[lynne]

How many of you deal with clients with special diets? Give them a nutritional analysis? Do you take requests/Ask them what they are looking for/advised to eat?

If you do give an analysis -- what kind of methods or software do you use? Have you checked to see if it's accurate?

[shroomgirl]

I have cooked low-fat for heart patients....
A few years ago I worked with a dietcian for a renal dialysis patient. The guidelines were spelled out, I just followed her dietary restrictions....Giving her foods she enjoyed but altering them to fit within the restraints.
At this time I'm cooking for a dear friend that has diabetes as well as renal failure.
The dieticians have been of little help. He's ordered a few cookbooks, I have contradictory information coming from different formated print.
This has been an incredibly frustrating emotionally draining experience....I talk food and they talk chemicals. I can work within a framework but they've yet to answer clear questions on good commercial products or adjusting his long used diabetic diet to the renal requirements. If there are good programs available I'd love to check them out.
Thanks for the thread.

[Ruth]

i had a client who needed gourmet spa food,he had the whole heart re fixed for new highways. cooking light has a mastercook series which has a cdrom and it has nutrtional info..calorie sat fat sodium all the goods. it also with has a book . i was also concerned as i still am and have always been on organics especially when the client can afford it.i mean they want the best so why not.if you are going to cook with dietary restrictions which don't tase like it use the best you can.


ruth

[kokopuffs]

The major problem inherent in renal failure (hereafter RF) is proper ionic balance. Ionic loss is prevalent as is loss of albumin, a major transport protein within the bloodstream. Maintaining the proper ionic balance in RF is a real "bear", to say the least. The patient may suffer major ionic loss one day and very little loss the next. An attempt to restore the proper ionic balance can, therefore, result in a life threatening situation. A doctor's/dietician's orders must be followed to the letter.

Please do a search in the MERCK MANUAL:

http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/

Don't hesitate to email me personally should you have any further concerns.

[Pastachef]

That is very interesting, Kokopuffs. I love to read about things like this. Especially since I have a daughter who was born with a missing kidney.

[panini]

Lynne,
I use Food-Pro for nutritional analysis, it has a lot of built ins and has edit capabilities for your own recipes, labels, costing etc.
The bakery does not produce special diet foods but some of our customers are on very restrictive diets or need to add things.
I'm pretty confident in the analysis. Cooper A. Clinic uses the same program and I believe they send some things out to dbl. check.
panini