Should restaurants come with an allergy alert? - Blog Post #5

I have to admit, I love eating out. I love trying various types of food; I love sitting down to a fabulously filling tasting menu with friends; I love ordering takeout and sitting at home watching a great movie. Not only do all of these things negate the need for me to cook, but they allow me to try so many different foods that I never would have made for myself at home (at least not as deliciously) - from curry to spicy noodle dishes to lobster to white chocolate mascarpone brandy snap towers (my ALL TIME FAVOURITE).

That all changed just over five years ago. After my son’s severe allergic reaction to peanuts, food became a thing to research instead of to indulge in and enjoy. Gone were the days of seeing someone eating a tasty looking snack and wondering what it was so I could go get one for myself. Gone were the days of ordering Chinese takeout at work for fear that it would be contaminated with peanuts and I would bring that home with me when I kissed my son hello. Those days had morphed into seeing someone with a snack and using my super allergy mom vision to try and distinguish what brand it was from the colours on the label so I could make sure it wasn’t filled with peanuts in case that person touched surfaces near my son after eating it.

That’s not to say that I live in terror of food or that everywhere we go as a family is predetermined by the possible presence of peanuts. There has to be balance and it took our family a while, but we have started to achieve that. We don’t stay away from venues because of the presence of peanuts; it all depends on how high the risk is to our son. I research venues, recreations centres and events to make sure that the level of risk is within our comfort level. Obviously that comfort level may change when he is a bit older, but for now, it’s pretty stable. There are places we just won’t go and that’s ok. Plus, no matter where we go, we always bring our own safe snacks with us, such as Eden Organic apple fruit sauces, FreeYumm bars, Pea Pops or Newton’s No Gluten banana chips or dried cherries.

One area where our comfort level can vary significantly is eating out. Restaurants have very different ways of accommodating, or not accommodating, allergies. Each restaurant can also provide different information on allergies depending on the staff at that specific time. There are some restaurants we feel extremely comfortable eating at - that’s not to say we ever let down our guard and we always have our son’s epi-pens on hand - but for the most part, these select few restaurants are great. Locally, we are lucky to have a fish and chip restaurant that was actually rated number 2 in Canada!! It’s worth the drive and they are safe for people with nut allergies!

When travelling to a new area, restaurants can become a bit tougher to navigate. There are fast food options that we trust, but we don’t always want to eat that type of food. Many chain restaurants offer great allergy guides online, which helps immensely, but what about that amazing looking establishment that has no online presence. Sometimes we just get sick of the same chain restaurants. This is where research is needed in the form of phone calls or emails or both and again at the restaurant in person.

There is a great new website that takes the work out of research for those who live in or are visiting Toronto, Ontario and the Great Toronto Area (GTA). It’s called AllergyBites and it’s owned by a fellow food allergy mom, Kathleen O’Hagan. Her mission is: “to find safe eating spaces in the GTA and to share them with you. Because allergies bite—but that doesn't mean we can't go out for one. (A bite, that is.)” If you’re interested in why she started AllergyBites, check out her blog post that details her son’s allergy diagnosis and what she went through to get to where she is today - it’s a great read. Currently, AllergyBites offers a great blog, several reviews of restaurants and is just starting up a great resource that offers a list of restaurants in the GTA separated into three categories: allergen free, allergy-friendly, and allergy alert. In the near future, Kathleen also hopes to have discount cards available to local restaurants. She also has a Facebook group and there will be a giveaway very soon to members so make sure you join today. If you would like to volunteer to assist with a restaurant review and/or collect information, please contact Kathleen though her website or her Facebook group. What a great new resource to help families dealing with food allergies navigate the abundance of restaurants available in the GTA.

If you aren’t able to visit the Toronto area, not to worry, there are still so many fabulous options across the country that are allergy friendly and will not hesitate to put your mind at ease when they share their allergy protocols with you. If a restaurant is not willing to welcome you and answer all of your questions, it may be a good idea to try somewhere else and it may just end up opening your eyes to a delectable new flavour.