What's Up With Allergies: How to feed a friend with food allergies

We've been very, very lucky to have made some wonderful friends who help feed my daughter. She can go to all of their houses and eat safely because of two reasons:

1. The other children have been taught to be aware of food allergies.
2. The moms and dads have been so wonderfully attentive to our situation.

If you have friends with food allergies, and you're not sure how to help, take it one small step at a time. The allergic person doesn't expect you to feed them anything. They know that they are responsible for all of their own food and protecting themselves. However, if you notice that they eat certain things, it's certainly a surprising welcome for you to have it in your home for them.

For us, our friends usually have at least one snack in their houses that's safe for our daughter. These are some of the foods that work for us:

Annie's Cheddar Bunnies
Trader Joe's fruit leathers (without the added fiber)
Trader Joe's mozzarella cheese
Trader Joe's blue box of fish sticks
Trader Joe's frosted mini wheats
New Horizon's graham crackers
Lots of fruit
Certain Applesauces
Trader Joe's Low-Fat Pita Chips (not for the fat content, but the recipes are different)

When our friends pick up one of these items items at the store and have it around for us, it makes us feel wonderful. It makes us feel like we're not in this battle alone. Talk to your friend with the allergy to find out what one food you could have in your house. If it's not too much trouble, pick it up the next time your in the store. They'll be pleasantly surprised at your thoughtfulness! If your friend has a severe allergy where any exposure can cause a reaction, keep a pack of disposable plates and silverware in your cabinet to pull out when he/she is there. Keep a box of safe snacks sealed until they arrive and let them open it to serve it on the sterile plates. This lets both of you know there's been no cross contamination!

Thank you to all our friends who go above and beyond to include our daughter in their lives and help make our lives a little easier!