Diet in diseases – why is it so important?

Diet is a factor that plays a huge role both in the prevention of many diseases and in their treatment. Additionally, some diseases require significant modification of the diet, and this permanently. Therefore, patients may need the help of a qualified dietitian.

The occurrence of many diseases is influenced not only by age, gender, or genetic factors but also by those related to a broadly understood lifestyle, including diet. These are referred to as diet-related diseases. Doctors include obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis, hypertension), depression, digestive system diseases, kidney disorders, and even cancers among them. Of course, it cannot be unequivocally stated that their occurrence is caused by one specific dietary error. Diet-related diseases develop over a long time and are the result of, among other things, prolonged consumption of excessive calories, salt, excess fats and sugars in the diet, as well as deficiencies of fiber, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants.

Diet in disease – tailored to measure

Since improper nutrition can be one of the causes of some diseases, diet can also be used to treat them, slow their progression, alleviate their course, prevent relapses, or accelerate convalescence. However, for many patients, the problem is that they do not have adequate knowledge about recommended nutrition for a given disease, and an individual meal plan is not prepared by a family doctor or specialist. In such cases, the best solution is a visit to a qualified dietitian. Contrary to popular belief, a dietitian is not only a person \”for weight loss\” (although, of course, with a properly composed meal plan, excess kilograms can be lost) but also – and perhaps primarily – a specialist in teaching the principles of proper, healthy nutrition, including for patients with illnesses.

What can you expect during dietary consultations? The dietitian will not only familiarize themselves with the medical history but also conduct a detailed interview, asking about lifestyle, work performed, and culinary preferences. Based on this, an individual nutrition plan tailored to specific needs in the disease will be developed, which may aim to support therapy as well as prevent future relapses.
We invite you to consultations with a dietitian from the Wilmed Medical Clinic – appointments can be scheduled by phone from Monday to Friday between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM at the phone numbers 22 651 98 61 or 692 407 540, as well as by email at przychodnia@wilmed.pl.