Sugar, like caffeine, is a go-to picker-upper for most meeting attendees. Hang around the edges of any meeting break buffet table and I guarantee that, sooner or later, you’ll hear someone half-jokingly talk about learning how to ride the caffeine and sugar highs just right to avoid jitters on one end, and the inevitable crash on the other. But it’s no joke for attendees who live with diabetes, for whom soaring or guttering blood sugar levels can be potentially life threatening.
Before you can meet the dietary needs of those who prefer or require plant-based diets, you need to know all the different forms those who consider themselves to be “vegetarians” can take. “Do you have a vegetarian option?” These words once struck fear into the hearts of unprepared banquet servers and venue kitchen staff, who at best would scramble to whip up some brown rice and steamed broccoli in hopes that would satisfy the vegetarian conference-goer’s needs. With almost of fifth of the U.S. population either identifying as vegetarian or interested in going veggie at least part time (7.3 percent…
If you have to manage a food allergy or intolerance, traveling abroad or attending a business meeting or family picnic can be a minefield to navigate your allergy. From communicating your allergy in another language to knowing how that country, region or chef uses the food in their cuisine makes the already challenging situation even more difficult. Peanuts, for example, are used in many restaurants and street food stalls in Thailand. Often, the nuts are ground down to use as a garnish, meaning it is impossible to guarantee meals prepared nearby are entirely nut free. Mustard, an ancient flavor which…
Food Allergies Psychologically Impact Social Experiences We all have an inherent human emotional need to associate with and be welcomed by others within groups. Whether it’s the kickball team, family, the neighborhood book club or the office, the need to belong is at the heart of each of us feeling accepted, getting attention and gaining/providing support. As we go through life, we are motivated to fulfill these social needs along with our basic needs of food, housing and love. It drives our need to feel good about ourselves. “The need to belong is an intrinsic motivation to affiliate with others…
A Guest Post by Madison Savlov Graduation. I cannot believe I am officially finishing roughly 20 years of my much-appreciated education. Now I must enter the workforce and what society calls “the real world.” after college Besides being apprehensive about finding a job and leaving my home of 4 years to live on my own, as an adult with food allergies, I must now completely take control of managing them without the support that has been provided to me growing up. Now I start the process of locating “safe” restaurants — as well as a job and employer — that…
A New Study Shows Adult-onset food allergies are Higher than Projected Increased awareness of food allergies and dietary restrictions has prompted more research on the subject. The findings on adult-onset food allergies from a new research study conducted by Science & Outcomes of Allergy & Asthma Research (SOAAR) are fascinating and often spark more questions than answers. This is hopeful for many of those who live with uncomfortable and sometimes deadly reactions to certain foods. SOAAR Study The SOAAR study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that 10.8% of US adults (>26 million) have…
Not only do people with food allergies have to watch what they eat, but they also have to watch what they spend.
Due to the growing awareness of food allergies and the reoccurrence of what could have been preventable deaths and injuries related to those allergies.
The meetings industry has come a long way in understanding the importance of identifying allergens at group meals. Labeling buffet items and identifying ingredients in menus is pretty much standard procedure for hotels and caterers. In the consumer sector, this progress started in 2004 with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act. The legislation required manufacturers to identify if their prepackaged foods contained one of the eight major allergens in the U.S. – milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and tree nuts. At the time, these accounted for 90 percent of U.S. allergens. Eleven years later, a…
