Talking Allergies

FYI, I just checked Pringles and their website say that they are made in a peanut/nut free factory!

They're not the healthiest snack, but it's nice for a change once in a while.

We like to take Pringles on a picnic - it's our little treat, and they won't crush like regular potato chips. We picnic A LOT - even in winter. In winter, we pack picnic lunches and have our picnic in the car as we're driving to or from our destination. That way, when we arrive somewhere to spend the day, we're not hungry and looking for a restaurant.

I think we'll be doing more and more pic-nics too, Julie. My daughter had a dance competition in Brantford this week-end and her nose was a bit out of joint because all her friends went out for lunch and I brought ours. Oh well, I don't feel one bit guilty.

I like that Pringles come in individual snack sizes. At the beginning of the school year, I bought them in bulk and gave them to my son's teacher to keep in the classroom for the duration of the year. If there are treats he can't or won't eat (he hates chocolate... ), she gives him his own special treat. Since he never eats them at home, it is always nice for him to have this treat and he doesn't feel excluded.

That's a great idea Storm! I forgot to mention that the only time we eat Pringles is on a picnic, so it makes having our picnics special &, so far anyway, our kids have never complained that they are missing out - even if we're eating in the car! We'll bring all kinds of healthy foods, and our kids only get to eat Pringles once they've finished a healthy picnic lunch. But Nicole, I'm sure it's much more difficult with an older child receiving a diagnosis. Your daughter is probably very accustomed to eating out with her friends, so that's got to be tough. The only thing I can suggest is to have her eat beforehand, and have a treat beforehand as well, so she doesn't feel deprived. Then when she joins her friends, maybe she can just have a drink in the restaurant. The best thing I've found, is for our kids to NOT be hungry when we are faced with these situations. We don't let our daughter eat anything in front of her brother that he is not allowed to have or doesn't have an equivalent substitute for. For example, my daughter's school had a BBQ at the beginning of the year, and we brought our son his own homemade barbequed burger and bun, and the rest of our family ate the burger and bun supplied by the school. It can be challenging, but we very much believe in participating in these events, even if we have to be creative in our approach. It takes extra work to find out what food is being served, but then your child can be there, participte, and not be left out.

I dont get it. I Kow that these Chips are safe for certain individuals. why are they so important on a trip.? I am trying to understand. Perhaps, i am missing out on something.?

Monty, I think what Julie is trying to say is that when you raise kids with allergies, you try to teach them to preferably eat healthy foods from home and avoid "outside food". On occasion, they can have safe treats. Non allergic children get to have treats when they go out, they have Timbits at the mall or ice cream, etc., but it is a little more challenging to buy treats for allergic kids, so she saves Pringles for special occasions, to make the trip more special, that's all. This way they don't feel excluded or left out.

In my daughter's case, because she is older, yes it is a bit harder as she has been able to eat anything she wants, and then after her reaction, we had to restrict what and where she could eat until we could find out if it's safe, and then add it back to her list. It's an ongoing learning process. I was happy therefore to discover that Pringles were safe, as it is an easy snack to take along and a favourite of my daughter's.

But she is a good label reader and she "gets it".

Some things I eat more on trips because they are easier to carry and shelf stable compared to "regular" food I keep in the fridge at home, so it is less trouble when I have unplanned stops and all... I do eat more junk when I travel... even if it's not that much junk in the end... but I eat healthy at home (ok... except for Oreos )

Thanks Nicole and Mylene... honestly, my husband & I believe in a healthy diet for our family - with the occassional food treat thrown in. Picnics are a great opportunity to include a treat (I consider a treat to be anything sweet or savoury - so cookies, cakes, candy, chips, and even crackers, etc. fall into the "treat" category in our household.) My daughter complains that she doesn't get treats in her lunchbag at school - according to her, LOTS of the kids get treats in their lunchbags - sometimes everyday!! (ok, this is a 7 yr old talking). But we rarely send a treat in our daughter's lunchbag - not even a cookie! (she's not the one with the food allergies, BTW). We generally reserve the serving of treats to happen when our family is together, and only in moderation, and when we can oversee all the other foods being eaten. After all, "we are what we eat" (as we try to instill in our children). As for Pringles on a picnic, yes we do include them - on occassion... but only after the healthy lunch has been eaten. For example, this past weekend a group of us were going to Niagara Falls for the day... we brought our picnic lunch in the car and met up with the others that had just finished eating their lunch in a restaurant. I'm certain our picnic lunch (even though it included Pringles) was much healthier than the restaurant meal served! I doubt the restaurant meal the others ate did not include homemade bread, "real" cheese, deli-fresh ham, carrots, raw green beans and red & green grapes, all accompanied by WATER... followed by Pringles chips!

Everything, IN MODERATION, I say! Accompanied by an active lifestyle, I think the occasional treat can be incorporated.

Thanks , I certainly do have a better understanding.