Dealing with Food Allergies at Thanksgiving

11/19/2012 (Updated 9:15:59 PM)

(Source: Samantha McDonald)

JOHNSON CITY -- It is time for most families to start planning Thanksgiving dinner. But if you are one of the millions of americans with food allergies, you face unique obstacles.

Just hours ago today, Megann Jones was diagnosed with gluten intolerance.  The timing could not be more challenging-- right before Thanksgiving.

"I feel scared that I'm not going to be able to eat the food that my aunt makes," said Jones.

Jones and her mother went straight to Wegmans in Johnson City to look for gluten-free food.

"I feel good there's an actual store you can get gluten-free stuff," said Jones.

The gluten-free section of Wegmans has existed for ten years, but employees say that it has grown significantly over the years due to more customers.

"The demand for more gluten-free products [has risen].  So we're trying to bring in as many new items as we can," said Holly Mahonsk, the nature's market manager at Wegmans.

It has become more common to shop for thanksgiving dinner with a food allergy in mind.  The center for disease control and prevention says there has been an 18 percent increase in food allergies between 1997 and 2007.

"People who have anaphyaxis sensitivity should not hesitate to tell friends and family members or even waiters in restaurants that 'look i'm seriously allergic to this good and i can die if I have this food,'" said Dr. Asha Gupta.

Allergist Asha Gupta says nuts in particular seem to be consumed more during the holidays, so people need to be cautious.

"They may consume them for the first time and have a life threatening reaction," said Gupta.

Whether they are avoiding certain foods because of allergies or immunological reasons, shoppers tell us they are just looking for items that won't cause them problems.

"Food that I can eat so my stomach doesn't hurt," said Jones.