Tag: mealtime

Eating Out With Allergies in Madison, WI

foodallergiesmom

Last weekend I went on a girls’ trip to Madison, WI with my daughters and my mom. As you can imagine, I was a little concerned about trying to navigate eating while there with Asa’s multiple food allergies in combination with my Celiac Disease. Avoiding milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten isn’t exactly an easy task! I posted in some food allergy groups I’m in on Facebook looking for recommendations for our travels and some people definitely delivered! I also had several people tell me that Madison was a great city for food allergies and let me tell you… they were right!

The first day we got there, we went to a restaurant called Ollie’s based off of a recommendation. It was such an awesome place! Looking at their website immediately made me feel comfortable. They talk about food allergies on their home page which is always a great sign. When you walk in the door, they offer fidgets and sensory items to take to your table. They also provide noise cancelling headphones if you need them! They had a vegan menu and a regular menu and their menus clearly labeled gluten free items as well. The waitress was great and went to the back to talk to the chef about Asa’s allergies to ensure what we wanted to order would be safe for her. The kids were excited because they even had MARKERS instead of crayons for the kids menus. This was their dream come true! I was able to eat cheese curds (a Wisconsin staple) that were gluten free and they were delicious! We had no reactions and everything was super yummy!

That night we went to an ice cream shop that was recommended by multiple people – The Chocolate Shoppe. This ended up being Asa’s favorite part of the whole trip. She’s never ordered “ice cream” from a restaurant before. We’ve always been nervous to and not many places have safe options for her. But since multiple people recommended them, we decided to try. Their website also made me feel better about their awareness of allergens. She got the Strawberry Hibiscus Italian Ice and LOVED IT! She could not stop talking about how she got ice cream from a shop. It was the first thing she told her dad on the phone! They also had great gluten free choices for me!

The next day we hit multiple stops! We went to Yola’s Cafe for breakfast. We had to wait quite a while because it was a Saturday morning and they were busy, but it was really good! They had amazing, fluffy gluten free waffles and were able to make bacon in their separate fryer just for Asa!

For dinner that day, we went to bartaco which ended up being the best meal we had the whole time – so good in fact that we went back again the next day before leaving town! I picked the restaurant based solely on the fact that they were rated high on the Find Me Gluten Free App and was planning on Asa eating food we brought for her. When we got there, I asked the waitress about the menu and found that there were only a few items that weren’t gluten free! Yay for me! I then told her that I was sure Asa probably couldn’t eat there and we brought her food. She asked what her allergies were so I told her. She then uttered a statement that I’ve never had any server say to me before… she said, “Oh! That’s really not that hard!” And then she proceeded to tell me all of the things on the kids menu that she could eat! I was stunned. I’ve never had anyone tell me that her allergies weren’t that hard. The waitress has no idea what she did for me that night! She made me feel so calm and comfortable. Asa was able to eat chicken, corn wheels, and a fruit kabob. She scarfed it so fast and was so excited to come back the next day for more! If only every restaurant experience could be like our experience at bartaco!

My delicious gluten free tacos!

Overall, our experience eating out in Madison, WI with food allergies far exceeded my expectations! I packed a ton of food that we didn’t even have to touch because of how much Asa got to eat out. I had to come home feeling jealous of our experience in Madison! I hope this blog helps other travelers!

Going Out To Eat…

foodallergiesmom

Asa is now 5 1/2 years old. A few months ago, I was in the car with her and I was running to pick up some dinner for me while my husband was in our other car running to get food for him and the other kids (that’s life with Celiac Disease for you…). From the backseat, Asa said, “Mom, can we please stop and get some food for me too?” Thinking she meant something from the grocery store I said, “No, we already have food for you at home.” She replied, “No, Mom. Can we please stop at a restaurant and get something for me? I don’t even care what it is. I’ll eat anything. I just want to get something from a restaurant like the rest of you.”

My heart broke. It was the first time that she was really expressing that she felt left out. She went on to tell me that every time we bring food home like this, the rest of us have our food from eating out and she just has food from home and she hates just watching us eat our special food. She said she just wants to be included.

We’ve spent close to 6 years protecting her from restaurants. We’ve packed safe meals every time we’ve gone out. We’ve avoided meals out just to keep her safe. We’ve cooked elaborate meals at home and ordered special ingredients just to make sure we had all the safe foods we needed right in our four walls. I’ve dreaded navigating menus. I’ve shed tears thinking about ordering from a restaurant and trusting them with her allergies. I’ve conjured up images of giving the epipen in the middle of the restaurant because an allergic reaction happened. To say I’m scared is an understatement.

But I also know I need to prepare her. I need to help set her up for the real world. I need to teach her how to navigate restaurants, menus, wait staff, and chefs. I need to help her have confidence using her voice in these situations. I have to be her example. I have to show her how to live with caution but not fear. Anxiety is a real side effect of life with food allergies. And I don’t want her to be paralyzed by it as she grows up.

So we started researching places to go. I started reading menus online, going to local allergy groups I’m in on Facebook, and calling places. I started using MY voice more and slowly but surely I started feeling more confident in letting her eat out at a few different places!

I wanted to share a few of those in hopes that they help others if in no other way than to help you know that it’s possible to navigate eating out, even with multiple food allergies! As a reminder, Asa is allergic to milk, egg, peanut, and some tree nuts.

One of National places that we found was Chick-fil-a. They have a great allergy menu online which makes it easy to plan before you go. (I linked their allergy menu above!) They have a separate fryer for their fries so they stay gluten free (yay!) and their grilled chicken is a great option for those with egg, milk, wheat, gluten, and nut allergies! Their kids meals also have options of fruit or applesauce as alternatives to fries. Asa and I have both eaten there safely multiple times now!

Another great regional restaurant we’ve come to love is Hawaiian Bros. (Their allergen menu is linked above!) Almost their entire menu is dairy, egg, and gluten free. They are also VERY allergy conscious. The best part – they serve Dole Whip as dessert! If you have allergies, you probably know what a treasure Dole Whip is! And if you don’t, find your local place with Dole Whip and get some pronto! For the record, Asa’s favorite food at Hawaiian Bros is the Luau Pig so try it if you go.

Our list is slowly growing and we’ve found some great local spots too. I’ll share more as I find them! Feel free to share yours too!

Our food allergy warrior eating out safely!

Supporting Your Friends with Food Allergies During the Holidays

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Yesterday we had our last family Christmas of the season. This was our first holiday season dealing with all of Asa’s food allergies. Group settings and parties are constantly scary and full of anxiety when you are living with food allergies. You’re eating meals that other people cooked, you’re usually surrounded by allergens, and it’s hard to keep track of if people washed their hands or wiped off their mouths after the meal. Kids are running around and you never know what they are going to put in their mouths. You try to watch your kids vigilantly, but even that is daunting when they are trying to play with their cousins and you’re trying to catch up and chat with your family. Food labels aren’t usually available to read when it comes to home cooked meals – especially ones that people have brought with them from home to contribute to the potluck-style dinner. It can be exhausting. Thankfully, we made it through multiple events with only one small skin reaction that we are pretty sure she got as a result from a kiss on the cheek. A little hydrocortisone cleared it up quickly. It could have been way worse.

But as we were driving home last night, my husband and I were talking about how thankful we were for multiple people that we spent time with throughout the holiday season and the way they handled Asa’s allergies. And it got me thinking about things you can do that go a LONG way to people with food allergies or parents of kids with food allergies. So I complied a list of things that you can do to be supportive of your friends and family with food allergies during social events:

1. Ask questions.

Simply taking time to understand their food allergies goes a long way. I love when people ask me questions about Asa’s food allergies. It lets me talk about it without having to bring it up myself; it allows me to get some of it off my chest. And, hopefully, it also educates others during the process! Even asking little things like how we found out about her allergies or how severe her reactions are tell me that you care enough to want to know more. Asking about the things we deal with day to day makes us feel not so alone.

2. Be inclusive with your food.

We were super lucky to have several family members make things just for Asa or bring alternatives for her. Yesterday we had someone bring a salad but also bring along all the ingredients individually so that we could check the ingredients and give her food accordingly. She even brought vegan dressing for the salad! (It was delicious by the way.) At Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law literally brought the container for every single ingredient she used! It was a good thing she did since one ended up containing an allergen (see my former blog post called “Every Label. Every Time” for that story). We had both of our parents cook with alternative ingredients to accommodate her at all the holidays this year. My mother-in-law even went as far as making a dairy/egg free pumpkin pie from scratch that included evaporating her own almond milk (like… what?). It was awesome. There is nothing that makes you feel more valued and loved than when people take the time to make you and your kids feel included.

3. Help keep the person with food allergies safe.

This one may sound like a no brainer, but doing everything you can to personally keep the person safe is huge! Wash your hands. Don’t double dip. Be cautious. My mom made an announcement before the meal at both Thanksgiving and Christmas with extended family to remind them of Asa’s allergies and ask them to wash their hands and mouths after the meal. This took a lot of stress off of me. When you have a kid with allergies, it’s easy to feel like a nag who has to constantly lecture people about what they need to do around you. Someone else making that announcement for me meant more than my mom knows (Shoutout, Mom!) and it helped keep Asa safe during the festivities.

4. Don’t feed anyone’s kids without asking!

I’ll say it again for the people in the back. Don’t feed anyone’s kids without asking! In general, giving snacks and treats to kids that aren’t yours without asking probably annoys more parents than you think. But to a kid that has food allergies it can be deadly, especially if not caught in time. So please, just don’t do it.

5. Talk to your kids about food allergies.

This one can be huge. Kids just don’t always know better. They share food without thinking. They don’t always wash their hands unless we make them. They constantly share germs without even knowing it. But they can also share allergens without knowing it too. So talk to your kids about food allergies. Make sure they understand that they can be deadly. (We don’t shy away from this word in our house. I need everyone to know the severity of it!) Make sure they wash their hands after eating. Keep snacks that contain another’s child’s allergen away when you are near them. One of the kindest things that my friends or family have done for me is to only pack “Asa friendly” snacks when they know we are going to be together. Eliminating the allergen from the kids means there won’t be any accidental mishaps. And it takes away the fear and anxiety that a parent has when they know other kids are snacking on things that could send their child into anaphylaxis.

By no means is this list exhaustive. There are a lot of other things you can do to be supportive. But it’s a great place to start! Again, never be afraid to ask questions! There are no stupid ones, and like I said earlier, just asking lets us know you care!