I'm trying to find a word or short phrase that generally describes people that have dietary requirements, food restrictions, sensitivities, and even preferences. The phrase might apply to different kinds of restrictions, might include taste likes / dislikes, etc.
Instead of saying something like "we help people with dietary restrictions, allergies, and sensitivities" (which is verbose), is there a way to say "we help ______________" (where the blank is "people with dietary restrictions, allergies, and sensitivities")
Is there a word or short phrase that would make sense here?
Best Answer
There is no good word for these.
There are obviously conditions (diabetes, celiac disease, acid reflux, etc.) that limit what people can eat, but most people do not want to define themselves by their conditions, any more than they want to define themselves by gender, age, or other things that are attributes of a human being.
Some people can get quite militant about their food choices. However, there too I'd suggest that their choices be treated as attributes, since this effectively denies them the opportunity for moral posturing.
There may be some medical term. However, in ordinary social usage, you're probably better off with a familiar phrase, e.g. a person with diet restrictions.
The concept of ableism sometimes seems overblown, but it's not much fun being at a restaurant with nothing on the menu you can eat. There some ideas in the article you could maybe build on.