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Vegetarians & Vegans Missing Out On Dinner Parties For Being 'Difficult'

It seems anyone whose diet isn't 'I eat everything' is not welcome at many of our tables

There are lots of reasons a person might choose to be a vegetarian or vegan - wellbeing, doctor's orders, morals, green credentials, that they simply don't like the taste...

But it seems most of us omnivores just can't deal with that when it comes to inviting them to our dinner parties. So if you're a veggie, no foodie evenings out for you.

Many vegetarians find themselves excluded from social occasions (REX)
Many vegetarians find themselves excluded from social occasions (REX)

And it's not just diet choices that get you culled from the invite list - those with allergies and illnesses that restrict their diets are out of luck too. Sorry coeliacs.

Though 10 million Brits have a restrictive diet of some sorts, understanding and sympathy seems to be on the low side in the general population.

In a study by Genius Gluten Free veganism was named the most 'irritating' food choice according to dinner hosts, followed closely by vegetarianism, perhaps because these are seen as a choice, compared to something like a nut allergy.

Most (80 per cent) of the 2,000 adults polled admitted they hadn't a clue how to cook gluten-free food, 57 per cent don't know what to do for people with nut allergies and 40 per cent couldn't even muddle together a vegetarian meal (let alone vegan!).

And because of dietary requirements, 20 per cent of people have been excluded from social occasions deliberately, such as weddings, christenings or even Christmas dinner.

It's not all selfish though, 37 per cent of those who admitted excluding guests said it was for fear of causing them health issues.

But a similar number did say it was the inconvenience that put them off.

And even those who are invited don't always fair much better with 33 per cent revealing they bring their own food to avoid starving (not literally) when the food given to them is nothing but a limp salad. Many people even avoid social occasions for fear of inconveniencing people or going hungry.

Even when they do get invited, many of those with special diets go hungry (REX)
Even when they do get invited, many of those with special diets go hungry (REX)

It's a sad state of affairs when it's becoming increasingly clear a vegetarian diet is one of the healthiest options for for our increasingly obese nation, and awareness of coeliac disease and its drastic impacts on sufferer's health is finally becoming more widespread.

Perhaps when we're faced with a guest who needs a special diet, we can see it as a chance to learn a new dish and embrace new ingredients and cooking techniques. And usually those guests are quite happy to be consulted on menu plans. Phew!

[Vegetarian, Vegan and Paleo Recipes Made Easy]
[Clean Eating And How To Start]