We went away this past weekend and for the first time since my daughter was diagnosed with food allergies had to eat out. I knew that the new diet was going to come with some difficulties but I wasn’t prepared for the difficulties of eating out. Normally we would order a kids meal and both kids would share it. We went to Ruby Tuesday and the kids meals all have dairy or eggs in them, there was nothing on the menu she could eat. They have a salad bar so I ordered her a salad and was dissapointed to see that the majority of it was pasta salads. In the end she had a few veggies and french fries.

The next morning we went to Denny’s for breakfast and once again we could order nothing off the kids menu for her. She can’t have eggs or pancakes. We had to order her two sides; one of sausage links and another of hash browns. I don’t like feeding my daughter overly greasy foods and I hate having to deny her the pancakes that she loves so much.

I know I’m not the first parent to deal with these food allergies, nor will I be the last. We’ve realized that going out to eat really isn’t an option for us anymore. Her options are so limited and she is not old enough to understand why she can’t have a grilled cheese or pasta. Her normal breakfast of oatmeal or raisin bread has been replaced with dry cereal and her normal lunch time sandwich has been replaced with apples, soy cheese and some sort of deli meat. This new diet is taking a lot of getting used to.

I found some good information and links to resources on http://www.allergicchild.com but am still in search of some free receipies. I’ve come to realise that I at 36 years of age I finally have to learn how to cook. The things we do for our kids.