We all love a good meal and wedding days are often an excuse to indulge in all things delicious and delightful. In planning your wedding it’s really important not to overlook guests with special dietary needs and to ensure that they enjoy everything too . We thought some information on the main special diets might prove useful as sometimes there is confusion over some of the less common ones even among caterers; there is quite a bit so this will be a two-parter! 

Vegetarian

A vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, fish or shellfish. They have a varied diet of grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits with or without the use of dairy products and eggs. (Many vegetarians that eat eggs will eat only free-range eggs, due to moral objections of battery hens)

 There are three types of Vegetarian:

Lacto-ovo-vegetarian – Eats both dairy products and eggs. This is the most common type of vegetarian diet.

Lacto-vegetarian – Eats dairy products but not eggs.

Vegan – Does not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product.

Coeliac

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease, where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. This immune reaction is triggered by gluten, a collective name for a type of protein found in the cereals wheat, rye and barley and often oats. The most common sources of gluten in the diet are: breads, pastas, cereals, flours, pizza bases, cakes and biscuits, other less common sources are: soups, sauces, ready meals and processed foods.

Coeliac sufferers can eat foods that are naturally gluten-free such as all types of rice, potatoes, polenta, quinoa, millet, corn (maize), plain meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, most yoghurts, fruit, vegetables, pulses and all gluten-free substitute products such as manufactured breads, pastas, flour mixes.

Wheat/Gluten Intolerance

Wheat Intolerance is when you have difficulty digesting wheat. Gluten intolerance appears as chronic symptoms like aching joints, gastro-intestinal problems, depression, eczema, low blood iron levels and others.

The symptoms are similar to Coeliac disease, but not as severe, sufferers follow a wheat & gluten-free diet, which includes all foods that are naturally wheat & gluten free as well as the specially formed substitutes. Sufferers may find they are only intolerant to wheat, rather than both wheat and gluten – wheat intolerances affect 15% of the population.

Always ask your guests to reply with any special diets on their RSVP to your wedding invitation.

 The following websites were used to provide factual information for this blog post: www.vegansociety.com, www.vegsoc.org, www.diabetes.org.uk, www.foodintol.com

 Thanks for the use of the image go to Laura Dodsworth