As a Vegan, or anyone with special dietary needs, facing the holidays can be a nightmare. Interestingly enough it’s because of the non-restricted family and friends that the last statement is so true.

I eat a vegan diet on a daily basis and have been doing so for almost two years. When a holiday or special occasion arises, I no longer feel the same panic or concern that I may have felt the first three to six months in.

To the contrary I find everyone else doing all the worrying for me. As soon as a party or holiday approaches, the calls and texts flood my phone with all the common questions – “Can you eat this?”, “Will you be able to have enough to eat?”, it’s merciless and honestly, exhausting.

I have found throughout this journey an appropriate level of etiquette on the part of both the vegan and non-vegan. I’ve broken it down into two different scenarios to help the invited as well as the invitee – I hope it can be of benefit as we head into the holiday season.

Group gatherings that require participation –

Think potluck or buffet style gatherings, where everyone invited is asked to bring a dish or two, contributing to the overall menu. In this situation it is up to the invited vegan or anyone with a dietary restriction to bring enough ‘special’ food to ensure satiation. Nobody else needs to worry about whether or not we are going to be accommodated, we got this.

Hosted events that are plated or catered –

On the contrary, if you are invited to a plated dinner event and have a dietary concern, your only responsibility in this situation is to make the host(ess) aware and ask them if an accommodation is going to pose any complication or challenges to the event – after all, you can either bring your own food or graciously decline the invitation. If you’ve done this and they assure you not to worry, you should anticipate to be fully satisfied at the event.

In the latter situation I personally always have a back-up plan – I’ve been to several functions where I could only eat one thing and I was miserable. I never want to draw any attention to my unique life style and somehow it comes up anyway. Without fail someone at the dinner will begin asking a litany of concerned questions – “Oh, you’re a vegan, where do you get your protein, your nutrients, your vitamins?” Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s completely okay with us if you want to ask us questions but please do a little research on the topic in advance.

If you are a friend or family member to someone with unique dietary habits and find yourself wanting to do something special that will support and be encouraging to their lifestyle, there are ways to do so easily as a surprise with very little research – Google is your friend! Let’s say you decide you want to make a special side dish or desert, simply put ‘vegan desert’ into your search engine and you’ll instantly have endless recipes to scour through.

In summary our special diets were not created to screw up holidays or special occasions; we’re not trying to be difficult. If you use this article as a guide to your next gathering, you can rest assured that everyone in attendance will have their needs met and enjoy themselves.

These simple tips can also be used to host others who have restrictions due to diabetes, heart disease or (insert illness/health concern here). On the flip side to this, do not be that guest that fails to communicate to the host(ess) in advance and sit there starving – you’ll bring the party vibe down and give the rest of us a bad name.

I hope this article is helpful, whether you’re the guest or the host(ess), ensuring your next gathering is a joyful and stress-free one.