Many parents struggle with school lunches when their kids have multiple food allergies. The information may also help with conditions such as coeliac’s disease or Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE). There is so much to consider when sending lunches.What do we send? How can we make the kids feel the same as their friends? How to keep food warm for lunch.
Check out our tips and tricks for sending leftovers for school lunches. Find out how we pack our kids’ soups and warm meals.
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Seeking a Medical Accommodation Plan with the School
There are lots of different accomodations that can be requested. They may include access to hot water of a microwave. Where the kids will eat their lunch, allowing extra time are others. Being allowed to have access to water throughout the day are all things that may be allowable as accessibility items.
Accommodations the school can make for kids with allergies and food restrictions for medical reasons. Some conditions such as EoE are considered disabilities in some states or areas. There is usually a duty to accommodate by the school. Private schools without public funding may fall under different regulations depending on where you live.
All medical accomodations should be done in partnership with the school and your medical team. In our experince, usually medical substantiation is needed from the treating doctor.
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Why Ask for Accomodations?
Those accommodations could be allowing extra time for your child to eat, especially if they are undergoing feeding therapy, have dysphagia, or esophageal constriction. One thing we have added in ours is that the parents need to be contacted 2 weeks before any class parties involving food or fun lunch days. This is so we sort out what we will be sending or if it is a high risk food we can figure out other options with the school.
Another reason to ask for the accomdations is to make sure a medical plan is in place if your child has an allergic reaction or food impaction. Signs and symptoms should be listed ,as well as what to do, and steps to follow after the reaction or impaction has subsided.
Our Experience
There was one class where ice cream was being made in plastic bags by shaking cream, sugar, ice and rock salt. The teacher informed us the dairy usually ends up all over the desks and kids so we had to decide with our kids’ medical team if it was even safe for them to attend that day or not, if alternative activities couldn’t be planned.
In the end the teacher was excellent and switched to a safe activity but the forewarning allowed the time to change what was used in class. It was through great communicaton with our kids’ teachers that we came to a suitable alternative.
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Back-up Snacks
We also send a bag of treats that are safe for when there are class treats that are unexpected. Usually parents in our schools are advised not to send food for the class for birthdays but it does happen every now and again and we are prepared.
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What Can be Requested?
Some parents request microwave access for their kids in the nurse’s room. It could include such requests as a staff member assisting the child with the microwave and helping them clean out the surfaces before use to reduce cross contacts. What each school can provide and will provide may change based on where you are located and the accommodation laws where you live.
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How to Handle Fun Lunch Days
Twice a month our schools do what they call “Fun Lunches”. The parents go online and order lunch from a set restaurant that delivers the whole school’s orders and each child is matched up to their order.
Why We Don’t Do the School’s Fun Lunch
The cross contact risk for our kids at this particular school with the set procedure is too much of a risk for our kids. Our medical team and us have made the decision that the kids don’t eat food that is prepared outside the home. It works for us, but your medical team and comfort level may be different than ours. If one child could have a fun lunch and one cannot, it would be up to you to decide what works best for your family.
Instead of ordering from the restaurant for those meals we are notified at least 2 weeks before the Fun Lunch date with all the parents as to the restaurant and options. Rob and I then brainstorm what we can send that is our own version of the food being offered. This has helped our kids feel included and fit in.
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How We handle Fun Lunches
It was a lot of work at first but now we pop it in our weekly meal plan every two weeks. Sometimes dinners are specifically planned so the leftovers can be used. One example is tacos are made the night before and a bit of meat, fillings, and a corn tortilla are put aside and saved for lunches for each child for a taco bell lunch day. The next morning we would send the kids with a homemade taco so their lunch is just like their friends’.
The kids often can order juice boxes so we send ones from home and if a dessert is offered we grab whatever is closest from our freezer. We make cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods and freeze them just for days like this. Enjoy Life, Partake, and Made Good all make top allergen friendly cookies that may be suitable as a treat to save time.
This works really well for our kids and hope it does for yours too, if you give it a go.
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Top Tips for Allergy Friendly School Lunches -10 Lunch Ideas
Soups
Our kids eat soup often for lunch. It is one of our go to meals. They have everything from German Eintopf, Split Pea and Ham, Chicken Noodle, Chicken Tortilla, Potato and Leek, and so much more. There is a a full list of soups on our site.
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Allergen Friendly Lunchables
As kids this was THE food that was eaten. It was what everyone had to have. While they are not as common now the kids still love them and they are super easy to make. An allergen friendly cracker like Laiki Rice Crackers or Made Good Stars in one part of a bento box. Dairy free cheese slices like Daiya or Violife in another. All topped off with allergen friendly meat – either slices from the leftover roast beef we had for dinner or Applegate Slices.
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Subs
A Gluten and top allergen friendly hot dog bun, such as Little Northern Bakehouse, with whichever veggies and dressing the kids would like. Sliced meats like in a French dip or chicken salad with vegan mayo, even meatballs in tomato sauce are always great for subs.
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Pizza and Pizza Rolls
A couple slices of leftover homemade pizza, or Daiya pizza are always a hit. Sometimes we send a Little Northern Bakehouse bagel with pizza or marinara sauce on it topped with dairy free cheese shreds and all toasted in the oven until the dairy free cheese is slightly melty and sent for lunch.
The same dough we make the pizzas from is also used in these rolls. We put whichever fillings the kids would like inside. We have this recipe for Allergen Friendly Pizza Rolls.
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Wraps and Sandwiches
The wraps tend to be burritos, tacos, or chicken and lettuce with a vegan caesar salad dressing all wrapped up. We usually wrap a bit of parchment around them to keep them wrapped before they are put in the bento box.
The options are endless for sandwiches from chicken salad to sunflower butter and jam. These are a pretty standard fare for our kids. The older ones like some of their sandwiches with the tomatoes on the side and they assemble them at lunch so the bread doesn’t get soggy when they have BLTs.
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Mac and Cheese
Served in a preheated insulated container like we would soup we sometimes send daiya mac and cheese or a homemade dairy and gluten free mac and cheese.
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Pancakes, French Toast, or Waffles
Sending a couple of pancakes, apple or pear sauce and yoghurt is one of our favourite treat lunches. We use toppings like bananas or berries to bring a lot of flavour to the kid’s meal. This meal is great as it can be eaten cold from the lunch kit or microwaved at school.
The one big thing we do is skip the syrup or the kids will make a sticky mess trying to pour it. If they must have syrup, put the syrup on the pancakes at home so it soaks into them instead of in a side container. Send loads of wet wipes if syrup is a must.
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Chicken Nuggets
In the insulated container homemade chicken strips or nuggets are always a lunch our kids look forward to.
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Poutine
This Canadian staple is one we have sent in an insulated container for Fun lunches. It is homemade fries reheated in the air fryer topped with Dairy free cheese shreds and smothered in gravy. It is supposed to be curds but we haven’t found any that are safe for the kids.
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Salads
Older kids love this kind of meal. We use leftovers to make fun salads that we send with the older kids for lunch. Their favourites are Taco Salads and Dairy Free Cobb Salad. These are great when no reheating facilities can be accessed. We send the lettuce base in a larger container and a small bento box or smaller ingredient containers in the large container and the kids assemble the salad themselves. We do this so some ingredients don’t go soggy, like gluten free croutons.
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How to Pack Hot Foods so They Will Still be Warm at Lunch
We LOVE to send our kids to school with hot lunches but we do not have access for them to a microwave. It just isn’t feasible at their school so we send everything that needs to be warm in an insulated container, like a Thermos. This is one of our biggest our top tips for allergy friendly school lunches everything from leftovers to soups are sent with our kids. Over half the school year is cold here in our part of Canada so we like them to have a warming lunch.
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Pre warm the container
The trick to keeping the food warm is to pre-heat the insulated container with warm water. It shouldn’t be boiling water but warm. Boiling water can make the container too hot and the food will be too hot for the kids to eat. Loosely place the lid over the container opening so the heat stays in the container to warm it up. While the warm water is in the container this is the perfect time to heat up the food.
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Heat the Food Up
Heat the leftovers or food up as per the recipe reheating instructions but if there are microwave and stove top or oven instructions, skip the microwave ones. We find that the food cools faster when heated in the microwave and put in an insulated container and can be cold by the time the kids go to eat it. Make sure the food is properly reheated following food safety guidelines.
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Fill the container
When the food is ready to pop in the container, carefully dump out the water. Dry out the container, if needed, we recommend this for items like fries or chicken fingers. Layer in the food, if it is leftover dinner like mashed potatoes, peas, and turkey topped with gravy. Leave a bit of room at the top, this is especially important for liquids like soup, so they are less likely to splash or spill. Put the lid on so the container doesn’t leak. Put the container and utensils in the kids’ lunch kit.
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Opening it at school
Make sure the kids can safely open the containers on their own without the lunchroom supervisor help, if needed. They should also be able to safely open the container and that the contents will not burn anyone if the contents are spilt.
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What About Lead and Insulated Containers?
Some double walled water bottles have a bead of lead solder to seal it. In many products it is painted over to seal it and keep the harmful metal away from those using the bottle. With wear and tear this seal or cover may become exposed over time. We recommend to always check ANY item over before use to make sure it is safe for you.
Checking the item, checking websites like LEAD SAFE MAMA to find lead free containers and water bottles, and figuring out what works for you are all important pieces to the puzzle of what you deem safe for your family.
The blog 3 Little Plums also has recommendatons and discusses the topic of if the meal containers contain the same lead solder. Check out the 3 Little Plums findings HERE and which meal containers they recommend for kids lunches.
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The Deal with Compostable Straws and Cutlery
There is quite a bit of controversy over the glue used and the materials in some of the more eco-friendly utensils and straws. There are some products that use the shaft of the wheat, not the grain. Other products like some paper straws that use glue that some parents question.
With Regards to Gluten
Most of the questions come from the coeliac community who has been bringing up the safety for those who cannot tolerate gluten and the utensils made from wheat and the glue on paper straws.
At the time of publishing Celiac Canada has this break down of types of straws it deems safe:
“Here is a breakdown of some commonly used straws and their safety for the celiac and gluten-free community:
- Paper Straws. SAFE. Single use. There is no evidence to suggest that these straws contain any gluten.
- Bamboo Straws. SAFE. Reusable. Made from a sustainable ingredient. Good for hot and cold liquids.
- Silicone Straws. SAFE. Reusable. Good for multiple time use. Great for kids and come in fun colours!
- Stainless Steele Straws. SAFE. Reusable. Easy to clean.
- Pasta Straws. UNSAFE. Pasta straws are just that, tubular lengths of uncooked pasta that do contain gluten. We have found some gluten-free pasta straws, but these would be special order on-line, and unlikely to be served in a restaurant or other food establishment.”
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What About For Wheat Allergies?
This does not however address if the straws and other products are safe for those with wheat allergies. An allergy to wheat is generally to the protein in the wheat and not the gluten. They are two different parts of the wheat. This is why Coeliacs may be able to consume de-glutened wheat starch but those with an allergy cannot. It is incredibly difficult to find information if these products are safe for wheat allergy sufferers.
If you do use them it is best to discuss this with your medical team and determine the risks and safety for your family before use. We prefer to avoid them at this time with our kids, that is our personal choice. As we do not eat from restaurants, at this time we can avoid most of these products and for utensils, straws, and plates or bowls we use our own.
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What Do We Use Instead of Compostable Utensils?
Generally we avoid wood and pressed utensils as they can trap allergens if they are accidentally put into contact with our kids’ allergens. Instead we send plastic childrens utensils to school with our kids. A trick we use with multiple kids is we colour code them to the kids. Each always has the same utensils that are from their colour set. We also have soy free silicone straws for each child that are only for them.
As more information and testing is done on the wheat based utensils we will reassess what we send with our kids. For now this works and we can ensure our kids are safe. In addition to packing a set of utensils in their lunch box we also have a sealed plastic bag with an extra set, in case they lose their other set.
It is up to each person to determine what they are comfotable with, just like any product used to make the food this extends to what is used to eat it.
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Products We Love For Packing Lunch
Utensils
We love the Ikea utensils. They are sturdy and can be put through the dishwasher many times. The KALAS is made from polypropylene rather than wheat, bamboo or corn.
Image Credit: IKEA.
Insulated Containers That Keep Food Hot
The HydroFlask is a fabulous one but there are other really great containers that will keep your food warm. (See lead safe mama for lead free options) These are the holy grail in our lunch making endeavours.
Image Credit: HydroFlask.
Hot Bags/ Stay Warm Lunch Kits
We have had other allergy parents tell us that heated lunch kits are one of the products that make their lives easier when making lunches. We have not tried one yet and do note that if you are travelling on an airplane with one to check if they are accepted for use on your carriers.
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Bento Boxes
Our kids love being able to have fun foods. Some of our kids are pickier than others and they hate it when one of their foods touches another food. We send their meals in bento boxes to help encourage them to eat as much as they can.
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Sauce Containers
Dips are something that get sent a lot for our kids as we often need to get more food into them due to their small size and eating aversions. It is also the easiest way for us to get our kids to eat veggies, other than hiding them in other dishes. The containers need to be as leakproof as possible. These ones work well for us.
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Microwavable Containers
A few great sealing microwavable containers are always on our back to school shopping list. We make sure nothing that cannot go in the microwave isn’t packed in them. We also get a couple for each child in case they forget one at school or lose it.
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Ice Packs
In the summer months and to keep items chilled we use reusable ice packs in the lunch kits. For foods such as coconut based dairy free yoghurt cold packs work well. Just don’t use an ice pack with a hot meal or they get colder quicker.
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Freezer Pop Bags
Sealing freezer bags are the best way to send make your own dairy and nut free yoghurt tubes they are also great as we find it cheaper to buy tubs of yoghurt and portion them out ourselves. Use a wider funnel to helo make the packing of the tubes mess free. We also freeze the yoghurt in the uber skinny bags for a two in one lunch kit cooler/food.
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Top Tips for Allergy Friendly School Lunches
Tip 1
Send everyday use plastic utensils, like Ikea’s Kalas instead of wheat based utensils or dispoasble ones.
Tip 2
Practice opening and closing the food storage containers with the kids. Lunchroom supervisors are often overworked. They may not be able to open the containers everyday with time to spare for the kids to eat.
The supervisors may also have just finished opening another child’s container. They may not have time to wash their hands before opening allergen friendly containers. Using containers that keep the food warm and ones the kids can open themselves are a huge bonus.
Tip 3
Request to be put on the fun lunch email list so you can plan lunches to match.
Tip 4
Freeze treats when baking so there are always some on hand for birthdays and special lunch days. We have a section of our freezer with cupcakes, iced, frozen and in individual containers ready to be popped in the lunch bag on celebration days.
Tip 5
Having a couple of sets of microwave safe containers in case the kids forget them at school or lose them.
Tip 6
Teach the kids how to use a microwave and what NOT to ever put in them.
Tip 7
Don’t send items that can be difficult for children with EoE to swallow or easy to choke on. This will change with each child.
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Putting it all together
We hope these top tips for allergy friendly school lunches make the daily task of packing lunch for your allergy kids less of a chore and a lot easier. Use what works for you, not all of it will work for every family but some bits may help make lunches a bit more bareable.
With a few accommodations at school, making your own mock fun lunches and using the right containers lunch can go from a battle to something you both look forward to. We like to say to our kids that they can eat just about everything their friends eat but with different ingredients that are safe for them.
This article originally appeared on Theallergenfreekitchen.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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