Making lunch for your children is a real headache? Making sure they have everything they need while adhering to a long list of prohibitions is difficult, but definitely not impossible.
Rest assured, allergies are more common in children and can disappear as they grow up, but until then, here are some tips.
Intolerance or Allergy?
Food allergies are an abnormal immune system reaction after ingesting a food. In contrast, food intolerances are not related to an immune reaction. They are therefore not as dangerous and will not be triggered by simple food traces as is the case with allergies.
Why These Prohibitions?
As few as 10 foods are responsible for 90% of severe allergic reactions. These are called priority allergens and the detailed list is as follows:
- • peanuts
- • wheat
- • cow’s milk
- • mustard
- • nuts
- • eggs
- • fish and crustaceans
- • sesame
- • soya
- • sulfites
Reactions can vary from one child to another, but also from one episode to another, from simple redness to anaphylactic shock that affects all systems and can lead to death.
Although different methods are being studied, at the moment there is no treatment for food allergies. The complete removal of the allergen therefore remains the best solution within our reach. Remember, food allergy is not proportional to the amount of food eaten and even a poorly cleaned utensil is enough to cause a sharp reaction.
Best Practices
Examen labels
Good news, the declaration of the main food allergens is obligatory, so you can immediately refer to the ingredients list of a selected product. There are also some helpful logos you can check for. The CAC (certified allergen control) logo is one of the most reliable and targets 8 different allergens.
On your stovetops
Not a fan of reading? Nothing better than cooking yourself to make sure your dishes are completely allergen free. Take the opportunity to concoct a colorful lunch with a neat presentation and thus encourage your child to keep his lunch for himself; exchanges with classmates are particularly risky.
Crazy for cleaning
Cross-contamination can occur as easily due to cooking utensils or the work surface as by hand. Therefore, ensure that everything is cleaned after handling an allergen and teach your child the importance of washing hands before eating.
Portions
4
Ingredients
For the dressing
- • 1 roasted red pepper
- • 2 tablespoon (30 ml) olive oil
- • ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) tacos seasoning
For the salad
- • 3 cups (750 ml) red beans, rinsed and drained
- • 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- • 2 cups (500 ml) corn grains
- • 2 cups (500 ml) cherry tomatoes, diced
- • 2 cups (500 ml) iceberg lettuce, chopped
Preparation
- In a blender, purée all the dressing ingredients. Pour into the bottom of four large containers.
- Add the rest of the ingredients one after the other in stages.
Nutritional Value
355 kcal, 60 g of carbohydrates (including 13 g of fiber), 16 g of protein, and 9 g of fat.
