Check My Tag

Easy Ways to Raise Awareness for Food Allergies

2008-05-12T08:50:00.002-05:00

Hopefully, you already know that this week is Food Allergy Awareness Week. I sent this article to my email subscribers but sharing it with everyone can only help the cause!

Here are some easy and simple ways to raise awareness for this growing health concern. Taking a few minutes could save the life of a child... perhaps someone you love!

1. Hang a food allergy poster at your grocery store, coffee shop, community center, church or synagogue, or your child's school or daycare. A simple letter-size poster is available FREE to download from the FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis) website. It covers the the most critical information about food allergies.

2. Practice Your Emergency Action Plan with Your Child and other Family Members
If your child has life-threatening food allergies, do you have an emergency action plan (EAP)? Simply put, do your child's caregivers know what to do in case of an allergic emergency? Do family members and caregivers know how to recognize the signs and symptoms early? If they determine that a child is experiencing anaphylaxis, do they know what to do? Download a FREE EAP and role play with your older children, grandparents, teachers and babysitters. You can use an expired epinephrine auto-injector and practice injecting an orange!
- Download a FREE EAP and personalize it for your child

- Watch this great video tutorial using an Epi-pen from super allergy mom, Leslea Harmon

3. Look for a Food Allergy Event in Your Area
If you can make it to St. Louis, a fabulous Food Allergy Fair is being held on Saturday, May 17 from 9-noon, which will feature many products and resources for food allergy families as well as the talented Kyle Dine, food allergy musician. It's hosted by the St. Louis chapter of AAFA and Gateway FEAST.

4. Thank someone for keeping your loved one with food allergies safe
Has someone in your circle done something special to accommodate food allergies? Perhaps it is a teacher, a classmate's mom or dad, the PTA president, a cub scout leader, or a restauranteur. Take the time to thank them for their thoughtfulness. Gratitude is wonderful, infectious and inspiring. A simple word of thanks, an email or a eCard is enough to show them that you appreciate what they do to keep food allergy kids safe and... it is a great motivator for them to continue doing so!

If you want to sign up for the newsletter, click on "Join our email list" at the TOP of this page! I'm anti-SPAM so don't worry. The only thing you'll receive from me are ongoing tips on how to manage food allergies... directly to your inbox!

Happy Mother's Day, Allergy Moms!

2008-05-11T10:11:00.004-05:00

This morning, my husband had the brilliant idea of marking our incredibly large collection of expired Epi's to distinguish them from the ones we should grab in case of an emergency. Great idea, hon! We taped red masking tape to mark our expired auto-injectors.

The result: an impromptu Mother's Day bouquet. Not quite as lovely and sweet-scented as a dozen roses but considering what they represent... the ability to keep my child safe, I'll take it... along with the fabulous brunch we're going to at 11 am!

Happy Mother's Day, Allergy Moms! Enjoy your day and don't forget to take your autoinjectors!

Ria

p.s. When I collected all our expired Epi-pens in one place, the sheer number of them was a little shocking. We save them to train friends and sitters but I think you can also return them to the pharmacy. I'd love to hear what you do with yours!

Cupcakes for Peanut Allergy, Nut Allergy, Milk Allergy and Egg Allergy

2008-05-08T20:47:00.005-05:00

My friend and support team leader extraordinaire, Carol shared her recent Egg-less Cupcake Experiment. She tried three different recipes for egg, milk, peanut and nut free cupcakes with varying results.
1ST PLACE: Divvies recipe for Chocolate Cupcakes had the right texture and a nice dome. Carol, did you say that the icing didn't hold up as you expected?

2ND PLACE: The Duncan Hines cake mix with a can of soda. For yellow mix add white soda, for chocolate mix add a can of dark soda. The cupcakes did not dome as good as the Divvies Recipe, but they were good for a quick recipe, or a recipe for family and friends. Basically, you don’t add any other ingredients but the cake mix and the can of soda, but apparently take a few sips out of the soda first as it doesn’t need too much liquid.

3RD PLACE: The Duncan Hines cake mix with Ener-G Egg Replacer which you can buy from www.allergygrocer.com and other specialty markets. The cupcakes tasted fine, and domed a little better than the soda can recipe, but they were VERY fragile. They were separating from the liners when I was trying to get them out.

Carol asks if anyone knows how to make the Divvies recipe for yellow cupcakes. Anyone? Anyone?

Pasta House Has Gluten-Free Pasta

2008-04-30T11:17:00.004-05:00

I was pleased to see that Pasta House, a St. Louis Italian restaurant is now accommodating wheat allergies. For an extra $2 and an additional 10 minutes, you can ask for gluten-free (or low-carb) pasta.

Click here for their locations.

p.s. Kids eat free on Sundays!

For Environmental Allergies, Dyson Saves the Day!

2008-04-23T21:48:00.004-05:00

We've had our Dyson since 2005 and I'd have to say, it's been best birthday present I ever asked for. Really!!! Since everyone in our house has allergies (including our dog), this piece of equipment is a godsend. I recommend it to all my friends. It's more powerful than the vacuum at the car wash. But recently, my dear Dyson has been losing some of his gusto. He just does not have the sucking power he once had! So I called the help line, conveniently printed on his spine to ask where a service center might be located in my area. When I explained of my Dyson's diminished enthusiasm for debris, the very helpful associate explained that this is not possible. The Dyson is designed for a lifetime of undiminished suction! He then carefully walked me through the troubleshooting protocol and lo and behold....

This is what I retrieved from the the u-tube of my machine (no, not the collection cannister)! If this is not a testament to it's suction power, I don't know what is. Yes, that is a pen!

Food Allergy Fair in St. Louis

2008-04-17T20:59:00.003-05:00

Hey, everyone! If you are in the St. Louis area during Food Allergy Week, be sure to attend the Food Allergy Fair hosted by Gateway FEAST and the St. Louis Chapter of AAFA. The headliner for the fair is Kyle Dine, who will be performing songs from his new music CD, "You Must Be Nuts!"

Details: Saturday, May 17 9 am-Noon @ Kirkwood Community Center, 111 South Geyer, Kirkwood, MO 63122.

Register: 314/645-2422 or email: FEAST@aafastl.org

Come for the fun, or the health and safety resources, or the support for families, or the chance for your kids to meet other food allergy kids, or for all the food allergy products (including Check My Tag, Divvies, No Whey Chocolate, and much more!)

There will be raffles, games and... it's FREE!

Here's a pdf with the details. Pass it along to your friends and family! FAF.pdf

I Cheated on Him!

2008-04-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

It's true. The burden of my guilt is weighing on my heart. I've been faithful for so long. But I have to confess that... I did it. I've had nuts. It started out so innocently. Some pistachios in a chicken salad sandwich. I didn't realize how much I missed them. I forgot how absolutely yummy they are. It's not like I made a pact with God or anything. So when I'm away from the family, I find myself ordering a salad with walnuts or devouring a whole bowl of almonds.

Yes, the cake has PECANS! And I had it in my own house, after bedtime! Guess what? It was soooooo delicious!

T, one day a long time from now, you might read this. I hope you can understand and forgive me. Just so you know, after I ate it... I did wash my hands and brush my teeth.

Whole Body Podcast Features Allergies in April

2008-04-10T22:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's finally spring and the earth is coming alive once again. In our house, the combination of more outside play time and all things blooming means it's time to break out the cadre of Claritin, Zyrtec and Flonase. But perhaps there is a better way! This month, Whole Foods is sponsoring the "Be Good to Your Whole Body" podcast series featuring alternatives to traditional over-the-counter medicines for relieving allergy symptoms including effective ways to use homeopathic remedies, herbs, probiotics, nutrition and diet.

Jody Villecco, quality standards coordinator at Whole Foods Market says this:

“Natural allergy remedies encourage natural defenses to adapt to their environment rather than just covering up the symptoms and help the body adapt to allergens over time. Alternative options encourage relief without creating dependence on a product and help side step the ‘rebound effect’ – when allergy symptoms are masked for a few days and they often come back even worse then before. Conventional methods often have side effects like insomnia or increased blood pressure while natural approaches help the body rest, recover and adapt to seasonal changes.”

So if your house is anything like mine, it's worth a tune in!

April Podcast Topics
April 1st: Homeopathy for Allergy Relief
April 7th: Natural Approaches to Allergies
April 14th: Lifestyle and Seasonal Allergies

Food Allergy Legislation Making Its Way Through Congress

2008-04-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

As of April 8, 2008, H.R. 2063: Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2008 has passed in the House of Representatives. The bill now goes on to be voted on in the Senate. The intent of this bill is to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to develop a voluntary policy for managing the risk of food allergy and anaphylaxis in schools. The law will make these guidelines accessible for schools around the country to implement.

The bill was introduced by U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, who said the measure would “bolster the patchwork of state and local regulations that too often fail to give schools and faculty the tools to prevent and respond to medical emergencies.”

Source: GovTrack.us. H.R. 2063--110th Congress (2007): Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2008, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation)

Keep track of this legislation's progress on GovTrack. A feed is available for this page.

Follow-up on Food Allergies and Starbucks

2008-04-08T10:22:00.000-05:00

Great news for nut allergy (and other food allergy) families! According to the comments on the Allergy Awareness suggestion, it looks like the idea is is under review! You can also add your two cents and continue to vote.

I did a little poking around the site. I'm not sure how the folks at Starbucks are selecting the ideas to actually implement. The ones highlighted the Ideas in Action section have anywhere 20 points (comfortable seating) to 7840 (coffee classes). Our cause is weighing in at 340 as of today.

Nut Allergies and Starbucks

2008-04-05T16:13:00.000-05:00

With the first warm and sunny day of spring, my husband took the tikes for a walk to our local Starbucks. It's always a trick bag though because our little guy can't eat anything there. When we met up again this afternoon, hubby mentioned to me that he happened to visit the My Starbucks Idea site yesterday to suggest that they have safe food options for families like ours. Apparently, if the ideas get enough traction, as evidenced by the number of votes, Starbucks will consider implementing them!

It could be as simple as partnering with pre-packaged allergen-free snacks like... Divvies! Mark, give those guys in Seattle a call!

You have to sign in to the My Idea site but don't let that dissuade you. C'mon, folks! Let your voice be heard. Cast your vote for the Allergy Sensitive Foods idea that my husband submitted yesterday or any number of similar submissions. Here are the results when I typed "allergy" on their search page!

Seven Helpful Things to Know If You or Your Loved One Has a Food Allergy

2008-03-28T21:37:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Sharon and Ann of Secret Leaves so I've come up with seven things that would be helpful to my readers. First, the rules of "tag" are:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share seven random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag seven people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So, let's get to it, shall we?

1. New Food Allergy Study
Cornell University researchers are looking for adults from the Syracuse, Rochester and Binghamton areas to take part in a comprehensive food allergy study this spring. To participate, you must be 18 and older and must have severe or life-threatening food allergies. Participants will receive informational materials and be compensated for their time. The goal of the study is to understand how adults manage their food allergies and to help scientists develop informational materials on handling food allergies. For more information and to determine if you qualify, please call, toll-free: 1-866-537-3192.

2. FAAN's Annual Conference
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) will hold its 15th annual Food Allergy Conference in Baltimore, Md., this weekend! Many families struggle with how best to manage food allergies in their lives. Whether attendees have been living with food allergies for years or are dealing with a new diagnosis. I've attended this day-long conference and recommend it, especially if you are new to the food allergy world.

3. How to Spot a Food Allergy
Jessica Hartshorn, Sr. Lifestyles Editor of American Baby, discusses food allergies on CBS News. The segment addresses how to spot them and what to do if your child has one. On interesting factoid... f you or your spouse has a food allergy, there's a 30% chance your child will have one. If both you and your spouse suffer from an allergy, your child has roughly a 60% chance that your child will too.

4. New Research In Food Allergies Presented At Annual Meeting
Research shows that sensitization to peanuts may occur through skin contact (not just ingestion). Infants and children who are thus sensitized may be predisposed to developing peanut allergy, while tolerance to peanut may be induced by oral exposure.

5. How Smart Parents Handle Medical Emergencies
In cases of anaphylaxis, time is off the essence. This page says, "In case of just such an emergency, the child's personal health information should be available to his or her caretaker and emergency personnel." This is exactly why I developed the Check My Tag SafeWear system. It provides the essential information that a caregiver needs in order to respond swiftly in an emergency, even if a child cannot safely wear a bracelet or necklace.

6. Doctors change their minds about childhood food allergy advice
According to two new pieces of research, many widely-practiced methods for food allergy prevention in children may be ineffective. It is common for experts to recommend food avoidance for both mom and baby and a slow introduction of highly allergenic foods into a child's diet. However, the American Academy of Paediatrics and a team of German Researchers have indicated that these strategies may be overkill and do not necessarily prevent food allergies.

7. Ten Things Families with Food Allergies Want You to Know!
Here's a great list compiled by Gina at AllergyMoms. It's a great site! I highly recommend signing up for her newsletter.

I'm tagging:
Our Story
AllergyWare
Allergizer
No Whey Mama
Peanut Free Mama
He Can't Eat That
No Peanuts Please

Cross Contamination: What Does that Mean?

2008-03-24T14:53:00.000-05:00

Cross contamination is risky business for anyone with food allergies. It's what makes eating out a frightening proposition for a kid with a nut allergy like my son. But for those who don't live a severe food allergy on a daily basis, it's an often misunderstood issue. I thought some firsthand experiences might clarify what cross contamination means.

On our recent Spring Break trip to Chicago, we stayed with dear friends of the family. My kids call them our Cousin-Friends, we are that close! They take our son's food allergy very seriously. They make special trips to the grocery store to stock up on organic soy milk. They rid their house of peanut and tree nut edibles for the duration of out stay. And on this occasion, as she prepared dinner for all the kids, my friend noticed a stray batch of cookies she had made with peanut butter in them. She very quickly disposed of them. Then proceeded to cut up mangoes especially for Tanner, who loooooves fresh mangoes.

Only after she cut them, she turned to me in horror, "I didn't wash my hands! I touched those cookies!" Oops!

"Yeah, that's cross-contamination" I confirmed. And we offered Tanner a cup of peaches instead.

On another occasion, I had to have lunch on the run and had a chicken salad sandwich in the car that contained pecans. I took a swig from the water bottle that I keep next to my seat. Later that day, I picked Tanner up from school and he begged me for some water. I almost tossed the bottle back to him without thinking. Fortunately, I remembered. Yes, that is cross-contamination too and I explained that to him. He was not happy with me and was not buying that water can have nuts in it. Unfortunately for him, it can!

Gluten-free, Peanut-free, Dairy-free Overnight Summer Camp

2008-03-12T23:34:00.000-05:00

At the moment, I've resigned myself to the idea that my kids will probably not be leaving home for extended periods of time until... college. Food allergies are not the only reason but certainly play a big factor in my thinking this way. But when I heard about a gluten, peanut and dairy-free overnight camp, I was excited.

Wildwood is a popular summer camp in the Kansas City area. This summer, they are trying out a week-long allergen-free session. For this week, the camp's kitchen will be dedicated to gluten-free, peanut-free and dairy-free diets and emphasizing fruits, vegetables, beans and gluten-free grains. Currently, the plans are for girls only. If it's successful, they plan to expand it next year to include boys as well.

Wow! I would love to see more programs like this that give food allergy families safe learning opportunities. So if this camp can fit into your summer plans, please consider it. Visit the camp's website and ask to speak to the camp director, Robin.

And pass along the information to anyone you know who could participate in the program. It's success will only inspire others....

Nut Allergy Friendly Restaurants

2008-02-29T22:03:00.000-06:00

Tonight, my husband and daughter discovered our new favorite chinese take-out restaurant. Chinese? With food allergies? No way! Yes, I was so pleased to learn that the Chinese Noodle Cafe on Delmar is nut allergy friendly. When my husband said, "It's too bad we can't take our son here... you know, because of his nut allergy and the wok cooking." The manager reassuringly showed him how they do not use nut products in their woks. "Look at this dish," He said, pointing to a platter of cashew chicken. "Notice how the cashews are dry? It's because we add them to the dish later."

My husband, the super sleuth, found out that the owner, Peggy Hou has food allergies too. She shared that food allergies are a growing concern in the restaurant industry, not just for her personally.

This confirms my belief that as food allergies continue to affect more people, change is inevitable. Look at Ming Tsai, the celebrity chef in Boston, who has implemented safe food practices for the last 10 years in his restaurant, Blue Ginger. It doesn't hurt that his son has severe food allergies. He is quoted in this story on WBZ Boston saying, "Everyone has the right to eat safely, anywhere they want to eat."

The Restaurant Bill was introduced by Massachusetts State Senator Cynthia Creem requires 1) disclosure of ingredients, 2) staff training, and 3) improve public education. The first legislation along these lines was approved in New Jersey in 2005.

But Ming and Peggy agree that being food allergy friendly is a matter serving their customers. More and more restauranteurs are finding that the "you get what you give" rule is very much in effect. That's why Chinese Noodle Cafe is our new favorite!

Something Different, Something Good!

2008-02-26T20:52:00.000-06:00

My regular readers will know I've been shifting our food consumption towards healthier, organic sources. Although there isn't really any definitive research on how this is related to food allergies, I believe in "less is more..." less toxicity, less chemicals, and less preservatives in my family's diet.

After watching The Future of Food and reading Barbara Kingsolver's book, Vegetable, Animal, Miracle, I'm even more committed to giving this natural, sustainable food supply a fair shot.

So we are signing up for a CSA! What's that, you ask? Well, it's Community Supported Agriculture and it's all the rage! I can't really come up with a succinct summary quite as good as Local Harvest so I'll just use theirs:

A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become "members" (or "shareholders," or "subscribers") of the CSA. The Local Harvest website even has a great national database for finding one in your area.

In the last month, five friends from totally different circles have asked me if I was interested in joining up. A couple of them subscribed last summer and truly enjoyed it. My husband asked, "Why not just go to the farmer's market?" Good question! I've decided that it's all about commitment. Several of my neighbors are religious about shopping at the farmer's market. It's their grocery store. I, on the other hand, am more easily distracted... sleeping in, a giant breakfast, cardio tennis... any number of things could pre-empt that well-intentioned trip wherein we support our local farmers. So I want to commit to the financial support portion of the equation regardless of whether I drag my family out for the cultural/PC experience or actually eat the produce.

I must admit that it's a little daunting to commit to a weekly basket of produce, not knowing what's in it and not entirely sure what to make with it. But I'm up for the challenge. What a great excuse to try something new!

Colin and His Robot

2008-02-21T19:53:00.000-06:00

As food allergy parents, it is understandable that we get wrapped up in the anxiety of trying to keep our children safe. So I am grateful for those occasions when someone can contribute something positive to our situation. A useful tip or recipe or an inspiring anecdote can feel like sunshine on a cold, rainy day.

Thank you, Colin, for your marvelous imagination and authenticity. Maybe one day, you'll make your invention a reality.

My Robot RDA5

by Colin

I made a robot. His name is
Robot Dee Alex, or RDA5.
The five is because I’m 5.

He is made of three boxes
and some tape.

I feed him food and he can tell me
when my food has something I’m allergic to.

A few of the buttons are for
changing things into different colors.

He has a computer
and a keyboard.

He has three lights. One is for
emergencies. One is for when
good things happen. And one is
in case the robot is broken.

He has oil to help him move.

He is a cool robot.

Peanut Allergy and Airplanes

2008-02-17T13:06:00.000-06:00

With dear grandparents, aunts and uncles on the other side of the earth, airplane travel is a regular occurrence in our family. Even though Tanner has a severe peanut allergy and tree nut allergies, we can't let that stop us from staying connected. Compared to 14-hour plane rides, domestic travel is a no brainer! Every few months, we find ourselves banking more frequent flyer miles. Of course, it is with measured safety precautions that we prepare for every trip. For the parents that are apprehensive of airplane travel with food allergies, here are a few tips:

• Pick the right airline. Obviously for us, Southwest is out of the question. We are relatively comfortable with American although they do serve/offer snacks with nuts on their flights.
• Call ahead and ask about their food allergy policy and don't hesitate to inform your ticket agent and your flight attendant about your special needs.
• Be prepared with medication. Along with our auto injectors, we carry a note from the doctor and chewable Benadryl tablets. In our years of traveling, I've only had security check the Epi-pen once and only because I volunteered it.
• We bring our own snacks for the plane and wipes to clean off airplane trays or tables at the airports.
• We cover our seat with a Plane Sheet (see photo above) and now that Tanner is four, we remind him not to be rooting around in the seat pocket or floor. Sometimes he actually listens!

A previous post from last year contains more detailed tips for traveling with food allergies.

Sounds Bites from the Food Allergy World

2008-02-01T14:17:00.000-06:00

I have to admit that life in general has gotten in the way of my food allergy advocacy mission. Our family calendar is chock full of the things that populate a mom's daily routine... the Kindergarten show, doctors' appointments, and many, many playdates! And today, we have the added bonus of a snow day! So all the posting that I had intended for today will be... condensed to sound-bite style, because I don't want my readers to think I've been neglectful and ignoring the encouragingly numerous activities in the food allergy community.

To top that list, there was the great Allergen-free Treats feature on the Martha Stewart show on Tuesday. Click to watch the segments (Baking Cupcakes 1 & 2), if you did not catch it on the air. And also from Martha, a great opportunity! It seems that Alexis, one of her editors has multiple food allergies and submitted the idea of a food allergy magazine as her Big Idea. Wouldn't that be the coolest? We'll need to band together and let Martha know that there would be a significant following for this publication. Click on the link and vote. As of today, the food allergy magazine is edging out a pet lovers pub, by 3%.

The folks at Divvies have also launched their own community portal with Divvies Battr, a really well done site that includes recipes, Q&A's with a psychologist, and articles on relevant food allergy issues. Way to go guys!

Yesterday as advertised, the heated discussion continues... on the NPR's Leonard Leopate Show with Dr. Hugh Sampson's response to Meredith Broussard's food allergy article, "Everyone's Gone Nuts."

And last but not least, some new resources that have popped up on my radar:
- Allergic To It, a Digg-like community dedicated to food allergies! (Wow!)
- Whey Out Chocolate is a new source for whey-free chocolate. Just in time for Valentine's Day! And, not only do they offer chocolate but also the Whey Out Forum
- foogroo.com, a database to help research commercially produced food items

I think this gets me all caught up (sort of)!

Food Allergy Segment on Martha Stewart

2008-01-23T22:25:00.000-06:00

Like so many other allergy moms, one of the first things I did when we got Tanner's official diagnosis was jump online. I wanted to find out more about what we were dealing with and arm ourselves with all the available tools. There weren't many back then. But, one of the companies I stumbled on was Divvies. Divvies makes cookies, popcorn, candy and cupcakes that are peanut-free, tree nut-free, dairy-free, and egg-free and it was the first online order I placed for a food allergy product. We had a Chocolate Chip Divvies Dozen in our freezer and I was ready to throw one in the diaper bag for outings and playdates at a moment's notice.

So I was delighted to hear that word is continuing to spread about this New York-based company started by Lori and Mark Sandler, who are also food allergy parents. Lori and her son, Benjamin will be featured on the Martha Stewart show on Tuesday, January 29. Check here for local listings and set your TiVo's to catch this uplifting food allergy segment. Contacting Martha directly with your support for segments like this will help promote food allergy awareness that is positive and helpful... so don't be shy about visiting her website and leaving a comment!

Living with Food Allergies Carnival #8

2008-01-10T02:38:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the January 10, 2008 edition of the Living with Food Allergies Carnival. Thanks to Rational Jenn for getting this ball rolling. We are now on the 8th Edition, with lots of good information and helpful tips.

Rational Jenn presents The Latest Food Allergy Stuff posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "My thoughts and ramblings on some recent food allergy news."

My Buddy Mimi presents Heart-healthy meets dairy-free posted at My Buddy Mimi.

Alisa presents Season's Eatings posted at BitterSweet, saying, "Cinnamon Buns! Dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and delicious!"

Alisa presents Food Allergy Prevention Advice Turns on its Head posted at Go Dairy Free.

Leslea Harmon from allergyware.com presents Has Harper's Gone Nuts? posted at Allergy News - All the News That Itches, saying, "I have drafted several responses to Ms. Broussard, each in a varying state of grace."

Nowheymama presents Crayons, Church Ladies, and Communion posted at No Whey, Mama, saying, "A dairy-free communion bread recipe!"

Victoria Groce presents Seeds and Tree Nut Allergies posted at About.com Food Allergies.

I myself have submitted another response to the Broussard Bruhaha: Everyone's Gone Nuts About Food Allergies posted at Check My Tag Community.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of living with food allergies carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Everyone's Gone Nuts About Food Allergies

2008-01-07T21:20:00.000-06:00

Okay, first there was Meredith Broussard's "exaggerated threat of food allergies" article in Harper's magazine and now the segment on New York Public Radio. Listen to it here:

I've been totally avoiding this story because... well, it's disturbing. And I've seriously considered whether addressing it is just adding fuel to its fire. My readers certainly don't need to be convinced of the reality or seriousness of food allergies so this is hardly the forum for launching a dissertation citing the statistics to counter Broussard's article. I think that Gina at Allergy Moms is doing an excellent job voicing the reaction of the food allergy community.

What I find interesting is that the pervasiveness of food allergies is an issue at all. In my opinion, we have already decided as a country and as a culture that the special needs of a few warrant the consideration of all. I was actually thinking about this today as I used the bathroom at a coffee shop with my daughter. We had just read Aunt Katie's Visit, a kids book in which a woman with a disability shared with an elementary school classroom what it was like to be paralyzed from the chest down. So my 6-year old noted how the handicap restroom was extra big to fit a wheelchair. I pointed out that the toilet was higher and that there was a handlebar to make it safer and easier for someone to use the potty. The added thought and expense of this chain restaurant's bathroom was not shouldered by choice. It is mandated by law!

Why are all public buildings handicap accessible? Why do parking lots have handicap spaces? You know, the ones that come with a hefty fine lest some inconsiderate citizen decide to inconvenience a truly disabled person by taking their legally designated spot. These are all accommodations for the relatively small group of people who have special ambulatory needs. And how did this come to be? Without details, I'm going to guess that there was some issue regarding rights to access. At least, Aunt Katie says, "... it makes me sad when I can't go to a store or a restaurant because they don't have a ramp."

Well, the same is true for people with severe food allergies. Just like chef Ming Na has said, "If you own a restaurant, you can't turn away someone with a food allergy. It's unconstitutional." People with severe food allergies still have a right to go to school and to eat in restaurants and be in public places (like public playgrounds!) without risking their life. I guess if I were to expand on this parallel, not only would peanut products be banned from schools but there would be a hefty fine, especially considering that peanuts aren't just an inconvenience but are actually life-threatening to children who have a constitutional right to attend that school.

Since no one can deny that food allergy is an issue (take a gander at over 100 responses to the radio program on the WNYC page if you are in doubt!), the exact extent of its pervasiveness is really irrelevant. I think the issue is how we, as a society, respond to the needs of people who live with food allergies. If we are being consistent, then even this question has already been addressed.

The Future of Food

2008-01-01T21:08:00.000-06:00

I just completed a viewing of The Future of Food, the controversial film by Deborah Garcia (widow of Jerry Garcia) that paints a rather grim picture of industrialized agriculture and the health of our food supply. It's rather like An Inconvenient Truth for food. The documentary focuses on GM (genetically-modified) crops that have permeated our food supply within the last decade, specifically corn, soy and canola. For a better perspective, read reviews of the film for yourself.

The speculation on the link between GM foods and food allergies is nothing new. My post "What About GM Corn?" in June of last year addressed the issue of Bt corn and some of the research associated with this issue. But the film was much more comprehensive, addressing not just the issue of food allergies and the dangers of genetic manipulation but also the global politics and economics of agriculture and the high stakes involved. For me as a parent and consumer, my biggest issue with the current state of affairs is food labeling. The film makes it quite clear that financial profit is at the core of the corruption in the food industry.

But I believe that our free market system should be able to influence how the money flows... if consumers have the ability to make conscious and informed choices. Unfortunately, there is no mandate in the U.S. for identifying GM ingredients in our food! An interesting note is that almost all other countries require this labeling, including members of the E.U., Australia and Japan. Without this information, we are at the mercy of big companies, who may be making choices for you and me that I personally, would not make. Given this situation, I would strongly encourage everyone to watch the film and then decide for yourselves which products and companies you want to support with your mighty dollars.

A Gluten Allergy Doesn't Mean You Can't Eat Out Anymore

2007-12-30T07:56:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Robert La France at Gluten Free on the Go for the special partnership with Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse. Offered exclusively through glutenfreeonthego.com, the steakhouse is offering complimentary gluten-free desserts through March 31, 2008. Check out the details of the promotion here.

Beyond this promotion, www.glutenfreeonthego.com is a great resource for people who avoid wheat and gluten products. The site offers a searchable database of hotels, spas, cruises, resorts and restaurants all over the world. It's an example of how having a gluten allergy is no longer a hindrance to savoring the good life.

For a first person account of living well despite (or even because of a gluten allergy), peruse this wonderful book from our fellow blogger, Shauna James Ahern a.k.a. Gluten Free Girl. Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back...And How You Can Too is rating rave reviews, and not just from people who live gluten-free!

Reading Food Labels for Allergens

2007-12-28T18:08:00.000-06:00

If reading food labels has you mystified, you are not alone. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) is a landmark piece of legislation for food allergy families. The spirit of the law is to protect consumers (like my son) from accidental exposure by mandating that food manufacturers fully disclose the ingredients of their products, specifically the top eight allergens. Yet, the intricate details of the law leave many shoppers confused.

When I had to start reading food labels for potential peanuts and tree nuts, I would mistakenly look only for advisory labeling underneath the ingredient list... the thing that says, "Contains peanuts and tree nuts." If there was none, I thought it was safe. This is NOT TRUE.

The letter of the law is as follows:

(1) If it is not a raw agricultural commodity and it is, or it contains an ingredient that bears or contains, a major food allergen, unless either--
1. ``(A) the word `Contains', followed by the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived, is printed immediately after or is adjacent to the list of ingredients (in a type size no smaller than the type size used in the list of ingredients) required under subsections (g) and (i); or
2. ``(B) the common or usual name of the major food allergen in the list of ingredients required under subsections (g) and (i) is followed in parentheses by the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived, except that the name of the food source is not required when--
1. ``(i) the common or usual name of the ingredient uses the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived; or
2. ``(ii) the name of the food source from which the major food allergen is derived appears elsewhere in the ingredient list, unless the name of the food source that appears elsewhere in the ingredient list appears as part of the name of a food ingredient that is not a major food allergen under section 201(qq)(2)(A) or (B).

My interpretation of the code is that at the very least, the common food allergen name will be clearly listed in the ingredient list. OR, text with "Contains" followed by the allergen will be included on the label.

Many food producers like Nabisco and Kellogg are quite judicious about using "Contains" on their labeling but this line of text is not required by the law. Other manufacturers like Pepperidge Farms, for example, do not include a separate CONTAINS line on their packaging. Although they are technically FALCPA compliant, their products are an example of why you really have to read food labels closely (as in, every line) to ensure that you are avoiding your trigger foods.