GMC guidance on personal beliefs and medical practice states:
‘In assessing a patient’s conditions and taking a history, you should take account of spiritual, religious, social and cultural factors, as well as their clinical history and symptoms. It may therefore be appropriate to ask a patient about their personal beliefs. However, you must not put pressure on a patient to discuss or justify their beliefs, or the absence of them.’ 1
Many people will choose to avoid certain products in their diet on ethical or religious grounds. Vegetarianism is a lifestyle choice advocated by many spiritual disciplines including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism as well as several less mainstream religions. Vegetarianism is defined by the Vegetarian Society as:
‘Someone who lives on a diet of grains, pulses, nuts, …