Dieting With Medical Conditions

Under no circumstances should you put losing weight before your overall health and well-being. Here are some tips on how to diet responsibly if you have a pre-existing medical condition. Make sure you also talk through your diet with a health professional to be certain it's safe.

High blood pressure

High blood pressure can be made worse by salty foods, and Food Standards Agency advice is to check labels and to eat no more than 6g of salt a day. Even if you don't add it to your food, check labels and cut down on hidden salt sources found in ready meals, soups and sauces, bacon, sausages and pizzas. Get plenty of potassium in your diet (from fruits, vegetables, nuts, skimmed dairy products etc.) to regulate water levels and help keep blood pressure normal. Blood pressure has a big genetic component too, so food may only make a small difference. Make sure you get your blood pressure checked regularly and follow medical advice.

Stomach infection

If you have had a bad stomach infection you probably will have stopped eating for a few days and be feeling weak and tired. The best way to get back into your diet is to simply go back to eating within the same calorie range as before.

There's no need to eat more as your appetite returns. And don't worry that your body will compensate for those days of not eating by going into 'starvation mode' and storing more fat; your body will readjust to normal service once you've recovered from the infection.

Diabetes

If you're diabetic you may find that increasing your exercise is causing dips in your blood pressure, which you then have to go over your calorie limit to fix. You could possibly try to deal with it by exercising towards the beginning of the day when you have more calories to play with and can adjust later.

If this is the case you should discuss your diabetes and any potential diet with your doctor - as a diabetic, sugars are essential to your well-being so you can't cut calories too drastically. But do remember that a balanced diet can help control the levels of glucose in your blood, and improve your energy levels.