During Halloween, one of the most exciting details is the spooky variations on snacks, meals, and sweets. Whether you have a young one looking to go trick-or-treating or you’ve made it your mission to host the perfect Halloween dinner party, plan carefully. There’s one essential monster you should take on: the Halloween allergies monster. The best way to do that is to use advanced allergy and intolerance testing as a weapon. You’ll be in the perfect position to banish the bad monsters in favour of the good ones all season long. There are more tools below!
The food monsters to know about
When you think of classic Halloween food, you would think that an allergic reaction would be food colouring. Costume-wise, you’d assume a latex allergy. Studies show that many allergic reactions come from standard baking and candy ingredients. They line up with four of the top 10 major food allergens in the UK: wheat, milk, soy, and egg.
What’s worse is that a lot of the mass-produced baking supplies and candy options to give out as trick-or-treating candy are dangerous. They cause risks for those allergic to peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews, and more This is because they are processed and manufactured on the same equipment used for nut-containing foods.
If you have these kinds of food allergies, how can you still enjoy your Halloween season? How can you conquer something that is, scientifically speaking, incurable? The solution, of course, is turning yourself into an allergy and intolerance warrior. Don’t forget to get the right armour! Read on for more details.
How to conquer allergies and intolerances the right way
Since you can’t create an allergy cure, you must change how you approach conquering. How you do this will depend on what age range you’re dealing with.
Babies and infants
There is a lot of effort, energy, and time spent on managing food allergies in babies. This will help ensure they have the best chance at a healthy, safe life. If you feel your little one is at risk of food allergies, remember that no life-threatening reactions have ever been reported in babies. This refers specifically to when introducing common allergenic foods. Most research recommends introducing little ones to as many different food groups as possible. This helps them reduce the possibility of allergic reactions.
If you have several children and one has an allergy, your younger children have a higher risk. To be specific, a 1/12th higher chance of having the same food allergy. But, that’s only a 10% chance of your younger children to have a food allergy.
If you are especially concerned, take the time to order advanced allergy and intolerance testing when your infant is old enough for testing. Your GP can help you determine when the right time is! If your other children haven’t had testing, consider getting them tested, too!
Children and teens
When you want to keep children and teens safe from allergy monsters, the main key is education. Specifically their own. Take some time to remind them about their food allergies. They should remember to check the ingredients properly for their allergens. The more familiar they are with potential allergens, the better. It’s all about protection, after all.
Remind them not to snack on candy while they are out and decline homemade Halloween treats. As well, spend extra time with your teen. Ensure they remember to resist peer pressure to eat or interact with something they could be allergic to.
Adults
For your Halloween party, take the time to talk to your invitees about allergies and intolerances. This will help you avoid anything that causes someone to skip the meal or, worse, dessert. It can be tricky to avoid allergies and intolerances if every guest has a different one. But there are also some great recipes you can find online that will help you do that.
Another component is to ask everyone or bring a potluck option that is allergen/intolerance-safe for themselves so that there is always something to eat. Plus, you can also taste other people’s food, which is also safe! It’s a fun way to be inclusive.
The role of allergy and intolerance testing
Of course, these monster-conquering techniques are only good if you have the right data to help you know your Halloween allergies. Regardless of age, consider advanced allergy and intolerance testing so that you can get the right scientific data to plan your menu. Many adults can benefit from testing, too, since up to 3% of adults have food allergies.
Children have a higher risk, with 6%-8% of the population having allergies. Since Halloween is a child’s holiday, you can see no downsides to considering this easy, private, at-home test, correct?
This Halloween, put yourself and your loved ones in charge of food intolerances and allergies. Get all the information you need to banish those food monsters from under your table. It doesn’t have to be scary or even tricky — it’s all about putting the correct information to use so that you make the most out of your spooky season! Have a look at our advanced allergy and intolerance test here!
