Recently I gave my two sons food that made them sick. I mailed the youngest in college cereal that was not gluten-free and served my oldest dairy.
I poisoned them!
After five years of gluten- and dairy-free cooking and shopping, you’d think I’d have this celiac/allergy thing down by now. But nope, I still make mistakes.
Now my “kids” are young men and can fend for themselves. They are certainly capable of reading labels. However, I’ve been their mother much longer than they’ve been coping with celiac disease and a dairy allergy and they trust me. If I mail them a college care package, they’ll believe the food is safe. If I put the plate on the table, they won’t question whether they can eat it.
Well, they used to trust me.
Until I poisoned them.
A while back Costco carried 24-oz packages of Udi’s Natural Artisan Granola and the packaging said “soy free, wheat free, dairy free.” I assumed it was the same Udi’s gluten-free granola I always ate. But I should have noted “wheat free” versus “gluten free.” I didn’t. That is until just this week when I was eating it myself and I realized the oats weren’t certified gluten-free oats. Well, that explains the weeks College Boy was doubled over in pain. Oh a mother’s guilt.
Then there was the memorable Thanksgiving meal. We ordered a turkey, sides and gravy from a trusted source. I ensured–over and over again–that the food didn’t contain gluten. I forgot to ask if the gravy had dairy. Poor kid worked the night shift and spent Thanksgiving evening in the bathroom. The gravy was made with heavy cream!
And these lentils . . . how did I miss the red wording: Contains Dairy.
If you’re a parent, you understand parental guilt. It’s okay if I eat the wrong thing, but it’s never okay for me to feed my kids gluten/dairy-containing food.
Luckily, my boys have forgiven me, though I’ve noticed them checking ingredient lists more.
That’s probably a good thing.
__________________________
If you like this post, you may also like:
Celiac Disease Wasn’t a Part of the College Plan
I’m a Picky Eater and Proud of It!
Hate When I Poison My Kids first appeared at Adventures of an Allergic Foodie.
Adventures of an Allergic Foodie 
Wow! You must have to be so vigilant about every single ingredient and check and double-check. I give you a lot of credit, Amy! You’ve done your homework and are educating so many others, including your family! Great job and too bad for your sons, but hopefully as you say, they now double-check their ingredients too.
LikeLike
Thanks, Paula! After posting this, I re-read the label of allergy med Dan takes every morning. Yup, lactose in it. Ugh. I think part of my problem is I need reading glasses. 🙂
LikeLike
You will possibly find that all allergy meds contain lactose. Here in Australia that is the case. My son has claratyne when he reacts and the tablets have lactose. I mentioned this to our GP and he checked and they all did. I’m sure the claratyne medicine he had when he was younger didn’t. It’s to do with the tablets.
LikeLike
Thanks, Jillian. I guess we are going to have to look into more natural allergy meds because he has horrific seasonal allergies! Poor kid has been feeling bad all these years and it may have been as simple as a tiny pill. Tx for writing. My niece is living in Australia now! I want to visit!
LikeLike
Ugh. I hate deceptive labels. “Wheat-free” indeed. Please! I wouldn’t have caught that either, and I can’t have dairy and gluten myself.
LikeLike
Thanks, you make me feel better. When I was first diagnosed I kept eating fig newton-type cookies that were wheat-free — I was sooooo sick. Full of gluten!
LikeLike
So many tricky tricky products out there. Maybe you’re right about it being a good thing since it has made them take a little bit more responsibility. I know it doesn’t help you get over being imperfect as a food allergy mom (as we all are).
LikeLike
Thanks for your kind words. I only wish I’d had more time to teach my boys how to cope with celiac disease and allergy.
LikeLike
You have to read labels constantly because ingredients change. Sometimes we get so complacent with what we have been using that we forget to check for changes. My sister still talks about the time she almost killed me with a Thanksgiving dinner. She used allspice. I am deathly allergic to it. She makes sure to assure me each time she bakes something that there is no allspice in it.
LikeLike
Your poor sister. She must have PTSD from “poisoning” you! I have one friend who I think is going to go into cardiac arrest whenever she cooks for me. 🙂
LikeLike
Hugs! I’ve been there too. I actually sent my poor child into anaphylaxis. AWFUL! We all make mistakes. We love our kids and try the best we can for them and we teach them to take care of themselves along the way. It’s the best we can do!
LikeLike
You are so right, Jennifer. Thank you for the reminder. 🙂
LikeLike