Article by Kathleen Reale

Following are a few advantages of having to prepare recipes for children with food allergies. It’s an excellent learning opportunity – for you and your child.

Sweet Revenge: Just because your child suffers from food allergies does not mean that they have to forego sweets (although you might like them too!). Since gluten and other major food allergens do not naturally occur in fruit, desserts made from fresh fruit (eg, baked apples) are not only healthy, they are safe too!

Your Kids Will Love Vegetables: One of the positives of having a child who suffers from food allergies is that you can train their palates to love healthy foods like vegetables from day one. Many of us forget that our addiction to sweets and processed foods is a learned addiction, not a naturally occurring one.

Most vegetables are gluten-free and allergen-free. Feed them to your children early and often. Get creative and serve them with allergen free dips as a lunch box snack or healthy afternoon snack. They’ll seamlessly develop a love for vegetables without being forced.

Teach Your Kid to become an International Eater: Most often, a traditional American diet won’t suit a child who suffers from food allergies, as they contain a lot of gluten, processed foods and the like.This is an excellent opportunity to teach your child to become an “international eater.” You can explore recipes for children with food allergies from Asian, African and Mexican cultures, for example. These cultures tend to have diets that are rich in rice, corn and other alternative grains like quinoa and amaranth. Vegan recipes are another option, as they tend to be free from dairy and animal products.

Recipes for Children with Food Allergies: Safety Tips. There is a lot of information – and misinformation – on what’s safe when it comes to food allergies. Following are a few safety tips when preparing recipes for children with food allergies.

Ingredient Safety: Parents should be aware that when preparing recipes for children with food allergies, products that you’d think would always contain the same ingredient can be different. To explain, the same ingredients manufactured in different parts of the country, or in other countries, may be different in composition. Product formulations also can change. So be aware of what you’re using.

Label Safety: One of the most frustrating things for parents who prepare recipes for children with food allergies and celiac disease is that you can’t totally trust what’s on the label. A product labeled as gluten-free, for example, may indeed contain gluten. While the amounts fall below a certain level as to be “practically” gluten-free, it can be just enough to harm a child.

Always Check Ingredients on Recipes: Family, friends, magazines, support groups and the internet are always an invaluable resource for parents who see recipes for children with food allergies and celiac disease. However, always keep in mind that each and every ingredient in a recipe must be scrutinized for allergies. A recipe that worked for a recipe-poster in an internet chat forum on childhood food allergies may not work for your child. As a parent your job is to conduct due-diligence on every recipe ingredient.

Recipes for children with food allergies are abundant. Your job as a parent is to find those that your child will like – and look forward to eating.