While everyone should adopt a healthy diet, it is particularly important for people with disabilities (PWD). Generally speaking, PWDs have a higher chance of suffering from chronic health conditions compared to their abled counterparts.
Healthy eating can help an individual manage their disability more effectively. By contrast, eating the wrong foods regularly can worsen one’s physical and mental condition.
While there is a general guideline to eating well, the recommended food type and intake can differ greatly based on an individual’s unique constitution, disability, allergies and available food sources.
Here are several important questions that need to be answered in order to determine what type of food works for you, and what doesn’t.
Are there foods that can worsen a disability?
Not only can excessive consumption of unhealthy food worsen a disability, it can cause them too.
For example, neuropathy – a type of nerve damage outside of the brain and spinal cord – is a potential disability that can directly be caused by high glucose levels. The excess sugar damages the small blood vessels that feed nutrients to your nerves, which in turn can impact one’s motor skills.
As a general rule, one should avoid or at least minimise intake of the following foods, especially if one has a disability:
- Alcohol – Excessive consumption can also damage nerves and contribute to nutrient deficiency.
- Processed foods – These are very high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, all of which can worsen the impact of certain disabilities.
I can’t eat animal products, is there an alternative?
Perhaps you can no longer consume meat or other animal products due to a particular disability, meaning you’re now lacking an important source of protein and other nutrients.
These nutrients include vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin that maintains both the health of your nerves and the basic functions of your brain. While both protein and vitamin B12 are mainly sourced from animal products, other alternatives thankfully exist.
Fortified non-dairy milk is an excellent source of vitamin B12. Here are some examples of fortified non-dairy milk:
- Soy milk
- Almond milk
- Rice milk
Keep in mind that these milk options must be fortified, since unfortified non-dairy milk would lack the necessary nutrients you’re looking for.
As for protein, there are plenty of non-meat alternatives. These include:
- Soya beans
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Quinoa
- Cereals and other grains
Are vitamin supplements required or encouraged?
Unless you have unique circumstances that require specific supplements to manage your health and disability, your nutritional requirements should be easily met just by maintaining a proper diet. In fact, there are cases in which vitamin supplements provide far more nutrients than your body requires.
There are many vitamin C supplements, for instance, that provide 1,000 milligrams per tablet. However, the recommended daily intake of vitamin C is only 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men.
A typical glass of fresh orange juice already has 50 milligrams of vitamin C, so two glasses are more than sufficient to meet your daily requirement without supplements.
Should I switch to a new diet immediately?
Sure, there are cases where a disability is severe enough to force an immediate change to one’s diet, in order to minimise or manage potential complications. But as a general rule, it’s usually ideal to begin your switch to a new diet in a slow, gradual manner.
An instant shift in diet can make it difficult for an individual to mentally and emotionally adapt, which makes it far less likely for one to maintain that new diet.
Such sudden diet changes can also have a real physical impact. Your body might experience some level of discomfort as it adapts to your new source of nutrients.
So unless necessary, swap out your current foods for healthier, more recommended options over the course of a few weeks instead.
References
Arlene Semeco (2024) Top 12 Foods That Are High in Vitamin B12 [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-b12-foods
Ocean Robbins (2023) Neuropathy and Diet: How Nutrition Impacts Nerve Damage [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://foodrevolution.org/blog/neuropathy-nutrition/
Unilever (2024) Empowering Nutrition: Ensuring Accessible and Healthy Food Choices for People with Disabilities [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://www.unilever.co.za/brands/health/articles/empowering-nutrition-ensuring-accessible-and-healthy-food-choices-for-people-with-disabilities/
The Baddour Center (2020) 5 Nutritional Tips for Individuals with Disabilities [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://www.baddour.org/blog/posts/5-nutritional-tips-for-individuals-with-disabilities
Disability Support Guide (2024) Top healthy eating tips for people with disability [Accessed 18 April 2024] Available at: https://www.disabilitysupportguide.com.au/information/article/top-healthy-eating-tips-for-people-with-disability