Health and Psychology

Apart from the topics of sex, religion, politics, or money, nothing generates more controversy than food.  At this time of year lots of people have food "issues."  I visited in-laws for the annual Christmas party, with the vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, raw, non-dairy, plant only, fruit only, nut free, chocolate heavy, alcohol free, alcohol included, the e-cig and "I can't eat anything post bariatric surgery" group of relatives gathered.  The difference between the success of this get-together, is a simple rule:  If you have the need to have a special food, bring it.  Make enough to share with the group if you'd like.  There was enough to go around for everyone.  

There were two people who were new to the group.  They were friends of relatives.  So when one of my cousins started munching on chocolate spoons designed to be used to flavor hot chocolate or coffee, one of these friends explained she "shouldn't just eat it."  Certainly not before dinner, and not without stirring it in some hot liquid. And this being California, and our group knowing the rules, said "It's hers.  She gets to do whatever she wants with it."  

For those of you wanting to attempt to accommodate people coming to eat who may have diatary rules or "food issues"  Here are some ideas:

1. Ask if anyone has a serious health allergy than can produce difficulty breathing.  Ensure than any food containing a potential allergen is labelled.  If you are the person with a severe allergy, bring your own food.  Shellfish and nut allergies are common so for hlidays you may want to skip those ingredients.
2. Bring your own special food.  You already know what you can and can't eat.  Bring the things you can eat to the party.
3. Gluten Free:  These are people for dietary reasons or medical conditions like Celiac or Hartnup disorder need to avoid foods containing gluten.  This includes foods with wheat, oat, rye, or barley.  But wheat is used as a thickener in things like salad dressing, frozen hash browns, and soy sauce.  Foods labelled Gluten Free have no gluten.  
4. Vegan:  Vegans do not eat meat, fish, or poultry, or any animal derived products.  Someone in my family said, "If it has a face now or ever I'm not eating it."
5. Vegetarian:  There is a range of people who call themselves vegetarian.  Some people are essentially vegans and add dairy products and eggs.  A few add fish and poultry.  All have a heavy plant based diet including foods like tofu.  If someone tells you they are vegetarian they certainly do not eat meat.  The rest of the food groups are optional depending on the type of vegetarian.
6. Paleo Diet:  Whole unprocessed foods that look like they do in nature. They eat: Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, healthy fats and oils. They avoid: Processed foods, sugar, soft drinks, grains, most dairy products, legumes, artificial sweeteners, vegetable oils, margarine and trans fats.
7. Post-Bariatric Surgery Diet:  Phase One: 2-3 ounces of broth, strained soup, unsweetened juice, sugar free gelatin.  Phase Two: Pureed foods.  Phase Three: Soft solid foods.  Phase Four: solid food avoiding: Nuts and seeds, popcorn, dried fruits, sodas and carbonated beverages, granola, stringy or fibrous vegetables, such as celery, broccoli, corn or cabbage, tough meats or meats with gristle, or breads.
8. Raw Food: Foods generally eaten raw or cooked at temperatures below 118 degrees.  Some foods need to be soaked or sprouted to make them safer to eat.  A raw food diet requires a lot of meal preparation unless it's mainly nuts, seeds, and fruits.  Kidney beans, fava beans and soy beans are considered unsafe to eat raw.
9. If you are eating out at a restaurant, you may want to call ahead and ensure that the chef can manage any special dietary needs you may have.  In California these requests are very common.  Not so much in other states.