82: Navigating the Holidays While Gluten & Dairy Free with Laura Falzon

It can be difficult to navigate the holiday season while adhering to a gluten and dairy-free diet. In this episode of the Soaring Child podcast, guest Laura Falzon shares tips and tricks to overcome this challenge.   Laura is the creator of the popular YouTube channel Five Hungry Travelers. She's an expert at making dietary restrictions work while on the go, and she is here to share her insights and tips on how to make the holiday season enjoyable, nourishing, and stress-free for everyone.  Laura worked for years in the travel industry before starting her own business as a birth doula. When Laura’s oldest child needed to adapt his diet to manage his ADHD symptoms, their whole family learned to trust their bodies and heal themselves through a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, but the love of travel didn't stop, so they developed an approach to take their diet on the road and continue their family adventures around the world. Now she shares her expertise on her YouTube channel, Five Hungry Travelers, to help families confidently travel with kids with dietary restrictions.  This episode is packed with actionable advice that will empower you to turn these holiday challenges into opportunities for growth and connection.    Key Takeaways: [3:19] Laura’s personal story going gluten and dairy free [7:25] How to talk with family members who don’t understand dietary restrictions [10:04] How to make holidays fun without the “normal” treats [14:25] Tips for parents who are navigating dietary restrictions for the first time while traveling for the holidays [16:58] Laura’s top tip for traveling with dietary restrictions [19:01] Encouragement for families feeling overwhelmed [20:52] Where to find Laura online   Memorable Moments: “You owe nobody anything. If you don’t want to explain it, you don’t have to. I recommend taking it in small chunks in ways that feel safe to you with people who feel safe to you.” “I don’t need to give the full run down to the full extended family. I highly recommend picking out your one or two point people who can help you out and start there.” “I specialize in helping people travel with kids with dietary restrictions, but I don’t think you should do that until you’ve got that base layer laid.” “Try to shift your mentality to one that is not making food an event and go back to finding activities that are the event.” ”Everywhere we go, food is held up as an activity, and it shouldn’t be. Go have fun and move your bodies, and then go eat something.” “We don’t need to knock ourselves out with every last thing being food-centric.” ”Try to stick with things you already know in the new place…Do a little research on the new place.” “Make sure you show up not starving.” ”Our pressure on ourselves during the holidays to make it perfect and to make it perfect for our kids is so much, so as a parent, I encourage you to…remember that it’s also about the memories you’re making with your child, and know that…everyone’s going to make good memories because of the choices you’ve made.”   How to Connect with Laura Falzon:   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRNSkS8sIng1oR4wDdmJOgA  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/5hungrytravelers/  Dana Kay Resources: Website: https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADHDThriveInstitute/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adhdthriveinstitute/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ADHDThriveInstitute  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adhd-thrive-institute/mycompany/  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ph/adhdthriveinstitute/  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@adhd_thriveinstitute  International Best Selling Book, Thriving with ADHD – https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/book/  Free Reduce ADHD Symptoms Naturally Masterclass - https://bit.ly/3GAbFQl  ADHD Parenting Course – https://info.adhdthriveinstitute.com/parentingadhd ADHD Thrive Method 4 Kids Program – https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/packages/