Cooking for Special Diets provides the skills and techniques needed to address special diets while providing culinary inspiration for healthy, wholesome meals for these consumers and guests. This text teaches readers how to widen the scope of their offerings and create flavorful recipes to meet all kinds of dietary needs. Cooking for Special Diets explains the wide range of dietary challenges of which chefs should be conscious, including celiac disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, food allergies, and more. Introductory chapters cover general nutrition information, healthy ingredients, and substitutions. Subsequent chapters provide recipes for a wide range of dietary concerns, from vegetarian, vegan, and low-fat meals to delectable entrees that are gluten-, lactose-, or sugar-free. Cooking for Special Diets provides chefs with an arsenal of recipes that are healthy, versatile, and always delicious.

Author Biography

Katherine Polenz, a professor of culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., currently teaches Cuisines of the Americas in the college's degree programs. In her more than two decades at the CIA, Polenz has taught a variety of culinary arts courses to students pursuing associate and bachelor's degrees. Through the CIA's Continuing Education Department, she has also taught cooking courses in Mexico and Brazil. Polenz's career includes extensive experience as an executive chef and chef/owner of commercial establishments that focus on healthy dining. She currently operates The Pampered Palate, an off-premises catering company serving the Hudson Valley and environs and specializing in nutritious food preparation. Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering bachelor's and associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. A network of more than 45,000 alumni has helped the CIA earn its reputation as the world's premier culinary college. The CIA, which also offers courses for professionals and food enthusiasts, as well as consulting services for the foodservice and hospitality industry, has campuses in Hyde Park, N.Y.; St. Helena, Calif.; San Antonio, Texas; and Singapore.