The holiday season is traditionally a time for gathering with friends and family and celebrating. That usually means there will be a variety of different food and drink options available. This can be a problem for someone with a food intolerance. It can seem a little scary to navigate all of the holiday foods without eating something that could cause you trouble. It can also be difficult to host a party yourself while keeping everyone’s food intolerances and food allergies in mind.

One of the keys to celebrating the holiday season with a food intolerance is to keep everyone informed. If you are going to attend a party and you think that you may be served food that could cause an issue, be sure to let the hosts know what food intolerances you have in advance. This is more important for dinner parties and somewhat less important for casual cocktail parties. However, it never hurts to offer up the information just in case.

If you’re throwing a party, you may want to check with your guests to see if they have any food intolerances. Before you plan your menu and start purchasing food for the party, ask those in attendance if they have any food allergies or food intolerances. If you get this information early on, it will make planning the party much easier and much less stressful for everyone involved. Consider serving a buffet or having a cocktail party with a number of different foods rather than having a plated dinner. This will allow your guests more freedom to choose what they eat.

If you have a food intolerance, you may want to bring a dish of your own that you can eat just in case. For example, you could bring rice crackers with you if you are unable to eat wheat crackers. Doing so will prevent you from feeling left out during the party and you can still eat the other foods that are available.

When in doubt ask the host for a list of ingredients if at all possible. Remember, you know the foods and food additives that you are unable to eat very well. Your host could easily forget that certain foods contain certain ingredients, so it doesn’t hurt to ask.