Navigating Food Allergies with Compassion and Non-Judgment for Struggling Parents

It is hard enough being a parent sometimes, but it can be even harder when you have a child that struggles with food allergies or intolerances. Another difficutly is parenting kids with ADHD (yes, my child had a double whammy--ADHD and food allergies--know your pain!) and avoiding the synthetic food dyes. Off on a tanget here, but I remember buying my daughter a red cupcake and she was pretty little but freaked out about all the red in the toilet when she used the bathroom. I quickly realized it was from the cupcake she had just eaten. I was thinking to myself, "How much red food dye did they use?" Needless to say, I quickly looked for red velvet cupcakes that were dye-free, often called "Not so Red Velvet" cucpakes. It was absurd to me that they put that much dye in a cupcake that I started to wonder about dyes in general, thus starting a whole other journey.

Back to the food allergies and intolerances, my child had allergies at a young age and I had to navigate how to find the right foods for her and avoiding the foods that made her so sick. I think some parents of non-allergic/intolerance kids tend to think that some moms are just Helicopter parents, but the truth is that allergies exist. Food intolerances are on the rise. ADHD and other behavioral issues are affected by food dyes, and probably other diseases that we aren't even aware of yet.

Even as an adult, I had an allergic reaction about a year ago ( I think it was from a new vitamin but not 100% sure) that caused me to have hives all over my body (see pic) and my throat started to feel like it was itchy and about to close. I went to the local urgent care and got steroid shots and allergy medication, and then immediately went to the allergist.

Be kind to yourself. If you are new to food allergies, if this is your first child or even your fifth child, remember that you are learning how to navigate new terriority. You are learning how to make sure your child gets the best care and avoids the triggering food. If you are a person reading this who has never experienced food allergies/intolerances or your kids haven't, please remember to be kind to these families and to Never Give a Child Food without double-checking that they don't have a food allergy or intolerance. For more help or education on Food Allergies, FARE is a wonderful resource.