High quality of life despite allergies

Most people associate eating and drinking with great enjoyment. However, an intolerance or allergy can mean a major restriction for those affected. Parents of children with food allergies are suddenly confronted with completely new issues and have to abandon habits relating to shopping, cooking and eating in favour of integrating new things into everyday family life.
It can happen that the diet at home becomes one-sided, as only a small number of different menus are served. On the one hand, this leads to boredom for parents and children at the family table; on the other hand, children may become one-sided eaters and react to the smallest changes with protest and rejection.

Focus on the foods that your child can eat rather than those that they cannot.

In principle, the choice of foods can still be very wide despite one or more allergies. Try to focus on the foods that your child can eat rather than those that he or she cannot tolerate. You will be amazed at what is still possible and may even learn about new foods. Fortunately, there are many substitutes available these days, which means that even popular children's menus with eggs and nuts or other allergens can be recreated.

Travelling without fear

In many cases, children's allergies are discovered very early on, which means that parents need to be educated and master everyday life with their children. As soon as the children get older and «eating out» becomes an issue, the carers must be involved and the child itself must be trained in an age-appropriate manner. Parents should seek help from specialists. They can support their child in taking responsibility for their allergy themselves. Even very young children realise that they are not allowed to eat certain things or accept food from other plates or other children.
Depending on the childcare centre and school, children may be more or less familiar with allergies or food intolerances. There are organisations that offer allergen-free food. If this is not the case, it is up to you as parents. If your child spends the afternoon off with friends, it can be an advantage to give them their favourite snacks in case they get hungry. You can also suggest menus to parents using ingredients that the child can tolerate.

This makes it easy to convey a sense of security and the affected child does not constantly have the feeling of being different. It is important that you as a parent act confidently and calmly. If you feel a great deal of anxiety yourself, you will pass this on - and this is precisely when mistakes can happen or a great deal of one-sidedness can develop. If you are very insecure yourself and are constantly afraid that your child could come into contact with the allergen, seek help from a specialist organisation. It takes time for normality to develop in dealing with food allergies.

A critical phase can occur during adolescence.

Experience shows that the quality of life of affected children is often barely impaired . In childhood, it is usually the carers who are most affected. Only older children notice the restrictions in everyday life when they compare themselves with their peers or when they realise the extra effort their parents have to make. Adolescence can be a critical phase in dealing with the allergy. Adolescents detach themselves from their parents, spend a lot of time with friends, don't want to attract attention and claim that they can't remember any allergic reactions. As a result, awareness of the allergy becomes less important and «dietary errors» can occur.
It is important that you as parents start to hand over responsibility for the allergy to your child at an early age. In particular, this means that they should think about the emergency kit themselves and not rely on you. It is also worth sharing your observations with your child and repeatedly emphasising the importance of an allergen-free diet, but without restricting your daughter or son too much and making the subject of allergies a constant topic.

Helpful preparations with regard to allergies

Training within the family

• In a mixed household, separate allergen-containing foods from allergen-free foods, possibly visualising them with stickers.

• When shopping, always check the list of ingredients, as these can change without notice.

• There are professional training courses available for affected children and their parents.

Training outside the family

• Inform and instruct friends and their parents as well as educational staff.

• There are professional training courses available for daycare centres and other organisations.

In an emergency

• Always carry your allergy passport (list of allergens) with you.

• Always have an emergency treatment plan and emergency medication (injection pen, anti-allergic tablets, etc.) with you and instruct those around you.

More about allergies and nutrition:

• Family solidarity with the allergy sufferer. 16-year-old Ella suffers from severe food allergies. Her parents and brother have therefore also turned their own diet upside down.

• Lunch instead of a canteen. More and more parents are joining forces with other families to cook together for their children. Is chaos inevitable?