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Handling Thanksgiving with Food Allergies
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holiday dinners can be stressful for food allergic families
Thanksgiving can be tough for food allergic families. The focus on eating and the influx of relatives and guests, who may be unfamiliar with the risks of allergic reaction, can create anxiety and stress. Some people are even tempted to avoid the whole issue by skipping family holiday gatherings. But with a little careful planning there is no need to avoid the fun. Here are the most common problems and solutions.
Unfamiliar Foods
Food allergic families tend to stick to foods that are familiar. Thanksgiving brings mystery casseroles and vegetable dishes with nutty garnishes and it can be hard to confidently choose safe foods. Even if the foods have been prepared safely, food allergic children may be afraid to try new and unfamiliar foods.
The solution: provide at least one starch or protein and one vegetable that are prepared simply and are familiar to your child. Bringing a small container of noodles and broccoli to a family gathering can lessen the stress of finding safe foods for your child to eat. If Thanksgiving dinner is at your house you must decide if you want to allow foods that contain allergens. Some families choose to make all the food themselves, while others allow guests to bring dishes that the allergic person will not eat. Let guests know that your child will most likely stick to the foods that you have cooked so they don’t encourage your child to eat something that you aren’t sure is safe. If you have allergy-aware guests who will bring safe food, be sure that your child knows which dishes are safe and which are off limits. Teach the child to say ‘no’ to a guest who offers him or her a dish that hasn’t been pre-approved.
Unfamiliar Chefs
For people with serious food allergies, reading recipes isn’t enough. Even if your Aunt Ella assures you that the casserole has no milk, she may not understand the risks of cross contamination. If she used the same spoon to mix the milk into the mashed potatoes, even a bite of that casserole could be dangerous. For the most severely allergic it could be deadly.
The solution. If you are planning to allow your child to eat food prepared by others, be sure to discuss cross contamination BEFORE the food is prepared. If not, you may not realize that the butter used in the recipe had a peanut butter contaminated end or that the bread was rolled out on a counter with stray sesame seeds from the morning's bagels. If you have allergy aware relatives who are willing to discuss labels with you and use clean utensils, cooking pans and counter tops, it can be perfectly safe to enjoy their holiday dishes.
Cross Contamination at the Table
Cross contamination can happen in the kitchen, when cooking utensils are shared, but it can also happen at the table. Keeping your allergic child safe during a chaotic, potluck Thanksgiving dinner requires planning and education of your guests.
The solution. Ask your guests to avoid bringing foods that are likely to contaminate the environment. No almonds on the green beans for nut allergic households or shredded cheese falling off a casserole when milk allergy is the concern. If people do bring foods that concern you, place them on a separate part of the table so that they do not contaminate the foods that your child is planning to eat. Be sure that each dish has its own serving spoon. You might consider having the allergic person be one of the first to eat just in case the serving spoons travel from dish to dish.
Skeptical Relatives
“This wasn’t a problem when you were little” is a familiar refrain to many allergic families. Grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles may secretly, or not so secretly, believe that you are being overprotective and neurotic by worrying about serving spoons and stray nuts on the table. Don’t let this get to you. Prepare a sentence or two to educate them, ignore the raised eyebrows and thank them for their help. A simple statement such as “food allergy is a lot more common now and the allergist says we need to be really vigilant. Thanks for helping to keep Emma safe” is a good start.
The holidays are stressful for everyone. Food allergic families have an added dimension of uncertainty but with planning and good communication there is no reason to miss out on any of the fun.
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