Parenting Special Needs Magazine • May/June 2016 • Food And Health

There are so many great family activities that one can participate in and still work around special dietary needs. Most activities have to include meals. Rarely are you at an event or location in which food is not involved, or the time frame does not involve a meal time. It can be a challenge to plan around a meal and a place that offers special dietary foods, but it is not impossible. The key is to plan and research ahead of time, so the stress is gone and you and your family can enjoy a wonderful day trip or vacation.

The first step should be decided where you will be visiting or traveling to and seeing what types of foods are available. Check for familiar grocery stores, or look to see what stores are in the area, that might be similar to what you are used to at home.

Sometimes family fun can be in your own town, across town, or in another area or state. With the help from the Internet and now Apps, so much of your needs can be answered at your finger tips.

Let's start with indoor places that might be in your local community for your family to enjoy. Places such as bowling alleys, lazertag, gyms, ice or roller skating, indoor play areas, aquariums, museums or malls.

Some activities that your family might enjoy might be outdoors, such as; miniature golfing, pools, water parks, boat rides, hiking, biking, ocean or lake activities, farms, or zoos.

The above places might not have foods to accommodate your child's needs. You should call ahead of time and see what type of food establishments they offer and what is on the menu. Many of these options might be located on their web site. If you do not see the specific type of food that your child needs offered, call and ask if it is ok to bring in your own food. If they do not permit you to bring in your own food, pack a picnic and get your hand stamped, if needed and go out to your car and return later, when your meal is completed. For some of the above places, a picnic meal is the perfect way to be sure that you have the foods your family enjoys and can eat. You can use a back pack with a cooler built in, or just keep an ice chest in your car and take a break back at the car.

For establishments, like amusement parks, where going to your car would be a huge imposition, check the web site at least a month in advance, and ask to speak with food service personnel. There are several web sites that have done the leg work for you already. Always verify to see if the policies still stand.

The key to a successful vacation or even just a staycation is to plan ahead. Bring food, even just snacks and drinks, pack things so that they will stay fresh and not spoil. Freeze small (water bottles) and large (juice jugs), filled with water, as they will last a long time as ice blocks in your ice chest. Do not till to the top, you need to allow for expansion room. Be prepared to be somewhere where you cannot obtain food and have plenty of back up food planned. Do your research, spend time online or on APPS, make phone calls ahead of time to the places that you will visit. Have a Plan B, if Plan A does not go exactly as intended.

Here are some allergy friendly web sites, which also include some email addresses to help you navigate amusement parks when you have a food allergy or intolerance:

This site shares not only some food assistance for special diets, but details on amusement parks for patrons with special needs.

If you are looking for a specific amusement park, just Google the name of the park and "special diets" and you should be able to get a lot of the information that you need for a pleasant visit!

So many people have blogs and web sites offering great advice on how to travel when one has a food allergy or intolerances. Here are a few helpful sites:

Barrie Silberberg is the author of The Autism & ADHD Diet : A Step-by-Step Guide To Hope and Healing by Living Gluten Free and Casein Free (GFCF) And Others Interventions. Her web site is: www.puttingyourkidsfirst.com