Having a food allergy, Celiac disease , or food intolerance can make life hard for a child or teen.
As a parent we need to empower our child, and teach them how to advocate for themselves. The goal is to understand their needs and teach them to communicate them. So how do we do this effectively?
Here are a few ways I feel will help them.
1. Understand their needs- Children of all ages with any allergy, need to understand their needs.
They need to know why they have to follow a gluten free diet, and why is it important to their
health. They will understand and learn to focus on what they can eat and not what they can't eat.
They will eventually understand what happens to their body when they accidentally ingest gluten.
2. Communication- When a child is young they can wear alert bracelets to suggest a food allergy.
As they get older, they need to be taught to communicate, ask questions and not be embarrassed.
My son is a teen, we were in the city at a restaurant, he stated google says" there is nothing I can eat
here". I told him you need to speak with the manager and ask, we did and they accommodated him.
This tool we need to teach them, it ensures their safety when we as parents aren't there.
3. Education- There are a lot of opportunities to educate on what is gluten free and not. Kids can
share their snack and show others how good it can taste. Teens can educate others on cross
contamination, most people don't understand this.
4. Be Prepared- It's not easy being a kid with Celiac disease or any food allergy, especially in social settings. Best advice is to be ready, bring food, snacks, and call ahead. Know what any place or restaurant offers and what is available that is gluten free. Lucky in today's world there is a lot available. Many times teens go grab pizza, so call ahead order the gluten free one so it is ready when they get there. Teach your child this new gluten free lifestyle, its not so hard, just takes some work.
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