Guide to Snacks for Kids with Allergies

Although all the reasons are unknown, the fact remains that the number of children with one or more food allergies seems to be on the rise in recent years. Many of these children are afflicted with multiple allergies, and so the parent or day care worker may well be wondering what on earth is left that they can safely feed the kids? What is the allergic child going to eat while the rest of the children are consuming all those tasty snacks?

We're lucky to live in an age where more and more healthy alternatives are available for children with allergies. There are several companies offering premade mixes you can bake with, many items already made on your local store shelves, and you can also make up your own treats that are free of the ingredients you need to avoid for your child's health. Of course you will want to talk to your health care professional before embarking on any special diet plan for allergic children. You should feel free to make use of this article as an informative overview.

A general rule of thumb for someone dealing with multiple allergies within a group, such as daycare workers, is to remember that there are several allergens common to many children. Peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, eggs, gluten and dairy are the most common allergies. If you serve snacks free of all of these, you are on the safe side. Believe it or not, it is possible to meet this goal! And you can go beyond carrot sticks and other vegetables or fruits they aren't allergic to, and give them something crunchy like the other kids can have.

Keep in mind that you may have to shop at a health food, gourmet or whole foods store for some of these items if you can't find them at your usual grocery store. Most are also available online. We found a great site for this called Allergy Grocer with a complete selection. Any extra efforts are well worth shopping a little differently in order to ensure a child's safety.

Rice flour is a good alternative to regular flour for baking, and there is dairy-free chocolate available. Look for pasta that is made without wheat and waffles made without egg. Kids love these! They're tasty and also fun for them to eat. They also love popcorn, and unless the child is allergic to corn, popcorn is a great healthy alternative.

You can also find yummy granola that's made with brown rice, is gluten-free and contain no nuts. They're tasty, with lots of cinnamon and fruity sweet flavors. You can find these granolas at most health food outlets or through allergy grocers online.

If the child isn't allergic to potatoes, you might think that potato chips are a good snack for them. But you have to remember that most potato chips contain the common allergen gluten. However, companies like LesserEvil make light gluten-free potato snacks in several flavors (barbecue, sour cream & onion, sea salt and Cajun Kaboom!) called Krinkle Sticks.

Some of the brands besides LesserEvil that supply snacks and bake mix alternatives for the allergic are Divvies, Cherrybrook Kitchen, Emer-G, and Gak's Snacks.

We hope this general overview has given you an idea of how many choices you really do have in feeding snacks to children with allergies. There really is hope out there!

Sources:

http://www.allergygrocer.com

http://www.gakssnacks.com

http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com

http://www.divvies.com

http://www.ener-g.com

http://www.lesserevil.com