Have you ever thought about how to lessen food allergy concerns on Thanksgiving Day?
Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season. It can be a joyous time with family and friends gathering, sharing delicious food, and regaining appreciation for what we are thankful for. When you or a loved one has food allergies, the holiday season may feel as more of a challenge, but by implementing these three principles you may find it less challenging.
Principles:
Communicate – Share your food allergies and express the seriousness of them.
Educate – Explain what food allergies are and specify the importance of reducing, ideally eliminating cross contact.
Prepare – Plan ahead to ensure a safe holiday by having allergy friendly menu items ready to bring, choose the restaurant, or have recipes available for the host.
It is extremely important to inform the host or waiting staff at a restaurant of your food allergies, communication is key. This way the host or waiting staff can take the proper precautions to ensure your food is safe from your allergens. Not only is it important for you not to consume your allergen, but also to not consume a food item that has come in contact with your food allergen. This is where educating the host or waiting staff is really important to let them know how serious food allergies are. An example of this, cross contact, would be when someone uses the serving tongs for fried chicken (gluten) then uses them to serve the gluten free salad. This would cause an allergic reaction for someone who has an allergy to wheat or gluten.
When you are hosting Thanksgiving, it can be reassuring for those attending who have allergies to know what foods they can and cannot eat. Simply by labeling the food with their ingredient list can be helpful. If all the food at the gathering is not allergy friendly, try to have a section of the kitchen for the designated allergy friendly foods. If you are the nominated “Chef” on this holiday, test your skills and try to create traditional Thanksgiving menu items to be allergy friendly. I have confidence you will do great! You can always involve the individual who has the allergies to be a part of the process to make it more fun, educational, and safe. If you have allergies and will be attending a gathering, try and bring a dish or two that you know will be safe.
Don’t forget about the nonfood activities family and friends can incorporate during Thanksgiving! Increasing in popularity are 5k runs the morning of Thanksgiving, which can be a great way to start the day! If running isn’t your favorite, no problem, there are other activities you can incorporate. Outdoor activities can include a game of touch football (Turkey Bowl), raking and jumping in leaves, going to a Thanksgiving Day parade, or even attending a professional football game. Indoor activities can include creating a photo booth, playing board or card games, or watching a movie. There are so many activities you can incorporate on Thanksgiving, so be creative!