Food Allergy Fridays: Going out to eat

One question that I get asked on a consistent basis regarding the boys' food allergies is "How do you go out to eat?"

The answer: Very carefully.

We have two restaurants that we frequent pretty consistently: Jason's Deli (which I believe is a chain and I highly recommend it) and Chipotle (who doesn't love them some Chipotle, right?). I did my research ahead of time. Most restaurants (even fast food restaurants) have allergen information on their websites. But don't assume anything is safe...for instance, McDonald's frozen lemonade contains milk! Allergyeats.com is another good website for searching too.

I know what we can get at Jason's Deli and Chipotle, and as importantly, I trust them. I know how they prepare food and I don't have to worry about cross-contamination. (Much. I always worry about cross-contamination, but that's what allergy mommas do.)

But when we get invited to a restaurant or birthday party, we have a system. I used to worry about matching L's food as closely as possible to what everyone else would be eating. But I learned that L has a few old faithfuls that he would prefer to eat over anything anyone else is eating. Our biggest go-to is a peanut (or almond) butter and jelly. I feel zero guilt about it because we get the peanut butter with two ingredients (peanuts and sea salt) and all natural fruit spread.

Sometimes I've tried to make L pizza for pizza parties, etc., but he typically requests a PB&J. The best thing we did was find something that he loves that gives us no guilt. Seriously...L eats those almost every single day for lunch.

We have a fabulous gluten-free bakery not too far from us that we stock up on pre-made cupcakes. We keep one or two in the freezer at school for impromptu class parties and always bring one of those (or a homemade cupcake or brownie) to family celebrations in restaurants so when desserts are served, L doesn't feel left out.

And we bring food everywhere we go. I mean everywhere. And when I say food, I mean lots of it. Snacks are as important additions to the diaper bag as wipes. Maybe more so. I try to keep lots on hand so he can have a choice, and include things like individually wrapped fruit leathers, Pure protein bars, individual bags of potato chips, gluten-free cereal in baggies, trail mix.

Is it all sunshine and roses all the time? No. Fairly often, L will look at me and say, "When I get bigger I won't be allergic to anything and I can eat _____________, right, Mommy?" And every time he says that, I feel that dagger twist in my heart a bit. But it could be so much worse. I know this. And L is amazingly understanding that those foods will make him very sick. He knows just how bad they make him feel. So he knows it isn't even worth it. Wise beyond his years, that one.

I remember feeling so much negativity regarding packing up the food and making the lunches and always throwing food together. But it's gotten easier and easier. These days, I can get lunches made in a matter of minutes. I can throw a diaper bag together without even thinking about it. We know where to go to get "special treats," as we call them, for L.

The other important thing to note is that once you start researching foods (and you will, with a child with food allergies), you might want to adopt their diet. I used to say I'd never go gluten-free, until I did it. Knowing what I know about food, I can say with honesty that I don't miss my beloved McDonald's cheeseburgers or Taco Bell meximelts. Now the pasta and Italian bread, however...sigh.

If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me at namastebyday@gmail.com

Namaste!