Catering to the Digestively Delicate: Common Therapeutic Diets for GI Disorders and Practical Implications for Foodservice
Chronic gastrointestinal symptoms are extremely prevalent among all demographic groups in the United States. Dietary modification is an increasingly common strategy for symptom and disease management within the healthcare establishment, and social media and direct-to-consumer testing is fueling even greater adoption of elimination diets even outside of the traditional provider-patient relationship. In this session, Registered Dietitian Tamara Duker Freuman will share the most common therapeutic diets employed in her clinical nutrition practice, which is embedded in a high-volume NYC gastroenterology clinic, as well as the medical conditions/symptoms that these diets are typically most suited to address.  Practical insights as to how principles of these therapeutic diets can be translated into menus and recipe development so as to make food service offerings more inclusive will be offered. The session will also address the growth of less evidence-based ‘food sensitivity testing’ and the challenges that it poses to consumers, healthcare providers, culinarians and foodservice directors alike.