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# System prepended metadata

title: Catering info - dietary needs

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# Catering info - dietary needs

* General info:

    * Providing mostly meat/fish- and cheese/egg/milk/honey/.../animal product-based dishes and only having few vegan-vegetarian options excludes those who don't eat animal products, leaving them with only little choice, whereas having a focus on providing mostly vegan-vegetarian dishes and little animal-product-based dishes serves the majority of people, since also meat/fish/cheese/...eaters can eat veggie food.
Also, if omnivores insist on having meat/fish for lunch, it is much easier to find it outside the venue than for vegans/vegetarians to find veggie food

    * Sugary and cereal-based foods (cakes, cookies, pastries, gluten-containing grains, gluten-noodles, ...) tend not to be vitalizing to last through a conference day and are usually not suitable for people with gluten-allergy, -sensitivity or people wanting to lower their gluten intake. Also, too much sugary foods is more likely to drain energy than the opposite. 

* Animal products: 
    * Meat, chicken, fish, seafood, milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, eggs, honey, gelatine (bones), chicken/meat broth, animal fats/oils…

* Plant-based foods: 
    - Vegetables and fruits of any kind
    - Gluten-free grains such as quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, (brown) rice & potatoes instead of gluten/egg-noodles
    - Beans, legumes, seeds, mushrooms, nuts 
    - Tofu, Tempeh
    - Plant milk (soy, oat, almond, rice…) and its yoghurt
    - Oils (vegetable oil instead of butter or animal fat)
    - Vegetable (soup) broth instead of meat/chicken broth

* Ideas for catering:
    - Salads consisting of fruits or vegetables+beans+nuts+gluten-free grains+mushrooms, …
    - Raw cut vegetables with dips (hummus, guacamole, baba ganoush, tzatziki based on plant yoghurt, bean dips…)
    - Antipasti, roasted vegetables
    - Vegetable soups / stews
    - Roasted potatoes+veggies, rice+veggies, …
    - Desserts: Avocado-based cacao mousse, fruit salad, plain ripe fruit, bliss balls (based on dried fruits and nuts), plant-based yoghurt with fruit, etc.


Further reading on allergies, common dietary requirements & providing info about the menu/ingredients:
https://alexwlchan.net/ideas-for-inclusive-events/ideas/dietary-requirements/



