Kids’ Food Allergies Damper Dining Out
March 17, 2008 (Philadelphia) -- Even though most parents alert restaurant staff if their children have food allergies, a sizable number of the kids still suffer allergic reactions when dining out, a new survey shows.
Adding insult to injury, a second study suggests that children who suffer peanut allergies often don't get lifesaving medication.
Both studies were presented here at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).
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Eating out has definitely become more of a challenge for us, but we still do it. We just find places that we are comfortable with - many of them don't have peanuts on the menu at all, but some do.
Do you guys eat out a lot? What's your favorite place? How do you determine if a restaurant is safe for you?
We usually check out the restaurant ourselves before we take Bella or give the place a call (or email) and ask about the prevalence of nuts, frying oil, etc. And most places are more than happy to talk to you about it (if they aren't, DON'T GO!).
We have a great hamburger place nearby that is peanut free, and we go to places like Chili's. We go lots of places. Really the only places we avoid are Vietnamese and Thai places. We've been able to find safe places near us for all other nationalities of foods (yes, even Chinese Food!).
And I always keep my eyes open. For example, I just found a new restaurant to try: Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing, CA via a parenting blog. It sounded great so I emailed the owner and asked him all about their menu and practices. He sent me a great response - so great that I feel comfortable trying it out with Bella.
Bottom line: It's not impossible.And as for kids not having their Epi-Pens with them when they have an attack (the second part of the article) - I am baffled. I must have 12 of these floating around the house, a diaper bag, family members' homes. How can we get it into parents' heads that they need to keep these nearby at all times and NOT be afraid to use them? I'm sure it isn't fun to give your child an epi, but it's less fun to bury them.
What if we created a poster that we could post in every doctor's office around the country to remind parents to fill, keep nearby, and use an epi pen? This is so important!
2 comments:
Too funny we posted the same thing :) It's a tough issue. I think for me a big issue is the wheat and the fact that my child is such a picky eater. If we could get safe french fries we'd be golden, but most places don't have a dedicated fryer. Telling a 3 year old "Here's your baked potato with no butter" just doesn't go over that well.
We visiting the SF area this spring with our peanut allergy daughter. Do you know of any fun places or really any place that is accomodating to peanut allergies in the Fishermen's Wharf area or anywhere else nearby?
Love your site!
Krista from Colorado
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