Monday Review- Kettle Cuisine

This Monday Review is brought to you by Kettle Cuisine, a New England-based company specializing in soups since 1986. They currently offer over 70 varieties of soups, chilis, and chowders.

Founder Jerry Shafir felt inspired to create high protein, high fiber gluten-free soups for his daughter and others with celiac disease. The soups are manufactured in a peanut-free facility. The nine gluten-free frozen soup varieties are regularly tested to ensure there is no gluten cross-contamination.

They also make several dairy free varieties and hope to add more. I'll keep you posted on that.

Kettle Cuisine gluten-free frozen soups are made from scratch with all-natural ingredients. I had the opportunity to try Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles, Organic Carrot and Coriander, Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables and Angus Steak Chili with Beans. Don't the titles just make your mouth water?

The soups are really tasty. The Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles and the Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables are particularly kid-friendly. They come frozen in 10 ounce bowls and are filling for an adult.

The Kettle Cuisine website also offers "Soup Ideas" which I think are "souper ideas" for garnishing and serving the soups. For example, "bake the Angus Steak Chili with Beans in a shallow dish, top with cheese (soy cheese if you're keeping it dairy- free) and serve with whole chips"- awesome appetizer.

These soups would be perfect for grandparents to have on hand for their grandchildren with celiac or food allergies. They are great to have in the freezer for a quick dinner or if a babysitter is making a meal. You just pull back the cover and microwave.

Kettle Cuisine also helps service and relief organizations, focusing on health and nutrition, children and the advancement of women. Love that!

Check out Kettle Cuisine soups and find out where you can buy them.

As always, check out the Food Allergy Assistant's website for more information.

Friday Feature: Food Allergy Buzz and FAB Snacks

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jennifer, founder of Food Allergy Buzz and FAB Snacks. Here are some excerpts from our conversation:

What is your food allergy background?

I have two sons. My eight year old has some environmental allergies. My five year old has a life threatening allergy to peanuts and we avoid tree nuts due to the risk of cross-contamination. He's had eczema since he was a baby and often experienced stomach upsets and mysterious hives.

We found out about his allergy when he was three after a visit to a Friendly's restaurant. As soon as he bit into one Reese's pieces in his sundae, he spit it out, became upset and began to cry. He spat up and hives began to spread all over. We weren't sure what to do, so I gave him Benadryl. The hives began to fade and the other symptoms did too. I watched him constantly for the next 24 hours. A skin test, done by an allergist, confirmed a peanut allergy. From that day on, we've been "peanut-avoiding purists". We eat out very rarely.

This is such a familiar story to many, Jennifer.

What are you passionate about in the food allergy field?

I love to discover and talk about food allergy friendly products, businesses and resources. As these succeed, the better life will be for my son and all people with food allergies. I try to be a voice for food allergic families and individuals as consumers.

I also like to get on my soap box about inadequate or misleading labeling and other similar oversights and "wrongs".

You've recently started a food allergy snack food company. What led you to create this company and what are your goals?

I had grown weary of the limited “safe” options at my local supermarket and the high prices there. Although I found more choices online, the prices were prohibitively high and it was not easy to get the kind of product information that I wanted.

I decided to create the missing shopping option myself and founded FAB Snacks, Inc., a food allergy friendly snack center. My goal is to provide affordable snacks and other convenience foods from food allergy conscious manufacturers and to be as transparent as possible with my customers.

As you know, when you're dealing with life threatening food allergies, you can’t just take someone’s word that a food is suitable or safe. You need to ask questions about ingredients, cross-contamination, the manufacturing facility, and get clear answers to those questions. I understand this because of my son’s allergy and I want to provide my customers with the same sort of information and reassurance I seek for my own family.

What else are you working on in the food allergy area?

I recently started another blog, Free to Enjoy Baseball, which is where I house all the information I collect on peanut-free and food-free seating at baseball games in the U.S. and Canada.

Jenny (The Nut-Free Mom Blog) and I founded a Facebook group to promote awareness of peanut allergies and other food allergies in airplanes.

I also am working with a few moms in my town to found a food allergy committee to help our schools become more food allergy friendly. There are a few other projects still "in the works."

What are some of your other interests/hobbies?

In the summer, I enjoy participating in our local community farm with my children and finding new ways to use and prepare vegetables. In the winter, I enjoy baking cookies and quick breads.

I've also discovered I enjoy photography. I'd like to tinker with that more in the coming months and years.

I don't do it as often as I'd like but I enjoy playing the violin. I started taking lessons at the age of five and have played for many years. I hope to join an orchestra or chamber group again.

I also know you have a presence on Twitter and at Peanut Allergy.com.

Thank you, Jennifer for all you do to make things safer for families dealing with food allergies. We wish you much success.

You can click over to Jennifer and say "Hello" at her site: www.foodallergybuzz.com and check out the snack offerings at FAB Snacks.

As always, the Food Allergy Assistant is available for recipes, information and resources.

Tofutti Cutie and other Updates

I spoke to Steve Cass at Tofutti Cuties about the allegations of dairy contamination in their non-dairy frozen treats. He said, "These allegations are at least three years old and one of the plants involved in the allegation has been closed for quite some time."

When I asked about dedicated lines and regular testing, Steve said, "Tofutti Cuties are run on dedicated lines and tested DAILY for dairy."

Let's see what ELL finds in their independent test.

I contacted Sara Lee when I noticed that their Hearty and Delicious 100% Multi-grain Bread (quite delicious, by the way) listed milk on some labels, but not on others. I was told to trust the label. Their breads are made in different locations so some may contain, or be contaminated, with milk. The nutrition label on their website lists milk and is manufactured in Illinois. Hmmm...I didn't buy another loaf. My comfort level isn't there right now.

Nothing back from Zyrtec, Benadryl or Singulair about dairy in their medications. I sent e-mails, but I'll have to follow up with phone calls.

More to come...

Monday Review- Olinda Ridge Olive Oil

This Monday Review is brought to you by Olinda Ridge Olive Company, a family-owned and operated producer of extra virgin olive oils. Based in northern California, the company manges over 9000 olive trees, each over one hundred years old. Using organic farming methods, olives are hand-picked when ready and pressed immediately to preserve freshness.

We use a lot of olive oil in our kitchen. It is my oil of choice for sauteing and as an ingredient in breads, pizza dough and baked goods. I tried Olinda Ridge's Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's fruity flavor is evident as soon as the bottle is opened. It smells really good. Uncap your store brand of olive oil and take a sniff. How does it smell? Olive oil should smell good- who knew? The olive oil tastes better too. It can be used right out of the bottle as a dip or as part of a marinade or for sauteing.

According to a representative at Olinda Ridge, "We've had several customers purchase our organic olive oil because it is depitted. For people who are allergic to olive pits, this olive oil is safe as we don't crush the pit in with the olive meat. It is the pit they are allergic to, not the oil itself."

Check out the Olinda Ridge website. You'll find recipes and an informative article about "the art of tasting olive oil". Their olive oils are available at some Whole Food stores in the U.S. or can be ordered directly from their website. If you sign up to receive their newsletter, you'll get a 15% discount on your order.

One other great thing about this company. They give back to the community by supporting fundraisers through sponsored events. They also hire locally for their picking, processing, bottling and sales functions. Love that!

For more information about food allergies, see the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Easter with Food Allergies

Aahhh...we welcomed spring this morning at 7:44 am with....SNOWFLAKES???

It doesn't matter though, spring is in the air. The next holiday on our calendar is Easter. A holiday of decorated eggs, milk chocolate bunnies and those yummy Reese Peanut Butter Eggs. Hmmm, not an easy task when avoiding dairy, eggs and peanuts.

But don't despair, help is on the way. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends of the food allergic, check out these resources and place your order.

Quickly, get clicking! Products are selling out and extra time is needed for shipping.

Chocolate Emporium or call 1-888-CHOCLAT
Amanda's Own Confections or call 1-440-570-6359
Divvies or call 914-533-0333
Premium Chocolatiers -Internet sales only

Did I miss any of your favorites? Let us know!

I'm off to place my Easter candy orders...

Food Allergy Update: Brownies

There's been much in the news recently with peanut allergic children eating peanuts safely (under direct doctor supervision,of course). We've read reports about the role of Chinese herbal medicines as a possible cure for food allergies. Then more stories about crazy parents and the over-diagnosis of food allergies in their children have continued to crop up in newspapers, blogs and morning shows all over.

But the big news this week in my house is the discovery of a delicious egg-free brownie recipe.

I've made some awful brownies over the past six years in search of the perfect egg-free version. Let's face it, it's the eggs that give brownies their chewiness and their crackly glazed top.

We've eaten brownies as chewy as a giant sized bar of Laffy Taffy. We've gnawed on hard brownie bricks that taste like, well bricks. But the other day, the sweet smell and taste of success. I found the recipe on a vegan website. It was the mixture of boiled water and flour that intrigued me. Could it work? Would this be THE egg-free brownie recipe? Yes it was!

You can find the recipe here.

Go preheat your oven now. You know you want to.

For more food allergy friendly recipes, check out the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Monday Review- Happikins

This week's Monday Review is brought to you by Happikins, eco and kid-friendly napkins.

Molly McKinley originally set out to create an alternative to paper napkins and to teach children the importance of making wise environmental choices. She created sets of 100% cotton, machine-washable napkins (five per set), with a carrying pouch. The pouch opens to a dry erase panel for notes from mom or dad and has a zippered area in the back to carry money or other small items.

Here's what I love about Happikins:

For children with food allergies, the napkins, at 12 inches square, are a perfect placemat to mark boundaries around snacks or lunches. Our school's peanut allergy table was marked with masking tape to give each child a zone to keep their own food in. The kids kept scraping away the tape, and frankly it was ugly. Happikins creates an easy visual for children.

Using Happikins when visiting, traveling or eating in restaurants provides a barrier to any food allergens left on eating surfaces.

It's so easy for a child to use. The napkin simply gets scrunched up and put in the pouch to be taken home for laundering.

They're so darn cute! Currently, you can order a girly set in Sugar and Spice, a sporty set in League of Sports or an animal-lover set in Creatures and Critters.

Any opportunity to teach children and families about re-use and recycling is a winner in my book!


To order, or to get more information, go to the Happikins Website.

For more food allergy information, go to the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Peanut Allergy Website

I'll be regularly posting at peanutallergy.com and wanted to share the benefits of this useful site. This online resource guide is a must for those families or individuals just learning about a peanut allergy diagnosis. It answers questions about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. If you don't see an answer to a question you have, simply click, "ask a question" and someone who knows the answer will respond.

This is also a great resource for peanut allergy veterans. The directory lists peanut allergy friendly restaurants, products, foods and bakeries. There is an opportunity for those with experience to share their knowledge by responding to questions from readers. The Forum Boards also allow people to talk about issues related to peanut allergy.

You'll need to register to use parts of the site, but registration is free. Try it out.

You can check out my latest posting here.

For additional food allergy information, check out the Food Allergy Assistant.

Dairy-Free Treat May Cause Food Allergy Reaction

We always have a box of these Tofutti Cuties in our freezer. They taste great and my son's friends think they're eating a regular ice cream sandwich when we pull these out. I've come to learn through ELL (Eat, Learn, Live) that they've received three complaints recently about allergic reactions to these treats. In the latest incident, a child suffered an anaphylactic reaction immediately following ingestion of this product. ELL is getting the product tested now, but there is a suspicion of milk-contamination.

More disturbing is that Tofutti Brands, Inc, and their manufacturer Kemp Ice Cream, have not responded to ELL's letters following each incident. ELL states, "historically, the company has been very uncooperative and has not taken responsibility for any of the allergic reactions reported".

This is unacceptable. A food manufacturer must take responsibility for the ingredients in their product. To not even respond when a problem is reported is criminal. I will not purchase Tofutti Cuties again until the company answers these complaints and takes some accountability.

Their website is very reassuring about the practices they use to prevent cross-contamination. We need action, though, not words.

Join me in contacting Tofutti. As always, I'll keep you posted.

It's a shame, I really trusted their products...

For more food allergy information, see the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Monday Review- "Matters of Faith" by Kristy Kiernan

This Monday Review is brought to you by author Kristy Kiernan, and her award-winning novel, Matters of Faith. The story revolves around the Tobias family. When 12-year-old Meghan has a medical crisis related to her peanut allergy, the entire family is forced to dig deep and deal with issues that have been bubbling below the surface.

"Genuine" is the word that came to mind as I read this book. I too have had people say, “if it’s organic peanut butter, than it’s safe, right?” We too removed carpets, curtains and stuffed animals from our home in an effort to control allergic symptoms. Kristy Kiernan really understands what it’s like to live with a food allergy in the household. I was certain that she must have a food allergy or be close to someone who does.

“Not so,” said Kristy when I recently interviewed her by phone. “This story really began when I read about 15-year-old Christina Desforges." (You may remember this Canadian teenager reportedly suffered a fatal allergic reaction after kissing her boyfriend, who had recently eaten a peanut butter snack.)

” I started thinking about how scary it must be for parents to raise a food allergic child. Then I started wondering what would happen if the parents didn’t believe in medical intervention for religious reasons, . My interest in faith and religion just kind of collided with this interest in food allergies," Kristy told me.

Kristy’s empathy shines through her writing as she expertly weaves the story. It will be tempting to peek at the end, but try to refrain and trust that Kristy will give closure and allow us a glimpse into the future of the lives of the characters we’ve come to care about.

I hope every parent, grandparent, relative, teacher, neighbor, anyone who knows someone with a food allergy, has an opportunity to read Matters of Faith. Kristy admits that she didn’t set out to write a book to educate others about food allergies.

Fortunately for us, it does just that, in a beautiful and compelling way.

Learn more about Kristy Kiernan at her blog.

For more food allergy information, go to the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Food Allergy Articles on Suite101

I've recently become a contributing writer for Suite 101.com. I can write on a variety of topics and recently posted two articles directly related to food allergies.

You can read:
"Traveling by Plane with Food Allergies"
"Food Allergy Hidden Dangers".

There are many other articles about food allergies on Suite 101. Take a look.

For more food allergy info, check out the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Sneak peek: Monday's Review on March 9, 2009 is a book review. You won't want to miss this novel featuring a family and food allergies and a crisis of faith and police and a crazy grandma. Any guesses? Tune in Monday for the reveal.

Allergy Meds Dangerous for Those with Food Allergies

ELL (Eat Learn, Live) has put out a notice about milk ingredients in several popular allergy medications. For those with a dairy allergy, watch out for these medications containing dairy:

Zyrtec and Zyrtec-D Adult 10 mg tablets
Zyrtec Children’s Chewables (5mg & 10mg)

The Allergy/Asthma Information Association (AAIA) lists other allergy and asthma medications that contain milk:

· Singulair 4 mg granules & 10 mg tablets (not in the 4 mg or 5 mg tablets)
· Reactine, Aerius, Claritin tablets (not liquid form).
· Benadryl 50 mg pink/white capsule (not caplet, chewable tablets or liquid form)
· Prednisone tablets

These asthma medications also contain milk:
Advair
Flovent
Foradil aerolizer capsules
Oxeze turbuhaler
Spiriva capsules
Symbicort turbuhaler
Ventolin diskhaler, diskus, rotacaps

The bottom line is to read every label and question your doctor and/or pharmacist about ingredients in medicines.

I will be sending letters to the manufacturers of Zyrtec, Singulair, Claritin and Benadryl asking them to clearly state that the product contains milk and is dangerous to those with a milk allergy.

For additional food allergy information, visit the Food Allergy Assistant.

Monday Review- Simply Boulder Sauces

This Monday Review is brought to you by Simply Boulder Sauces. Seth Mendelsohn's idea was to produce the finest culinary sauces using nutritious ingredients. He created five flavors including Lemon Pesto, Truly Teriyaki and Zesty Pineapple that will enhance any recipe.

You'll love the ingredients in the sauces. Instead of corn syrup, they are sweetened with agave nectar. There are no long chemicals listed on the label- just ingredients we're all familiar with, like pure olive oil, molasses and fruit juices.

According to Seth, "We try our hardest to limit allergens in products. One of the ways we do this is by using olive oil. Unlike many sauces, we never use soybean oil. We also use a wheat-free organic tamari in the Teriyaki and Coconut Peanut sauces. Some of our sauces do contain allergens such as soy or peanuts. We use good manufacturing processes to make sure that there is no cross contamination."

I had the opportunity to sample Simply Boulder Sauces. They are so flavorful and versatile. I love the Lemon Pesto on chicken and the Truly Teriyaki makes a great marinade. Try any of them as a dressing for salads or sandwiches. Use them for grilling or baking on chicken, beef or sea-food.

Check out Seth's "Sauce Talk" blog which is chock-full of information and recipes.

Go to Simply Boulder's site for products, ingredients (and country of origin), and how to buy the sauces.

See the Food Allergy Assistant's site for more food allergy information.