Why Do People with Allergies Love Pancakes So Much?

Do you ever notice that food allergy families are really big on pancakes? Myself included. It’s actually my number one quick meal to make at home, any time of day. But it’s something I’ve never once ordered in a restaurant. Allergy moms and dads often make big batches of pancakes and freeze them for easy meal prep when they need it. Allergy kids love their trusty pancakes. While non-allergy folk often order a single flapjack with their whole brunch ordeal, we are more likely to devour an entire plate of them from the comfort of our home.

Although I have put out several tasty pancake recipes over the years, in my own kitchen I often just whisk some things together with a fork, spoon into a hot pan, and hope for the best.

But why do we love them so much? I have theories.

1. Doughy satisfaction

   Who would ever turn down a hot, fluffy pancake? They’re an ultimate comfort food and require so much less prep work than cookies or actual cake. You don’t have to heat the oven up. There are no mixing bowls, electric mixers, or sheet pans to clean. Just an easy access highway to pan-fried batter.

2. CALORIES

   Often times we just need to consume calories, stat! We know we likely won’t be able to get food from restaurants once we leave the house, so we’ve gotta load up at home. I can’t even count how many times my mom has said “make sure you eat” before I left the house. Even going so far as to call me to ensure I had eaten something. Pancakes were an acceptable food. They provided enough calories for me to be satisfied for a long time so that I wouldn’t end up starving and alone, fainting into a ditch somewhere. I don’t even add sugar most of the time; honey, flour, applesauce or egg, blueberries or banana chunks, and baking soda + powder. Some combination of these ingredients, fried in a hot pan, is always delicious.

3. Excuse to eat both chocolate and cake

   This really explains itself. Who wouldn’t love to eat cake and chocolate chips for breakfast, or any meal of the day? No kid would ever turn that down, which means no empty plates, which means satisfied parents. Amiright?

5 Ways To Support Your Marriage After Your Child Has Been Diagnosed With Food Allergy(ies)

You go through a lot when your child is diagnosed with a life-threatening food allergy.  There’s stages of grief and loss of a “normal” life, and a definite learning curve for feeding your family safely.  I know from experience the inevitable strain food allergies put on parents and the marriage. Food is an integral part of our social lives.  It’s used to bring people together and I call it the centrepiece of social living. With a food allergy diagnosis, it’s sometimes hard to find our place, socially.  I’m not saying this happens in EVERY case, but when it does, it can be really hard. Here are a few ways we’ve learned to keep our marriage strong after our kids were diagnosed with food allergies.

1. Look for blessings, even when it’s hard.  This is something that’s taken me WAY too long to finally put into practice (and I’m definitely still not perfect).  But it helps SO much, in everything I do. Which is why I highly recommend looking for things to be thankful for AS A COUPLE regularly, especially if your kid(s) are newly diagnosed with food allergies.  It goes a long way to get you through those first days after diagnosis and then in the years ahead.

2. Plan for financial impact on the family.  I know you didn’t want to hear that. ANOTHER thing to budget for.  But yes, it’s proven that severe food allergies cost an extra $3500 per year (and this doesn’t account for more than one person with an allergy in the family)*.  These costs encompass buying more expensive “safe” groceries (many times we are forced to buy from the expensive organic or natural food sections), as well as sick days and days away from work due to appointments or complications with food allergies.

3. Leave extra time to grocery shop & do food related errands.  I used to think that grocery shopping took a long time before we had food allergies in the house.  Wow. Grocery shopping with a food allergy takes even longer because you need to read EVERY label, EVERY time.  

I know this is hard, but you’ll also want to avoid bringing your kids with you (if you can).  It’s important to focus on what you’re reading, especially in the beginning or if you have more than one food allergy in the family.  PLAN for these requirements together as a couple. Work this into your task delegations so that whoever grocery shops has more time to do it properly.  Whoever doesn’t grocery shop may need to take another home chore from the grocery shopper to lighten the load.

4. Work with friends & family as a team. There will inevitably be at least one family member (or more) who don’t understand the severity of food allergies or why you need to be extremely careful about the food your child eats.  I speak from experience when I say that if not dealt with properly, this can go on for years.

Come up with a plan for dealing with family members. Start by agreeing on: Do you want to teach family the in and out of food allergies or just bring your own food?  Who will address issues with each family member (i.e will he deal with “his” side and you with “yours”?), and how will the spouse support the other in this process? Also, decide what the plan will be if family members NEVER “get” food allergies and your action plan for keeping your child safe at family events in spite of the misunderstandings.  Some ideas could be; hosting more events in your home, bringing safe food to family events or going to events after food is served. Whatever you choose, decide as a team and make the best of it, together.

5. Get help before you need it and learn from mistakes.  The stress of avoiding foods that could potentially kill your little one or you is real.  And it can definitely leave a mark on your marriage and family relationships if you aren’t on the same page.  If you’re dealing with marriage issues because of food allergies, please seek help from a registered Psychologist early.

It’s always a great idea to know how to handle day-to-day food allergy stress as a pre-emptive measure. There are several great food allergy groups on Facebook which can improve your day-to-day life by connecting you with other families in similar situations.  Seek them out for daily support.

*From American National study by Dr. Ruchi Gupta published in the Sept. 16, 2013 edition of JAMA Pediatrics.

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Corinna is a food allergy consultant and blogger for food allergy mamas from Calgary, AB, Canada, where she lives with her 2 daughters & wonderful husband of 17 years.  Corinna loves improving food allergy awareness and helping moms with food allergic kids adjust and thrive in their new reality. You can find her blog and other helpful printables at www.friendlypantry.com