Ditch Just Surviving—Let’s Celebrate!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, everyone! Are you excited about gathering around the table with some lovely people and delicious food? If you have food allergies, you know very well that they can add a touch (or more) of anxiety to Thanksgiving.
A Rebellious Thanksgiving Survival Guide
Are you looking for a Thanksgiving survival guide? This post is somewhat of a rebellious twist on the survival guide concept. Why? Well, because I don’t think that Thanksgiving is much fun for anyone in survival mode. To celebrate, I need two things: good company and tasty food I can eat.
The food-positive Thanksgiving advice in this post comes from experience. Please read on and pass along the link to anyone who may find it helpful.
When Life Gives you Allergies…Make Something Tasty!
When life gives you lemons, what do you do? Make lemonade, of course! When life gives you food allergies, Thanksgiving dinner can feel overwhelming. Wondering what you can eat? Asking yourself how can you possibly make up for whatever ingredients you’re having to eliminate? Turn challenges into opportunities. Don’t these beautiful pumpkin brownies represent this spirit perfectly?
If you have food allergies, know that there’s always some workaround to help you enjoy a flavorful life. There are literally thousands upon thousands of foods in the world. Just because my son and I have a couple of food allergies, that does not mean that we deprive our taste buds or that our food palette lacks variety!
If anything, having to avoid most of what other people are putting on the table has inspired my adventurous spirit to eat and serve a wide variety of creative, delicious foods made with fresh ingredients that eliminate our allergens without eliminating flavor. We have some food restrictions, but we certainly aren’t restrictive in our eating!
Your Thanksgiving Context
Good food and good company are the definitions of happy holidays. You really need both. It’s hard to talk about food allergies and Thanksgiving without also talking about the impact of negative people. My definition of negative people in this post includes two categories. The first are mean people in general – you know, the people who have a history of abusing or insulting others. The second are people who “don’t believe” in other people’s health problems, including food allergies and think that everyone should be just like them. If you don’t have anyone like this in your life, you can skip the next few paragraphs. Otherwise, keep on reading!
My Allergies and Their Intolerance? A Recipe for Disaster!
I don’t know about you, but one thing that is way worse than food allergies is sharing a meal with people who don’t understand food allergies. No, I don’t mean that I want to spend my Thanksgiving talking to allergists and immunologists. I mean, don’t invite me to dinner and then roll your eyes at me skeptically when I tell you that I still have food allergies. If you don’t believe that food allergies are real, I literally won’t feel safe eating at your table. For me, it comes down to safety and the importance of mutual trust and mutual respect. Because I’d rather not be transferred by ambulance to the nearest emergency room on Thanksgiving or any other day.
You Can Say No
Holidays with extended families can be really tense. If you have digestive issues, allergies or other health problems, you know very well that being in a stressful situation can make everything more complicated. There are some people I literally won’t eat with, regardless of degrees of consanguinity or affinity, because they are not nice people at all. Sadly, there are some people like this in the world, but it’s always an option to decline an invitation and celebrate holidays with nicer people. And, of course, I’m also open to the fact that formerly nasty people can someday change their tune and become nice.
Work with Me this Holiday Season!
Why wait until the New Year to work on your health? I can support you through the holiday season by helping you keep things tasty, balanced, and healthy all at the same time. Together, we can identify your needs and goals and come up with a nutrition and lifestyle plan to help you enjoy a healthy, happy and food-positive holiday season!