Special Diets

Numerous types of special dietary or preparation requirements are linked to religious practice. Examples include Kosher, Hindu and Halal, described below.

The word “kosher” is used to describe ritual objects that are made in accordance with Jewish law and are fit for ritual use.

Kashrut is the body of Jewish law dealing with foods that can and cannot be eaten. It also tells how those foods must be prepared and eaten. More commonly, kashrut is known as kosher.

There is no such thing as “kosher-style” food. Kosher is not a style of cooking. Indian food can be kosher if it is prepared in accordance with Jewish law.

Traditional Jewish foods like knishes, bagels, blintzes and matzah ball soup can all be non-kosher if not prepared in accordance with Jewish law.

A restaurant that calls itself “kosher style” usually means that it serves traditional Jewish foods, but it almost invariably means that the food is not actually kosher.

Why do Jews observe the laws of kashrut? Many people think that kosher food laws are simply primitive health regulations that have become obsolete with modern methods of food preparation. Some of these dietary laws have some health benefits — kosher slaughter is very sanitary.

Modern scientific knowledge shows that there is no reason why camel or rabbit meat, both non-kosher (or treyf), is any less healthy than cow or goat meat. However, there is some evidence that eating meat and dairy together is not good for digestion.

The main reason why Jews observe these laws is because the Torah says so. Kosher can also raise the act of eating into a religious ritual.

General rules. The details of kosher rules are extensive, but the main rules are:

1. Certain animals may not be eaten at all. This restriction includes the flesh, organs, eggs and milk of the forbidden animals.
2. Of the animals that may be eaten, the birds and mammals must be killed in accordance with Jewish law.
3. All blood must be drained from the meat or broiled out of it before it is eaten.
4. Certain parts of permitted animals may not be eaten.
5. Meat (the flesh of birds and mammals) cannot be eaten with dairy. Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy. (According to some views, fish may not be eaten with meat.)
6. Utensils that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice versa. Utensils that have come into contact with non-kosher food may not be used with kosher food. This applies only where the contact occurred while the food was hot.
7. Grape products made by non-Jews may not be eaten.

Source: Judaism 101. For kosher recipes try koshercooking.com.

Hindus offer food to God first before eating it, and believe that the food can have a profound impact on one’s life — after all, one is what one eats. Hindu compassion for all living beings leads many Hindus to be vegetarian.

“It is therefore the duty of all scripturally and morally conscientious Hindus to embrace a strictly vegetarian diet, avoiding all forms of meat, fish, and eggs.” Source: hindunet (archived).

There are some Southern Indian Hindu recipes on this site.

Halal means “something that is lawful and permitted in Islam”.

For a food to be halal (lawful) for Muslim consumption, all its ingredients should be halal.

Haram is a Quranic term which means prohibited or unlawful. Haram foods and drinks are absolutely prohibited.

Mushbooh is an Arabic term which means suspected. If one does not know the halal or haram status of a particular food or drink, such a food or drink is doubtful. A practising Muslim prevents himself from consuming doubtful things.

Source, and for a list of halal and haram foods, see A guide to Halal food selection.

The following products are definitely halal:

1. Milk (from cows, sheep, camels and goats)
2. Honey
3. Fish
4. Plants which are not intoxicant
5. Fresh or naturally frozen vegetables
6. Fresh or dried fruits
7. Legumes and nuts such as peanuts, cashew nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, and so on
8. Grains such as wheat, rice, rye, barley, oats, and so on

Animals such as cows, sheep, goats, deer, moose, chickens, ducks and game birds are also halal, but they must be zabihah (slaughtered according to Islamic rites) in order to be suitable for consumption. The procedure is as follows: the animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim (or a Jew or Christian — more on this, archived). The animal should be put down on the ground (or held if it is small) and its throat should be slit with a very sharp knife to make sure that the three main blood vessels are cut. While cutting the throat of the animal (without severing it), the person must pronounce the name of Allah or recite a blessing which contains the name of Allah, such as “Bismillah Allah-u-Akbar”.

Source: eat-halal.com (archived).

The symptoms of food allergies are similar to those of food intolerance, so it is important to consult a doctor to be diagnosed correctly. Once diagnosed, you can learn about ways to prevent and treat your food allergy.

Food allergies are an increasingly common cause of anaphylaxis. Some believe this rise in occurrence may be caused by increased exposure to certain foods, such as peanuts, before children’s immune systems are developed enough to handle them.

Having a food allergy means that a person’s immune system reacts to a protein as a harmful invader and sets the body’s defences against it. Each time the person comes in contact with this protein the immune system attacks it by releasing histamines and other chemicals. These set off the symptoms of an allergic reaction, which can range from hives to deadly anaphylaxis.

Histamine is a chemical released by cells of the immune system called mast cells, and is largely responsible for producing these symptoms.

There are eight types of foods that are accountable for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. The foods that most commonly cause anaphylaxis are:

• Peanuts — not really a nut but a legume
• Tree nuts (walnuts, pecans, and so on)
• Shellfish
• Fish
• Milk — lactose intolerance
• Soy
• Wheat — gluten is a protein present in wheat; a celiac is allergic to the proteins in flour
• Eggs

Asthma is a condition in which the airways narrow due to an allergic hypersensitivity.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic condition resulting in itchy inflammation of the skin that is associated with allergy sufferers.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic response to specific triggers such as foods, medications, insect venom or latex.

Further information (archived): allergic-reactions.com.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body is unable to properly use and store glucose (a form of sugar).

Glucose concentrates in the bloodstream — causing the blood glucose or “sugar” to rise too high. There are two major types of diabetes.

In Type 1 (also called juvenile-onset or insulin-dependent) diabetes, the body completely stops producing any insulin, a hormone that enables it to use glucose found in foods for energy. People with Type 1 diabetes must take daily insulin injections to survive. This form of diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but can occur at any age.

In Type 2 (also called adult-onset or non-insulin-dependent) diabetes, the body produces insulin, but not enough to properly convert food into energy. This form of diabetes usually occurs in people who are over 40, overweight, and have a family history of diabetes.

“Simply stated, with proper education and within the context of healthy eating, a person with diabetes can eat anything a non-diabetic eats.”

Prevailing beliefs up to 1994 were that people with diabetes should avoid foods that contain so-called “simple” sugars and replace them with “complex” carbohydrates, such as those found in potatoes and cereals.

The theory that simple sugars are more rapidly digested and absorbed than starches, and therefore more apt to produce high blood sugar levels, has more recently been largely disproved. Instead, the emphasis since those guidelines were issued has evolved so that now many patients are being taught to focus on how many total grams of carbohydrate they can eat throughout the day at each meal and snack, and still keep their blood sugars under good control.

Well-controlled blood sugars are a top priority because other research studies have shown conclusively that all people with diabetes can cut their risk of developing diabetes complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney and eye disease, nerve damage and more, by keeping their blood sugars as closely controlled as possible.

On this site: Diabetes and eating and diabetic cakes.

Further information: Joslin Diabetes Center, Diabetic Lifestyle (archived), and the American Diabetes Association (archived link).

For sources of information on healthy eating and nutrition, try these archived guides: children’s nutrition, or Tufts Nutrition Navigator.

What is a healthy diet? Generally a healthy diet is characterised by:

• Low fat / cholesterol
• Low salt
• High fibre
• Six portions of vegetables and fruit a day