Part Two in our series on Special Dietary Needs for guests attending your next off-site ministry event.  These may include attendees with a variety of vegetarian diets. 

Variety of Diets:

As you plan for your next group event it will be helpful to know what types of special dietary needs are to be met.  In addition to food allergies, you may receive requests for personal preference.  Some personal preferences may include a variety of vegetarian diets described by Jolinda Hackett in her article titled on About.com regarding vegetarian foods as:

1. Pescatarian (also spelled pescetarian) who abstain from eating all meat and animal flesh with the exception of fish.
   
2. Flexitarian/Semi-vegetarian which describes those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but occasionally eat meat.
   
3. Vegetarian (Lacto-ovo- vegetarian) People who do not eat beef, pork, poultry, fish, shellfish or animal flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products are lacto-ovo vegetarians (“lacto” comes from the Latin for milk, and “ovo” for egg).
   
4. Vegan Vegans do not eat meat of any kind and also do not eat eggs, dairy products, or processed foods containing these or other animal-derived ingredients such as gelatin. Many vegans also refrain from eating foods that are made using animal products that may not contain animal products in the finished process, such as sugar and some wines. There is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet.
   
5. Raw vegan/Raw food diet A raw vegan diet consists of unprocessed vegan foods that have not been heated above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 degrees Celsius).
   
6. Macrobiotic The macrobiotic diet, revered by some for its healthy and healing qualities, includes unprocessed vegan foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and allows the occasional consumption of fish. Sugar and refined oils are avoided. Perhaps the most unique qualifier of the macrobiotic diet is its emphasis on the consumption of Asian vegetables, such as daikon, and sea vegetables, such as seaweed.¹
   

Recipes:

• More Than 100 Food Service Recipes, vegadvantage website recipes
• WholeFoods.com, Vegetarian Recipes
  
• WholeFoods.com, Vegan Recipes
  
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food By Mark Bittman
  
• Vegan Dinner Recipes
  

Planning your Retreat:

Be sure to poll your guests, find out if any have any special dietary needs.  Try to understand their specific needs.  From above you can see, that "Vegitarian" is really a broad term, as there are a variety of diet preferences associated with being vegitarian.  However, as you are seeking to understand your guests' dietary needs remember to balance that with and respect their privacy. 

You will need to discuss your group's special dietary needs and requests with your Conference Services coordinator at Lake Williamson Christian Center or Lake Placid Conference Center.  They will work with on-site property team members to set menus and other arrangements to make your retreat a success!

1. Taken from “Top 7 Types of Vegetarians”By Jolinda Hackett, About.com
   
2. "25 Tips for Dealing with Special Dietary Needs When Traveling Internationally", By Jacqueline Rosokoff for PeterGreenberg.com