Thursday, September 29, 2011

Peanuts, milk and playdates

Playdates with the Food Allergic Child
By Lisa Natcharian


Doesn’t it seem as if EVERYONE has food allergies these days?  Between the peanut-free table in the school lunchroom, the gluten-free snacks you need to bring for the team after soccer, and the kid down the street who can’t eat cheese, it’s getting harder and harder to feed other people’s children.  When once we could casually invite a friend to stay for dinner and know that if he didn’t like mac ‘n cheese, we could throw on a hot dog and everyone would be happy, now it’s almost too dangerous to try to be hospitable.

So what CAN you do when you are entertaining a food-allergic child in your home?  The first thing you want to determine is whether your little friend has anaphylactic allergies or food sensitivities.  The well-known peanut allergy is the type that can cause a severe reaction after a very minor exposure to the food.  If a child could possibly get hives, have trouble breathing, or feel his throat close up if he comes near a certain food, his mom will very likely be right on top of that, and probably won’t feel comfortable with you feeding him.  She will also probably leave you an Epi-Pen in case of an emergency, along with her cell phone number, her beeper number, directions to the nearest hospital and probably the keys to her car (just kidding… trying to make the point that with severe allergies, you won’t be at a loss for what to do…not trying to minimize the severity of anaphylactic reactions in any way).

If your child’s friend has less severe allergies, however, the scenario is likely to be different. Many times parents are loathe to be seen as high-maintenance, and try not to “be a bother” by giving you too much information about their child’s food sensitivities.  If ingesting a small amount of an allergenic food will “only” give their child a stomachache, a rash, or a headache, they may not tell you all the gory details.  Many parents also hate to see their children excluded from “normal” activities with everyone else, and may rationalize to themselves that one exception won’t be too bad. 

It is in these cases that you will make a friend for life of that parent if you proactively offer non-allergenic food choices for snacks.   The most common food allergens are wheat, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, nuts and shellfish.  If you take a quick look at the labels on the snacks currently in your pantry, it will take you about a minute and a half to realize that 99% of pre-made foods from the store contain at least one, if not several of these ingredients. 

Rather than start baking early on the morning of your playdate, just plan a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on allergy-friendly food items.  Find out if your child’s friend has more than one allergy, then pick up a few items that cover all the bases.  Some easy snack items include:

·         Rice cakes and SunButter (a peanut-like spread made of sunflower seeds)
·         Potato chips made with canola oil (not soy or corn oil)
·         Nature’s Path chewy granola bars (we like Chococonut)
·         Raw veggies with hummus
·         Apple slices dipped in honey
·         Gluten-free tortillas toasted with olive oil and salt and cut into triangles

Of course, not every allergic child can eat every one of these suggestions (mine are allergic to apples, grapes and carrots, for example), so it pays to press the parents for details to make sure they’ve mentioned all of their child’s trigger foods.   I tend to forget the apple part and just tell other parents about the “big three,” dairy, eggs and corn.  Then I whack myself on the forehead when the parent offers my kids juice, which 9 times out of 10 contains apples. 

Communication is the key!  And don’t be afraid to try new foods… non-allergenic snacks tend to be much healthier for everyone J


Lisa Natcharian is the mom of three food-allergic boys. She blogs about the crazy foods she feeds them at Allergy Free Vintage Cookery (http://allergyfreecookery.blogspot.com). 

More great weekend reading at Serenity Now

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Thanks for being a concerned parent - concerned about other peoples kids. I grew up being very allergic to all dairy products and eggs, which was really hard for most people to understand.
I'm Diggin' this!

Unknown said...

Great post and snack suggestions! Following you back, thanks so much for stopping by. =)

VintageMom said...

Hi Pam! I linked this post with Weekend Bloggy Reading (http://www.serenitynowblog.com/2011/09/weekend-bloggy-reading-link-up_30.html) and Homemaker Monday (http://rtheyallyours.blogspot.com/2011/09/homemaker-monday_25.html). Thanks again for the opportunity to guest post! ~ Lisa

Mom Does Reviews said...

Thanks Trish and Cheryl for visiting and commenting.
Thank you Lisa for the great guest post! We can do it again soon!
Thanks for linking it up to the blog hops!

Cookie’s Mom said...

I once went to the trouble of baking gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free and nut-free cookies for my son's preschool but was told they couldn't be served to the kids with allergies. I get it. They don't know the care I take in my kitchen. There are risks. It's just sad that some kids (like yours, Pam?) may not be able to partake at times. Great article, Lisa. Thanks for the snack ideas!

Pam, thanks for visiting and following my book blog! Following you back.

Mom Does Reviews said...

Cookie's Mom, my son doesn't have any allergies, thank God. Just some of his friends.
Thanks for following back.
Happy Blogging.

~The Bargain Babe from *Zucchini Summer Blog* said...

Such good ideas, thanks for sharing! I would not have thought of the hummus or the apples with honey!

(Saw you at Serenity Now)

Mom Does Reviews said...

Lisa did a great job on my guest post!
Thanks for commenting, Bargain Babe.

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