Halloween is definitely the candy eating holiday. But how to trick or treat with food allergies?
Allergy with all its forms is considered to be the disease of affluence. It’s not hard to observe examples proving this theory in everyday life, in our families. Just look at your grandparents, parents, siblings and – if you’re a parent – at your children.
The younger is the generation, the more people suffer from all kinds of allergies. Try to remember or ask your parents – 50 years ago everyone was eating gluten-full bread and drinking milk. Today we can see products that 50 years ago no one was imagining: gluten-free bread and lactose-free milk.
There are many various reasons why food allergies are so “popular” nowadays, but there are two main: the food and the sterile lifestyle.
It’s no surprise that the food we eat is far from being as nutritional as it was in the time of our parents childhood. We live fast, we want to have food that will taste great, makes us full after just a few bites, will take possibly a small amount of time to prepare and will be fresh for a long time after the purchase. Food companies do what they can to meet our needs and to also squeeze every cent of the food that they grow – both fauna and flora. Usually it has an effect on the quality of food that is no longer 100% natural as intended by Mother Nature.
Second harm that we unconsciously do to ourselves is overzeal in the protection from bacteria. We have hyper clean apartments and don’t let our children get dirty. We can’t even imagine that our children would put in their mouth something that was lying on the ground. Supposedly wise behavior, but is it really? Young organisms of children have to face bacteria to grow natural protective reaction. If a kid doesn’t have contact with the dust and bacteria during its childhood, it can later negatively affect the immune system.
Of course, those reasons might be one of many, however, they’re frequent and important, especially in the case of those people who suddenly, out of nowhere, suffer from allergy in their twenties-thirties.
So let’s say you have a child or a nephew or know a neighbor’s kid, who is 5-6 years old, extremely adorable and on gluten-free diet.
Every three minutes, someone in the United States has to visit the emergency room due to a food allergy and we don’t want it to be that kid. But it’s Halloween, trick or treating begins, all of the children from the street are playing and enjoying that special and fun time. Should our allergic kid be excluded?
Absolutely no!
The FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) organization came with an amazing initiative and Basecamp Emalco joins it this year!
All you have to do is:
- Collect allergens-free treats.
- Paint a pumpkin in a teal color.
- Put the teal pumpkin outside your door.
A kid who has allergies will know that in the house with the teal pumpkin outside there are people giving away allergens-free and safe treats.
We’re very happy that kids with allergies are no longer to be excluded from this candy eating event – Halloween. All that has left, is to spread the news so as many people as possible will know about this great initiative. Teach your kids, tell your friends and share on social media. Let’s make the world a better place for everyone.