Dietary Needs

November Religious Calendar

One of the largest festivals in November is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. There are quite a few major holidays for Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims during this month. Read more about these sacred traditions in order to better accommodate employees and colleagues who observe them. November 7 – Diwali Observance and Dietary Restriction Diwali is a five-day Hindu celebration also known as “the festival of lights”. While it is one of the biggest Hindu holidays, Sikhs, Jains, and Newar Buddhists also celebrate during this time. While there are slightly different traditions according to the region where Diwali is celebrated,…

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hello October

October Religious Calendar

  Religious Holidays in October October is a time of harvest and the beginning of what many would call “the holiday season”. In addition to secular holidays like Halloween, October has a couple important religious celebrations for the Hindu and Sikh religions. Read more about these sacred traditions in order to better accommodate employees and colleagues who observe them. September 29 – October 8 – Navaratri Observance and Dietary Restriction Literally translated, Navaratri means “nine nights” – a 10-day celebration of the different praiseworthy characteristics of the mother goddess, the feminine divinity often known as Durga. There are over 29…

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September

September Religious Calendar

The month of September often symbolizes a time of change and transition as we exit the summer months and the autumn begins. The next 30 days are full of religious celebrations, including the Jewish High Holy Days. Read more about these sacred traditions in order to better accommodate employees and colleagues who observe them and the corresponding dietary restrictions. September 2 — Janmashtami Observance and Dietary Restriction Janmashtami is an annual Hindu holiday that celebrates the birth of Krishna, a popular and widely revered Indian deity. One of the largest religious festivals in the world, Janmashtami is celebrated by almost…

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augustweggen; Independence Day

Around the World in 8 Independence Days

Freedom. Festivities. Food. Three key ingredients to making any Independence Day a success. Go anywhere in the U.S. on the Fourth of July and you would be hard pressed to find a square mile that wasn’t decked out in red, white, and blue or didn’t smell faintly of grilled burgers and hot dogs. Grilled meats are almost a rite of passage on the holiday and it begs the question, if you didn’t eat something special to celebrate did you even celebrate at all? Most places outside of the U.S. would answer no. Food is an integral part of any celebration…

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religious dietary restrictions August

August Religious Dietary Restrictions Calendar

August Religious Dietary Restrictions In keeping with my commitment to provide a helpful monthly calendar to everyone on religious dietary restrictions, here are August religious dietary restrictions dates to keep in mind this month. August 1 — Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus Observance & Dietary Restriction The Fast in Honor of the Holy Mother of Lord Jesus is a two week fasting period observed by Eastern Orthodox Christians to commemorate the death and burial of the Virgin Mary. Beginning on August first, Eastern Orthodox Christians forgo most proteins including dairy products, red meat, chicken, and…

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Ice Cream Guest Post | thrive!

An Ice Cream Story – Guest Blog Post

Ever since my first lick of ice cream, it has been an endless love story. Trading my toy out for ice cream at Chick-fil-a was the easiest decision I ever had to make. I spent every spring, summer, fall, and winter craving ice cream when I was happy, sad and anywhere in between. After giving up dairy, I thought my long and faithful love story with ice cream had come crashing to an end, but I soon realized how many other options I have. The first destination on my road to discovering dairy-free ice cream options landed with the classic…

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Celebrating Independence

Celebrating Independence

  How to Make it Easier for Those with Dietary Needs to Eat Safely & Feel Included As we (i.e., me and my U.S.-based readers) celebrated 242 years our country’s independence this week, I got to thinking about the words independence and freedom, how they relate to food and beverage, and what I do to promote safe and inclusive food environments. By Merriam-Webster’s definition, independence, in the simplest of terms, is “the quality or state of not being under the control of, reliant on, or connected with someone or something else.” And the definition of freedom is “the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice…

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religious dietary restrictions

July Religious Dietary Restrictions Calendar

In keeping with my commitment to bring a helpful monthly religious dietary restrictions calendar to everyone, here are July dates to keep in mind as you plan menus for July events. July 10th Observance & Dietary Restriction Martyrdom of the Báb is a Baha’i observance beginning at sunset on July 9th and ending at the end of the day on July 10th. It is a time of mourning for The Báb who was a prophet and founder of the Baha’i faith. He was executed on this day in 1850. How to include participants Because this is a time of mourning…

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June Dietary Restrictions Calendar thrive!-sized for blog

June Religious Dietary Restrictions Calendar

In keeping with my commitment to bring a helpful monthly dietary restrictions calendar to everyone, here are June dates to keep in mind as you plan menus for June events. May 16th – June 14th   Observance & Dietary Restriction Ramadan – is an observance in Islam. Muslims have significant work restrictions and fasting during the entire month. Not only are the usual religious dietary restrictions in place, but Muslims must refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. Even smoking is prohibited as food and water particles passing through the nose and mouth are prohibited. Worshipers break the fasting…

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