Dietary Needs

adult-onset food allergy
Food Allergies April 15, 2019

Adult-Onset Food Allergies on the Rise

Food Allergies April 15, 2019

  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…

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Food Allergies February 28, 2019

The FDA’s Renewed Interest in Identifying Sesame as a Top Allergen

Food Allergies February 28, 2019

  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…

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Food Allergies February 28, 2019

Going Vegan – A Wicked Healthy Choice

Food Allergies February 28, 2019

  As we end this series on vegan education, I am excited to share insight from chef and plant-based educator, Chad Sarno. Along with brother Derek, Chad brought forth his Boston roots and created the concept of “Wicked Healthy” culinary arts: 80 percent healthy eating combined with an allowable 20 percent of wickedness. The healthy part is rooted in vegetables, and Chad sees the Veganuary movement as a solid introduction to eating plant-based. “Veganuary has been a kick-start for a lot of people who want a step-by-step program to go vegan,” Chad says. “It’s really been a huge catalyst for…

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Dietary Needs February 19, 2019

Healthy Food – What Attendees Want

Dietary Needs February 19, 2019

  The results are clear – our guests want to eat healthier. Multiple 2018 studies indicate that consumers are showing a growing awareness of the importance of eating healthy. The Dietary Disconnect While Americans want to start eating better, there seems to be some confusion and different opinions about what “eating healthy” really means. For some, it’s choosing to eat high-protein diets. For others, it’s reducing their gluten or dairy intake. According to a 2018 study conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC), one in three Americans follow some type of diet or eating program that they deem to…

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Chef Alain
Dietary Needs January 24, 2019

Eating Vegan – A Hotel Chef’s Perspective

Dietary Needs January 24, 2019

As few as five years ago, hotel kitchens weren’t as prepared to satisfy the needs of a vegan, and planners struggled to meet the nutritional requirements of their vegan attendee. Now in 2019, we’ve seen a great shift in education and accommodation for this group. I spoke with Alain Vergnault, pastry chef at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, to understand how hotel banquet staff have made changes to ease what was once seen as the vegan burden. “The frustration [in cooking for vegans] was here because we were not prepared,” Vergnault says. “If you prepare, and you have all the documentation…

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year of the vegan
Dietary Needs January 9, 2019

Welcome to 2019 – “The Year of the Vegan”

Dietary Needs January 9, 2019

Many of you may know that nine years ago, I started thrive! meetings & events after realizing that it was very hard to eat at the hundreds of events I planned and attended each year because I have a food allergy. While I had made significant dietary changes, and felt renewed in all aspects of life — certainly physically — I realized, perhaps more importantly, that I needed to educate the meetings and events industry on how to feed me and the millions of people like me. I attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and took other nutrition and food…

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Hello December post-it
Religious Dietary Practices November 29, 2018

December Religious Calendar

Religious Dietary Practices November 29, 2018

In the United States, Christmas is one of the most well-known religious holidays, but there are many others celebrated in December and the winter months. December 2-10 – Hanukkah Observance and Dietary Restriction Hanukkah celebrates the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem, their holy city, and a rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Jewish people won a difficult battle during the Maccabean revolt but came to find their temple destroyed and vandalized. They searched for oil to light the 7 candles of the menorah but could only find enough to burn for one day. Miraculously, the oil…

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vegan proteins
Lifestyle Choices November 19, 2018

10 Sources of Vegan Protein

Lifestyle Choices November 19, 2018

If you live a vegan lifestyle, getting enough protein is something you may worry about. Although many Americans get the majority of their protein from meat, there are plenty of other alternatives for sources of healthy protein. Since World Vegan Day is celebrated in November, I thought this would be the perfect time to share 10 sources of vegan-friendly proteins. Seitan. This wheat-based meat alternative packs a whopping 36 grams of protein into every ½ cup serving. Texturally, it is also the closest thing to meats like pork and beef and can stand up to grilling and frying. However, this…

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