Editor's note: Mireille Schwartz is the founder and executive director of the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board, an organization that promotes education and awareness, and provides no-cost medical care and medication to San Francisco Bay Area families with severely allergic children. She is the author of "The Family Food Allergy Book."
Holidays are a particularly challenging time for us food-allergic individuals with so many desserts and homemade treats, casseroles and dips laid out on the table -- largely without ingredient labels.
Food-allergic children can feel left out of the traditional festivities, many of which center around food, and allergies can present a challenge for hosts, as they frequently must tend to a wide range of preferences and needs behind the scenes.
All the excitement and good cheer makes it more difficult to be informed about the ingredients in each and every party food. There are ways, however, to reduce anxiety through the holidays while staying happy, healthy, and allergy free.
