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Dietary Requirements
Think Pacific and Dietary Requirements
We take Dietary Requirements of all types, incredibly seriously at Think Pacific. Please ensure that you have informed a member of the Think Pacific team of all of your Dietary Requirements within good time before your program start date.
Food Context in Bali
Balinese cuisine is a distinct, vibrant, and aromatic tradition within Indonesia, deeply influenced by Hindu culture, locally sourced ingredients, and a strong sense of community. Sharing food and eating with others is a large part of community life and an area that you will be able to see and experience on project with Think Pacific.
If you have an allergy or intolerance, as Think Pacific we will have briefed the Community as a whole but we will reinforce this information with your family within an individual conversation ahead of your arrival.
Typical Balinese food
Traditional Balinese cuisine is based on rice, fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and a variety of meats and seafood, reflecting both local agriculture and Hindu cultural influences.
Rice is the staple food and is typically served with small portions of spiced dishes, vegetables, and sambal (chilli paste). Common meals include nasi goreng (fried rice) and mie goreng (fried noodles), as well as traditional dishes such as babi guling (roast suckling pig seasoned with turmeric, lemongrass, and garlic) and ayam betutu (slow-cooked spiced chicken). Grilled skewers known as satay and mixed vegetable and coconut dishes like lawar are also widely eaten. Fresh tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, papaya, and banana are commonly served as snacks or desserts.
Balinese food is characterised by the use of spice pastes made from ingredients such as garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, and chilli, creating a balance of sweet, savoury, and spicy flavours.
Cultural considerations…
Rice is the main staple and is typically served at most meals, often accompanied by small portions of vegetables, meat, or tofu and tempeh. Meals may be spicier than UK standards, with chilli used regularly in sambals and sauces. Food is often freshly prepared and eaten at set times, with simpler breakfasts and larger lunches or dinners. In some community settings, meals may be shared and eaten in a more informal, family-style manner.
We encourage everyone to try all the different foods available and be mindful and humble of the cultural difference. We also come with a mindset to treat food simply as fuel to ensure we are healthy and nourished to achieve the project aims.
We do understand food can pose issues with specific dietary and medical needs, which is why it is important to chat ahead of going to Bali. If you feel you may take time to adjust to the basic diet, you may wish to bring energy bars (as example) from home to supplement your diet in the first couple of days and we strongly advise you to chat through any challenges you are facing with your Leaders on project.
*We do ask the Home Stays to make the food plain and individuals can add their chosen spice levels on top of this.
The Think Pacific Health Process - Dietary Requirements
Please select the tabs below to find out more information about the process’ Think Pacific follow.
After informing Think Pacific of your Dietary Requirements, we log this information internally to share with the relevant team members in country. This information is then shared with our team to start the process of informing the resorts, hotels, and home stays that you will be living in.
- Dietary Form is returned to Think Pacific Uk team.
- Uk Team share this form with the Bali Operations Team.
- Bali Operations Team, filter this information through to all relevant providers.
- Your Project Coordinator and Project Leaders will support in reinforcing this information to the providers throughout the program.
Think Pacific will do as much as we can to support you whilst on project and to make your transition into the community smooth. Please be aware that this is still your allergy and to continue to be vigilant to keep yourself safe.
The severity of an allergy will depend on the individual. Severe allergies are ones which:
- Can result in potential loss of life
- Require the use of an Epi-Pen
- Include the swelling of airways
If you have an allergy that is classified as ‘severe’, please contact you Program Coordinator (team member that has been supporting you with your application) to book in a health call.
The health process:
- Participant informs Think Pacific staff team surrounding allergy.
- Health Call, with our Health Team to gather more information surrounding your allergy.
- Health Team pass your information over to our In-country teams who will process and start the conversations with the team.
Intolerances to foods are classified when either the body can’t properly digest the food that is eaten, or that a particular food might irritate the digestive system.
Food intolerances are something which Think Pacific has been supporting volunteers with since 2009. The most common intolerances are; Gluten and Dairy. However, there are many more that can affect people. If you have a food intolerance, please:
- Ensure that you have made a note of this on your booking form and again when you submit your pre-departure form ahead of your project start date.
- Complete the Allergy Form linked on this page and return to your Program Coordinator who will then pass this over to the Community Preparation team in Bali.
If you have a dietary preference that you wish to follow when on project, please ensure that you have referenced this to your Program Coordinator. If you did not put down your dietary preference on your booking form, please ensure that you add this to your pre-departure form which is completed 8-weeks ahead of the project start date.
Dietary preferences include but are not exclusive to:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Pescatarian
- Halal
If there are specific foods that you choose to not eat due to preference, please communicate this with your family when you are on project.
Those with Coeliac Disease are unable to eat gluten in any form.
Coeliac disease can be different levels of severity, please ensure that you have completed the medical form to inform Think Pacific on the severity for you as an individual.
- Traces of gluten
- Cross-contamination
- Being in the same vicinity of gluten (generally this includes raw versions of the gluten, e.g. bags of flour).
Think Pacific will pass this information over to our Community Preparation team in Fiji, and they will follow the structure as outlined above.
Participant Dietary Form
Being prepared for Bali is vital, if you think that the team should have further information about your health background before you join project. Please see and download the forms below and send them back to your Program Coordinator!
Participant Dietary Form