Feed Your Can: How to Thrive with Food Allergies

Meet Hemali, a junior in high school who turned a curious question about her food allergy journey into a helpful tool that helps parents of newly diagnosed kids navigate their journey more smoothly than her own initial journey. Reflecting back on her own experiences, she asked herself, "What do I wish my parents had known when I was diagnosed with food allergies?" Taking this question many steps further, Hemali built an online place for new food allergy parents to learn from experienced parents about all sorts of diagnosis and lifestyle topics, while collecting the best resources available online to help support their education. Her website can be found at k12allergies.com or you can follow her on Instagram (@K12Allergies). Hemali is very passionate about increasing food allergy awareness in her hometown of Northwest Arkansas as food allergies are on the rise, and there is still a lot of negativity associated with them in schools (hence her emphasis on K12). After many years into the journey, Hemali now sees her food allergies as a key part of shaping her life for the better. She wishes that others might also start thinking about the condition as an opportunity to grow and learn rather than just a hurtful disease that completely hinders lives. Visit feedyourcan.com/podcast or listen on your favorite podcast player. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Do you wish you could skip the awkwardness of going out to eat and talking about your food allergies but still have the confidence to eat safely? Kayla King is a certified nutrition coach and past restaurant manager who gives us the right language to understand how the kitchen works…the difference between the line, flattop grill, front of house, back of house and even some nuanced words where restaurants hear something differently than what we mean to say. Kayla was diagnosed with celiac disease at 9 years old and always struggled with disordered eating and food anxiety growing up. She loves traveling and eating out and overtime started to challenge these beliefs by learning how to eat out safely. She now uses that knowledge to empower others to eat out through her app MyMeal. MyMeal helps people with food allergies find safe restaurants and menu items to eat. Her vision is transparent eating for all and she loves to educate others on how to use knowledge as power. Listen to the role plays, how to finesse the awkward conversations, avoid the common mistakes and order like a pro - speaking the language of the kitchen and removing any confusion along the way between the customer and the restaurant staff. This is an episode you’ll walk away and say, Wow I learned a lot of hacks and will be changing my approach from here on out. Enjoy. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Dr. Susan Eitel-Stack literally wrote the book on food allergies: Adulting with Food Allergies: Navigating Independence after Leaving Home. She and her husband Ken have successfully raised two sons to confidently manage their multiple life-threatening food allergies and even Type 1 Diabetes for one of them. The knowledge, thoughtful insights, practical tips, and detailed tactics will leave your pages highlighted, underlined and marked to go back and re-read a few times. It is a reference guide full of the help she wishes she had along the way. What a gift to us. The treasure trove of wisdom she offers from her own journey is also offered with her professional background as a secure guide for the many parents who fear how to get their kids prepared to launch. You can find her book available in paperback or Kindle on Amazon. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Gayle Rigione is the CEO and Co-founder of Allergy Force, as well as a long-time allergy mom who raised her son with food allergies. He is now a thriving adult and we spent time reflecting backwards on the essential building blocks that were formative in shaping his independence as an adult. Grab a pen or prepare to take notes - this episode is packed with hindsight wisdom from over two decades of experience in raising a child from infancy into adulthood who navigates food allergies. If you're a parent with a child living under your roof and wonder what skills to teach for the path ahead, this is a great episode for you. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Matt Bomes, the co-founder of Backstop, shares how his struggles with food allergies helped shape a one-stop-shop virtual care solution and app for caregivers of children who have food allergies. Using his lessons learned in sports, along with his own personal struggles as a young adult, Matt discovered a passion for mental health, fitness, and nutrition. He channeled his struggles and experiences into founding Backstop, a one-stop-shop virtual care solution that empowers food allergy families to lead happier, healthier lives. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

If you're planning to host parties or events that include people with dietary restrictions and/or food allergies, this episode is for YOU. Can you think of social gatherings that don’t involve food? Birthday parties, team outings, holidays, BBQs, school events, parties— the list goes on. So many gatherings involve food, and many even revolve around food! Fun and food should just naturally coexist...right? For food-allergy folks, celebrations can trigger a series of concerns, questions, and fears. Many people even choose to opt-out when safety feels compromised. Creating an allergy-free party doesn't have to be tricky. Learn 5 pro tips to educate you on the safety steps while also helping you think creatively about inclusive strategies where all your guests feel safe! Source: Food Allergy Research and Education, or FARE Statistics and Facts Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Kristi Winkels is a Registered Dietitian who believes everyone can eat well, even with food allergies. As a mom to two teenage boys with food allergies, she has read a lot of food labels and can sniff out cross-contact like nobody’s business. In 2007, she started her blog Eating With Food Allergies (eatingwithfoodallergies.com) where she shares allergy friendly recipes and nutrition tips. Kristi has worked as an outpatient dietitian for over a decade helping people manage everything from heart disease and diabetes to Celiac disease and food allergies and sensitivities. In her private practice, she focuses on helping food allergy families go from feeling overwhelmed by food allergies to planning safe and healthy meals the whole family can eat with confidence. In this episode she shares tips for moving past food struggles towards embracing healthy outcomes. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

The number one question I get asked is "Why are food allergies on the rise?" For years the hygiene hypothesis stood out as the answer, but scientists are discovering it's more complex than that. And no, it's not your fault. While there is no cure to food allergies, this field of discovery is active and ongoing. Breakthrough research is providing new insights we can even apply to our lives as we navigate life with food allergies. In this episode we cover facts about food allergies, the latest research honing in on why food allergies are on the rise, and what we can do about it. Sources cited: - FARE facts and statistics (foodallergy.org) - ACAAI food allergy - Dr. Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH: Food without Fear - Dr. Kari Nadeau, MD, PHD: The End of Food Allergy Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Listen to this episode for a unique twist on living with food allergies. It's an unexpected path that will open your mind and leave you with fresh eyes on navigating your every day journey. This is not an episode filled with toxic positivity and platitudes. No! Instead we look at real examples, psychology and stories that you may relate to yourself, all while unpacking 20 unique gifts that have come from this daily struggle. Leave us your thoughts and share any silver linings we missed on our social media pages (facebook.com/feedyourcan or instagram.com/feedyourcan) or email lindsay@feedyourcan.com for direct feedback. Sources referenced: GrandView Research, silver lining #19 A Theory of Human Motivation, A. H. Maslow (1943) Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Finding and elevating your voice to protect someone you love is not an easy or comfortable task. Add life-threatening food allergies to the mix and you realize this is a skill you must learn. Michelle has had plenty of practice learning about advocacy and living it personally and professionally as well. Michelle and her husband are raising a son who is deaf and raising a younger son with multiple food allergies. Even before having kids of her own, Michelle worked as a special education teacher. She has become a very skilled advocate and today works professionally in advocacy to provide inclusive health and wellness experiences for people living with disabilities. Food allergies are an invisible disability and Michelle teaches us through her story how to best speak up, be heard, be seen and also appreciated for working towards a safe and productive outcome for all. Listen to her powerful story and you'll walk away with practical tips you can apply right away in your own life. Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Dr. Will Russell is a physician who has grown up living with food allergies. His story is not medically focused, but instead a recollection of his personal journey with food allergies from the first diagnosis at age 8 to how he navigates life today. His wisdom through the years is noteworthy and he shares great advice along the way. He even recollects one experience that blew me away. Take a listen! Visit feedyourcan.com for more life hacks and mind snacks on thriving daily with food allergies. Podcast Music: Music by Twisterium from Pixabay Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Lindsay Schultz, founder of Feed Your Can, recollects the good, the bad and the ugly with how food allergies have shaped her family's journey. She opens up about the early struggles, starting back in 2013, where trauma and triumphs began. She shares more setbacks than victories but you'll come away from the episode with a deeper understanding of how and why Feed Your Can took shape. Trigger warning: Lindsay does share raw, emotional experiences reflecting back on a few emergency response moments from her kids' past anaphylactic reactions. The main takeaways are hopeful and shift the way you will look at food allergies, replacing the traumatic memories of the past with a new way forward for how you view food allergies in the future. Visit feedyourcan.com for more helpful life hacks and mind snacks as you learn to live fully with food allergies. Music by Twisterium from Pixabay Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Being a teenager is hard enough, but then throw food allergies into the mix and it can be even more challenging. Growth only happens from challenges though, right? Listen to George's stories as he unpacks the good, the bad and the ugly of how food allergies have shaped him into a confident teen ready to navigate what life has to offer. Visit feedyourcan.com for more helpful life hacks and mind snacks as you learn to live fully with food allergies. Music by Twisterium from Pixabay Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.

Feed Your Can podcast shares inspiring stories, interviews and every day life hacks where people living with food allergies talk about gaining back their power. We'll interview inspiring guests, discuss practical tips, savvy life hacks and share healthy mind snacks. Sometimes we just need to flip the script away from fear and look for another narrative. We'll show you how food and fun can coexist. You may need to restrict your foods, but that doesn't mean restricting your fun! We'll look at this struggle as the teacher and reflect differently on our struggles, becoming more capable and confident in tackling life's hardest challenges. Join us as we learn how to Feed Your Can...when some foods, you just can't.™ Support the show Let's stay connected! 1) Follow us on Instagram or Facebook for more life hacks and mind snacks. 2) Email Lindsay with topics you want to hear about or to be a podcast guest! (Lindsay@feedyourcan.com) 3) Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others discover the helpful content too. Thanks for listening, and remember to Feed Your Can even when some foods, you just can't.