PKU including some home recipes.

Celiac disease (CD), non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), wheat allergy, and autism are associated with gluten intake. Although, there might be an overlap with the symptoms associated these conditions have distinct characteristics. The most concerning gluten-associated illnesses are celiac disease and autism: Celiac disease occurs in genetically predisposed subjects exposed to gluten-containing foods and other environmental factors. While autism has shown severe contradiction in regards to its control with a gluten-free diet. This chapter deals with this topic in a celiac and autism disease overview. The chapter compiles and discusses information concerning diagnosis and pathogenesis of both illnesses, the relationship between a gluten-free diet and these illnesses control, and substitutes of gluten flour. Gluten-free bakery products and pasta and some home recipes are also presented.

Dyslipidemia is a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism. Among the several causes of this disorder, there are secondary causes (mainly in adults), such as a sedentary lifestyle with excessive dietary intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, and Trans fats, alcohol overuse, and cigarette smoking. The chapter compiles and discusses as an overview, the types of dyslipidemia, clinical pathologies, and its causes. The chapter addresses fatty foods, and their fatty acid profile, the essential fatty acids, fat replacers, and some practical hints for fat-free foods including some home recipes.

The chapter is an overview of the relationship COVID 19-nutrition, it focuses on the relation of diet and the disease, some non-conventional raw material used as non-traditional medicine with properties to enhancement the body immunological systems. The chapter also recommends some home recipes for consumers.