Food allergies can create anxiety in the best of us. For parents, it can feel impossible to protect their child at all hours of the day. Take the time to learn about allergies, educate their caretakers, and, if your child is old enough, take the time to talk with them about what you have learned. 

Food allergies are your body’s reaction to certain food proteins that your body perceives as an enemy. If you suspect you or your child has a food allergy, get tested by an allergist. Upon diagnosis, the allergist will discuss allergy management. It can be as simple as avoiding the food in question, and if the severity of the allergy is high, it can mean carrying epinephrine injections in case of anaphylaxis. 

Now that we have talked about the nitty-gritty of food allergies, let’s talk about surviving the holiday season. The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas can be stressful for parents of children with food allergies. 

During the holidays or family get-togethers, avoiding allergens can be difficult if you aren’t hosting. Here are tips for hosts that can help educate those in charge of the food. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) offers a guide for parents hosting meals during the holiday season. FAACT is an organization dedicated to helping those with food allergies navigate education, advocacy, and awareness-raising. Be sure to check out their other offerings, which can be informative throughout the year. 

What if there is a food bully in the family? Sometimes they forget about a person’s food allergies; however, sometimes a food bully is more aggressive and will call the child or parents picky. In this article, When Family Doesn’t Get Your Child’s Food Allergies Dr. Gia Rosenblum states, “The concept that food could threaten a child’s life is an unwelcome truth, and Rosenblum says it can lead some relatives to accuse the parents of being over-protective or too picky. She has seen it be emotionally painful when both parties end up feeling misunderstood and invalidated.”

Being accused of being picky can happen at any age. I was. Then, on one of my long visits with my mother, I took my box of prescribed Epi-Pens and taught her how to inject me if necessary. Then I attached the box with the instructions to her refrigerator using a magnet. That action was enough to clear up my diagnosis of food allergies. If you don’t have an epinephrine prescription because the allergies aren't considered severe, sharing your child’s written diagnosis with that family member can bring understanding and peace to the family. 

Food allergies can be overwhelming for you, so consider how they may affect family members. When you first learn about them, do most of the work by bringing dishes that the person with food allergies can easily eat. For those with the rare corn allerg,y remember there are over 13 different names for corn on food labels. Using steps might mean sharing a list of food products that you have found that work for your child until they become more familiar with the other names for corn. This advice applies to any food with multiple names on its labels. 

For examples of how families have worked with difficult issues regarding their child’s food allergies, be sure to read this article “When Family Doesn’t Get Your Child’s Food Allergies.” 

Attend the presentation Food Allergies: Practical Tips for Safe Family Nutrition on Nov. 19 for some practical tips for dealing with the holidays.