By Lifeinthe03753 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76853992
Sending your child off to sleep-away-camp, going camping or traveling when a person has a problem with food ingredients is difficult but can be done. Food intolerances and allergies are not just on the rise, they are commonplace. When you place a large group of children together, safety is imperative, putting those with the most severe concerns as top priority – namely anaphylactic reactions. These type of reactions have put strict limits on ingredients such as nuts, soy and others. For most Medical Doctors, this type of reaction is the only one to be considered in the area of food safety.
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However, for the other children and parents, who know the great suffrage that accompanies food intolerances and sensitivities including, OCD, defiance, anxiety, gas, bloating, tears, cramping, clingy behavior, impulsivity, aggression, chronic pain, exhaustion, explosive diarrhea, incapacitating joint pain, and the like, the matter of food or foodish items is real and should be considered. People in these situations most often feel none of these food related issues when they eat freshly made food in its natural state. This includes purchasing vegetables and meats, nuts, fruits, seeds and cooking them in naturally obtained oils.
Photo courtesy of Stoonn at freedigitalphotos.net.
The problem is, due to our food battles that are currently common, this is not possible. Going camping as a family opens up your choices, however, Camp Directors, Food Service Directors, Chefs are known to give responses such as, “We are not able to accept foods that have been prepared in an individual’s kitchen due to health code standards.”
These food restrictive guidelines make it nearly impossible to provide food for a sensitive child who can not bring homemade food. At home it’s easy to substitute almond flour or coconut flour for wheat, but if nuts of all potential varieties are banned – problem. Providing your child with pizza for pizza night, or a hot dog and chips for hot dog and chips nigh is more difficult.
This matter is difficult on the child, difficult on the parent and difficult on the sleep-away-camp workers. One camper can’t have soy or corn, another cannot have rice, corn syrup or MSG, another can’t have nuts, another can’t have sugar and dyes or dairy. In situations like this, the perfect answer would be for the camp to provide fresh meats and vegetables for every meal, however it is often not possible leaving packaged solutions the only other option. When it comes to packaged foods, a lot of trust is put on the manufacturer, which is never fully trustworthy. We need to do the best we can in the situation, knowing it will never be perfect, but can hopefully be enough for to accommodate, knowing that when the child comes home, more attention can be focused on proper support.
One note of importance is kids are kids and love to ask to try something. If your kid is a kindhearted child and has 6 friends sitting with him or her, and gives one piece of Moon Cheese to each friend so they can try it, they have just given away their meal with no other options. It may help to give your child a few extra packages of things to share so they aren’t giving away all of their food.
Sometimes a letter like this one on bringing outside food into an establishment can help.
Salmon can provide a meal of wild caught salmon, high in omega fats that can sustain an active child. This salmon pack is also a good option.
Wild caught yellow fin tuna should not be used daily, due to higher heavy metal counts, but is a wonderful option of variety as an occasional meal.
Cauliflower pizza crusts contain mozzarella cheese which isn’t tolerated by all, due to higher lactose content. If mozzarella is tolerated, it’s a wonderful option.
*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, CGP, D.PSc. who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. She is a Board Certified Naturopathic Doctor, through The American Naturopathic Medical Association and works as a Certified GAPS Practitioner who sees clients in her office, Skype and phone. She is the author of GAPS, Stage by Stage, With Recipes and Probiotic Foods vs Commercial Probiotics and has been published in Wise Traditions, spoken at two Weston A. Price Conferences, Certified GAPS Practitioner Trainings, has been on many radio shows, television shows and writes for Nourishing Plot. She serves on the GAPS Board of Directors and has recently been named “The GAPS Expert” by Dr. Natasha and will serve teaching other Certified GAPS Practitioners proper use of the GAPS protocol. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia, through food, she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. She is a Chapter Leader for The Weston A. Price Foundation. becky.nourishingplot@hotmail.com
“GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The right of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Patent and Designs Act 1988.
