Diets for Gastrointestinal Disorders

Abstract

To the Editor.— I wish to express my very strong support for the opinions of Dr. Robert M. Donaldson, Jr., in his description of the muddle of the diets that are prescribed for patients with gastrointestinal disorders (225:1243, 1973). I hope that Dr. Donaldson's common sense statements about the infrequency with which specific diets are needed will be given much greater publicity. The ritualistic and arbitrary diet sheets that have been prescribed for patients with gastrointestinal symptoms have been in vogue much too long. I believe, however, that Dr. Donaldson's efforts should be supplemented by calling attention to the great need for reviewing with patients their pattern of eating, rather than giving rigid instructions about what to eat. Too little attention is paid to the need for proper spacing of meals, the bad results of skipping meals and then eating too much at one time, eating too fast, and the