Hello-
I have a teenager with a peanut allergy going on a 10 day backpacking trip to Philmont Ranch in New Mexico this July.
I need to find and provide appropriate substitutions for any foods that are unsafe for him.
Do any of you have experiences doing this with any of your sons? It would be great not to have to reinvent the wheel from scratch here. Maybe one of your kids went?
If not, do any of you have suggestions for light weight high calorie peanut free foods (high quality protein bars etc.?)
Thanks-
Julie
I have sent my daughter off to track campn meals in a cooler.
However, they had access to a clean fridge in the coaches' cabin. Blue/Green lids for serve cold, Red/Orange lids for serve warm. She did not have to travel far, and she did not have to carry her food when she ran!
Your other option would be to be the official buyer for ALL food stuffs that the troop will need for the trip. That way you can make sure all the ingredients are safe for him (and any other food allergies). This is what I do for youth group dinners and team travel events.
Mail Order:
Blue Mountain Organics http://www.bluemountainorganics.com/store/index.htm
LibreFoods
http://librenaturals.com/
My Gerbs
http://www.mygerbs.com/
Vermont Nut Free
http://www.vermontnutfree.com/
Grocery or Health food store (or Amazon!)
Enjoy Life - deep product line
GuChomps
Kramp Krushers (salty lemon electrolyte chews)
Honey Stingers (mini waffles, but not granola bars or energy bars)
Resource for many types of Snacks:
Snack Safely
http://snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide/
After paying for the trip, we were informed @ the last minute that our son would not be permitted to go to Philmont with his troop as they felt they could not provide access to medical treatment within the window necessary to treat anaphylaxis. He is peanut/treenut allergic and has anaphyaxed previously. They did provide a refund, and this was about 12 years ago. Perhaps things have changed.
Oh wow. I bet that was heart breaking. I've contacted several people at Philmont and they all seemed to feel like we had a good plan in place and are willing to work with us Maybe they have improved in 12 years.
My son has never had to use his epi-pen.
Getting the alternate food that is appropriate together is time consuming but doable. I was hoping somebody would have a record of the foods they provided and we could"copy" some of that.
The only thing that makes me nervous is the amount of time it would take to get medical attention to him if her were to have anaphylaxis. But we will prepare the best we can and send him with a lot of prayer.
Thanks!