Managing food allergies at home is important, especially if only few members of the family have food allergies. Cross-contamination, accidental contact of allergens can be very dangerous.
Kids should be monitored carefully to prevent food allergies as they are most vulnerable. Food allergies among kids rose by 18% in the last decade. Hence, proper management of food allergies is very important
Tips for Managing Food Allergies at Home:
Here are a few tips to manage food allergies at home:
- Washing hands: Even trace amount of allergens can trigger allergy. For example, a smudge of peanut butter on the dinner table can be dangerous for an allergic individual. Washing hands before and after eating can wash away the allergens and keeps others safe
- Keep separate shelves for allergic foods: Keep separate shelves in your cupboard for unsafe foods. This will prevent cross-contamination and help the kids to stay away from such foods
- Label unsafe foods: Label the unsafe foods which may cause allergy. This will help you and other to handle them carefully
- Avoid cross-contamination: Avoid cross-contamination by being cautious while preparing food. Washing utensils, cutting boards also prevents cross-contamination. Care should be taken not to handle utensils after eating or touching allergic food
- Keep fixed seating arrangements: A Fixed seating arrangement for kids at the dinner table keeps them from sharing and touching allergic food
- Allergy-free zones: Designate allergy-free zones restricting kids to eat food such as milk, peanuts etc. in only certain places such as kitchen, dining room etc.
- Keep emergency kit: Always keep a kit which contains allergy medications, self-injectable epinephrine to handle any emergency situation
To prevent food allergies, you can also try using separate utensils for allergic and non-allergic food stuff. If food allergies are properly managed, home can be the best place to stay for individuals with food allergies.
