Hey Guys!

I have always seen the new year as a fresh start and an opportunity for reflection.  I’ve been thinking a lot lately, and I know that even though I say that my allergies don’t define my life about every other post, I’ve never really explained why. I mean, sure, it would make sense that my allergies change stuff, but life goes on with or without allergies, so I wanted to write out five reasons why they aren’t the end of the world for those who are new with the whole “allergy scene.”

1. There are other options

For every unsafe food, there are going to be alternatives. If you can’t eat peanut butter, there’s Sunbutter or Wowbutter. There’s milk free alternatives, soy free alternatives, and alternatives to pretty much everything if you’re willing to look hard enough.

2. People will understand

Just as there are people who don’t “get it,” there are just as many people who really try to understand your allergies, and people will learn how to help you. It’s crazy how my relatives have adapted to my allergies, and now they are able to accommodate for my food needs like we wouldn’t have been able to imagine before.

3. Treatments are coming

We’re really not that far out from a permanent treatment to food allergies. Scientific advancements like the “peanut allergy pill” that I blogged about a few posts back are being made to help people like us overcome our allergies, and maybe soon we won’t have to worry as much as we did.

4. There are groups that will help

Organizations like FARE (Food allergy Research and Education), WAO (World Allergy Organization), and AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation) were created for the specific purpose of researching and spreading awareness of food allergies and related issues. If I ever have any questions regarding my allergies, or if I’m looking for any resources, I always go to their websites, such as FARE’s http://foodallergy.org for help.

5. It gets better

No matter what, it gets better. You’re gonna get used to it and it gets easier to deal with your allergy as the days pass. You will eventually learn what to say to the people at a restaurant, you’ll learn how to read a label and spot the allergens in seconds. It’s gonna get easier, so just hang in there for now.

I hope this list helped. I made it for you my friends, but also as a reminder to myself.

Until next time!

Gary

Hi there!

If you’ve read my previous post, you know that my next few posts are all going to be devoted to the treats and eats I had over at Disney World during my birthday vacation.

If you read my last post, you would also know that almost immediately after getting off the plane at Orlando, my family headed over to the Magic Kingdom, where we each proceeded to eat foot long hot dogs.

Shortly after that, we gathered up all of the remaining space we had inside of our stomachs and headed over to the Be Our Guest restaurant for dessert, and any kid with allergies will agree that a safe dessert is VERY exciting.

Later on in the trip we went to Be Our Guest for dinner, but during this visit, we decided to order one of each dessert and split them amongst ourselves.

There were two concerns when ordering desserts from here. The first was that the desserts were each covered in edible pearl garnishes. Those weren’t safe, so we had to get our desserts from the kitchen instead of the dessert carts, as the desserts in the carts had pearls.

Also, the “Grey Stuff Cupcake” has a sort of shell on the outside that holds in all the frosting on the inside. Apparently that shell isn’t safe for me.

Other than those two things, I was free to eat to my hearts content.

There were multiple desserts, including a triple chocolate cupcake, a strawberry cupcake, a lemon cupcake, a chocolate cream puff, and an éclair.

Personally my favorite was, is, and always will be the triple chocolate cupcake. Its amazing, and uses three different types of chocolate for the frosting, the batter, and the filling. It’s like a dream. I also really liked the éclair, but I would pick the cupcake over it any day.

The other desserts were okay. I was surprised by how strong the lemon taste was in the lemon cupcake, and the strawberry cupcake was VERY sweet. When I went to the restaurant later in the trip, I avoided those desserts. The cream puff was sort of middle of the road for me. I enjoyed it more than the two crazy cupcakes, but not as much as the éclair or the triple chocolate goodness.

Of course these are all my opinions. If you have eaten at Be Our Guest before, feel free to comment what your favorite dessert is from that restaurant.

Until next time!

Gary

Of course, before enjoying any of the food I post about, double check with your allergist and make sure to talk to the chef and read the ingredient lists.  Your food restrictions may differ from mine.

Hello everyone!

Sorry I haven’t been writing in a while but I just took a trip to Disney to celebrate my birthday! It was super fun and I’m super sad that I’m back, but it was definitely the greatest experience of my life and I am happy to share my trip experiences with my readers.

As I said before, Disney is a great place for people with allergies. While I was certainly surprised by the amount of stuff that I couldn’t have this trip (I definitely felt more restricted this trip—-but more on that later), I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of stuff that I could have. In fact, the next couple of weeks will be entirely devoted to blog posts about all of the safe food I had at Disney World.

The very first day I came to Disney, right after the plane landed and we had checked in at our hotel and dropped everything off, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom.

By this time, everyone (especially me) was starving, and since I was craving hot dogs, we ate at Casey’s Corner on Main Street. It’s a little quick service restaurant with a baseball theme that specializes in its hot dogs. Because we were all especially starving, everyone got these giant foot long hot dogs. They were the craziest things I’ve ever seen.

I was the only one in my family who managed to finish it—-teenage boy metabolism to the rescue.  The fries there were also some of the best fries I had in Disney, and trust me, I had A LOT of fries in Disney.

Allergy-wise, there was really nothing to worry about. I was able to have the hot dog, the bun (which is especially impressive because bread is a giant allergy issue in Disney), and the fries. Overall this was not only my favorite quick service meals, but one of my favorite meals that I had in Disney period.

Until next time, and stay tuned for more Disney posts!

Gary

Of course, before enjoying any of the food I post about, double check with your allergist and make sure to talk to the chef and read the ingredient lists. Your food restrictions may differ from mine.

Surprise everyone! I DIDN’T completely disappear off the face of the Earth!

I know. I know. I’m just as surprised as you are. With final exams, and all the projects school threw at me, I just had to take a break. Now that school is finished, INCLUDING my summer homework—yes, not a typo, summer homework—three full weeks of solid work, I’m ready to get back to something I enjoy—-my blog.

I suppose the benefit of such a long hiatus is that there is a whole bunch of things to report on. I gotta catch up, ya know?

However, before I do that, I suppose I can tell you a couple of things that have happened in MY life.

First, I’m now officially a junior in high school! Cue the applause. Only two more years until I go to college and have to actually start figuring my life out! Yay!

In the meantime, you can watch me try to figure out where to go to college!

So thanks guys for hanging in there with me!

Also, in a few weeks, I will be sixteen years old! I’m super excited. My entire family is too, because we’re gonna be in Disney during my birthday!

I love Disney! The highlight for me without a doubt, is the safe food! I will make sure to take pictures and write all about the restaurants we go to.

So that’s my life. You are now officially updated (especially you grandma). Get ready for a whole new slew of posts, because I’m back baby!

Until next time!

Gary

I sure do love Easter. As a kid that bases my entire life over how, when and where I can get my next piece of candy, it’s remarkably convenient that there is a holiday devoted to candy like this. It really takes a lot of the legwork out of it, AND you don’t have to walk through the entire subdivision to get candy like Halloween. It’s really just perfect.

This was my Easter basket from last year. Of course, nothing remained after a couple minutes, but it was glorious while it lasted.

Of course, there is the ever-recurring issue of allergies, but I make it work. I always read labels to check whether or not candy is safe, and I’m always on the lookout for new safe candies.

One of the foremost authorities on safe Easter candy is the Kids with Food Allergies website.

They have a spot on their website that lists candies that are safe of your specific allergens.

https://community.kidswithfoodallergies.org/blog/allergy-friendly-easter-candy-guide

The best part is they update the page every year, so any changes that happen between Easter holidays is documented on their website.

The link I just posted is their most recent, Easter 2017 page, but always read the labels, and call the candy companies if you are still unsure or have questions.

Well, that’s all for today. Until next time.

Gary