{"id":2049,"date":"2014-07-15T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T14:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/?p=2049"},"modified":"2018-02-09T22:04:18","modified_gmt":"2018-02-10T03:04:18","slug":"food-allergies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womensministrytoolbox.com\/food-allergies\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing Diets & Food Allergies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Addressing<\/p>\n

Do you all struggle as much as I do with selecting foods for events?<\/p>\n

There’s so much to take into consideration.<\/p>\n

There are women who must follow a low-sodium diet, a low-sugar diet, or a low-fat diet.<\/p>\n

There are those that have food allergies such as dairy, eggs, or\u00a0peanuts.<\/p>\n

Others have a gluten intolerance.<\/p>\n

There’s also a lot of women that are just\u00a0trying to eat healthier.<\/p>\n

God has been softening my heart over this issue for close to two years.<\/p>\n

At our church back in Kentucky, three dear friends had to be on gluten free diets for medical reasons.<\/p>\n

I got to see first-hand their struggles during church potlucks and women\u2019s ministry events.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When someone you love has little on their plate and yours is overflowing, that\u2019s hard.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

God used this experience to remove\u00a0my\u00a0sorry<\/del> sinful\u00a0attitude about dealing with special diets and food allergies at women\u2019s ministry events.<\/p>\n

My old way of thinking:<\/strong> It affects so few women; surely they are used to dealing with it and will make their own needed arrangements. (I know \u2013 that was awful and extremely insensitive!!)<\/p>\n

My new way of thinking:<\/strong> There needs to be effort made so that all women have something on their plate they can enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"salad-enjoy\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not asking you to become gluten-free, low-sodium,\u00a0or\u00a0health food\u00a0experts. But I am going to share some food ideas with you.<\/p>\n

The basic thing to remember with gluten-free is that if it contains wheat – it contains gluten (other things contain gluten too, but that\u2019s the first rule, if you will).<\/p>\n

Here are some food ideas almost every woman\u00a0will appreciate<\/strong> (whether they are trying to stick to a diet, avoid gluten, or eat healthy):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Fresh Fruit<\/li>\n
  2. Cut Veggies<\/li>\n
  3. Make Your Own Salads \u2013 with serving utensils for each individual topping item (croutons have gluten and will cross contaminate your other toppings).<\/li>\n
  4. Yogurt\u00a0 – most are gluten-free; if setting up a yogurt bar, provide serving utensils for each topping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What practical things can you do to make\u00a0meals enjoyable for all\u00a0of your women?<\/strong><\/p>\n