travel w food allergies sm

Traveling can be extremely stressful for the 12 million Americans with food allergies and 3 million with celiac disease. In fact, most people with food allergies and sensitivities list traveling and dining out as their biggest concerns. One in 25 Americans (4 percent of the U.S. population) have food allergies. The numbers are higher for children under the age of 3, as 6 percent have been diagnosed with food allergies. In addition to 3 million Americans with celiac disease (gluten intolerance), 18 to 20 million are gluten sensitive.

It’s challenging for people with special dietary needs to locate accommodating restaurants in unfamiliar areas, determine whether unknown meals or snacks contain any “allergy triggers” and avoid cross-contamination everywhere they go. Further, people with anaphylaxis and other severe allergic reactions must consider how they’ll secure immediate medical help in a new city if they have an allergic reaction. But with the right preparation and strategies, traveling can be more enjoyable and less nerve-wracking.

Psychotherapist Alicia Woodward, LCSW, specializes in the psychological, spiritual and social aspects of celiac disease, food allergies and sensitivities. The editor of Living Without Magazine (www.livingwithout.com), the nation’s leading magazine for people with food allergies, Woodward offers this advice for travelers with food allergies:

Do your research. Before your trip, research your destination city’s restaurants, grocery stores and farmers’ markets.  Investigate menus and ingredient lists online. Call to see which establishments can accommodate your special food requirements.

Download relevant apps. There are some great smartphone apps that provide valuable information and peer reviews about how well (or poorly) restaurants accommodate food allergies and sensitivities. These mobile apps are helpful whether you’re planning your meals in advance or grabbing something on-the-go.

Bring your own snacks. Always carry a stash of snacks with you so you can safely nibble while you’re out exploring.

Book a hotel with a fridge.
  Bring your own, safe foods to make your own meals or snacks.

Ask questions.
Ask your hotel concierge to recommend accommodating restaurants, ask your servers how specific meals are prepared, and ask food-allergic friends where they’ve comfortably eaten while on the road.

Eat regularly. Eat regular meals and snacks so you never become ravenous, when you may eat something “risky” that you’d never try on a full belly.

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten? Important skills to teach at home

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten? Important skills to teach at home

  Kindergarten is an important milestone in a child’s life and as parents, we want kids to be prepared. “Kindergarten is [often] the first time children are given an opportunity to be indepe . . .

Read more

Ask Ms. Lydia: What Questions Should I Ask When Looking for a Preschool?

Ask Ms. Lydia: What Questions Should I Ask When Looking for a Preschool?

Dear Ms. Lydia, My husband and I just recently moved to the San Diego area and need to find a preschool for our 3-year-old son. We are overwhelmed with all the choices. There are so many different . . .

Read more

Little Kids in Weddings: Tips for ring bearers and flower girls

Little Kids in Weddings: Tips for ring bearers and flower girls

My first memory: I’m 3, wearing the prettiest, fluffiest dress in the whole world. I’m holding hands with a yucky boy and carrying a wicker basket full of flowers. I’m beaming with anxious joy . . .

Read more

Tips to Foster a Child's Love of Reading

Tips to Foster a Child's Love of Reading

Get your child involved in books and foster a lifelong love of reading. Here are tips from PBS Kids:  Visit the local library often. Get kids their own library card. Attend storytimes a . . .

Read more

Silly Songs to Get Chores Done

Silly Songs to Get Chores Done

Sing it Clean: 8 Silly Songs to Get Chores DoneMotivating a preschooler to clean up can be as frustrating as herding cats. Instead of sending your toddler into a tailspin when playtime is over, enco . . .

Read more

Teach Math and Science to Preschoolers

Teach Math and Science to Preschoolers

What is the right age to start learning about math and science? You may be surprised to learn that your preschooler is ready to be introduced to more than rote counting and discussing the . . .

Read more

7 Tips for Dealing with Picky Eaters

7 Tips for Dealing with Picky Eaters

I don’t like Brussels spouts. Why does broccoli look like trees? Vegetables make me throw up. Why can’t we just order McDonald’s?We’ve all heard these phrases or something similar uttered by . . .

Read more

What Parents Should Know about Children's Oral Health Care

What Parents Should Know about Children's Oral Health Care

Like many areas of the body, a person’s mouth is teeming with bacteria, most of them harmless. Normally the body’s natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing . . .

Read more

How to Make the Most of the First Day of Preschool

How to Make the Most of the First Day of Preschool

My husband and I tried to prep our 3-year-old son Dylan, the best we could for his first day of preschool. We told him he’d be meeting all sorts of new people and making a bunch of new friends. “W . . .

Read more

Toys Your Child Can Learn and Play With

Toys Your Child Can Learn and Play With

Every parent knows that children learn most by playing. Through play, children learn how to explore their lives, peers and surroundings, how things work and the difference between success and failur . . .

Read more

10 Ideas to Help Children Read Outside of the Classroom

10 Ideas to Help Children Read Outside of the Classroom

“Learning how to read should not be confined to the classroom,” said Amy Jo Dowd, Ph.D., education research advisor for Save the Children.  “There are many fun ways that parents, communit . . .

Read more

How to Fund Your Child's Education

How to Fund Your Child's Education

While most of us realize that we will need to save money for our children’s college educations, we may need to figure out how to start funding our children’s education quite a few years earlier . . .

Read more

Make Play a Priority

Make Play a Priority

You’ve heard it time and time again, “The first five years of a child’s life are the most critical to their development.” This idea is not anything new, but recent research shows just how much . . .

Read more

8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Purchasing Holiday Toys

8 Questions to Ask Yourself When Purchasing Holiday Toys

Pediatric occupational therapists say items that focus on motor skill development, cognitive learning provide best value when it comes to kids The holiday season provides the opportunity to unabashed . . .

Read more

Asthma Medicines Increase the Risk of Cavities

Asthma Medicines Increase the Risk of Cavities

Did you know that your child’s asthma medicine can weaken healthy enamel, making teeth vulnerable to dental disease? “Caries” is the term that dentists use to describe dental disease. You an . . .

Read more

How to Make Reading Irresisitable to Boys

How to Make Reading Irresisitable to Boys

I want my son to love books, so I began reading to him when he was tiny. Despair descended when, at 6 months old, he was more interested in eating books than reading them. But I wiped off the drool . . .

Read more

How to Help Kindergarteners Make a Smooth Transition into School

How to Help Kindergarteners Make a Smooth Transition into School

Help your kindergartener score a smoother transition into school.   Kicking Off Kindergarten For many parents, kindergarten signals a major milestone from the all-consuming baby and toddler . . .

Read more

The Privileges System for Children

The Privileges System for Children

It is possible to raise kind, well-mannered children with no yelling, no spanking, and no time-outs. When I created the Privileges System three years ago, my daughter needed boundaries… fast. I al . . .

Read more

Toothbrushing Tips for Kids

Toothbrushing Tips for Kids

Each night at my house there’s a show after dinner. I call it dental drama. As I approach my son’s mouth with the toothbrush, he closes it tight. I ply him with sparkly, watermelon-flavored toot . . .

Read more

Traveling with Food Allergies

Traveling with Food Allergies

Traveling can be extremely stressful for the 12 million Americans with food allergies and 3 million with celiac disease. In fact, most people with food allergies and sensitivities list traveling and . . .

Read more

Be Family Informed – Sign up for our Newsletters below!

Subscribe