Allergy Dragon (aka Chef Martha Morgan) and Allergy Force CEO and Co-founder Gayle Rigione recently chatted about the importance of teaching kids with food allergies to cook.
Give a listen to this podcast from Allergy Dragon and learn strategies for nurturing kids' culinary skills across ages and stages while empowering them to live their best lives.
When you teach kids basic cooking skills you:
Practice reading, math, problem solving, and teamwork skills in a fun, 'not school' way,
Reinforce basic food allergy knowledge (What are my allergens? Where do they hide in foods?),
Teach and reinforce their label reading skills,
Give them food prep insights that will help them socialize safely (Does this dish contain X?, What else is fried in the same oil, on the same griddle?),
Teach them a life skill for the future, so they can eat well & safely when they live away from home, and
Build their confidence.
Besides, it's fun!
(Plus, when kids are grown and flown it's the little moments you spent doing things together over the years {like cooking!} that make the warmest, most lasting memories.)
Thank you Allergy Dragon for inviting Allergy Force join you on this podcast at the Allergy Dragon's Lair!
“The people who give you their food, give you their heart.”
—Cesar Chavez
Martha Morgan—a Specialty Diet & Allergy Chef—founded Allergy Dragon in 2019 to advocate for Food Allergies and Celiac disease and to help bridge the gap between safe and delicious food. Allergy Dragon has been cooking professionally for almost 30 years. In 2003, she became a reluctant food allergy chef after her youngest's first anaphylactic reaction to strawberries at 9-months of age. (Her youngest is now allergic to over 30 different foods.) In 2009, Martha also became a gluten-free chef after she and two of her children were diagnosed with Celiac disease.
Connect with Allergy Dragon on Instagram (@allergy_dragon), Facebook (@allergydragon), Twitter (@AllergyDragon), and LinkedIn and follow the Allergy Dragon's Lair on YouTube.
Gayle Rigione co-founded Allergy Force in 2016 to make life safer and easier for the food allergy community through education & technology. As a food allergy parent, she’s lived the heart stopping moments when her son ate the wrong thing, second guessed reactions and raced to the ER. Inspired by her family's 2+ decade food allergy journey, she's passionate about equipping families with knowledge and tech know-how to help them live free with confidence. Every day. During emergencies. In spite of food allergies. Whatever you do, do it with a full heart. Audentes Fortuna Iuvat
Connect with Gayle on LinkedIn and follow Allergy Force (@allergyforce) on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Images: Allergy Dragon and Allergy Force