Food allergies don't just affect what your child or teen eats—they can shape your family's entire experience of school, friendships, and independence. In this episode, therapist and author of May Contain Anxiety Tamara Hubbard joins Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen to talk about food allergy anxiety in kids and teens, and how parents can build trust instead of fear.
Together, they explore how parents can balance vigilance with confidence, help children gradually build independence, and avoid letting anxiety shrink their family's world. Tamara shares practical, evidence-based strategies for navigating food allergy anxiety while maintaining a strong parent-child relationship and preparing tweens and teens to safely manage their allergies as they grow.
Whether your child was recently diagnosed or is preparing for college, this episode offers compassionate guidance to help your family move from fear toward confidence.
In This Episode You'll Learn:
- Why food allergy anxiety is common—and when it becomes problematic
- How to balance safety with quality of life
- The difference between food allergy anxiety and food allergy social anxiety
- How to help tweens and teens gradually build independence
- The 6 "allergy parenting traps" that quietly increase anxiety over time
- Why trust is essential when preparing teens to manage allergies
- How to respond when your teen isn't taking allergies seriously
- The power of curiosity instead of lectures
- How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles can help parents
- Ways family and friends can better support children with food allergies
- Practical strategies for reducing anxiety while keeping kids safe
Here are some highlights from the episode:
00:00 How to Raise Independent Kids With Food Allergies
00:30 Food Allergies: Today's Topic
01:10 Meet Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC, Therapist & Author of "May Contain Anxiety"
02:18 Coping With Food Allergy Anxiety
06:01 Building Confidence Through Skill Development
08:40 Why Professional Guidance Matters
10:30 Living by Your Values, Not Your Anxiety
13:18 Teaching Kids With Food Allergies to Self-Advocate
16:39 Food Allergy Anxiety vs. Food Allergy Social Anxiety
17:54 How Parents and Kids Experience Food Allergy Anxiety Differently
20:43 Less Lecturing, More Understanding
23:44 Common Anxiety Thinking Traps
27:42 When Burnout Becomes a Wake-Up Call
29:02 Food Allergy Support Groups: Benefits and Drawbacks
31:55 How Others Can Better Support Kids With Food Allergies
33:59 How to Connect With Tamara Hubbard
Resources Mentioned
📘 May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies — by Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC
🌐 Food Allergy Counselor
🏥 Academy of Food Allergy Counseling
👩⚕️ Tamara Hubbard's Private Practice
📱 Follow Tamara Hubbard
- Instagram: @FoodAllergyCounselor
- Facebook: Food Allergy Counselor
Key Takeaways
✔️ Anxiety is common for families managing food allergies—but it doesn't have to define family life.
✔️ The goal isn't eliminating all risk—it's learning to accurately assess risk while maintaining quality of life.
✔️ Building trust through gradual skill development helps teens become confident, independent allergy managers.
✔️ Parents often help most by replacing lectures with curiosity and open-ended conversations.
✔️ Sometimes the most supportive question anyone can ask a family managing food allergies is simply: "How can I be helpful?"
👍 If you found this episode helpful, please leave us a rating or review — it helps other parents find the show.
🎙️ Hosted by Clinical Psychologists, Dr. Annalise Caron and Dr. Suzanne Allen.
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DISCLAIMER: The Parenting Pair Podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional psychological or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have concerns about your or a family member's wellbeing, please contact a licensed mental health professional or physician.
