Do you suppose you could post a list of Katie's dietary restrictions/guidelines for people to keep in mind?
It's remarkably simple in scope: the ingredients list must be all natural. Not necessarily "organic", just natural. No nitrates, preservatives, artificial colors, or artificial flavors, and it can be really surprising where those things turn up! Some things are obvious: those cupcakes from the Hy-Vee bakery aren't safe because of the food coloring. Some breakfast cereals look safe until you realize that the packaging contains a preservative. Miracle Whip has blue food coloring. 7Up is safe, Sprite is not. Goldfish are safe, Cheez-Its are not. Anything from Whole Foods is safe, most everything from Price Chopper is not.
The general rule of thumb is, "Read the ingredients. If it wasn't walking, swimming, flying, or growing in the sun a week ago, it's probably not safe. If you can't pronounce it, it's probably not safe."
Many of our friends who've had us over - or who have been over - for dinner are familiar with the issues, though it doesn't necessarily come - forgive me - naturally. It took us a year to get through the transition to where we don't have to really think about it any more.
sometimes a snack sounds mighty tasty, and it's just hateful to say "time for cake for everyone but you, little missy!".
Indeed. When we're faced with a situation where it can't be avoided and hasn't been planned for, we'll try to bring safe treats, for just this reason.
It is my hope that as Katie gets older she'll be able to cope with the changes in her mind better, and thus avoiding danger-foods will be less of a concern.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-11-02 17:15 (UTC)It's remarkably simple in scope: the ingredients list must be all natural. Not necessarily "organic", just natural. No nitrates, preservatives, artificial colors, or artificial flavors, and it can be really surprising where those things turn up! Some things are obvious: those cupcakes from the Hy-Vee bakery aren't safe because of the food coloring. Some breakfast cereals look safe until you realize that the packaging contains a preservative. Miracle Whip has blue food coloring. 7Up is safe, Sprite is not. Goldfish are safe, Cheez-Its are not. Anything from Whole Foods is safe, most everything from Price Chopper is not.
The general rule of thumb is, "Read the ingredients. If it wasn't walking, swimming, flying, or growing in the sun a week ago, it's probably not safe. If you can't pronounce it, it's probably not safe."
Many of our friends who've had us over - or who have been over - for dinner are familiar with the issues, though it doesn't necessarily come - forgive me - naturally. It took us a year to get through the transition to where we don't have to really think about it any more.
sometimes a snack sounds mighty tasty, and it's just hateful to say "time for cake for everyone but you, little missy!".
Indeed. When we're faced with a situation where it can't be avoided and hasn't been planned for, we'll try to bring safe treats, for just this reason.
It is my hope that as Katie gets older she'll be able to cope with the changes in her mind better, and thus avoiding danger-foods will be less of a concern.