Dietary Needs

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

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…

Read more

Religious Dietary Practices November 1, 2018

November Religious Calendar

Religious Dietary Practices November 1, 2018

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,…

Read more

hello October
Religious Dietary Practices September 25, 2018

October Religious Calendar

Religious Dietary Practices September 25, 2018

  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…

Read more

September
Religious Dietary Practices August 30, 2018

September Religious Calendar

Religious Dietary Practices August 30, 2018

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…

Read more

augustweggen; Independence Day
Religious Dietary Practices Traveling August 10, 2018

Around the World in 8 Independence Days

Religious Dietary Practices Traveling August 10, 2018

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…

Read more

religious dietary restrictions August
Religious Dietary Practices August 1, 2018

August Religious Dietary Restrictions Calendar

Religious Dietary Practices August 1, 2018

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…

Read more