Dietary Needs and Picky Eater at Birthday Parties

There is always that one kid at a party that is either picky or has specialized dietary needs. Diet can always be a segregating factor for a child, especially when all the other kids are enjoying their meals. As a host, you will want to include everyone in the meal, but with some restaurants and carry-out places, finding foods that are adjustable to dietary needs is difficult.
In this blog, we will discuss some of the most common dietary restrictions children may have and how to work around them. If you are planning your kid’s birthday party, planning the meal might be the most stressful. It is our hope that by reading this blog, you will be able to gain some perspective and solutions to your guest’s dietary needs

Celiac Disease

Though in the past most people stopped eating bread to cut back on carbohydrates, there are millions out there that struggle with Celiac Disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when genetically predisposed people ingest gluten and suffers small intestine damage. According to a statistic published by the Celiac Disease Foundation, one in 100 people worldwide suffer from this disease. When a person with this autoimmune disorder eats carb-based items, their body will prepare an immune response that will attack the small intestine. This attack can lead to damage of the small intestines villi, projections that help the body absorb nutrients. When the villi are attacked, the nutrients your body intakes cannot be absorbed into the body.
It is estimated that 3 million children struggle with Celiacs. That means they aren’t able to eat any regularly wheat, barley, or rye based items. If you are hosting a party, and plan to feed your guests, it is wise to ask the child’s parents if they have any serious allergies. A child won’t always know or want to say what they are allergic to, which is why it is best to directly ask their parents.
If you are planning to make sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, or order pizzas, you need to be aware that all bread will trigger their allergies. When you purchase your food ingredients or order your pizza, it is important to ask for “gluten-free items.” By doing so, you will have your gluten-intolerant guests avoid a lot of pain, on what is supposed to be a day of fun.

Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance refers to when a person can not have any dairy-based products. Lactose intolerance is not curable, but there are ways to work around the disorder. For one, you can choose not to ingest any dairy-rich products. However, in American society, almost all items have some sort of cheese or milk-base. Depending on the severity of a child’s symptoms, you will have to be careful where you get your party food. You also want to be careful about the candy and cake that you will be serving as well. Cakes are rich with dairy in both the actual cake, as well as the frosting. Dairy is in a lot of things we may not expect, which is why it is important to be mindful about adhering to the dietary restrictions of your guests. In fact, it has actually been found that over 65 percent of the human population has some sort of lactose intolerance. So, by adjusting how you make your meals and desserts, you could be helping many more people than just the people that are open about their lactose intolerance.

Eggs Allergies

One of the most common childhood allergies is an intolerance of eggs. An egg allergy can be a bigger deal than you might think. Though it is obvious that eggs are found in cakes and breakfast meals, they are also found in many things that you would not think of, such as doughs, pastries, fried foods, and some salad dressings. Because of this, it is important to be mindful how common birthday party foods can be dangerous for a child with an egg allergy. Be sure to ask parents if any of their children have an egg allergy before you make or order any foods for your party.
Luckily, there are some ways to work with this kind of allergy. Not all cakes are made with eggs, which can be a huge benefit for children who still want to enjoy one of the most classic birthday traditions — the birthday cake.

Solutions

There are solutions to childhood allergies; people have been striving to develop new recipes that are more inclusive of all people regardless of personal allergies. At Rebounderz, we offer you a space to host your kid’s birthday party. While we do offer you a space to entertain your guests, we also offer birthday packages that you can choose from. Each package comes with a decorated private party room, as well as party food and snacks. In each party package, we offer you large pizzas and pitchers of sodas. If your guests have any allergy restrictions, please let us know. You can have the option of ordering gluten-free pizzas for your party as well.

Rebounderz

If you are interested in hosting a memorable birthday party for your child, contact Rebounderz today! We have party packages for you and your guests, and can provide your party with delicious pizza and drinks. Visit us online to view our party packages! Make this birthday special, but also make sure that everyone invited has fun and is included.