Celiac Safe Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving can be a very challenging holiday for those living with Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerance. Trying to navigate family dynamics while explaining what Celiac Disease is and the details of cross contamination can make for a stressful holiday. To make things a little bit less stressful, we’ve compiled a three step list of tips on how to navigate the Thanksgiving holiday.
Step One: Education
If you are going to be around people who do not know what Celiac Disease is, education is going to be key. Most Celiacs would love to be left on there own and have no one question their dietary restrictions but somehow their food dynamics get brought into the conversation. It is going to come up, people are going to ask questions about why you can’t eat this or that so it is best to be prepared that it is going to be a topic of conversation at some point in the night.
Being prepared for the fact that the topic will come up and questions will be asked allows you to keep your expectations in check. Treat the conversation as an opportunity for education about the disease. Most people are asking because they genuinely care about your wellbeing, so you can treat it as an education experience so hopefully the next time they encounter someone with Celiac Disease they will already know a little or a lot about it.
Step Two: Handling the Food
If you do not have the luxury of hosting Thanksgiving and you will be traveling somewhere for dinner, it is always best to bring backup food or snacks. Unless you feel completely comfortable with the host and can make food there, it makes for a less stressful experience to know you have safe food as a back up. Also, if you are bringing food it is appropriate to let the host know your plan. The host will almost always try to cook up something for you, you can either politely decline or offer to help prepare the meal using your own utensils. Don’t be afraid to speak up for your needs, you are not being difficult but rather just trying to avoid getting sick. Communicating your plan and needs ahead of time will help keep everyone on the same page.
If traveling a far distance by airplane or car, you can pack a cooler bag of items. This year, we made our Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time and froze it so that we would be able to travel on the plane. Upon arriving at our destination, we will pop it in the fridge and heat it up on the stove on Thanksgiving day. TSA allows you to bring a cooler bag as a carry on as long as the ice packs are completely frozen and are not dripping with condensation.
Also just because you are making your food ahead of time does not mean you can not enjoy all the Thanksgiving food. You can still have all of your favorite items just made safely Gluten Free instead!
Step 3: Enjoy Yourself!
Whether you love Thanksgiving or hate it, it is helpful to remember that it is just one day. One day for gathering around the table with your friends and family. Focusing on the reason for the holiday, rather than the food can help keep things in perspective. A good response when the topic of food comes up is to remind family that you’re here for the company more than the food. So please enjoy yourself & eat up!
Wishing you all a Safe, Happy Thanksgiving!
