How To Be A Helpful Host To Your Friends With Food Allergies This Holiday Season

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It's cookie baking time, time for big holiday gatherings, usually focused on the food — gatherings I sometimes dread. Don't I like food? Yes, I adore it, especially consuming it and not having to cook it.

Do I want to eat Christmas cookies? Yes, a million times yes. Can I do so without getting ill? No. Respect what someone tells you about what they can consume. We're not doing it on purpose.

I have to find foods that are wheat-free for myself, but I can still eat a lot of foods that contain other common allergens, including milk. Unfortunately, sometimes packaged foods take a one size fits all approach when it comes to allergens: cookies that are grain, sugar, and dairy free, for example.

Maybe it's tradition in your family to have Christmas cookies, but if you have a guest who can't eat those cookies, provide them with some other choices so they're not the only ones who can't partake

I have a good friend with severe food allergies. Food is central to many social gatherings, but it doesn't have to be.

My friend and I take long walks and hikes together. When we do eat together, I let her choose the restaurant or we bring our own food and eat at home.

Food brings people together, but when you have food allergies or intolerances, it can make you feel apart from other people too. Listen to your loved ones and believe what they tell you about what is and is not possible for them.

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How To Be A Helpful Host To Your Friends With Food Allergies This Holiday Season

It's cookie baking time, time for big holiday gatherings, usually focused on the food — gatherings I sometimes dread. Don't I like food? Yes, I adore it, especially consuming it and not having to cook it.