Therapeutic special diets.

The aim of a therapeutic diet is to provide a nutritionally adequate 
diet from a variety of natural and/or specially prepared artificial food 
substitutes for the treatment of specific clinical disorders. The role of 
the dietitian is to work as a member of the medical 
team. Paediatric dietetics require rather more detailed advice and help for 
the parents, particularly when the diet involves calculation or restriction of 
specific nutrients. Dietary considerations in obesity, diabetes mellitus, coeliac disease, cystic 
fibrosis, carbohydrate intolerance, galactosaemia, and phenylketonuria are discussed. 