Allergy-Free Holidays
The holiday season brings joy, laughter, cheer, and the opportunity to see family and enjoy holiday traditions. Along with those traditions come feasts, big meals and abundant eating! Unfortunately, if you’re one of the many Americans with a food allergy, eating meals prepared in someone else’s kitchen can be a nightmare. Whether you’re just driving down the road to grandma’s house or visiting cousins in California – it’s nearly impossible to know if they prevented cross-contamination or included your allergy in one of the many mysterious holiday dishes. Although enjoying holiday food with an allergy is difficult, it’s not impossible! Here are a few holiday survival tips for people with food allergies:
If you’re not hosting, offer to! The only way to truly know if the food is safe or not is if you cook it yourself! If guests bring other dishes as well, at least you know that the dishes you cooked are allergy-free. Being the host of any party or get-together is the safest option for people with severe food allergies! Another safe idea is to separate tables. Put the safe food that you prepared on one table, and everyone else’s food on the other! This puts an extra safe barrier against cross-contamination and also gives you peace of mind.
If you’re not hosting, bring a dish. It’s not rude to cook your own dish and bring it to someone else’s party! Just make your company aware that you or your child has a severe food allergy, and you wanted to just play it safe. This way, your child doesn’t have to go hungry, and your host doesn’t have to go out of his or her way to prepare something specific. This situation is a win-win, because not only do you know what you prepared is safe, but you can still enjoy a delicious holiday favorite.
Make sure to communicate! The holidays are the perfect time to be clear and honest. If a family member is hosting the whole family for the holidays, be certain to talk with them about you or your child’s specific food allergy. Ask if they would be willing to present a few allergy-free options, and if it’s a problem, ask if you can help cook! Raising allergy awareness during the holidays is important. Make sure that your whole family is aware of you or your child’s allergy, and more than likely they will be willing to prepare dishes that exclude that particular ingredient. It may also be helpful to label which foods are safe, and which ones are not.
At Covenant Allergy and Asthma Care, we want you and your family to stay safe during the holiday season! With most social gatherings revolving around food, it’s vitally important to keep communication clear and open. It’s possible to still enjoy all of your holiday favorites while being safe at the same time. Travel safely and happy holidays!