If you’ve spent any amount of time in the mountains, you may have heard of a Red Flag Warning. These alerts are for days when the risk of a wildfire is high due to gusting winds and low humidity.
The weather statement literally says: “Any fires that start will have the potential to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them.” As a parent to a son with life-threatening food allergies, I can relate.
Allergy families like mine have their own red flag warnings. These are our own special signs to look for that would announce conditions are right for a food-related emergency. It can be tempting to ignore the red flags when they appear, but that’s not how we stay safe.
My college-age son Alex recently went on a hiking trip with friends and spent the day over two hours away from the nearest town. After hiking and eating all their snacks in the car, they decided to stop at a restaurant.
As they were experiencing spotty cell service, my son texted me for help. So, I looked online to see what was available. Since they were in a fairly isolated area of Arizona, there were only two restaurants, which were very different from each other.
Red Flag on First Restaurant
Restaurant No. 1: The first restaurant I looked up was high quality. That’s often a good sign for allergy awareness, except that their menu showed a few meals that included peanut sauces. We know sauces are difficult to clean up and for avoiding cross-contact, so that was an immediate no. Restaurants with peanutty sauces are a red flag warning for our family and an automatic elimination.
Restaurant No. 2: This restaurant was closer to fast-food quality, meant for customers who grab a quick burger and move on with their trip. The online menu showed they specialized in burgers, which seemed OK. After I approved the online menu, I called to ask whether the burgers were mixed with dairy or wheat. (It has happened!) The employee I spoke to said they weren’t.
I asked if the restaurant has a lot of peanut products and was told they served only one item with peanuts. It was kept away from the rest of the food choices. This sounded reasonable, so I texted Alex the information. He and his friends decided to give the restaurant a try.
Upon arrival, my son explained to the staff at the counter that he had food allergies. Unfortunately, the individual that I’d spoken to wasn’t there, and the employees at the counter didn’t seem to understand what he was talking about.
They didn’t show any concern about Alex’s allergies to dairy or peanuts, and simply nodded and took his money. They went about their business of preparing food without any assurances for my son.
Apathetic employees who don’t “get” food allergies are another red flag warning in our family, calling for elimination as an option.
Resisting Hunger’s Temptation
However, it can be tempting to make an exception in the name of being hungry and exhausted. Alex waited at the table with his friends, and the patties came out by themselves on the plate.
Instead of automatically pushing them away or passing them to a friend to eat, he stared at the burgers. They looked OK. They didn’t show signs of cheese on them, although they did seem greasier than usual.
He texted me a photo, and said he was considering eating them. My son wanted my opinion, which I was happy to give: “Never ignore the allergy red flags. You saw them and you know the red flags are there. Don’t ignore them just because you are hungry and it’s inconvenient to go find safer food.”
He decided to pass on the greasy burgers and chose to wait and eat somewhere safe either at home or in the city. One friend took a bite of Alex’s burger, just to try it. He confirmed it tasted like melted cheese and described it as “buttery.”
That made Alex relieved that he didn’t give in to temptation and ignore a red flag warning. It would not have been worth the risk.
4 Food Allergy Red Flags
In our family, we have identified our major red flag warnings and these rules have kept us out of emergency rooms for over 15 years. Our four major red flag warnings are:
1. The restaurant has a number of entrees that include peanuts, tree nuts, or peanutty sauces.
2. The server isn’t concerned about food allergies and doesn’t give assurances about ingredients or cross-contact.
3. There is no manager on duty to speak to, or the manager doesn’t seem to care either.
4. We are in an area far from medical care if there is an allergy-related medical emergency.
As my son learned during this experience, it can be tempting to ignore the red flags. Sometimes we are tired and hungry and tempted to tell ourselves the fairy tale that “it should be fine.”
The problem is, once a red flag warning has presented itself, it’s important to face it and not try to explain it away.
As we know from wildfire situations, just because the gusting winds have died down a bit doesn’t mean the red flag warning has gone away. The alert is there for a reason and must be followed in the interests of safety.
It is the same with avoiding allergens, one spark (one trace amount of food) and the entire forest could go up in smoke.
Caroline Fleur is the author of Destiny and Other Dilemmas, a novel with twists, turns, romance and a dash of food allergy perspective. Her son manages multiple food allergies and EoE, and she is dedicated to raising food allergy awareness.
Related Reading:
Allergy Tragedy in Rome: Was Restaurant to Blame?
Camping with Asthma: How to Prepare and What to Pack
Dr. Rubin’s Take: It’s Time to Move on From Benadryl for Allergies
