Food Allergies and Bullying Study Results

Forty-three percent of school-age children with food allergies report bully waving allergen in their face in a threatening manner. Twenty percent of food allergic students report the teasing and harassment came from teachers and staff.

What?!?!?

Read the results of this study, conducted by Mount Sinai, then talk to your child. Explain to young children what bullying is and what they should do if they feel threatened. Develop a plan with older children about how to handle a bullying situation. Share this research with your school nurse, guidance counselor, teacher and administrators. Bullying is never okay. Bullying with food allergens is dangerous and needs to be stopped immediately. Does your school have an anti-bullying policy? Does the policy mention food allergy? The authors of this study say it should.

Food Allergies at School: More Tips

As the new school year gets underway, do not forget about "special area" teachers when creating a food allergy management plan.

• Food allergens may be hidden in art supplies. Make sure the art teacher is aware of your child's allergies and contacts parents if there are any questions about supplies used in the classroom.
• In music class, many instruments are passed around for children to try. Find out about the cleaning of these instruments. Ask for a specially designated set for your child if you are especially concerned.
• Computer kepyboards may harbor food allergens. Does your child (or teacher)need to wipe down  the keyboard before beginning computer class?

From classroom to cafeteria to art room and school bus, cover all spaces and places in whatever food allergy plan you develop with your child's school.

Food Allergies and Halloween: Time to Get Ready

For those of us with food allergic children, planning ahead for Halloween is essential. My little guy goes trick or treating around the neighborhood. When he gets home, we take out all the candy with milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

All the candy that isn't labeled goes too.

Now, here's where my preparation pays off. I have lots of great treats to put back in the bag. Allow shipping time and order safe treats today. Check out these suppliers, with direct links to Halloween treats:

Divvies
Amanda's Own
Enjoy Life
AllerNeeds
Chocolate Emporium
Peanut Free Planet
Premium Chocolatiers
Vermont Nut Free

Most of these sources have order deadlines in mid-October to guarantee shipping in time for the big day. Did I miss any of your favorite Halloween go-tos?

Dairy Free Chocolate Chips

I do love chocolate! When I realized that my Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips were no longer an option in our new world of food allergy, I was a bit panicked. Well, maybe panicked is a bit strong...

no, taking away my favorite chocolate chips did cause panic!

So, we embarked on a tasting of dairy free chocolate chips.  I was not interested in mini-chocolate chips. I prefer the regular size for most of my baking. Fortunately I discovered Barry Callebaut chips. I swear to you, you'll never miss the dairy in these chips. I order them from The Allergy Grocer, as they're not carried in stores. This works great, except:

•  the chips can't be shipped during the summer months due to high temps and melting
• they're awfully expensive, especially with the shipping...

but who can put a price on a good chocolate chip?

Imagine my excitement recently while shopping at Wegmans's, when I noticed their store brand of chocolate chips is dairy free. I bought a bag, giddy at the thought of saving on those shipping costs. We had a blind taste-testing in our home that night.

No comparison. Barry Callebaut wins out.

So, I'll keep ordering multiple 5 lb. bags of Barry Callebaut chips from The Allergy Grocer, but I'm always willing to do more taste-testing!

Any suggestions?

By the way, Allergy Grocer offers free shipping on orders over $100. Go ahead, you can do it...

Food Allergy Show on Lifetime Televisions's Balancing Act

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, Sept. 21, The Balancing Act, on Lifetime will feature a show on food allergies. The show airs from 7-8 am ET/PT. Set your TiVo, your DVR, or plan to grab a cup of coffee to watch it live. The program will feature Leandro de Armas, this year's Heart of FAAN Child Ambassador, and an interview with a father who lost his son as the result of a fatal food allergy reaction. FAAN’s Vice President of Research and General Counsel, Maria Acebal, will also speak. A demonstration of how to use an epinephrine auto-injector is part of the presentation.

This show is a great opportunity to inform and educate grandparents, friends and others about food allergy. Spread the word!

Food Allergy Friendly Basball Games and Food Allergy Contest

More and more peanut allergic individuals can sing, "Take me out to the ball game!" thanks to efforts of many to encourage ballparks to provide seating free of peanuts at some games. The Cleveland Indians are the latest to offer this opportunity. They're even power-washing and thoroughly cleaning that are of the stadium prior to the start of the game.

Part of the money from the tickets sold at the Indians Sept. 26 game will go to FAAN for food allergy research.

Go team! For more peanut-aware games, visit my friend Jennifer B's list.

Last day to enter: Ian's Party Give-Away. Be sure to join in the fun for an opportunity to throw a party with treats from Ian's.

Food Allergy and Teenagers

We've heard it before- death from anaphylaxis peaks during the teenage and young adult years.
This statement is enough to stop any parent cold in their tracks. After protecting our precious children for so many years, it's horrifying to think that they will be casual about their food allergies.

 A recent study in the U.K. involved questionaires and interviews of young people between the ages of 11-18 with food allergies. The research sought to understand the challenges faced by this group. The preiminary results of this study are out.

It seems that teenagers are not concerned with "may contain" labels, thinking it unlikely the food contains the allergen. They take thier epinephrine only if they think there may be a risk of a reaction. Many do not now what to do if they have a reaction.

We should not let this information shoch us into inaction. Instead, use it to have a dialog with your children. They must carry their medicine with them- ALWAYS. They must not eat anything that may be unsafe. They must know the steps to take if they think they may be having a reaction. Hook your tween/teen up with FAAN Teen where there is conversation among peers about how to manage food allergy during this critical time of development.
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You only have until this Friday to enter the Ian's Food Give-Away.

Food Allergy Friendly Restaurant: PF Changs

How great is this announcement? To recognize National Celiac Disease Awareness Day, PF Changs introduces another gluten free menu item- Triple Chocolate Mousse Mini-Dessert. This makes 29 gluten- free items in all. Check out the Gluten Free portion of their menu to find other great choices.

Plus, the very first sentence in PF Chang's "Nutritional Information" section states,

"Before placing your order, please inform a manager if a person in your party has a food allergy. Additionally, if a person in your party has a special dietary need (e.g., gluten intolerance), please inform your manager at the beginning of your visit. We will do our best to accommodate your needs."

I like it and hope other restaurants follow with similar accomodations. Have you had expereince eating at PF Changs with food allergy? Please share!

And, don't forget, you only have until this Friday to enter the Ian's Food Give-Away. Enter today!

Food Allergy Cookbook: Cooking for Isaiah

Silvana Nardone is Editor-in-Chief for Rachel Ray's magazine, Every Day With Rachel Ray. She is also the mother of a child who must avoid gluten and dairy. And, like all mothers do when they find out their child must avoid major food groups, Silvana started reading food labels differently and began cooking and baking differently. She has compiled her tried and true recipes, all of which are gluten and dairy free, into a new cookbook, Cooking for Isaiah. I recently had the opportunity to look through the book and try out many of the recipes.

First off, I must say, the book contains gorgeous pictures. From candid family shots to carefully orchestrated portraits of food, you can feel the love and deliciousness ooze through the pages. Another mentionable, is the descriptions which make up the titles of each recipe. This is not a book where one will find "banana pancakes". Oh no, this book has a recipe for "Banana Pancakes with Warm Cinnamon Goo". Now, that conjures up a whole different image, doesn't it? How about "Roasted Red Pepper-Crusted Salsa Meatloaf Pie with Tortilla Chip Crumbs"? No question about what's in this dish either. You'll salivate just reading the titles.

I made several recipes from the book. In our family, we can eat gluten and wheat, but we need to avoid eggs, along with dairy. Some of the recipes I followed exactly, and others I made the necessary substitutions.

Some of our favorites were Silvana's "Rosemary-Garlic Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables" (so easy and so satisfying) and "Sloppy Joe-Stuffed Potato Skins (perfect game-day fare). The "Spinach and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette" is perfect as an entree' or a side dish.

One night for dessert, I made "Penny's Apple-Brown Sugar Coffee Cake". It was heavenly. I must point out that I did use all-purpose wheat flour and I used eggs, as called for in the recipe. One morning I tried the aforementioned "Banana Pancakes with Warm Cinnamon Goo". I used all-purpose wheat flour and Egg Replacer®. The end result was pasty and gummy. This may be a recipe where there is less margin for substitutions.

All in all, I enjoy Cooking for Isaiah. It is certainly perfect for those who need to avoid gluten and dairy. I found it very easy to substitute wheat flour for the gluten-free flour recipe provided in the book. It may be less easy for those with egg allergy to make some of the recipes as many require multiple eggs. The book however does contain dozens of recipes that don't call for egg at all, or only use one egg, which is often easy to substitute. I always appreciate a cookbook that isn't filled with dishes slathered with cheese. and while this book does use nuts, often those can easily be omitted.

So, for all of us who have had the experience of saying to the doctor, "So, what can he(she) eat?", Silvana has provided another resource to help us make great food everyone can enjoy. you can find more info and recipes at her site, Dish Towel Diaries.

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Don't forget, you only have til this Friday to enter the Ian's Food Give-Away. Enter today!

Food Allergy Give-Away: Ian's Natural Foods Party Package Contest

The folks at Ian's Foods are offering a chance for Food Allergy Assistant blog readers to win an Allergen Free Food Party package to include Ian's pizza or chicken nuggets- enough for 14 people. They even provide the plates, utensils, napkins, invitations for each winner to send to guests, and fun stickers and tattoos.

It's a party in a box and sure to be fun for your family and friends!

Our family recently had the opportunity to try Ian's chicken tenders. They are free of wheat, gluten, dairy, egg, soy and nuts, but not free of flavor. Truly, they are yummy! I also love that they don't contain hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, preservatives or artificial colors or flavors. They are simply chicken with a satisfying crunchy coating.

Ian's Foods offers all natural, organic, allergy friendly foods for kids. Search by allergen and check out their products.

So, how do I get in on this awesome party give-away you ask? Here's what you need to do in 3 simple steps:

• Check out the Ian's Food contest rules.
• Sign-up for Ian's Super Fit Kid program.
• Post a comment on this blog. I'd love to hear about how you deal with the food restrictions in your family, but really any comment will do, "You're the best", "Have a great day", "I love a free contest"...whatever comes to mind.

You have until Friday, Sept. 17, 2010 to enter. Winners will be notified by Sept. 24. Good luck!

Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota

Over seven years ago, nine families started a support group in Minnesota for people dealing with food allergy. This group has become one of the most active in the country. For food allergy families living in Minnesota, resources and events like the Food Allergy Resource Fair, to be held Sept. 25, 2010, are available at little or no cost. This Resource Fair, their fourth annual, brings food allergy vendors together with families who can try out new foods and products. Children have the opportunity to explore "under the sea" with the crew at Underwater Adventures, while their parents have an opportunity to learn at the  "Ask a Doctor" station. The Fair is free and open to the public.

For those who do not live in the Minnesota area, a look at the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota website provides answers to many food allergy questions and concerns. From  how to handle a new food allergy diagnosis, to accommodations that should be expected for food allergic students, the site is packed with useful tips and tools.

Thank you to all those behind the scenes powering the resources and tools of the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota. You provide a valuable service to MN families and others across the world.

Food Allergy Cookbook

I love cookbooks. I really love cookbooks with fabulous pictures. I really, really love a cookbook with fabulous pictures that is free. Even better, this free fabulous cookbook is filled with healthy, allergy friendly recipes.

It's a blue ribbon winner.

We have Alisha Fleming at One Frugal Foodie and Go Dairy Free to thank. She whipped this book together in two weeks after putting out a call for recipe submissions. An amazing accomplishment...

So, what are you waiting for? Check it out, download it and start creating your fabulous dishes.

Food Allergy Labels

You gotta love mom-inspired ideas!

Check out these simple and easy to make labels by mom and designer Kori Clark. They are simple to read and attention-grabbing- just perfect for grandparents, babysitters, older siblings and young children with food allergies.

Thanks for sharing Kori!