Enjoying the Holidays with a Food Allergy
Enjoying the holidays with a food allergy sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? After all, eating together is an integral component of the holiday season. I looked forward to making our traditional holiday foods until I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy in 2012. What was to enjoy about the holidays when the foods associated with it were off limits to me? I experienced a sense of separation from my family members as they enjoyed foods that were now off limits to me.
That holiday season was not enjoyable. At all.
My New Year’s resolution was to learn to make dairy-free versions of my holiday favorites so I could once again enjoy holiday baking and eating. In subsequent years, my commitment to the cause ramped up when we embarked on a multigenerational living adventure with our daughter’s family. She also has a dairy allergy, our son-in-law is lactose intolerant, and two of my grandchildren were dairy, gluten, and soy intolerant when they were young. Until they outgrew their food allergies, we were one of “those families” that made enjoying the holidays with a food allergy difficult for us and our hosts.
Slowly my daughter and I developed several strategies to make attending and eating at holiday gatherings not only doable, but also enjoyable. Here are some of our favorites.
- Gather recipes. Compile allergy-free recipes all year long so you’ll have plenty of options to consider when the holidays roll around. A kid favorite at our house is Rice Krispie treats. They’re naturally gluten free. To make them dairy free, we use a butter substitute instead of butter. Many of my dairy-free recipes (which taste as good as their traditional counterparts) are housed at my website jolenephilo.com. Type “dairy-free” or “gluten-free” in the search bar to find our family favorites. Or do an internet search with those terms to get ideas from all over the world.
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By Jolene
Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dig!, the fourth book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2024.
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Thank you for the helpful tips on navigating the holidays with food allergies! As a mom to two special kids with unique needs, I understand just how important it is to plan ahead and create an environment that is both safe and enjoyable for all. Your advice is irreplaceable for families like ours who have to think about extra considerations during gatherings. Similarly, I share insights on my blog in hopes of being of help and support to other parents facing similar challenges. It’s so great to see resources like yours that make the holiday more inclusive!