Cooking for Your Diet Options

When I cook for others, I try to take their diet restrictions and incorporate it into the meal I will serve everyone. This means I research whatever diet someone is on to see what I can or cannot cook for them. Here are some common diets I have run across, and what I do to serve them the appropriate, and healthy, foods.

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First Some Definitions

Food Groups

Vegetables: These come in a wide variety of nutrients, colors, flavors, and textures. They can be starchy (corn, green beans) or watery (spinach, lettuce) or root-based (potatoes, yams).

Fruits: Culinary fruit includes citrus (lemons, oranges), berries (blueberries, grapes, bananas, avocado), melons (honey dew, cantaloupe, papaya), stone fruit (peaches, plums), and pome (apples, pears).

Grains: These are the variations of wheat, rye, bulgar, rice, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, corn, and so on.

Protein: While nearly all vegetables have some form of protein, this category includes animals (beef, pork, chicken, fish), nuts (pecans, cashews), legumes (lentils, beans), soy products (tofu, tempeh), and so on.

Dairy: This is all forms of cow-related products like milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt. But I also include fortified (calcium, VitD) plant milks (almond, soy) and lactose-free milks and products.

Fat: This category includes vegetable oils (olive, avocado), seed or nut-based oil (sesame, walnut), and animal based lard.

Diets from a Cook’s Perspective

To be upfront, there are typical diets I run into all the time, and there are way too many atypical ones that I have never heard of. Because there are so many variations on what people can and cannot eat it is impossible for me to cover every option. In this post I am just covering the diets I have considered while cooking.

Raw Foods

I referred to HealthLine for what foods this diet excludes, but since it has been around since the 1800s some variations exist among its adherents. Basically, the goal is to avoid foods that are processed, heated over 104–118°F (40–48°C), refined, pasteurized or treated with pesticides.

Here is one list of food HealthLine suggests be AVOIDED:

• Cooked or canned fruits, vegetables, meats and grains.
• Baked items.
• Roasted nuts and seeds.
• Refined oils.
• Table salt.
• Refined sugars and flour.
• Pasteurized juices and dairy.
• Coffee and tea.

Cooking techniques used are juicing, blending, dehydrating, soaking and sprouting; some baking or roasting but at very low temps over a longer time period. All other heating techniques will not work.

For me, when presented with this diet I would look at making

• Salad with sprouts and seeds topped by spritz of lemon.
• A fruit-veggie shake that could also include seeds or nuts.
• A beautiful plate of baby veggies with a dip like raw peanuts you chopped into peanut butter.
• A plate of veggies and fruit.

Then I’d run the menu by the person to make sure I have it correct, and that there are no other allergies or sensitivities to be concerned with.

Vegan Diet + Lifestyle

This is more than a diet, because it affects all aspects of a person’s life as the overarching goal is to eliminate animals from any consumed or used product. In terms of food, no:

• Milk and milk products.
• Animal products (eggs, gelatin, honey, albumin, whey, casein, lard, etc.)

Otherwise, they use all cooking types, including fermentation even though that process involves living cells. Since mushrooms are eaten, any version of fungi (yeast) are considered in the broad plant category, not animal. So for vegan meals that are easy to make and are within most every cook’s skills I’d go with:

• Grains (rice, farro, buckwheat, etc) topped with veggie stir-fry but do not use any fish sauce.
• Veggie + lentil soup with vegetable-based broth with Seed Loaf (minus the egg).
• Chili with a lentil-mushroom broth, beans, carrots, etc. and smoky paprika for flavor.
• Veggie burritos.
• Tacos with fresh cut veggies and salsa.

Two Vegetarian Diets

Vegetarians avoid meat, fowl, & fish, & dome avoid eggs and dairy. They generally eat from all the other food groups. Animal byproducts like honey and fermented foods are okay. Personally, when I cook for this type of vegetarian I just cook as if they are vegan and it is easier for me to remember what to include or not.

• A rice-based casserole with veggies and cheese or vegan cheese.
• Spaghetti with a good red sauce, or lasagna with mushrooms and spinach.
• Air fried marinated tofu with sides of veggies and mashed potatoes.
• Soup and salad with cornbread.

There is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian variation that excludes meat, poultry, and fish, but includes eggs and dairy products. When I personally refer to vegetarian, this is the version I am thinking of as it is the most common one I have run into.

In both cases any vegan recipe will work. So if having both a vegan and a vegetarian over for dinner, I would just make a large vegan meal and both should be satisfied.

Pescatarian Diet

This is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian that eats fish. Often this is due to medical advice that they are not getting enough necessary vitamins and the fish are added back to ensure proper nutrition. However, I assume they are eating fish or sea-plants, but not necessarily crustaceans or shellfish.

All food techniques are used, and I cook for a lacto-ovo vegetarian with added fish or sea-plants to meet their nutritional needs. What comes to mind is a noodle curry with fish sauce, a shrimp salad, and so on.

Flexitarian Diet + Mediterranean Lifestyle

I follow a Flexitarian diet, and thus this is the easiest diet for me to discuss. Both the Flexitarians and Mediterranean diets are not focused on removing any food group, but are at their foundation a plant-based diet, that allow a variety of protein choices, including the occasional meat, fish or fowl.

For me, it means we eat lots of veggies, nuts and seeds, and whole grain. We limit dairy (although we do use eggs a lot) and I cook using a lot of chicken, turkey, fish and oxtail broth (see by recipes here) so their nutrition is added to my diet without me actually having to eat the flesh. This is also a preference for my spouse. I think we are both lacto-ovo-vegetarians at heart, but our specific physiology needs the additional vitamins and minerals animal products provide.

The Mediterranean diet is more of a lifestyle, rather than just eating a Flexitarian diet. Critically, eating is not just focused on the food, but on sharing the colorful variety of food and drink (limited alcohol though) in the company of others. As I wrote in a previous post, Diet + Food for Longevity , this is noted as one of the key factors toward longevity.

For a cook this is the easiest, for anything goes. Just know if they have any allergies or sensitivities.

Keto Diets

Here I am relying on HealthLine to describe a ketogenic diet. But first, let me acknowledge that this particular diet is similar to the Atkins and other low-carb diets. Essentially it is a diet that replaces carbs with fat, and has a clear intent to lose weight, by turning your body into an efficient fat burning machine. Basically it makes the body use fat for energy, rather than use carbs. This is also one of the more concerning diets that I personally have been on, but would not do so without medical supervision. Yes it works, but I would never follow this diet long term as it can produce:

• low protein in the blood
• extra fat in the liver
• kidney stones
• micronutrient deficiencies
• and in diabetics can cause diabetic ketoacidosis

HealthLine writes there are a variety of these diets:

• Standard ketogenic diet (SKD): This is a very low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. It typically contains 70% fat, 20% protein, and only 10% carbs.
• Cyclical ketogenic diet (CKD): This diet involves periods of higher carb refeeds, such as 5 ketogenic days followed by 2 high carb days.
• Targeted ketogenic diet (TKD): This diet allows you to add carbs around workouts.
• High protein ketogenic diet: This is similar to a standard ketogenic diet, but includes more protein. The ratio is often 60% fat, 35% protein, and 5% carbs.

Medical Directed Diets

Gluten Free

This is an easy diet to describe but much harder to do than some others. Simply put, it is a diet to avoid gluten, which is found in all forms of wheat, barley, rye and triticale. The main problem with this diet is that gluten is found in everything, especially processed and fast foods so it is real hard to avoid unless you cook everything from scratch or can read packaging labels really well.

I do not really recommend this diet for anyone that does not have gluten allergies or sensitivities, people with celiac disease, or gluten ataxia.

For cooking I would stick to these grains: corn, rice, oatmeal (only if it is labeled gluten free), flax, millet, quinoa, teff, and buckwheat. For noodles I use only rice noodles. Avoid clear spirits (although I think gin is okay) and beer or any malt drinks. I also avoid any and all boxed or canned foods unless they are one ingredient containers. Otherwise, all food is usable. My menu would look like:

• Any Chef salad minus croutons or commercial creamy dressings.
• Any soup or homemade ramen with rice or glass noodles.
• Home made cornbread made with corn flour and meal and no wheat.
• Fried protein coated with non-gluten Panko, crushed nuts, or crushed dried garbanzo instead.
• Homemade french fries but not fast food or restaurant fries as they are often coated with flour.

Lactose Intolerance Diet

This diet means you need to avoid any foods with lactose, which is in animal milks and products (cheese, yogurt, sour cream, butter, cottage cheese, dips, etc.). As I have a family member with lactose intolerance, I now have “Lactaid“ in my guest bathroom so it is always here when needed.

• Use ghee or vegan butter or just oil instead of butter.
• No foods from roux, like mac-n-cheese, gravy, and some other sauces unless you make them from scratch using plant milks and vegan cheese.
• Plant milks, vegan cheeses, and breads made without lactose are okay.
• Pasta is okay since they are not made with milk.
• No processed or pre-marinated meats (many have lactose in them).

To cook for this person avoid creamy foods in general, like creamy salad dressings, creamy soups, shakes, casseroles, etc. I tend to make Mexican, Italian, Greek, Ethiopian and food from other cuisines that do not highlight milk products in their foods.

Kidney Disease

Many sites I visited to verify my understanding referred people to the DASH diet as supporting kidney health. The focus is to reduce sodium, phosphorus, potassium, and limit alcohol (<1 per day) and protein (keep to proper serving sizes).

Food with less phosphorus include (NIH):

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Breads, pasta, rice
• Rice milk (not enriched)
• Corn and rice cereals
• Homemade iced tea or lemonade

Food with less potassium include (NIH):

• Apples, peaches
• Carrots, green beans
• White bread and pasta
• White rice
• Rice milk (not enriched)
• Cooked rice and wheat cereals, grits
• Apple, grape, or cranberry juice

This can be a very bland diet, like plain rice and unadorned veggies with a marinated tofu dish. The only thing that I, as a cook, can do is use herbs/spices to make the food taste better, but would need to follow medical advice on what to cook.

I could make chicken rice + veggie soup but would have to add the meat separately so it could be measured properly. Or a minestrone and mushroom soup without meat, so long as it was all home made with little salt. Bur most likely I would probably ask what their favorite and healthy meal would look like and riff off that.

Fatty Liver Disease

Again I turn to HealthLine for advice and verification of my knowledge. A diseased liver can have a variety of issues and the general recommendation given by professionals are to:

• Avoid toxins and alcohol (eat pesticide free and don’t drink or take drugs)
• Eat a balanced diet
• Exercise
• Avoid needles, and other peoples blood, and wash your hands
• Practice safe sex
• Follow medical instructions

Here is a list of some of the food they recommend for assisting our livers:

• Coffee + Tea
• Grapefruit
• Blueberries, cranberries and grapes
• Prickly pear
• beetroot juice
• Cruciferous veggies
• Nuts
• Fatty fish
• Olive oil

Again I would ask the person what their favorite meal was, and what they could eat to see what we could come up with. For sure it would probably include salmon (or other fatty fish), with a fruit-based dessert.

DASH:

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a diet to help maintain heart health and lower blood pressure, of an individual. DASH Diet and the Mediterranean diet have a similar food approach, but DASH focuses on reducing total sodium intake to ~1500mg/day. Folks are also told to always reduce saturated and trans fat as well.

The key here is avoid processed foods, eliminate salt as much as possible, reduce fat cuts of meat, and focus on veggies and fruit. Generally people who are on the DASH diet have had it recommended by a medical professional, and have had the opportunity to seek professional nutritionist or dietician help. For a cook who has invited this person over, I suggest:

• A healthy salad with no creamy salad dressing, use an oil and vinegar option
• Vegetable soup like minestrone or chicken noodle.
• Dinner meats should be proper portion sizes (3-4oz) of lean meats
• Do not put salt and pepper on the table so as not to tempt the person
• Make dessert from some fresh fruit with mint and a T of Triplesec for flavor

Diabetes:

The MayoClinic writes that a diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that’s naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories.The main thing is to:

• Avoid less healthy carbohydrates with added fats, sugars and sodium
• Avoid fried fish and fish with high levels of mercury
• Stick with limited avocados, nuts, canola, or olive and peanut oils

Since I have a Type 1 diabetic in my family, I help by counting carbs for the meals I make or by keeping the packaging at hand so they can count up the carbs. The amount of insulin bolus this person takes before eating is defined by the amount of carbs they will be consuming.

So, for diabetics, be sure to pull them aside and fill them in on the menu, including dessert and drinks, so they can calculate their insulin needs (if they take insulin).

Inflammation Diseases

WebMD was my source for this section, but I can tell you up front common advice is to avoid all highly processed, greasy, or any added-sugar sweet. Focused on anti-inflammation nutrition includes eating lots of:

• Colorful fruits (especially cherries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
• Colorful vegetables (especially leafy greens, broccoli, cabbage)
• Mix up whole grains
• Focus on plant-based proteins and fatty fish (salmon)
• Use plenty of fresh herbs and spices instead of salts
• Increase fiber
• Many believe avoiding gluten helps but there is no conclusive science to indicate this is true

I would probably make a salmon dish with Spanakopita pasties made with whole grain instead of phyllo dough. Dessert might be a berry cobbler with an oat topping. I would not worry about gluten unless I was specifically told.

Other Commonly Known Diets

Paleo: I find this diet unscientific for we barely know what these humanoids actually ate (1), but it had to vary based on location and opportunity. I do know this diet focuses on whole foods, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Additionally, in general, they avoid all processed foods, sugar, dairy, tubers and grains. But I have been told too, that there are many variations within this community so best would be to ask them about their favorite meal and work from that.

Whole30. The Whole30 is an elimination diet (stripping certain food groups from your diet) for 30 days to see if these common triggers are harming your health. As a cook I would just need to know what is being eliminated and that will not be served.

Weight Watchers. The program I attended had a points-based system to keep members on track by assigning different point values to different foods based on factors like calories, fat, protein, and sugar content. That and providing a daily point goal to track, and weekly meetings to make you accountable. All I would do is a serve-yourself buffet type meal, and provide access to measuring cups, spoons and a scale so they can fill their plate up first, in the kitchen and away from prying eyes.

A Cooks Conclusion

Mainly, if I know the parameters within which I can cook, I can come up with a menu that looks and tastes good, while meeting everyone’s needs. My ultimate goal is to serve a dinner where I do not call out anyone’s diet, but make a dinner that accommodates everyone. This means making the initial menu with options, then conferring with those that have restrictions as a very important first step.

One time I went to a dinner and had not told the cook I was abstaining from solid food due to a medical created diet I was on for 6-months, and it felt terrible. The person had cooked all day, there were only 4 guests, so my lack of eating was noticeable. The lesson learned that day was to inform the cook beforehand what my limitations were regarding diet. I will never make that mistake again, as I still feel really bad given the cook’s face when I declined the food.

But I also believe if you do not trust the cook to follow your diet requirements, you should bring food with you so that you are still eating with everyone and can partake in the event alongside the other diners. Just give the cook a heads up.

Like I have said before, I am prideful of my ability to figure out meals to meet everyone’s needs and this pride has now led all my dinner guests to expect me to make it all work. Ah, the shadow side of pride.

—Patty

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