- Ideas for Cooking With Dietary Restrictions
- Tasty Gluten And Lactose-Free Desserts
- Gluten And Lactose-Free Breakfasts to Brighten Up Your Morning
- Allergy Management for a Carefree Return to School
- Snacks Free of Priority Allergens
- Halloween for everyone!
- An allergy-free Easter celebration
- Milk allergy and plant-based beverages
Halloween for everyone!
Every year, kids big and small look forward to October 31st when they can dress up, carve pumpkins, and go trick-or-treating. This exciting tradition can quickly go from spookily fun to terrifying for parents of kids with allergies. Fortunately, there are candy substitutions that won’t make Halloween any less thrilling.
Creative substitutions
When it comes to the Halloween theme, options for meals, snacks, and treats are endless! Furthermore, most of these recipe ideas can be prepared without any priority food allergens, making them safe for many kids with allergies.
Here are a few inspiring ideas:
1A Delicious Soup
Orange soup served in a pumpkin (if needed, adjust the colour with permitted food colouring)
2Crunchy Cookies
Halloween themed cookies (using cookie cutters in the shape of cats, a witch’s hat, pumpkins, etc.)
3Soft Muffins
Muffins decorated with a paper/cardboard Halloween decorating kit (spiders, bats, etc.) or displayed in Halloween themed liners
4Halloween Veggies
Bell pepper “pumpkin” stuffed with your favourite sliced veggies or a delicious cheese sauce accompanied by corn chips.
5Witches' Hair
Tomato witch hair (pick your pasta according to your allergy(ies): black rice ramen, squid ink wheat spaghetti, black bean spaghetti)
Do you know about the Teal Pumpkin Project?
This year, take part in the #TealPumpkinProject initiative by placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep or a sign that shows you offer non-food treats. These can be stickers, plastic jewellery, bouncy balls, bubbles, crayons, etc. Get creative!
To download the sign, click here
Safety first
Here are a few tips to help kids with allergies have a safe Halloween:
1
Sort your kids’ candy once back home. If they want to be like their friends, before leaving home give them a few allergen-free pieces of candy that they’ll be able to enjoy while trick-or-treating.
2
Don’t assume a candy that was safe last year is still safe this time around. Make sure to check again before your kid digs into their haul.
3
Go over the symptoms of an allergic reaction again before leaving the house.
4
Keep an auto-injector on you at all times, even if you’re just going around your neighbourhood.
Happy Halloween!