Dietary Needs

Coping with Fish and Shellfish Allergies in College

According to FARE, an estimated 2.3 percent of Americans — nearly seven million people — report an allergy to seafood, including fish and shellfish with salmon, tuna, and halibut being the most common. When your child heads off to college, its important they understand how to managing their allergy on their own. Tracy Stuckrath contributes to this Campus Explorer article with some steps to take to make sure your college experience is everything you want it to be even with your food allergy An estimated 2.3 percent of Americans are allergic to seafood .

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Fall 2012: Campus Explorer

Managing food allergies at college is similar to managing them at events—you have to rely on someone else to make sure you’re served something safe. However, being proactive, knowing your allergies and triggers and planning in advance, you can have an enjoyable experience. Tracy Stuckrath contributes to the article, “Dealing With Food Allergies and Intolerances in College” on Campus Explorer, an online search engine to find the perfect school, which believes everyone deserves a fulfilling education, no matter the name or place, or disability (food allergies).

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Food (Allergies) for Thought

In the Fall 2012 issue of Minnesota Meetings & Events, Tracy Stuckrath discusses how communication is key to managing the food allergies of event participants. And, it must be a three-way conversation between the planner, the attendee and your catering vendors. Vendors need to know in advance what they need and can prepare and the participant needs to understand and feel comfortable with how they will be served.

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Welcome to Thrive! Meetings & Events

What does your event say about you?

It’s not just who’s attending your event, it’s how you plan it and what you’re serving.
Does it seem like organizing an event is harder than ever these days with shorter turnaround times, shrinking budgets and managing guests with allergies to dairy, shellfish, wheat, or even sugar? Gone are the days of booking months out, unlimited budgets and one-size-fits-all meals.

Now you have to think about doing more with less and feeding vegetarians, pescatarians and Rastafarians! Okay, maybe not Rastafarians. But the fact is, event planning—including food & beverage—is more complicated today than ever before.

Relax. Take a breath. Thrive! has been doing this for years and can show you the path to creating successful and memorable events that not only meet business objectives; we also have a special focus on providing cost-effective, healthy and delicious menus that account for every possible dietary need out there.

Keep reading to learn more about what we do and how we do it—everything you need to know about this specialized field is here.

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August 15, 2012: Exhibitor FastTrak

If you missed Tracy Stuckrath’s presentation “I Can’t Eat That! How to How to Incorporate Special Dietary Needs into F&B Plans” at Exhibitor 2012 in Las Vegas, check out the Exhibitor FastTrak Chicago session August 14-16. Tracy will be following up her March 8 presentation exploring: Who is making these requests and why are they increasing Different dietary needs, from food allergies and intolerances to medical conditions and personal preference Legal reasons to be concerned about meeting these needs When do these “pesky” attendees positively impact your business Managing costs

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A MEGA Enlightening Weekend

I’m in sunny Southern California this weekend to attend the Integrative Nutritions MEGA Conference. A 2009 graduate of the program, I’ll be connecting with about 5,000 other health coaches/healthy eating champions who are also IIN graduates. As with all the my classes in New York, the energy in the room will be crazy fun and empowering. One of the best parts of the IIN comprehensive nutrition practicum is that it provides perspective. Eating is an individual thing—not one diet is good for everyone. The line-up of speakers this weekend validates that by providing us experts on eating and food: Mark Sisson {primal and…

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March 8, 2012: Exhibitor 2012

Food-related diseases are on the rise, with approximately 45% of your attendees likely to have one or more of them. The 2008 Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act protects some and prohibits discrimination on the basis of having to eat a certain way. On March 8, at Exhibitor 2012, Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC, an event professional with food allergies, will help you understand: Who is making these requests and why are they increasing Different dietary needs, from food allergies and intolerances to medical conditions and personal preference Legal reasons to be concerned about meeting these needs When do these…

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February 27, 2012: Catersource

I Can’t Eat That! Managing Dietary Needs of Guests Do you often wonder whether the event attendees who ask for special meals are just picky eaters or on one of the latest fad diets? You’re not alone. There are millions of people who have chosen to follow a specific diet or just don’t like a specific food (I personally dislike cucumbers and melons), but there are millions of others who have food allergies, celiac disease, heart disease or another disease that requires them to eat a specific way to stay safe and healthy. At Catersource 2012 in Las Vegas, Tracy will…

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Catersource “Get Fresh”: January 2012

In the latest Fresh Ideas from the ICA in Catersource’s Get Fresh newsletter, Tracy Stuckrath, CSEP, CMM, CHC talks about how to manage the dietary needs of guests in “Tolerating Intolerance.” She says its important to be proactive in your planning – ask guests about their needs in advance, update your recipes so they can be prepared multiple ways to accommodate different needs. Its also important to pay attention to cross contamination in the kitchen and on the buffets.

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