November 11, 2025 • 32 mins
In this special holiday episode, I welcome Megan Lavin, the creator behind Allergy Awesomeness. She is a trusted voice in the food allergy community, allergy mom of four, and now a morning TV anchor. Together, we explore what it means to create a happy and connected (not perfect) holiday for our families.
We also discuss Megan’s recent experience with a brand partnership, how she approached it with honesty, and her take on what it means for us to be positive members of the food allergy community.
This episode is a reminder that clarity and can transform the way we approach food, family, and advocacy.
Listen now for heartfelt conversation, practical insights, and permission to make this season your own.
Follow Megan at https://allergyawesomeness.com/ and on social media @allergy_awesomeness
Megan's top 3 holiday recipes:
https://allergyawesomeness.com/allergy-friendly-sugar-cookies/
https://allergyawesomeness.com/dairy-free-fudge/
https://allergyawesomeness.com/dairy-free-caramels/
Cookbook:
https://www.amazon.com/Allergy-Moms-Lifesaving-Instant-Cookbook/dp/1624147607
Megan's adorable Tootsie Roll ad:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ox0UqOOOYSo?si=6fJ2NYXzk3Uk-SBa
Special thanks to Kyle Dine for permission to use his song The Doghouse for the podcast theme!
www.kyledine.com
Find Dr. Whitehouse:
-thefoodallergypsychologist.com
-Instagram: @thefoodallergypsychologist
-Facebook: Dr. Amanda Whitehouse, Food Allergy Anxiety Psychologist
-welcome@dramandawhitehouse.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Megan Lavin (00:00):
Allergy moms are great at this.
You just, you find a way aroundit.
You're just like, all right,well here we go.
And that's what's so great aboutallergy moms is we just, we make
crap happen.
You just, you we do pick it upand you, you keep on going.
You keep on ly.
Speaker (00:13):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(00:34):
Megan Lavin, who you probablyknow as allergy awesomeness.
Is one of the most trusted andloved voices in the food allergy
world.
She is a mama four a recipedeveloper and cookbook author
and advocate, and now a morningTV anchor who somehow still
finds time to share realinclusive recipes.
Advocate for the food allergycommunity and give her honest
reflections about raising kidswith food allergies.
(00:57):
Thanksgiving is right around thecorner and we wanted you to hear
this conversation in time tostart planning how to cook
safely, how to manageexpectations, and how to bring
more peace to your holidaytable, whatever you might be
celebrating at the end of theyear.
We also talk about somethingthat's been on Megan's mind
lately, a little bit ofnegativity that happened around
her wonderful partnership withTootsie Roll in the commercial
that she made for them.
True to form.
(01:17):
Megan handled it withtransparency and grace, and we
unpack what that experiencetaught her about boundaries,
communication.
Staying grounded in your valuesand what she thinks it means to
be a good member of the foodallergy community.
Just a quick heads up, Megan andI had a little bit of technical
difficulty as we were recording.
The first five minutes or so ofthis episode are a little
glitchy.
I did my best to edit it, butshe is a busy woman and we
(01:39):
didn't have time to record inorder to get this out to you
when we wanted to.
So please bear with me throughthat.
And I promise you, after thefirst five minutes or so, the
sound quality will improvegreatly and hopefully it won't
distract too much from mywonderful guest.
Who was so generous to join mehere.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:55):
Megan, thank you so much for joining me
here on Don't Feed the Fear toTalk about the upcoming holidays
and to help us, get ready forall the things that lie ahead at
our favorite time of the year asallergy families.
Megan Lavin (02:06):
Oh, it's my pleasure.
Thank you so much for having me.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:08):
Of course, I've been following you
for so long and you really arejust so relatable and so
accessible and I think that'swhy so many people also, enjoy
your content.
In case there are thoselistening who don't know you,
you give us a little bit ofbackground on how you created
your platform and got into thisspace.
Megan Lavin (02:24):
Yeah, My background is broadcast journalism.
Communicating with people, um,being involved, being in the
know, sharing tidbits.
And then my oldest son He hadfood allergies He had
additional, you know, medicalissues, EOE, asthma, and so I
stopped working and I wanted toshare.
All the things I was learning,all the recipes that were
(02:45):
working.
And so with my background andwith the marketing and the
broadcast, I was like, I shouldblog, I was like, I wanna carve
out the space that I can, youknow, keep up my skills and
connect with other moms.
'cause you feel so lonely and soit's been such a fun journey and
it's given me silver linings andjust to do things I didn't think
I'd be able to do and work withcompanies It's really, you know,
(03:07):
helped it feel more likelemonade than just pure lemon.
So kind of put all thattogether.
My main focus is you know,recipes but on social media.
Media, which I think is thereally fun part.
I talk about.
the background and, and thelifestyle and how it affects us.
And just, you know, what livingwith food allergies is all
about.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (03:24):
It's so helpful, I relate because we're
kind of in the same phase.
Our, kids are around the sameage range, they're managing
their allergies and I like tohear from people like you,
especially who've been having anaudience and sharing for so long
your perspective it's differentonce you have this much
experience Under your belt.
Megan Lavin (03:41):
Oh, 1000%.
I remember when I was firstdiagnosed kind of clinging to
allergy moms, I found friendsand solace in moms that had
teenagers.
And I was like, tell me all thethings.
It seemed so insurmountable.
Once you get higher in the climbyou turn around and you help.
the people below.
And so they were able to do thatfor me.
And I always just think like,.
Like if I can turn around andhelp someone who's, you know,
(04:03):
maybe a little bit farther back,all the better.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:05):
Like you said, it's good for the people
that we're sharing it with, butit's also helpful for us in
terms of being able to pay thatforward.
And I, I think it helps you takestock of how far you've come,
Megan Lavin (04:14):
Oh, 1000%.
I, I always think like, man, ifI could just, if I could have
given, you know, 10, 15 yearsago a glimpse how we'd be
traveling and how will adjustedhe, being that he's a happy,
healthy kid, like I would'vejust died.
To know that So it's just niceto Remember that mindset, you
know, to remember like how scarybecause you do, you adjust, you
do acclimate.
(04:34):
It's important to remember likehow scary it is at first.
Amanda Whitehouse, (04:37):
Definitely, and as you've said, there's
twists and turns that we can'tanticipate, including seeing
ourselves feeling settled inthis life.
You have just shared that youstarted this new role in your
career that you never saw aroundthe corner.
So before we get too much intofood and holidays and recipes, I
would love it if you would sharewith us your newest, endeavor.
Megan Lavin (04:55):
Oh, thank you.
So my degree was in broadcastand, then I kind of stepped away
from it and I really thought,well, my time is up, I And it
just goes to show like how lifecan be, because you know, with
broadcast journalism, it's verymuch like what your work has
been and what station you'refrom.
every year there's new and upand coming journalists So I
really thought, I'm out of thegame, I'll never get to do it
(05:16):
again, but, oh well, you know,that's the sacrifice I made.
And, and in my local, um,network they were looking for a
morning anchor and I was like,oh, there's no way.
And it's really unheard of likeusually anchors work, you know,
crazy odd shift for years beforeyou get a chance.
And so It was, just a pinch memoment.
My youngest is in school fulltime and I thought, well, maybe
(05:37):
I'll look for somethingpart-time.
And then I was like, well, let'sjust go for it, you know?
And I got it and I'm loving it.
And what's interesting is a lotof the work that I've done, the
monthly videos that I do forallergic living, speaking
engagements and things.
Like that.
And just understanding socialmedia and web presence actually
helped me.
(05:58):
They looked at those as positivethings, and so it just goes to
show like the skills you'relearning are not wasted, and
they can be used in a variety ofways, whether that's stepping
back into an old career whenyour kids are getting older like
there's no wasted experiences
Amanda Whitehouse, (06:12):
Absolutely, and you may not have taken the
traditional route, but youdefinitely were doing your own
broadcast, right?
For all of those years, you werecreating so much of your own
content so I could see why theywanted your unique skills that
you're bringing into theirbroadcast.
Megan Lavin (06:24):
thank you.
It's true.
I mean, it still still helped mecreate stories, look at things
from certain angles,communicate.
So it's been just really abeautiful dream.
It's nice to see it come fullcircle.
I would've never guessed when Istepped away all those years ago
that I'd be doing, and, and myfirst piece just ran, for food
allergies and holidays it'scalled a package in the
industry, And I had asked if Icould have my son be a guest.
(06:46):
I'm like downloading it andsaving it to my personal drive.
'cause I'm like, this is amoment, like, this is so neat
that, you know, I'm able tobring up this topic Have my son
who's now getting.
Grown and being an advocate forhimself.
It was just a really beautifulmoment.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:59):
What did he think of that and what do all
the kids think of Mom?
You know, being on TV and, andthis change in the family,
Megan Lavin (07:05):
it's a, it's an adjustment.
Um, I'm not gonna lie, twoyoungers are the girls.
I have two Boys and the twogirls, and they, they cried when
I told'em'cause you know, um,I'm out of the home and it's
crazy hours.
I work 4:00 AM to 1:00 PM pm Um,and so they were like, what is,
what is this gonna be?
I think just the uncertainty.
And I've tried to like bringthem to the station and
(07:27):
introduce them and let themwatch the live newscast.
My oldest like literally justbrought a book and read the
whole time.
He was like, I'm not impressed,mom.
So any career you have, yourkids are always gonna be like,
yeah, yeah, you're still mom.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (07:39):
Well, someday it'll sink in.
Even if they can't, recognizethe coolness of it right now.
Megan Lavin (07:43):
One can hope
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (07:44):
Is there a possibility that you'll be
able to bring more allergycontent to the show in the
future?
Megan Lavin (07:49):
Yeah, I talked about that.
when We initially did mycontract, I said, you know,
allergy awesomeness is not goingaway.
This is part of who I am.
And they were like, oh no, we'dlike for you to.
bring up allergy pieces everyonce in a while.
We know that's something that'sI important for you to cover,
there are advances being made infood allergy.
There's holidays.
It's timely.
And they're very open to it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:08):
That's great because yeah, it is a
large part of their audience,especially if you don't consider
just the people affected by it,but their families, their
friends, their teachers.
It's relevant to most of thepopulation.
Megan Lavin (08:18):
It really is.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:19):
Where can people watch you and how can
they find you on tv?
Megan Lavin (08:22):
Yeah, so I work in Idaho Falls, it's called News
eight.
Is KIFI and you can find methere.
And then all of my regularchannels, just under allergy
awesomeness.
On Instagram.
Instagram and Facebook.
All the places, I'm sure I'll becross posting.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:40):
Perfect.
So let's talk about theholidays, you obviously have
been living this life for a longtime, and the holidays can be a
lot for us.
What do you think are thebiggest things to consider
Megan Lavin (08:51):
It's such a big topic, I think what it comes.
Comes down to is, at least forwhat's worked for for me, is
planning ahead and really takestock of what are traditions
that I wanna hold onto or for methat I wanna let go?
Are there ways I can make themallergy friendly or do I need to
create new ones?
Right.
And then owning it maybe youjust need to broaden holiday
themed with my family.
(09:11):
It doesn't necessarilynecessarily have to be the exact
same thing every year.
So I, I'm like, as long as we'redoing something fun and crafty
that's what I care about.
And it can change and it canflex from year to year.
I think we get so rigid in theway we look at the holidays, you
know, I'm like, so like the weekmy kids are off.
I'm like, I want something everysingle day I've realized from my
personality, as long as I havesomething to look forward to it
doesn't matter the, the item orthe agenda that we're doing.
(09:35):
Some of the things arenon-negotiables and I'm like,
you know, this is a tradition Iwanna carry forward from my
childhood that I know I want mykids to experience.
And one of those is, you know,sugar cookies for Santa on
Christmas Eve.
And I was like asking all theallergy moms I knew, like, do
you have an allergy friendlycookie?
And that's why that was one ofthe first recipes on my site
because I knew like, this is akey moment I wanna have with my
(09:57):
kids and darn it, I'm gonnafigure it out.
And so, you know, I have to planahead and I had to.
Make that happen, it just comesdown to like knowing your
personality, what really mattersto you.
And, and don't stress yourselfout.
Don't be trying to figure outsugar cookies the week of
Christmas.
You know, start planning nowwhere it's like, okay, what is
gonna really matter to me?
What's gonna, you know, sting ifI don't have this anymore?
(10:18):
Or is gonna feel, you know,really sad to me because some,
you know, you can, you can giveaway, like my parents used to
take us out to dinner and to amovie every Christmas Eve.
You know, that's just notsomething super feasible for us.
And so I was like, all right,well you know, that's fine.
We can watch a movie at home orwe can do this or that.
And so don't feel beholden orimprisoned to these things Your
(10:41):
kids will never know, what theywill know is what you go with
forward.
And I think realizing it's kindof this fresh slate and it, and
looking at it, changing yourperspective to, oh, this is so
sad to be like, this isexciting.
I get to literally.
Set this up for my kids, what dowe want it to look like?
And sometimes I'll even ask mykids, around Thanksgiving, we'll
do a list of like December musthaves, you know, and, and so
(11:03):
they feel a part of it.
They're like, oh, we wanna watchhome alone, or, oh, we want to,
you know, do hot chocolate, or,you know, and, and then I try
and see where we can fit thoseactivities in.
So, you know, I think a lot oftimes we come at things with
food allergies of like, oh, it'slacking, it's lacking.
Try and look at it from thisabundance of like, look at all
these things I can do and, and,and we're gonna do, we tend to
(11:25):
think of the holidays as such afood centered thing, but like
making Christmas tree ornamentsand sled and making a snowman
and like, there's so manybeautiful memories that can be
made even without food andthat's.
Coming from a major foodie, Ilove my food, but there's still
so much you can do.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (11:40):
This is what I love about you.
You're so practical and you takesomething that's so emotional
for us and such a big topic, andyou just make it sound so
logical.
Like, plan ahead, ask thesequestions.
What can we keep?
What do I have to have?
What can we let go?
And then make a plan ahead oftime?
And it's, it makes it sound sodoable when many of us do feel
overwhelmed by it.
Megan Lavin (11:57):
And that's totally understandable.
It is an emotional thing.
Holidays and memories,nostalgia.
Like it's so easy to get wrappedup in.
And I've had my moments too.
I'm glad I come across that waybecause you know, my friends
have had to just talk me off ofa ledge.
My husband's had to tell me.
It's not that big of a deal.
So please don't think I don'thave those moments.
But I think, you know, as longas you, you dust yourself up and
you try not stay in that mindframe, it's okay to have those
(12:19):
down moments, but pick yourselfback up.
'cause there's still so muchGood,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:22):
great point.
We all can experience that.
But Giving yourself somethingactionable to move past it,
obviously it feels good not toget stuck there.
Yes, exactly.
Oh, this is wonderful.
It's so helpful to hear you talkabout it in that way.
Then for the things that do feelnon-negotiable or the things
that you really lean on asstaples.
The sugar cookies were the firstone, so we're gonna link to that
recipe on your website.
(12:43):
Um, what other recipes reallyhave people just.
Been excited about because theydo feel like the things they
don't wanna leave out of theirholiday celebrations.
Megan Lavin (12:52):
Yeah.
So fudge is a big thing wealways do fudge.
Um, I think I got that from mygrandpa.
He always loved fudge.
So.
Um, we always make that andsnack on it.
Um, we love to do treats forneighbors.
For a long time, we switched itup.
We couldn't quite decide.
We wanted to like be known forone thing and we tried various
cookies, but I think we'vesettled on, we've done it like
(13:12):
four years now.
Making homemade caramels.
They're dairy free.
We make an assembly line and welook forward to it.
And then we.
We put'em in cute little bagsand we, Carol, as we hand them
to our neighbors.
And so that's a really bigmemory maker.
That's one of the first thingsthat goes on the calendar.
Like what weekend is gonna bethe caramel weekend?
You know?
Um, then it's like, it's gottabe the Christmas ham and it's
(13:35):
gotta be the scalp potatoes andthe honey carrots and you know,
so there's, there's definitelythose food staples that it's,
okay, it wouldn't feel likeChristmas without it.
How can we hit it?
How can we make this work?
But for a long time.
My son didn't grow out of hisegg allergy until, I don't know,
he was like 10 ish.
And I always wanted that eggbake.
(13:55):
I grew up eating the classicChristmas egg bake, and I just
missed it and missed it until Ifinally figured out how to make
it without it.
So, we did many years of like,okay, well maybe we'll do scones
or maybe we'll do.
Hash browns and, and so, youknow, there are some, some years
where you can't quite make ithappen.
There's just no way around it.
But thankfully there's so manyother good foods and so many
(14:16):
other fun ways to make thingshappen that.
Allergy moms are great at this.
You just, you find a way aroundit.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (14:21):
Right.
You find an alternative.
Megan Lavin (14:23):
Yep.
And you're just like, all right,well here we go.
And that's what's so great aboutallergy moms is we just, we make
crap happen.
You just, you we do pick it upand you, you keep on going.
You keep on ly.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (14:34):
So I have to pause.
Maybe it's just differentterminology because of where
we're at geographically, but Idon't know what an egg bake is.
Is that a casserole?
Is that like a breakfastcasserole with egg and bread?
Megan Lavin (14:44):
Yeah, it can be with bread.
We don't do it with bread, butyeah, it's in a 13 by nine dish
and it's kinda like a catchall.
You got your sausage, you gotyour tater tots, you got, and
it's thick and it's veryfilling.
Uh, it's really savory'causeyou're eating crap all day long,
so you need like that hearty,stable breakfast.
So that's funny.
I didn't realize it was a.
Maybe it's more of a westernIdaho.
(15:06):
I don't know thing.
But yeah, it, it needless to sayit's good.
Whatever you call it, it's good.
Sounds amazing.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (15:10):
Yes.
I'm, my menu is just expandingin my head here as we're
talking, which is making methink, I, I love to cook, I
think as allergy moms.
Yes.
You said.
We do.
We've just figured it out and wemove forward.
But I thankfully grew up in afamily where my parents cooked.
They actually had a restaurant.
I was taught how to Oh wow.
So cooking itself didn't feel.
Scary to me.
(15:31):
But for a lot of people,realizing that they have to
start learning to cook is reallyintimidating.
So what do you tell people likethat who don't have that
experience and they're not justmaking swaps, they're actually
learning to cook from scratch?
Megan Lavin (15:45):
Well, first of all, I'm so jealous.
That sounds like such a greatbackground.
Holy cow.
You're probably just poised totake off.
I feel like I'm, I'm a middleground and so.
You know, my mom was always agood cook growing up, but I just
could care less.
I remember her being like, comehere, let me show you.
And I was like, don't care, youknow?
And so I looked back and justshake my head.
'cause I'm like, I mean, I wasthe girl in college that was
(16:08):
like trying to microwave rawchicken.
I literally did not know.
You can't, you should not dothat.
That's not sanitary.
And I, I just, to me it was justa bother, you know?
So I get people that are like, Idon't have the time out.
I was like, why?
But then.
Once I got married, a shiftstarted to happen where I was
like, oh, like I can express mylove through food.
I can take care of him.
(16:28):
I can show him like, like, andseeing him be like, Ooh, this is
so good.
I think once I realized I had anaudience, it really started to
make me like wanna watch FoodNetwork and like dive into
recipe books.
And so I'm grateful I wasstarting to enjoy it before my
son came along.
So I didn't, I didn't go fromhating it, but my skills were
still very poor.
(16:48):
I was like, I don't even own awhisk, or, you know, it was so
basic.
So I, I share that in hopes thatlike, people will realize, if
you don't love cooking and youdidn't grow up, you know,
blessed with a background, likeyou can learn recipe by recipe.
And that's another reason why Iwas like, if I find a recipe
that works, like I've got toshare this because.
(17:10):
A, if I can do it and B, like Iknow how it is when you're like,
I already don't like doing this,and now this is a terrible
tasting thing and it's a wasteof ingredients and I've got all
these dishes to do and I've gotnothing to show for it.
Like that's the worst.
So I wanna save people fromthat.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:24):
Are there any particular quick swaps
or easy to start with things,um, so that people don't have
those big disasters?
As they're starting out?
What tips do you have that makeit easier?
Megan Lavin (17:36):
So, uh, a couple of things.
I always say start off simple,right?
So for us, we did So much likechicken and rice and grilled
vegetables, you know, I waslike, I'm not gonna try sauces.
I'm not gonna try casseroles.
And because yeah, you're tryingto swap in creamy, all these
textures and stuff you're usedto, it's, it's gonna be rough at
(17:56):
first.
Just master the basics and getsome solid recipes under your
belt because eating simply andcleanly often does just
naturally avoid, um.
Allergens.
And then the second is, and I, Iget comments like this all the
time under my recipes.
Can I just swap in almond flouror can I just use my regular
recipe and just swap in this?
And I'm don't.
(18:16):
Mm-hmm.
Don't do it.
And, and you can once you get toa point,'cause that, that's what
I do.
But until you're used to theseingredients.
And it's also new, go to arecipe site, whether it's mine
or whether it's another allergyblogger, another gluten-free
blogger, someone who that theyrecipe test it and they've gone
through iterations and they'vemade sure, the texture turns out
and the taste turns out becauseso many people think, well, I
(18:38):
can just swap in the singleflour.
And it's like, no, it takes likea blend to mimic wheat.
Or I can just swap in this.
And it's like, no, that's gonnabe too oilier.
You know?
So go with the tried and true.
Unless, unless it's fun for youto, to, to try things out.
Some people do love testing andexperimenting, but if it's like
you're in a crunch.
You gotta make some cupcakes fora birthday party.
(18:58):
I would not suggest that's thetime that you're like, I'm just
gonna wing it and start swappingthings in.
'cause it can really get hairyreal fast.
Amanda Whitehouse, (19:06):
Absolutely.
That was, I was gonna say, if Ihave one tip, that's what it is,
is to find someone who's alreadydone that legwork for you.
I always say don't reinvent thewheel.
While life has stopped and youdon't know how to move forward.
So let people who, like yousaid, have experienced it, get
rolling.
And then once you're rollingagain, then you can invent your
own wheel and expand upon it.
If it's fun and you have thebandwidth again.
(19:26):
But, so many people out therelike you have really put so much
time and effort into figuringthis out for us that it's a
great starting point.
Megan Lavin (19:34):
Yeah, you put that perfectly.
I love the way you put that.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:37):
Well, thank you you're one of those
people that helped me figureout, okay, someone already put a
lot of time into this.
I'm just gonna utilize that.
Megan Lavin (19:44):
Oh, thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:45):
Thank you.
We're preparing for thisconversation for.
Before Thanksgiving so peoplecan be thinking about their
holiday meals and preparations.
But I wanted to ask you aboutthe recent, Halloween ad you did
that was so adorable.
Um, and you partnered with thecandy brand and I just saw that
you had some interestingdiscussion following up about
it.
So I would love to get yourperspective while I have you
(20:06):
here.
To pick apart what's going onwith our community and how
things come across sometimes.
Megan Lavin (20:11):
Yeah, yeah.
No, I'm an open book and, andlove to talk about all things.
So.
The, the campaign you'rediscussing is, was my one with
Tootsie Roll.
And I was so thrilled.
I mean, I was pinching myselfthey dmd me and I was like, is
is this a fake account?
Like, who are we, are we forreals right now?
You know, because usually bigbrands don't often wanna work
(20:33):
with allergy influencers.
They wanna appeal to the massesthey were like, we want.
You know, get in with theallergy community and let them
know like, Hey, we've got thesesafe products for you guys, and
can you help us get the wordout?
And I was like, 1000%.
Yes.
You know, like, let's do it.
And so I had, and I had so muchfun, like I had my best friend
be in it.
I had, you know, my daughter bein it.
(20:53):
I was so thrilled to post it.
And you know, that's just partof being on the internet.
I take responsibility that whenyou open yourself up, like
mm-hmm And you've gotta commentbox, people are gonna comment.
And you know, I have been sofortunate because for the most
part I have had nothing butlove.
Our community is typically verykind.
You know, very supportive., Andthat's the problem is it did go
(21:16):
somewhat viral.
And when you start to getoutside your, your typical,
algorithm, you, you can let insome trolls and some other
people.
But I was very surprised becausethere was a decent amount of
comments, enough so that I feltthe need to say something, which
is saying something.
'cause I, I don't likecontroversy.
I tend to, I tend to not try andget in the mix of things, but I
(21:38):
just.
I kept seeing all these commentsabout like, well, it doesn't
work for me.
And oh, Tootsie roll is anallergy friendly'cause it has
dairy.
Mm-hmm.
And, you know, da da, da, da,da.
And just some really upsetpeople.
And I was so taken aback by itbecause, well, you know, it was
a double-edged sword because onone hand I can appreciate, I
mean, I've gotten excited whenI've seen a brand or a company
(21:59):
or a new product.
And then you flip it over andyou're like, oh, that doesn't
work for me.
You know?
And, and that like, seeing that,like I get that disappointment
'cause that's happened to me somany times.
I mean, my son used to only have10 safe foods.
Like, believe me when I say Iget feeling left out, I get
things not working for you, evenwhen it's quote unquote allergy
friendly and it's still doesn'twork for you.
(22:20):
I get that disappointment, butI, but I was also disappointed
because I thought.
Why are we, why are we being sonegative and poo-pooing this
company?
We always say we want big brandsto, to notice us.
We want big brands to includeus.
And then they're literallytrying to reach out and you're
like being negative and theother thing that kind of made me
laugh, and you know, I'm guiltyof it too, but I was like, if
(22:42):
you read the caption, TootsieRoll is an umbrella and they
have many brands and so.
I mean, I, my own son, one of mysons has a dairy allergy, so I
get it.
And he doesn't eat t Tootsierolls, but he does eat the dots
and he does eat the charms andhe does eat the double bubble,
like they own all these otherbrands.
So if I get a mix, it's like,well, you have this part and you
have this part.
(23:04):
And so I was like, well, it'snot like they are excluding
everyone.
If you still don't feel safegetting Tootsie Roll, that's
totally your call.
And I'm not saying everyoneshould.
But I just was so surprised thatas a community we can come
together and be happy that itworks for some of us.
I mean, even just all theceliacs, all the wheat and all
the peanut people, that'smillions of people.
Mm-hmm.
(23:25):
And I was like, let's just behappy that it works for them and
they have a safe, fairly cheapoption.
There's a lot more expensivecandy out there.
Mm-hmm.
And, and for so many people toTake it so personal and those
knee jerk reactions and commentsand being upset about it.
I just, I was like, okay, Igotta say something like, guys,
let's, let's think about this.
We're just shooting ourselves inthe foot.
If every time a company tries towork with our community and
(23:48):
we're like, well, you're not topnine free.
That's not realistic.
Not every candy can or should betop night free.
Allergies are a spectrum.
Some people have one, somepeople have 50, and we can't
expect it to work for us everysingle time.
And if it doesn't work for us,we don't need to be down on
other people that it does workfor us.
Cheer for each other and supporteach other's wins and be happy
(24:08):
for each other.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:09):
I couldn't agree more.
When I watch it from theoutside, I can see it so
clearly.
People are reactive becausetheir emotions are heightened
because they're in protectivemode for their kids or for
themselves.
But there's so many factors thatmake it so complicated.
And one of the biggest ones, asyou said, allergy free means
nothing because people can beallergic to everything, not just
the top nine.
(24:29):
So any move in that direction.
Or any company that can serve alarge part of our community is a
huge win for all of us becausewe can show, we can give them
our business and we want morecompanies to do this.
Megan Lavin (24:41):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So like you said, I can seewhere they're coming from, but I
also would hope that peoplewould take a minute to pause
before they hit that commentbutton.
And that goes for all spectrums,you know?
Mm-hmm.
Take a beat.
I know you're feeling verytriggered right now, but is it
serving our community?
Is it helping our community by.
Getting upset at these companiesthat are trying.
I just don't think it serves us.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:03):
No, no, but you handle it so well, and
I, take a page from your book onthat too, because I'm just
learning the social media sideof it and it's funny the timing
of this because just today I hada post that I put so much time
into and, you know, people had areaction to it that I was not
anticipating at all.
And it's really not what I said.
And you know, if you read thecaption, but, but it just
happens.
(25:23):
Social media is a totallydifferent form of communication
than.
Regular communication, I think.
Megan Lavin (25:30):
Yeah, it is.
It is.
And it hurts.
You know, I think people forget,there's a real human being on
the other side of the phone and,maybe I made a mistake or maybe
I didn't phrase it perfectly,but it, it hurts.
There have been times where it'slike, okay, I gotta, I gotta set
the phone down.
And it's hard to not let it likespoil your day or get you down.
'cause it stinks.
Like, I think especially in theallergy community, we're all
(25:51):
trying to put out content that.
Helps the community.
Mm-hmm.
And we're, you know, you're notmalicious.
I'm not malicious.
I only ever want to, help myfamily and help the community.
So when it gets taken the wrongway, it, it stinks.
You're like, oh, I, I was tryingto be helpful.
Not that, and I didn't mean toupset you.
When then, when you've got allthat energy coming at you and
people are upset, it's, it's alot.
And most of us are doing this.
(26:12):
Either hardly making anything orout of the goodness of our
hearts.
Mm-hmm.
And so to have that be thrownback in your face, it's, it's
hard.
Social media can be the bestplace where we get to find other
allergy parents and learn fromeach other and, and, you know,
offer that validation andempathy.
And other times it's like, oh,ouch.
Okay.
Right.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:32):
We're on the same team.
Megan Lavin (26:33):
Right.
So there was this one Facebookcommenter, and I was like, oh,
what a class Act like she did itso well.
'cause again, knowing TootsieRoll is probably tracking this,
I don't know how many commentsthey read.
Mm-hmm.
But they're invested and theywanna see how people's
responses, and, her comment wassomething along the lines of
like, oh, I love that.
This is such a win for so manypeople.
That's so great.
(26:54):
I hope maybe someday TootsieRoll would look at.
Making a dairy free T roll.
Right?
And I was like, that's the wayto ask.
Like, yes.
You catch more flies with honey.
Let's show that we're, we're ina positive, encouraging
community that will embrace youwhen you come towards us.
And I was like, there you go.
That's the way to do it.
If I could have double heartedit, I would've like, there you
(27:15):
go.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:16):
Yeah.
Thank you for being willing totalk about it.
I think it's a good reminder foreverybody and I appreciate you
sharing that and I'm excited foryou.
It was a great and adorable andso, such a heartwarming
commercial.
It just made me feel good.
So thank you for it.
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
So it's all parents, butespecially us moms are most of
the ones out here chatting aboutit on social media and, doing a
lot of the planning and feelingthe weight of this.
(27:38):
What do you wanna say to all ofour fellow allergy moms out
there taking a deep breath andgetting ready to tackle the
holiday season?
Megan Lavin (27:46):
Well, I love that you started with take a deep
breath because it really, theholidays, whether you have food
allergies or not, it's astressful time.
You are buying gifts and you'remaking more food than usual and
you've got the extra schoolactivities and the performances
and the parties and the familyget togethers.
And I think it's just liketrying to find that balance.
You gotta make safe gingerbreadman for something, maybe you.
(28:11):
You don't do the dishes at nightand you go to bed with a messy
kitchen because you can't do itall.
Or you know, you're eating offof paper plates because it's
like, I, I don't have time to bedoing dishes.
Find those little ways to likecut corners and save your time
and energy.
Don't just add it to a heapinglist of stuff.
Can you ask for help?
I know we wanna do it all.
Can you say to your spouse orpartner or friend, like, Hey,
(28:33):
you know, can you come over andhelp me, you know, make all
these cookies like I'm drowning,Don't take on this Herculean
task and just realize if itdoesn't happen this year, it's
okay.
You can try again next year.
There will be another Christmas.
I know we want everything to bethe end all, be all Pinterest
perfection, but at the end ofthe day, you're human and you're
trying, and your kids are gonnalove you for your effort.
(28:55):
And what they remember are thefeelings and the love that they
feel.
Not necessarily all the things.
So give yourself some grace.
That's
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:02):
so perfectly said.
We all need that reminder.
Thank you.
Megan Lavin (29:06):
Yeah, of course I need it too.
Yes.
So I'm preaching to the choir.
You have to keep telling each
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:09):
other and ourselves.
Absolutely.
So before I let you go, I willput everything in the show notes
so it's easy for people to find,but tell the listeners where
they can find all of the greatstuff that you're putting out
there for them.
Megan Lavin (29:19):
Oh, thank you.
My favorite way is Instagram.
I feel like that's the one Icheck the most I post to the
most.
So it's allergy awesomeness.
Uh, you can go to my website.
All my recipes are free onthere.
I have several hundred.
That's allergy awesomeness.com.
You can also, I post my shortson YouTube and TikTok and
Facebook.
Um, so you can, you can find meall over the place, but those
(29:43):
are, Instagram is probably myfavorite.
Um, and then you can find mycookbook online on Amazon or
various bookstores across thecountry.
My eBooks are also on my site,so.
Lots of ways, join in, getinvolved.
It's lots of fun.
Amanda Whitehouse, (29:56):
Absolutely.
And cookbooks are such a greatholiday gift for other food
allergy moms, obviously, to helpthem feel seen and have a good
resource.
So everybody keep that in mind,someone's already done the
legwork for you, so I'll takeadvantage of that.
Megan Lavin (30:08):
Yeah, definitely.
I love a good cookbook.
I look through them like anovel, like I love to turn every
page and look at'em like they'rethe best.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:14):
Yep.
Especially when once they getall earmarked and dirty and well
loved.
Megan Lavin (30:18):
Yeah, that's when you know it's a good one.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:19):
Mm-hmm.
I appreciate you taking the timeto chat It's great to hear your
perspective and again, Iappreciate all of the wonderful
support that you're putting outthere for the food allergy
community.
Thank you.
Megan Lavin (30:29):
Thank you.
And thank you for having apodcast and a platform that
discusses these issues and youhave such an important
perspective with the mentalhealth piece that's such a
needed component.
So you're out there doing thething too.
So I appreciate you.
Well, thanks.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:41):
It takes a team.
Megan Lavin (30:42):
Yeah, lift Where you stand is one of my favorite
phrases, so
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:44):
I love that.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you so much for beinghere, Megan.
Megan Lavin (30:47):
My pleasure.
Thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:50):
I hope you loved that conversation with
Megan as much as I did, andthank you for sticking through
the sound issues to get to allthe goodness that she shared
with us in this chat.
I hope that it left you feelingthe way that I do, which is
connected, calm, and gratefulfor what we have, and looking
forward to celebrating ratherthan being overwhelmed by it.
Here are three action steps thatyou can do after listening
(31:11):
today.
Number one, follow Megan atAllergy Awesomeness, At Allergy
awesomeness on Instagram andcheck out her recipes for
allergy friendly Thanksgivinginspiration.
Number two, share.
Share this episode with anotherallergy parent who might be
feeling that holiday pressurecoming up.
Let them know they're not alone.
Or maybe share one of Megan's.
(31:31):
Awesome resources.
Her cookbook on Amazon, herebook, that would be a wonderful
way to connect with an allergyparent who needs some support as
the holidays are arriving.
Number three, take just fiveminutes today to think about the
holidays that are coming up,what expectations you have, and
anything that you might be ableto let go of this season to make
more space for joy and presencein all of your celebrations that
(31:54):
are coming up.
If you haven't already, pleasesubscribe to the show.
Leave me a rating or a reviewwherever you listen to help the
show grow And so you don't missthe great episodes that I have
coming up.
Relevant to the holidays, moregreat guests, more real
conversations, and hopefullymore peace for your nervous
system throughout this busyseason.
So thank you for being here,Megan, and thanks everyone for
(32:16):
listening.
I'll talk to you again nextweek.
Speaker (32:19):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
Allergy moms are great at this.
You just, you find a way aroundit.
You're just like, all right,well here we go.
And that's what's so great aboutallergy moms is we just, we make
crap happen.
You just, you we do pick it upand you, you keep on going.
You keep on ly.
Speaker (00:13):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
(00:34):
Megan Lavin, who you probablyknow as allergy awesomeness.
Is one of the most trusted andloved voices in the food allergy
world.
She is a mama four a recipedeveloper and cookbook author
and advocate, and now a morningTV anchor who somehow still
finds time to share realinclusive recipes.
Advocate for the food allergycommunity and give her honest
reflections about raising kidswith food allergies.
(00:57):
Thanksgiving is right around thecorner and we wanted you to hear
this conversation in time tostart planning how to cook
safely, how to manageexpectations, and how to bring
more peace to your holidaytable, whatever you might be
celebrating at the end of theyear.
We also talk about somethingthat's been on Megan's mind
lately, a little bit ofnegativity that happened around
her wonderful partnership withTootsie Roll in the commercial
that she made for them.
True to form.
(01:17):
Megan handled it withtransparency and grace, and we
unpack what that experiencetaught her about boundaries,
communication.
Staying grounded in your valuesand what she thinks it means to
be a good member of the foodallergy community.
Just a quick heads up, Megan andI had a little bit of technical
difficulty as we were recording.
The first five minutes or so ofthis episode are a little
glitchy.
I did my best to edit it, butshe is a busy woman and we
(01:39):
didn't have time to record inorder to get this out to you
when we wanted to.
So please bear with me throughthat.
And I promise you, after thefirst five minutes or so, the
sound quality will improvegreatly and hopefully it won't
distract too much from mywonderful guest.
Who was so generous to join mehere.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (01:55):
Megan, thank you so much for joining me
here on Don't Feed the Fear toTalk about the upcoming holidays
and to help us, get ready forall the things that lie ahead at
our favorite time of the year asallergy families.
Megan Lavin (02:06):
Oh, it's my pleasure.
Thank you so much for having me.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (02:08):
Of course, I've been following you
for so long and you really arejust so relatable and so
accessible and I think that'swhy so many people also, enjoy
your content.
In case there are thoselistening who don't know you,
you give us a little bit ofbackground on how you created
your platform and got into thisspace.
Megan Lavin (02:24):
Yeah, My background is broadcast journalism.
Communicating with people, um,being involved, being in the
know, sharing tidbits.
And then my oldest son He hadfood allergies He had
additional, you know, medicalissues, EOE, asthma, and so I
stopped working and I wanted toshare.
All the things I was learning,all the recipes that were
(02:45):
working.
And so with my background andwith the marketing and the
broadcast, I was like, I shouldblog, I was like, I wanna carve
out the space that I can, youknow, keep up my skills and
connect with other moms.
'cause you feel so lonely and soit's been such a fun journey and
it's given me silver linings andjust to do things I didn't think
I'd be able to do and work withcompanies It's really, you know,
(03:07):
helped it feel more likelemonade than just pure lemon.
So kind of put all thattogether.
My main focus is you know,recipes but on social media.
Media, which I think is thereally fun part.
I talk about.
the background and, and thelifestyle and how it affects us.
And just, you know, what livingwith food allergies is all
about.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (03:24):
It's so helpful, I relate because we're
kind of in the same phase.
Our, kids are around the sameage range, they're managing
their allergies and I like tohear from people like you,
especially who've been having anaudience and sharing for so long
your perspective it's differentonce you have this much
experience Under your belt.
Megan Lavin (03:41):
Oh, 1000%.
I remember when I was firstdiagnosed kind of clinging to
allergy moms, I found friendsand solace in moms that had
teenagers.
And I was like, tell me all thethings.
It seemed so insurmountable.
Once you get higher in the climbyou turn around and you help.
the people below.
And so they were able to do thatfor me.
And I always just think like,.
Like if I can turn around andhelp someone who's, you know,
(04:03):
maybe a little bit farther back,all the better.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (04:05):
Like you said, it's good for the people
that we're sharing it with, butit's also helpful for us in
terms of being able to pay thatforward.
And I, I think it helps you takestock of how far you've come,
Megan Lavin (04:14):
Oh, 1000%.
I, I always think like, man, ifI could just, if I could have
given, you know, 10, 15 yearsago a glimpse how we'd be
traveling and how will adjustedhe, being that he's a happy,
healthy kid, like I would'vejust died.
To know that So it's just niceto Remember that mindset, you
know, to remember like how scarybecause you do, you adjust, you
do acclimate.
(04:34):
It's important to remember likehow scary it is at first.
Amanda Whitehouse, (04:37):
Definitely, and as you've said, there's
twists and turns that we can'tanticipate, including seeing
ourselves feeling settled inthis life.
You have just shared that youstarted this new role in your
career that you never saw aroundthe corner.
So before we get too much intofood and holidays and recipes, I
would love it if you would sharewith us your newest, endeavor.
Megan Lavin (04:55):
Oh, thank you.
So my degree was in broadcastand, then I kind of stepped away
from it and I really thought,well, my time is up, I And it
just goes to show like how lifecan be, because you know, with
broadcast journalism, it's verymuch like what your work has
been and what station you'refrom.
every year there's new and upand coming journalists So I
really thought, I'm out of thegame, I'll never get to do it
(05:16):
again, but, oh well, you know,that's the sacrifice I made.
And, and in my local, um,network they were looking for a
morning anchor and I was like,oh, there's no way.
And it's really unheard of likeusually anchors work, you know,
crazy odd shift for years beforeyou get a chance.
And so It was, just a pinch memoment.
My youngest is in school fulltime and I thought, well, maybe
(05:37):
I'll look for somethingpart-time.
And then I was like, well, let'sjust go for it, you know?
And I got it and I'm loving it.
And what's interesting is a lotof the work that I've done, the
monthly videos that I do forallergic living, speaking
engagements and things.
Like that.
And just understanding socialmedia and web presence actually
helped me.
(05:58):
They looked at those as positivethings, and so it just goes to
show like the skills you'relearning are not wasted, and
they can be used in a variety ofways, whether that's stepping
back into an old career whenyour kids are getting older like
there's no wasted experiences
Amanda Whitehouse, (06:12):
Absolutely, and you may not have taken the
traditional route, but youdefinitely were doing your own
broadcast, right?
For all of those years, you werecreating so much of your own
content so I could see why theywanted your unique skills that
you're bringing into theirbroadcast.
Megan Lavin (06:24):
thank you.
It's true.
I mean, it still still helped mecreate stories, look at things
from certain angles,communicate.
So it's been just really abeautiful dream.
It's nice to see it come fullcircle.
I would've never guessed when Istepped away all those years ago
that I'd be doing, and, and myfirst piece just ran, for food
allergies and holidays it'scalled a package in the
industry, And I had asked if Icould have my son be a guest.
(06:46):
I'm like downloading it andsaving it to my personal drive.
'cause I'm like, this is amoment, like, this is so neat
that, you know, I'm able tobring up this topic Have my son
who's now getting.
Grown and being an advocate forhimself.
It was just a really beautifulmoment.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (06:59):
What did he think of that and what do all
the kids think of Mom?
You know, being on TV and, andthis change in the family,
Megan Lavin (07:05):
it's a, it's an adjustment.
Um, I'm not gonna lie, twoyoungers are the girls.
I have two Boys and the twogirls, and they, they cried when
I told'em'cause you know, um,I'm out of the home and it's
crazy hours.
I work 4:00 AM to 1:00 PM pm Um,and so they were like, what is,
what is this gonna be?
I think just the uncertainty.
And I've tried to like bringthem to the station and
(07:27):
introduce them and let themwatch the live newscast.
My oldest like literally justbrought a book and read the
whole time.
He was like, I'm not impressed,mom.
So any career you have, yourkids are always gonna be like,
yeah, yeah, you're still mom.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (07:39):
Well, someday it'll sink in.
Even if they can't, recognizethe coolness of it right now.
Megan Lavin (07:43):
One can hope
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (07:44):
Is there a possibility that you'll be
able to bring more allergycontent to the show in the
future?
Megan Lavin (07:49):
Yeah, I talked about that.
when We initially did mycontract, I said, you know,
allergy awesomeness is not goingaway.
This is part of who I am.
And they were like, oh no, we'dlike for you to.
bring up allergy pieces everyonce in a while.
We know that's something that'sI important for you to cover,
there are advances being made infood allergy.
There's holidays.
It's timely.
And they're very open to it.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:08):
That's great because yeah, it is a
large part of their audience,especially if you don't consider
just the people affected by it,but their families, their
friends, their teachers.
It's relevant to most of thepopulation.
Megan Lavin (08:18):
It really is.
Yeah.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:19):
Where can people watch you and how can
they find you on tv?
Megan Lavin (08:22):
Yeah, so I work in Idaho Falls, it's called News
eight.
Is KIFI and you can find methere.
And then all of my regularchannels, just under allergy
awesomeness.
On Instagram.
Instagram and Facebook.
All the places, I'm sure I'll becross posting.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (08:40):
Perfect.
So let's talk about theholidays, you obviously have
been living this life for a longtime, and the holidays can be a
lot for us.
What do you think are thebiggest things to consider
Megan Lavin (08:51):
It's such a big topic, I think what it comes.
Comes down to is, at least forwhat's worked for for me, is
planning ahead and really takestock of what are traditions
that I wanna hold onto or for methat I wanna let go?
Are there ways I can make themallergy friendly or do I need to
create new ones?
Right.
And then owning it maybe youjust need to broaden holiday
themed with my family.
(09:11):
It doesn't necessarilynecessarily have to be the exact
same thing every year.
So I, I'm like, as long as we'redoing something fun and crafty
that's what I care about.
And it can change and it canflex from year to year.
I think we get so rigid in theway we look at the holidays, you
know, I'm like, so like the weekmy kids are off.
I'm like, I want something everysingle day I've realized from my
personality, as long as I havesomething to look forward to it
doesn't matter the, the item orthe agenda that we're doing.
(09:35):
Some of the things arenon-negotiables and I'm like,
you know, this is a tradition Iwanna carry forward from my
childhood that I know I want mykids to experience.
And one of those is, you know,sugar cookies for Santa on
Christmas Eve.
And I was like asking all theallergy moms I knew, like, do
you have an allergy friendlycookie?
And that's why that was one ofthe first recipes on my site
because I knew like, this is akey moment I wanna have with my
(09:57):
kids and darn it, I'm gonnafigure it out.
And so, you know, I have to planahead and I had to.
Make that happen, it just comesdown to like knowing your
personality, what really mattersto you.
And, and don't stress yourselfout.
Don't be trying to figure outsugar cookies the week of
Christmas.
You know, start planning nowwhere it's like, okay, what is
gonna really matter to me?
What's gonna, you know, sting ifI don't have this anymore?
(10:18):
Or is gonna feel, you know,really sad to me because some,
you know, you can, you can giveaway, like my parents used to
take us out to dinner and to amovie every Christmas Eve.
You know, that's just notsomething super feasible for us.
And so I was like, all right,well you know, that's fine.
We can watch a movie at home orwe can do this or that.
And so don't feel beholden orimprisoned to these things Your
(10:41):
kids will never know, what theywill know is what you go with
forward.
And I think realizing it's kindof this fresh slate and it, and
looking at it, changing yourperspective to, oh, this is so
sad to be like, this isexciting.
I get to literally.
Set this up for my kids, what dowe want it to look like?
And sometimes I'll even ask mykids, around Thanksgiving, we'll
do a list of like December musthaves, you know, and, and so
(11:03):
they feel a part of it.
They're like, oh, we wanna watchhome alone, or, oh, we want to,
you know, do hot chocolate, or,you know, and, and then I try
and see where we can fit thoseactivities in.
So, you know, I think a lot oftimes we come at things with
food allergies of like, oh, it'slacking, it's lacking.
Try and look at it from thisabundance of like, look at all
these things I can do and, and,and we're gonna do, we tend to
(11:25):
think of the holidays as such afood centered thing, but like
making Christmas tree ornamentsand sled and making a snowman
and like, there's so manybeautiful memories that can be
made even without food andthat's.
Coming from a major foodie, Ilove my food, but there's still
so much you can do.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (11:40):
This is what I love about you.
You're so practical and you takesomething that's so emotional
for us and such a big topic, andyou just make it sound so
logical.
Like, plan ahead, ask thesequestions.
What can we keep?
What do I have to have?
What can we let go?
And then make a plan ahead oftime?
And it's, it makes it sound sodoable when many of us do feel
overwhelmed by it.
Megan Lavin (11:57):
And that's totally understandable.
It is an emotional thing.
Holidays and memories,nostalgia.
Like it's so easy to get wrappedup in.
And I've had my moments too.
I'm glad I come across that waybecause you know, my friends
have had to just talk me off ofa ledge.
My husband's had to tell me.
It's not that big of a deal.
So please don't think I don'thave those moments.
But I think, you know, as longas you, you dust yourself up and
you try not stay in that mindframe, it's okay to have those
(12:19):
down moments, but pick yourselfback up.
'cause there's still so muchGood,
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (12:22):
great point.
We all can experience that.
But Giving yourself somethingactionable to move past it,
obviously it feels good not toget stuck there.
Yes, exactly.
Oh, this is wonderful.
It's so helpful to hear you talkabout it in that way.
Then for the things that do feelnon-negotiable or the things
that you really lean on asstaples.
The sugar cookies were the firstone, so we're gonna link to that
recipe on your website.
(12:43):
Um, what other recipes reallyhave people just.
Been excited about because theydo feel like the things they
don't wanna leave out of theirholiday celebrations.
Megan Lavin (12:52):
Yeah.
So fudge is a big thing wealways do fudge.
Um, I think I got that from mygrandpa.
He always loved fudge.
So.
Um, we always make that andsnack on it.
Um, we love to do treats forneighbors.
For a long time, we switched itup.
We couldn't quite decide.
We wanted to like be known forone thing and we tried various
cookies, but I think we'vesettled on, we've done it like
(13:12):
four years now.
Making homemade caramels.
They're dairy free.
We make an assembly line and welook forward to it.
And then we.
We put'em in cute little bagsand we, Carol, as we hand them
to our neighbors.
And so that's a really bigmemory maker.
That's one of the first thingsthat goes on the calendar.
Like what weekend is gonna bethe caramel weekend?
You know?
Um, then it's like, it's gottabe the Christmas ham and it's
(13:35):
gotta be the scalp potatoes andthe honey carrots and you know,
so there's, there's definitelythose food staples that it's,
okay, it wouldn't feel likeChristmas without it.
How can we hit it?
How can we make this work?
But for a long time.
My son didn't grow out of hisegg allergy until, I don't know,
he was like 10 ish.
And I always wanted that eggbake.
(13:55):
I grew up eating the classicChristmas egg bake, and I just
missed it and missed it until Ifinally figured out how to make
it without it.
So, we did many years of like,okay, well maybe we'll do scones
or maybe we'll do.
Hash browns and, and so, youknow, there are some, some years
where you can't quite make ithappen.
There's just no way around it.
But thankfully there's so manyother good foods and so many
(14:16):
other fun ways to make thingshappen that.
Allergy moms are great at this.
You just, you find a way aroundit.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (14:21):
Right.
You find an alternative.
Megan Lavin (14:23):
Yep.
And you're just like, all right,well here we go.
And that's what's so great aboutallergy moms is we just, we make
crap happen.
You just, you we do pick it upand you, you keep on going.
You keep on ly.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (14:34):
So I have to pause.
Maybe it's just differentterminology because of where
we're at geographically, but Idon't know what an egg bake is.
Is that a casserole?
Is that like a breakfastcasserole with egg and bread?
Megan Lavin (14:44):
Yeah, it can be with bread.
We don't do it with bread, butyeah, it's in a 13 by nine dish
and it's kinda like a catchall.
You got your sausage, you gotyour tater tots, you got, and
it's thick and it's veryfilling.
Uh, it's really savory'causeyou're eating crap all day long,
so you need like that hearty,stable breakfast.
So that's funny.
I didn't realize it was a.
Maybe it's more of a westernIdaho.
(15:06):
I don't know thing.
But yeah, it, it needless to sayit's good.
Whatever you call it, it's good.
Sounds amazing.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (15:10):
Yes.
I'm, my menu is just expandingin my head here as we're
talking, which is making methink, I, I love to cook, I
think as allergy moms.
Yes.
You said.
We do.
We've just figured it out and wemove forward.
But I thankfully grew up in afamily where my parents cooked.
They actually had a restaurant.
I was taught how to Oh wow.
So cooking itself didn't feel.
Scary to me.
(15:31):
But for a lot of people,realizing that they have to
start learning to cook is reallyintimidating.
So what do you tell people likethat who don't have that
experience and they're not justmaking swaps, they're actually
learning to cook from scratch?
Megan Lavin (15:45):
Well, first of all, I'm so jealous.
That sounds like such a greatbackground.
Holy cow.
You're probably just poised totake off.
I feel like I'm, I'm a middleground and so.
You know, my mom was always agood cook growing up, but I just
could care less.
I remember her being like, comehere, let me show you.
And I was like, don't care, youknow?
And so I looked back and justshake my head.
'cause I'm like, I mean, I wasthe girl in college that was
(16:08):
like trying to microwave rawchicken.
I literally did not know.
You can't, you should not dothat.
That's not sanitary.
And I, I just, to me it was justa bother, you know?
So I get people that are like, Idon't have the time out.
I was like, why?
But then.
Once I got married, a shiftstarted to happen where I was
like, oh, like I can express mylove through food.
I can take care of him.
(16:28):
I can show him like, like, andseeing him be like, Ooh, this is
so good.
I think once I realized I had anaudience, it really started to
make me like wanna watch FoodNetwork and like dive into
recipe books.
And so I'm grateful I wasstarting to enjoy it before my
son came along.
So I didn't, I didn't go fromhating it, but my skills were
still very poor.
(16:48):
I was like, I don't even own awhisk, or, you know, it was so
basic.
So I, I share that in hopes thatlike, people will realize, if
you don't love cooking and youdidn't grow up, you know,
blessed with a background, likeyou can learn recipe by recipe.
And that's another reason why Iwas like, if I find a recipe
that works, like I've got toshare this because.
(17:10):
A, if I can do it and B, like Iknow how it is when you're like,
I already don't like doing this,and now this is a terrible
tasting thing and it's a wasteof ingredients and I've got all
these dishes to do and I've gotnothing to show for it.
Like that's the worst.
So I wanna save people fromthat.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (17:24):
Are there any particular quick swaps
or easy to start with things,um, so that people don't have
those big disasters?
As they're starting out?
What tips do you have that makeit easier?
Megan Lavin (17:36):
So, uh, a couple of things.
I always say start off simple,right?
So for us, we did So much likechicken and rice and grilled
vegetables, you know, I waslike, I'm not gonna try sauces.
I'm not gonna try casseroles.
And because yeah, you're tryingto swap in creamy, all these
textures and stuff you're usedto, it's, it's gonna be rough at
(17:56):
first.
Just master the basics and getsome solid recipes under your
belt because eating simply andcleanly often does just
naturally avoid, um.
Allergens.
And then the second is, and I, Iget comments like this all the
time under my recipes.
Can I just swap in almond flouror can I just use my regular
recipe and just swap in this?
And I'm don't.
(18:16):
Mm-hmm.
Don't do it.
And, and you can once you get toa point,'cause that, that's what
I do.
But until you're used to theseingredients.
And it's also new, go to arecipe site, whether it's mine
or whether it's another allergyblogger, another gluten-free
blogger, someone who that theyrecipe test it and they've gone
through iterations and they'vemade sure, the texture turns out
and the taste turns out becauseso many people think, well, I
(18:38):
can just swap in the singleflour.
And it's like, no, it takes likea blend to mimic wheat.
Or I can just swap in this.
And it's like, no, that's gonnabe too oilier.
You know?
So go with the tried and true.
Unless, unless it's fun for youto, to, to try things out.
Some people do love testing andexperimenting, but if it's like
you're in a crunch.
You gotta make some cupcakes fora birthday party.
(18:58):
I would not suggest that's thetime that you're like, I'm just
gonna wing it and start swappingthings in.
'cause it can really get hairyreal fast.
Amanda Whitehouse, (19:06):
Absolutely.
That was, I was gonna say, if Ihave one tip, that's what it is,
is to find someone who's alreadydone that legwork for you.
I always say don't reinvent thewheel.
While life has stopped and youdon't know how to move forward.
So let people who, like yousaid, have experienced it, get
rolling.
And then once you're rollingagain, then you can invent your
own wheel and expand upon it.
If it's fun and you have thebandwidth again.
(19:26):
But, so many people out therelike you have really put so much
time and effort into figuringthis out for us that it's a
great starting point.
Megan Lavin (19:34):
Yeah, you put that perfectly.
I love the way you put that.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:37):
Well, thank you you're one of those
people that helped me figureout, okay, someone already put a
lot of time into this.
I'm just gonna utilize that.
Megan Lavin (19:44):
Oh, thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (19:45):
Thank you.
We're preparing for thisconversation for.
Before Thanksgiving so peoplecan be thinking about their
holiday meals and preparations.
But I wanted to ask you aboutthe recent, Halloween ad you did
that was so adorable.
Um, and you partnered with thecandy brand and I just saw that
you had some interestingdiscussion following up about
it.
So I would love to get yourperspective while I have you
(20:06):
here.
To pick apart what's going onwith our community and how
things come across sometimes.
Megan Lavin (20:11):
Yeah, yeah.
No, I'm an open book and, andlove to talk about all things.
So.
The, the campaign you'rediscussing is, was my one with
Tootsie Roll.
And I was so thrilled.
I mean, I was pinching myselfthey dmd me and I was like, is
is this a fake account?
Like, who are we, are we forreals right now?
You know, because usually bigbrands don't often wanna work
(20:33):
with allergy influencers.
They wanna appeal to the massesthey were like, we want.
You know, get in with theallergy community and let them
know like, Hey, we've got thesesafe products for you guys, and
can you help us get the wordout?
And I was like, 1000%.
Yes.
You know, like, let's do it.
And so I had, and I had so muchfun, like I had my best friend
be in it.
I had, you know, my daughter bein it.
(20:53):
I was so thrilled to post it.
And you know, that's just partof being on the internet.
I take responsibility that whenyou open yourself up, like
mm-hmm And you've gotta commentbox, people are gonna comment.
And you know, I have been sofortunate because for the most
part I have had nothing butlove.
Our community is typically verykind.
You know, very supportive., Andthat's the problem is it did go
(21:16):
somewhat viral.
And when you start to getoutside your, your typical,
algorithm, you, you can let insome trolls and some other
people.
But I was very surprised becausethere was a decent amount of
comments, enough so that I feltthe need to say something, which
is saying something.
'cause I, I don't likecontroversy.
I tend to, I tend to not try andget in the mix of things, but I
(21:38):
just.
I kept seeing all these commentsabout like, well, it doesn't
work for me.
And oh, Tootsie roll is anallergy friendly'cause it has
dairy.
Mm-hmm.
And, you know, da da, da, da,da.
And just some really upsetpeople.
And I was so taken aback by itbecause, well, you know, it was
a double-edged sword because onone hand I can appreciate, I
mean, I've gotten excited whenI've seen a brand or a company
(21:59):
or a new product.
And then you flip it over andyou're like, oh, that doesn't
work for me.
You know?
And, and that like, seeing that,like I get that disappointment
'cause that's happened to me somany times.
I mean, my son used to only have10 safe foods.
Like, believe me when I say Iget feeling left out, I get
things not working for you, evenwhen it's quote unquote allergy
friendly and it's still doesn'twork for you.
(22:20):
I get that disappointment, butI, but I was also disappointed
because I thought.
Why are we, why are we being sonegative and poo-pooing this
company?
We always say we want big brandsto, to notice us.
We want big brands to includeus.
And then they're literallytrying to reach out and you're
like being negative and theother thing that kind of made me
laugh, and you know, I'm guiltyof it too, but I was like, if
(22:42):
you read the caption, TootsieRoll is an umbrella and they
have many brands and so.
I mean, I, my own son, one of mysons has a dairy allergy, so I
get it.
And he doesn't eat t Tootsierolls, but he does eat the dots
and he does eat the charms andhe does eat the double bubble,
like they own all these otherbrands.
So if I get a mix, it's like,well, you have this part and you
have this part.
(23:04):
And so I was like, well, it'snot like they are excluding
everyone.
If you still don't feel safegetting Tootsie Roll, that's
totally your call.
And I'm not saying everyoneshould.
But I just was so surprised thatas a community we can come
together and be happy that itworks for some of us.
I mean, even just all theceliacs, all the wheat and all
the peanut people, that'smillions of people.
Mm-hmm.
(23:25):
And I was like, let's just behappy that it works for them and
they have a safe, fairly cheapoption.
There's a lot more expensivecandy out there.
Mm-hmm.
And, and for so many people toTake it so personal and those
knee jerk reactions and commentsand being upset about it.
I just, I was like, okay, Igotta say something like, guys,
let's, let's think about this.
We're just shooting ourselves inthe foot.
If every time a company tries towork with our community and
(23:48):
we're like, well, you're not topnine free.
That's not realistic.
Not every candy can or should betop night free.
Allergies are a spectrum.
Some people have one, somepeople have 50, and we can't
expect it to work for us everysingle time.
And if it doesn't work for us,we don't need to be down on
other people that it does workfor us.
Cheer for each other and supporteach other's wins and be happy
(24:08):
for each other.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (24:09):
I couldn't agree more.
When I watch it from theoutside, I can see it so
clearly.
People are reactive becausetheir emotions are heightened
because they're in protectivemode for their kids or for
themselves.
But there's so many factors thatmake it so complicated.
And one of the biggest ones, asyou said, allergy free means
nothing because people can beallergic to everything, not just
the top nine.
(24:29):
So any move in that direction.
Or any company that can serve alarge part of our community is a
huge win for all of us becausewe can show, we can give them
our business and we want morecompanies to do this.
Megan Lavin (24:41):
Exactly.
Exactly.
So like you said, I can seewhere they're coming from, but I
also would hope that peoplewould take a minute to pause
before they hit that commentbutton.
And that goes for all spectrums,you know?
Mm-hmm.
Take a beat.
I know you're feeling verytriggered right now, but is it
serving our community?
Is it helping our community by.
Getting upset at these companiesthat are trying.
I just don't think it serves us.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (25:03):
No, no, but you handle it so well, and
I, take a page from your book onthat too, because I'm just
learning the social media sideof it and it's funny the timing
of this because just today I hada post that I put so much time
into and, you know, people had areaction to it that I was not
anticipating at all.
And it's really not what I said.
And you know, if you read thecaption, but, but it just
happens.
(25:23):
Social media is a totallydifferent form of communication
than.
Regular communication, I think.
Megan Lavin (25:30):
Yeah, it is.
It is.
And it hurts.
You know, I think people forget,there's a real human being on
the other side of the phone and,maybe I made a mistake or maybe
I didn't phrase it perfectly,but it, it hurts.
There have been times where it'slike, okay, I gotta, I gotta set
the phone down.
And it's hard to not let it likespoil your day or get you down.
'cause it stinks.
Like, I think especially in theallergy community, we're all
(25:51):
trying to put out content that.
Helps the community.
Mm-hmm.
And we're, you know, you're notmalicious.
I'm not malicious.
I only ever want to, help myfamily and help the community.
So when it gets taken the wrongway, it, it stinks.
You're like, oh, I, I was tryingto be helpful.
Not that, and I didn't mean toupset you.
When then, when you've got allthat energy coming at you and
people are upset, it's, it's alot.
And most of us are doing this.
(26:12):
Either hardly making anything orout of the goodness of our
hearts.
Mm-hmm.
And so to have that be thrownback in your face, it's, it's
hard.
Social media can be the bestplace where we get to find other
allergy parents and learn fromeach other and, and, you know,
offer that validation andempathy.
And other times it's like, oh,ouch.
Okay.
Right.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (26:32):
We're on the same team.
Megan Lavin (26:33):
Right.
So there was this one Facebookcommenter, and I was like, oh,
what a class Act like she did itso well.
'cause again, knowing TootsieRoll is probably tracking this,
I don't know how many commentsthey read.
Mm-hmm.
But they're invested and theywanna see how people's
responses, and, her comment wassomething along the lines of
like, oh, I love that.
This is such a win for so manypeople.
That's so great.
(26:54):
I hope maybe someday TootsieRoll would look at.
Making a dairy free T roll.
Right?
And I was like, that's the wayto ask.
Like, yes.
You catch more flies with honey.
Let's show that we're, we're ina positive, encouraging
community that will embrace youwhen you come towards us.
And I was like, there you go.
That's the way to do it.
If I could have double heartedit, I would've like, there you
(27:15):
go.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (27:16):
Yeah.
Thank you for being willing totalk about it.
I think it's a good reminder foreverybody and I appreciate you
sharing that and I'm excited foryou.
It was a great and adorable andso, such a heartwarming
commercial.
It just made me feel good.
So thank you for it.
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
So it's all parents, butespecially us moms are most of
the ones out here chatting aboutit on social media and, doing a
lot of the planning and feelingthe weight of this.
(27:38):
What do you wanna say to all ofour fellow allergy moms out
there taking a deep breath andgetting ready to tackle the
holiday season?
Megan Lavin (27:46):
Well, I love that you started with take a deep
breath because it really, theholidays, whether you have food
allergies or not, it's astressful time.
You are buying gifts and you'remaking more food than usual and
you've got the extra schoolactivities and the performances
and the parties and the familyget togethers.
And I think it's just liketrying to find that balance.
You gotta make safe gingerbreadman for something, maybe you.
(28:11):
You don't do the dishes at nightand you go to bed with a messy
kitchen because you can't do itall.
Or you know, you're eating offof paper plates because it's
like, I, I don't have time to bedoing dishes.
Find those little ways to likecut corners and save your time
and energy.
Don't just add it to a heapinglist of stuff.
Can you ask for help?
I know we wanna do it all.
Can you say to your spouse orpartner or friend, like, Hey,
(28:33):
you know, can you come over andhelp me, you know, make all
these cookies like I'm drowning,Don't take on this Herculean
task and just realize if itdoesn't happen this year, it's
okay.
You can try again next year.
There will be another Christmas.
I know we want everything to bethe end all, be all Pinterest
perfection, but at the end ofthe day, you're human and you're
trying, and your kids are gonnalove you for your effort.
(28:55):
And what they remember are thefeelings and the love that they
feel.
Not necessarily all the things.
So give yourself some grace.
That's
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:02):
so perfectly said.
We all need that reminder.
Thank you.
Megan Lavin (29:06):
Yeah, of course I need it too.
Yes.
So I'm preaching to the choir.
You have to keep telling each
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (29:09):
other and ourselves.
Absolutely.
So before I let you go, I willput everything in the show notes
so it's easy for people to find,but tell the listeners where
they can find all of the greatstuff that you're putting out
there for them.
Megan Lavin (29:19):
Oh, thank you.
My favorite way is Instagram.
I feel like that's the one Icheck the most I post to the
most.
So it's allergy awesomeness.
Uh, you can go to my website.
All my recipes are free onthere.
I have several hundred.
That's allergy awesomeness.com.
You can also, I post my shortson YouTube and TikTok and
Facebook.
Um, so you can, you can find meall over the place, but those
(29:43):
are, Instagram is probably myfavorite.
Um, and then you can find mycookbook online on Amazon or
various bookstores across thecountry.
My eBooks are also on my site,so.
Lots of ways, join in, getinvolved.
It's lots of fun.
Amanda Whitehouse, (29:56):
Absolutely.
And cookbooks are such a greatholiday gift for other food
allergy moms, obviously, to helpthem feel seen and have a good
resource.
So everybody keep that in mind,someone's already done the
legwork for you, so I'll takeadvantage of that.
Megan Lavin (30:08):
Yeah, definitely.
I love a good cookbook.
I look through them like anovel, like I love to turn every
page and look at'em like they'rethe best.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:14):
Yep.
Especially when once they getall earmarked and dirty and well
loved.
Megan Lavin (30:18):
Yeah, that's when you know it's a good one.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:19):
Mm-hmm.
I appreciate you taking the timeto chat It's great to hear your
perspective and again, Iappreciate all of the wonderful
support that you're putting outthere for the food allergy
community.
Thank you.
Megan Lavin (30:29):
Thank you.
And thank you for having apodcast and a platform that
discusses these issues and youhave such an important
perspective with the mentalhealth piece that's such a
needed component.
So you're out there doing thething too.
So I appreciate you.
Well, thanks.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:41):
It takes a team.
Megan Lavin (30:42):
Yeah, lift Where you stand is one of my favorite
phrases, so
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:44):
I love that.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you so much for beinghere, Megan.
Megan Lavin (30:47):
My pleasure.
Thank you.
Amanda Whitehouse, PhD (30:50):
I hope you loved that conversation with
Megan as much as I did, andthank you for sticking through
the sound issues to get to allthe goodness that she shared
with us in this chat.
I hope that it left you feelingthe way that I do, which is
connected, calm, and gratefulfor what we have, and looking
forward to celebrating ratherthan being overwhelmed by it.
Here are three action steps thatyou can do after listening
(31:11):
today.
Number one, follow Megan atAllergy Awesomeness, At Allergy
awesomeness on Instagram andcheck out her recipes for
allergy friendly Thanksgivinginspiration.
Number two, share.
Share this episode with anotherallergy parent who might be
feeling that holiday pressurecoming up.
Let them know they're not alone.
Or maybe share one of Megan's.
(31:31):
Awesome resources.
Her cookbook on Amazon, herebook, that would be a wonderful
way to connect with an allergyparent who needs some support as
the holidays are arriving.
Number three, take just fiveminutes today to think about the
holidays that are coming up,what expectations you have, and
anything that you might be ableto let go of this season to make
more space for joy and presencein all of your celebrations that
(31:54):
are coming up.
If you haven't already, pleasesubscribe to the show.
Leave me a rating or a reviewwherever you listen to help the
show grow And so you don't missthe great episodes that I have
coming up.
Relevant to the holidays, moregreat guests, more real
conversations, and hopefullymore peace for your nervous
system throughout this busyseason.
So thank you for being here,Megan, and thanks everyone for
(32:16):
listening.
I'll talk to you again nextweek.
Speaker (32:19):
Welcome to the Don't Feed the Fear podcast, where we
dive into the complex world offood allergy anxiety.
I'm your host, Dr.
Amanda Whitehouse, food allergyanxiety psychologist and food
allergy mom.
Whether you're dealing withallergies yourself or supporting
someone who is, join us for anempathetic and informative
journey toward food allergy calmand confidence..
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