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When you're on vacation, it's easy to take a more casual attitude
towards everyday habits of home. Just remember, your kids and you are on
vacation; their allergies aren't. |
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Common Allergies – |
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The first thing to determine is whether anyone in your family
actually has a true food allergy. The good news: research shows only 1 in
100 Americans suffer from food allergies (not the one in five who claim to have allergies). Even better news: most kids outgrow their allergies
by the time they reach school age – so, your kids may still be avoiding
foods they don't have to. |
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What are the most common allergies? Here's the short list
that covers over 90% (listed in alphabetical order only): |
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Dairy products (milk, cheese, butter, yogurt) |
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Eggs (actually, it's the white of the egg that's the real
culprit) |
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Nuts |
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Shellfish |
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Soybeans |
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Wheat |
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Symptoms – |
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It's a safe bet that in your travels your family
will eat foods never tried before and you won't always be sure what's in
those foods. We're not just talking about foods you aren't familiar with
– even familiar foods may be prepared in a way that brings them into
contact with allergens. A language barrier may make it hard to be sure no
"banned" foods are present – so you'll need to recognize an allergic
reaction. Here are the most common ones: |
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Itching, hives, swelling skin (lips and hands and throat) |
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Stomach upset including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea |
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Nasal congestion |
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Shortness of breath |
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Dizziness |
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Be Prepared – |
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If you already know or suspect that someone in
your family is at risk: |
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Get a MedicAlert bracelet. |
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Arrange to carry an emergency injection of epinephrine. Have
it in a clearly marked container and carry a letter of explanation from
your physician. |
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Have a prescription you can fill overseas. |
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Know how to use the local emergency system – 911 isn't
going to work from Amsterdam to Zanzibar. |
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Get someone to help you write, in the foreign language(s), your concern,
so you can show it to restaurant personnel. For example, if you have an
allergy to shellfish, get help writing, "Shellfish makes me extremely
ill. Please let me know if any of this food has shellfish in it."
Tip: Better yet, order food
allergy translation cards for your international travel. |
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Learn CPR. Even if you aren't sure anyone in your family has
a genuine allergy, knowing basic CPR will give you all a level of confidence
no matter where you are, at home or abroad. |
