Holidays and Food Allergies

are not the easiest combination.

What do most people think of when they think of the holidays? Food, of course. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Holiday specific treats and deserts. Parties and family visits and office gatherings all involve food. Neighbors stop by with "holiday treats" and strangers offer small children goodies galore. But for a person with food allergies, seemingly benign thinks like desserts can be deadly. And it is not easy to modify some of the classic holiday food to an allergy friendly version.

Thankfully my little one is still quite young, and so some of the pitfalls are easily avoided. But he is getting older. He's already started to notice when his food looks different, and he doesn't like it. And as he grows, it will get harder to have only two or three things he can eat, versus the dozen or so options that everyone else is choosing from. Although I believe that it is important for him to learn how to live in a world that is full of allergens, I also think that when he is at home he should feel comfortable and free. He might not be able to eat everything in the house, but I would like him to be able to eat most things.