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If your child has severe food allergies like my daughter, you don't have to give up enjoying a family dinner out. There are some things you need to do to be prepared in case she/he has a reaction to a hidden food additive. We have traveled and eaten out a lot since our daughter's initial diagnosis of Eosinophilia. Apart from a few mishaps, haven't had any trouble.

The first thing to do is to prepare your child. He/she is not too young to know what they are allergic to and what is the reaction. Peanut/treenut allergies along with fish/shellfish allergies often prove to be the most severe in terms of reaction. These usually produce the scary, choking, swelling symptoms related to anaphylaxis so definitely teach your child! Carry the EpiPen with you all the time. If your child has the soy, milk, eggs, and wheat allergies that my daughter has, the reactions are more gastrointestinal. I always find out where the bathrooms are, carry wet wipes, hand sanitizer, plastic bags, and change of clothes. My daughter knows that her reactions are a quarterback-like run for the bathroom. She is only 4 years old.

The next thing to do is to help your child celebrate what they can eat! My daughter loves Lima beans, broccoli, greens, apples, carrots, rice, chicken, and grapes. We help her choose those items on the menu that are made for her. We also purposely choose places that offer these items on the menu.

Educate your family members to try the things your allergic child can eat. I never would've tried Rice Milk, Rice crackers, rice chips, or Rice ice cream had my daughter not been allergic to milk! I've learned to love all-fruit sorbets and can take delight in a cool summer treat with her. We have also learned to eat more whole foods and stay aways from processed foods, this also helps in our dining out choices. We tend to avoid McDonald's and other fast-food chains like that because they tend to fry in soy oil.

This leads to something else to do, definitely ask the waiter! Send them back to the kitchen to read the labels on the oil (particularly important for soy and peanut/tree nut allergies) because something as innocent as chicken nuggets can send an allergic child into a reaction!

My husband and I recently took our two daugthers out to the Elephant Bar in the West County Mall here in the St. Louis area. We asked the waiter to find out what oil they used in the french fries. We waited patiently and kept perusing the menu for alternatives. To our delight, they used corn and canola

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