Food Trends in 2012

Each year I scan the list from the Restaurant Association of the anticipated food trends for the following year. This year, I am pleased to see that nutritional food for kids is expected to be a high priority in restaurants. Not only that, but gluten-free and food allergy conscious food ranked in the top 20 trends.

Making it easier to eat in restaurants with food allergies! Now that's on my Christmas list. Here are a few other resources for eating out with food allergies:

AllergyEats
Allerdine
Fast Food Ingredients 
Chef Card Templates

Food Allergies and Universal Studios Florida

We've known that Walt Disney World is great when it comes to dealing with food allergies. I wasn't sure about the other Orlando area parks.

Recently our family went to Universal Studios Orlando with dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut and shellfish allergies. I contacted Universal by e-mail before we went and I got both a voice mail and e-mail response. Each messages assured me that the chefs and managers at the Universal parks, City Walk and Universal hotels were well-equipped to handle food allergy concerns. I was told that eating at a full-service restaurant where we can talk to the chef directly might be our best choice.

So, how did we make out, you ask? Very successfully, I'm happy to report.

• We had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrinp Co. on Universal's City Walk We spoke to our server and then the manager about food allergies. They brought out packages for us to read labels and talked to us about preparation. They communicated with the chef throughout. My son had a burger, jell-o and orange wedges. He had to pass on the fries as they are fried with shellfish items.
• We had dinner at the Buger King Whopper Bar on CityWalk at Universal Studios. We knew Whoppers were safe, so I just confirmed their cooking practices and ingredients and informed the staff of the food allergies.
• We had a wonderful lunch poolside at our Universal hotel, Loew's Royal Pacific. The chef and manager talked to us, along with our server. The chef said he could make anything from scratch for our food allergic son and would use a separate kitchen to ensure there was no cross-contamination. He chose chicken tenders and french fries. Both were freshly made and served in a huge quantity. We all picked off my son's plate. It was fun for his menu choice to be the favorite.

Universal made this an easy vacation for us. I only brought snacks for our two days there and our family was really able to practice talking to the right people and making sure that everyone understood what we needed. This was a good lesson for my food allergic tween who will need to manage his allergies at restaurants on his own in the coming years.

Great job Universal Studios Orlando!

Enjoy Life Cookies for the Holidays

Believe me, I know it's tough to bake your traditional holiday cookies while needing safe choices for family members with food allergies. Fortunately, Enjoy Life just made holiday baking easier. We recently sampled their new crunchy cookies, which are free of the top 8 allergens. The great news? No one else would ever guess that these cookies do not contain wheat, eggs, dairy, soy, or nuts.

The best part? They are really yummy! My family was partial to the chocolate chip, although I really liked the double chocolate. The sugar cookies and honey grahams would be great for the holidays- a little frosting and some sprinkles on top.

Years ago when our family had to avoid wheat, baking was the biggest challenge. I made some pretty awful wheat-free cookies, cakes and brownies. I was able to find substitutes for dairy, eggs and soy, and I could just avoid peanuts and tree nuts. Substituting wheat flour was a whole new area of baking. While items and options have vastly improved during recent years, there is still a science to baking without wheat. We also have many more options when it comes to allergy-friendly packaged foods. Enjoy Life has filled this niche very successfully.

If you're looking for a delicious cookie to serve at home or to take to a holiday party, these cookies will just blend in with other holiday treats. They are also a great option for classroom parties where there may be multiple allergies among a group of children.

Trust me, no one will realize that these cookies are special- unless you tell them. You can find all four flavors of Enjoy Life's new crunchy cookies at many grocery and natural food stores. Go to their site for some money-saving coupons.

Food Allergy Desensitization May be coming to an Office Near You

If you haven't spoken to your allergist in the past 6 months, you may want to check in. Food allergy desensitization programs like this one are becoming more prevalent. I found out over the summer that our allergist office will begin peanut desensitization in December. They chose peanut to start because they have a peanut allergic allergist who is willing to be the first desensitization patient in the practice. My 12-year-old may enter the peanut program this summer, although were are just as anxious for a milk desensitization program.

I'm really excited about this works. I recognize the risks, but I hope with a slow progression, an active watch for symptoms of an allergic reaction and keeping epinephrine close at hand, there will be success. This living in fear of accidental ingestion due to cross contamination or incomplete food labels is no good. Finally, some help may be on the way!

Cyber Monday Food Allergy Deals

Imagine the satisfaction of giving your milk allergic friend a box of safe chocolates for the holidays. How great it would be to bring an allergy-friendly hostess gift to the home of a family with food allergies. Take advantage of Cyber Monday and score some great deals on food allergy products:

Divvies has free shipping today on orders of $40 or more.
Stuck on You has 30% off their entire site today with promo code "cybersale2011"
Kyle Dine is offering 50% off his music CD's through December 6.

Happy shopping!

Can You be Allergic to Chocolate?

Over the years I've heard many people say that they, or their children, are allergic to chocolate. Can you really be allergic to chocolate? Finally, I uncovered an answer to my question. In this 7 minute audio clip, Allergist Bradley Chipps (I love that Dr. Chipps is talking about chocolate chips!) says that it is a possibility, but that he's never seen a diagnosed case of chocolate allergy and that after polling numerous colleagues he's yet to find an allergist who has made this diagnosis.

So, according to the doctor, it is possible to be allergic to chocolate, but very rare. Dr. Chipps believes that most people who eat chocolate and experience allergic symptoms are reacting instead to dairy or nut.

Interesting...

Dispose Those Expired EpiPens Safely

I have a little bag filled with expired Epipens. While I love the trick of practicing by using a real (expired) injector in a piece of fruit, like an orange, I'm never sure what to do with them after that. The local pharmacies don't seem to want them and while our allergist will dispose of them, I seem to have trouble remembering to bring them when we have an appointment.

Well, the FDA has stepped in and now offers do's and don't's, along with instructions on how and where to dispose of them. Of course the needles should not be put in recycling, trash, or flushed down the toilet, but many communities now offer disposal programs.

Check out your state's laws on needle disposal or call the Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal at 1-800-643-1643 for further assistance.

Enjoy Life Has Dairy Free Mega Chocolate Chips!

Enjoy Life has two new products and as they are both chocolate, I was more than happy to take the opportunity to try them out.

Their first new product is dairy-free mega chocolate chips. I am so excited that Enjoy Life is introducing this to their product line. I regularly  bake with Enjoy Life dairy-free mini-chocolate chips. They are perfect for melting when I want to use my candy molds and I like to use the mini-chips when I make the miniature size of my banana chocolate chip muffins. I had been having a trouble finding a bigger chip because the Allergy Grocer, my source for Barry Callebaut chips, went out of business. Then I discovered that Wegman's brand is dairy-free and I started baking with them.

Now, there's another choice, a BIG choice. Enjoy Life's mega-chips are  free of gluten and the top eight allergens, including dairy, soy, peanuts and tree nuts. The best part is that they are FULL of delicious chocolate taste.

They are really good- right out of the bag!

I also made a batch of chocolate, mega-chocolate chip brownies (what can I say...I enjoy my chocolate!). The big chips melted beautifully and created an ooey-gooey treat.

I am very pleased with these chips and you can get a coupon for 55 cents off an Enjoy Life product on their website.

The other new Enjoy Life product is Double Chocolate Crunch granola. I know that finding a peanut, nut and dairy-free granola is tough. Look no further. This granola is yummy right out of the bag and equally delicious in a bowl with milk (cow, soy, rice or otherwise).

This granola hits the spot when you need a quick chocolate fix!

Enjoy Life products are available at dozens of online retailers and at many grocery stores.

I'm off to have another one of those brownies!

Help for Parents of Food Allergic Kids

Allergy and Asthma Network is a great resource for parents. They have two new videos available that may be helpful. The first one features Chef Ryan Hutmacher, owner of Centered Chef. He finds a family in the grocery store who is struggling with a long list of unsafe foods. Chef Ryan helps them develop a plan for making safe home cooked meals.

The second video is a panel discussion that tackles real situations related to food allergy that come up in our schools. They discuss things like peanut-free tables and self-carrying of epinephrine.

Both videos are about 30 minutes long and packed with great information.

Find both videos at Life Links for Parents.

Planning Ahead for Thanksgiving Dinner

Food holidays are always challenging when you need to plan around food allergies. By keeping things simple and planning ahead a delicious holiday meal is easy to achieve. Here are some tried and true Thanksgiving tips and recipes:

• I always brine our Thanksgiving turkey. Honestly, this will be the moistest, most flavorful turkey you've ever had. Check out my article, "How to Brine a Turkey".
• Our side dishes are simple. For mashed potatoes, I reserve some of the potato water to beat back into the boiled, softened potatoes. Dairy-free margarine, a little seasoned salt and some pepper and we're good to go. We enjoy my sweet potato recipe and I serve a variety of vegetables like green beans, corn and raw veggies including red pepper, carrots and grape tomatoes. 
• I usually make bread in the bread machine or serve biscuits. Homemade stuffing isn't too tough to tackle. Follow this Cook's.com recipe using safe bread and margarine.
• It's always fun to make a few dessert selections. I have some of our favorites under the recipe tab of foodallergyassistant.com if you're looking for new dairy, egg, peanut and nut-free ideas.

Start gathering recipes and planning now for a low(er)-stress holiday meal. I'd love to hear how you've adapted some of your family favorites to accommodate food allergies!

Fall Holiday Chocolates That are Also Allergy Friendly

I enjoy making my own simple dairy and nut-free chocolates using a candy mold. If however, you are searching for something special this holiday season for a food allergic loved one, check out Premium Chocolatier's products. How elegant is a box of pumpkin truffles for maybe a hostess gift. Kids will love the stand-alone chocolate turkeys for a fun thanksgiving treat and their mini-chocolate cheesecakes (yup, they are dairy and nut free too!) would be a welcome gift to anyone who has never been able to indulge in a traditional box of chocolates.

I have always been satisfied with my Premium Chocolatier orders and they are perfect for those times when I want something distinctive that I can't make at home. They also offer gluten-free chocolates, dairy free chocolate covered pretzels and their Milkless candy bar tastes just like a traditional Hershey® bar- honest!

Chocolate does make life a little sweeter.

Another Year of Trick or Treat

Another trick or treat night and all was fine. A few of the neighbors had special, safe treats set aside. I sent thank you e-mails the following day to them because it warms my heart that they get that this is a tough holiday for kids with food allergies.

My son separated his candy into safe and unsafe piles. The safe pile was considerably smaller. I swapped the unsafe pile with some chocolates I made in a Halloween Jell-O mold. I added crushed almonds to the chocolate because my nut allergic child can have almonds. They are a great protein source so I try to add them to baked goods when I can.

We head into the succession of food holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day. Along the way we'll deal with cooking in the school Family and consumer Science class, a family trip and an overnight school activity. Each event requires planning and a dose of anxiety, but as a family, we've got the hang of this food allergy thing pretty well now. I am excited to read your comments about successful milk desensitization programs for your kids and I'm thrilled that our allergist office will soon start a peanut desensitization program. Strict avoidance may be an out-dated recommendation in the coming years.

Now that would be a treat!

Preparing to Be a Birthday Party Guest

Most parents drop their kids off at a birthday party with a "have a great time" and "BEHAVE". Parents of children with food allergies have a whole different procedure. My child is getting too old for me to hang out at the party. He wants some independence, and I agree. As he has entered his tween years, he wants to be "like everyone else". Can't say I blame him there either. I started preparing for the bowling alley birthday party a day in advance:

1. Call bowling alley to find out what food is served at late afternoon parties. Ask for ingredients of hot dogs and rolls. (I will also read the labels myself upon arrival at the party.)
2. Make  cupcake and frosting (to eat when birthday cake is served).
3. Make sure food allergic child is aware of safe food choices.
4. Upon arrival, talk to birthday child's parents- explain allergies (symptoms and sign of a reaction), demonstrate use of EpiPen using trainer, give cell phone number in case of emergency, make parents aware of safe foods.
5. Tell child to have a great time.
6. Leave.
7. Check cell phone a dozen times to make sure I haven't missed a call.
8. Pick up happy and safe kid.

Whew! Another milestone.

Exciting Breakthrough in Food Allergy Treatment

Using a specially designed molecule (HBL), researchers at Notre Dame believe they have found a way to block allergic reactions. The molecule can be introduced into the blood stream at which point it attaches to mast cells, so the offender (food protein, medication, insect venom) is unable to attach and set off the chain reaction that can lead to an allergic reaction.

"We believe HBL has a very high potential to be developed as a preventative medication," said Tanyel Kiziltepe, a research professor at Notre Dame.

At the present time, researchers believe the molecule will be most helpful in emergency situations such as when emergency room doctors don't know if a person is allergic to a medication. They could administer the medication and the molecule at the same time to perhaps prevent a reaction.

The full article is in the September issue of Chemistry and Biology and is available for purchase.

Update on Food Allergy and Flu Vaccine

My egg allergic son successfully received the flu vaccine for the first time. No reactions at all! The better news is that our allergist told us this would be the last time we needed to worry about egg protein in the flu shot. There was only a small amount of protein this year, and next year there will not be any, according to her conversations with various manufacturers of the vaccine.

This is great news for everyone with an egg allergy!

In other news, our allergist shared that the office will begin peanut desensitization sublingually this December. She said that milk and egg desensitization should be ready in the office in a year or so. The process involves placing a liquid or tablet under the tongue every day to get the body accustomed to the protein. The therapy can be administered at home, with occasional trips to the office when protein amount is increased.

I'm feeling so hopeful about all of this! There have been many successes with SLIT (Sublingual Immunotherapy) in research studies, and some offices around the country have begun successful programs as well.

Truly, it has been my dream for there to be no need for my food allergy blog and website. I'm getting closer to being put out of business and I couldn't be happier for my food allergic child and the millions of others with food allergy.

In the meantime, I'll keep writing and we should all stay vigilant to keep those with food allergies safe.

Egg Allergy and Flu Vaccine Recommendations

It's flu vaccine time again. We've never gotten the flu shot for my egg allergic son, but this year the consensus in the medical community seems to be that most people with egg allergy can tolerate the vaccine. We will be doing a flu desensitization at the allergist's office on Monday. That involves a skin test with a control and the actual vaccine. Depending upon the results of that, the vaccine may be administered all at once, or in smaller doses.

We always have the doctor's office order Thimerasol-free flu vaccine for our family. No need for extra mercury, right? I found this link recently that lists each flu vaccine manufacturer and the amount of egg (ovalbumin) and thimerasol in their serum.

Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about egg or mercury in your shot.

...and wish us luck on Monday...

Book Review of Food Cures by Joy Bauer

I recently had the opportunity to review a revised and updated #1 New York Times Bestseller book, Food Cures, by nutritionist Joy Bauer.

One of the first statements made in the book is "Life is hard...food should be easy". Those of us who deal with food allergies every day know that sometimes food makes life harder. While this book doesn't directly address food allergies (although there is a very helpful chapter on celiac disease- more on that later), it does help us "think like a nutritionist". Many of the tips like "pre-plan meals" and "load up on vegetables" are universal and easily fit for food allergy families.

Food Cures looks chapter by chapter at 17 different food issues ranging from diabetes to migraine headaches to celiac disease. Each issue is thoroughly explained and text boxes with FAQ's give a more personal flavor to the information. Every chapter then offers meal plans, several recipes, and a web address for more information.

Of special interest to some Food Allergy Assistant readers may be Chapter 18 on Celiac Disease. The chapter includes a list of common foods and food additives that may contain gluten. The included meal plans would be especially helpful for someone just starting a gluten-free diet, or for someone looking to add to their gluten-free repertoire'. The recipe for gluten-free gingerbread muffins sounds delish.  More celiac info is available on Joy's site.

At over 500 pages, Food Cures offers practical assistance for a wide range of issues we all face. Everyone needs to eat, and Joy doles out information and tips in a very palatable manner.

Study on Emotional Impact of Food Allergy

Over the summer I participated in this joint survey offered by Galaxy Foods and FAAN. The results have been published and I have a few comments:

• I'm thrilled to see that more than 50% of the parents surveyed believe their child's teachers and administrators have an excellent or good understanding of their child's allergies. We've come a long way, baby!
• I'm concerned to see that 50% of parents feel frustrated in dealing with their child's food allergy. Surprisingly, 31% report feeling isolated and alone. I know I felt this way 10 years ago, but I hoped that with so many blogs, websites and support groups, frustration and isolation would be low. We obviously still have a long way to go.
• 69% of parents believe that their food allergic child's life has been somewhat or significantly impacted by their food allergy. I certainly see an impact in meeting nutritional needs and in limitations for social opportunities.
• The limited social opportunity is further shown by the result stating 71% have never eaten in a restaurant due to food allergy concerns. Again, the awareness and information out there is so much better. Sites like AllergyEats help families make safer decisions. That said, I do get this one. Many feel that it's just not worth the risk.

Did anything jump out at you when you looked through the results? The bottom line for me is that I feel like we're moving ahead with food allergy information, but for those of us in the thick of it, it can't be fast enough.

New Facebook Page

I've got a new Facebook page! Please like me at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Food-Allergy-Assistant/118855898201358.

See you there!

Great List of Non-Food Products Containing Nuts

 It's amazing where nuts turn up! For anyone with a nut allergy, or someone who knows someone with a nut allergy, take a look at this list from Avoiding Milk Protein. From composite decking to kitty litter to paper, manufacturers are including peanuts and tree nuts in their products. Know before you buy.

Great Video for Kids About Food Allergies

Preschool and elementary children- food allergic or non-allergic- will benefit from seeing the video, "What is a Food Allergy?" created by AllergyHome.org. Information is clearly presented to help kids who don't have a food allergy understand what it means to be food allergic. Pass this on to your school, young family members, friends and neighbors to spread awareness.

The more we educate, the safer everyone will be.

Great Deals For Food Allergy Friendly Foods

With the kids back to school, some of our favorite food allergy companies are offering some fall deals:

• Divvies has free shipping on all products ($30 minimum purchase through September 10, 2011.
• Amanda's Own has their fall and Halloween products available.
• Chocolate Emporium is offering High Holiday specials for Rosh Hashana and Sukkot.
• Peanut Free Planet is offering free shipping on orders over $100.
• Vermont Nut Free also has their Halloween goodies out.

Some sad news for food allergy families- The Allergy Grocer has been forced to close. Their Miss Roben's mixes will reportedly be available soon through another distributor. I'll keep you posted. I'll miss those Barry Callebaut dairy free chocolate chips!

Help for Kids With Food Allergies Starting School

I love this idea by Paper and Pigtails! These cute printables make everyone aware of safe and unsafe foods for your little one. Great for school, Grandma's house and the kitchen pantry, I think you'll find numerous ways to protect your child with food allergies with these FREE printables.

Speak Up When Traveling With Food Allergies

We recently visited Niagara Falls. We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Ontario not only for the beautiful view of the Falls, but also because we would have a microwave, refrigerator and dining sized table in our suite.

All very helpful when traveling with food allergies.

When we arrived with our packed cooler, we found the refrigerator was about the size of a large shoebox. After much shuffling, I managed to cram our cold items in, but I was disappointed  in having to unpack the refrigerator every time we wanted to get something out of it. The next morning I noticed that the refrigerator wasn't keeping things very cold. I called the front desk.

"Oh, the unit in the rooms is little more than a cooler," I was told. "We'll send a refrigerator up right away."

And they did. The tall dorm size refrigerator was perfect for our needs.

Who knew we just needed to ask?

The next morning we went down to the included buffet breakfast. We asked the hostess about the ingredients in the bacon as we wondered if there was anything our dairy, egg, peanut, nut allergic child could eat. She said she would check with the chef.

The chef approached us and reached into a cabinet and pulled out a sheet of paper. On the paper was a table listing every breakfast item  and indicating if the item was safe for someone with a milk, egg, peanut or tree nut allergy. Perfect! My food allergic child enjoyed their Fruit Loops®, home fries, bacon, fruit and orange juice each morning of our stay.

Who knew we just needed to ask?

While we were prepared for whatever the trip threw at us, we learned that, at least at this hotel, was very accommodating when we let them know what we needed.

Sometimes you just need to ask.

More Options Needed in Epi Devices

I've been watching Intelliject for a year and a half. Intelliject has been working on an epinephrine injector that is "the height and width of a credit card and the thickness of a small cell phone". This week the FDA gave tentative approval for this product. The device can not be marketed in the U.S. until the FDA gives final approval. With litigation against Intelliject, that final approval may remain elusive.

Stay tuned...again. I'm looking forward to something more manageable for my middle-schooler to carry on his person. Sometimes the barrel-shaped EpiPen works for us, but in other situations this credit card shaped device may work better.

I want options!

Peanut Food Challenge

We recently went to the allergist for a peanut challenge. While my 11-year-old has tested positive (RAST test) for peanut protein, he has never actually had peanut. To prepare for the test, I made a peanut butter candy by melting safe chocolate chips, spreading it in a candy mold and putting a layer of peanut butter on top. I then added another layer of peanut butter and refrigerated it until it hardened.

We arrived at the challenge and all his vitals (heart, skin, breathing) were checked. The first level of the challenge was to break open one of the candies so the allergist could put a tiny amount of the peanut butter on a tongue depressor and place some on his tongue. Within minutes, he began complaining that his lip "felt funny". Sure enough, his upper lip was swelling and had developed a hive. We called for the doctor who gave him a healthy dose of Benadryl and watched him to see if further intervention (steroids, epinephrine) was needed. His lip began to return to normal size in a few minutes. We were asked to wait in the office for an additional 30 minutes.

No further medication was required.

While the challenge was labelled "unsuccessful", we learned several things:

• he is allergic to peanut
• he did not have any breathing issues related to the ingestion of a small amount of peanut
• the small amount of peanut he ingested did not require the use of epinephrine

So, avoidance of all things peanut continues. The allergist did share that their office will begin offering peanut immunotherapy in the coming months.I am excited about this area of new treatment and plan to explore it further.

I'll keep you posted.

Food Allergy Numbers May be Higher Than Previously Estimated

A recent study published in Pediatrics, puts the number of children with food allergy at six million- double the number the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has been reporting.

With a sample size of over 38,000, eight percent indicated a food allergy. Of those, over 38% reported a history of severe reactions and 30% report multiple food allergies. Peanut, milk and shellfish were the most common allergens reported for this group under the age of 18.

Heredity and environment continue to be viewed as the main causes of food allergy, but researchers still don't understand the connection.

In the meantime, those of us who have children with food allergies must continue to be vigilant. See an allergist who understands food allergy and  keep kids safe by making sure they don't eat the foods they are allergic too.

Check out some of my recipes to find some delicious and safe allergy friendly foods.

Food Allergy Has High Tech Help

People dealing with food allergies can get a little help from the web. Check out these high tech resources:

Allergic To It is a site for people to share with one another. Anyone can go on the site and enter their favorite food allergy safe foods. The entire community can then vote on foods, giving products a "Confidence Counter", which translates into how confident you can be in that product.
My Food Facts is an iPhone app that allows you to scan the bar code of any food item to find out if you may be allergic to it. Sure beats squinting at labels in a poorly lit grocery store!

Eating out with food allergies can be fraught with confusion and fear. Check out these two sites before you make a reservation:
Allerdine is a food allergy restaurant guide giving information about the food allergy friendliness of various restaurants. Set up a free profile to share your experiences and to receive e-mail offers from restaurants and their partners.
Allergyeats has over 600,000 restaurants in its database. Based on peer rating and feedback, AllergyEats help food allergic diners make informed choices about where to eat out. The site is currently offering a gift card contest. Check out their Facebook page to learn how you can win.

Amazon.com can be a Great Resource for Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Foods

For Celiac Awareness month, Amazon is offering up to 30% off many gluten free products through the end of May. Check out this selection of cereal, snacks, bars and baking mixes.

I've been able to save money over the years purchasing other allergy safe foods for our family from Amazon. From Enjoy Life chocolate chips to Soynut Butter to gluten free Mary's Gone Crackers, buying in bulk through Amazon is easier on the wallet. Many of these products are available for free shipping too. I also like the customer reviews on the site which help me decide if I should buy a particular food.

So, check out Amazon to see if some of your favorites are available and make a few comments on products if you get a chance because that helps all of us!

Latest Food Allergy Research Studies Underway

There are many studies going on in the world of food allergy. If you are interested in participating in a study, or just want to learn more about what is happening in the research, check out these links:

Baked Milk Study for kids in New York
Peanut Allergy Study for peanut allergic adults at centers across the country
Curing Milk Allergy Through Oral Immunotherapy
Herbal Formula to Cure Food Allergy Study
Food Allergy Study is seeking 500 more families to help answer important questions about food allergy

I am glad to see so many food allergy studies. As we learn more, we get closer to a treatment and cure!

Peanut Allergy Food Challenge Postponed

We arrived at the allergist's office emotionally and physically ready for my 10 year old's peanut challenge last week. Unfortunately the office wasn't ready for us. There were boxes all around and we were told it was moving day- no doctors or appointments that day.

Apparently the office sent us an e-mail informing us about the need to reschedule. It was sent to a very old e-mail address.

A phone call would have been nice...husband took a vacation day to attend, we scheduled this 2 months ago around the school schedule, anxiety all Easter week-end about the challenge...you get the picture.

So, we rescheduled for later this month, but I wanted to let you know what we decided to use for the challenge.

A few days before "the challenge that never happened", I took a chocolate mold and put in a layer of melted dairy and nut free chocolate. I topped that with a layer of soy nut butter and then added a top layer of the chocolate.

Totally yummy. My son enjoyed the treat and understood that this is what he would eat on Monday at the challenge, except that the soy nut butter would be peanut butter.

So, that's our plan for the peanut challenge in a few weeks.

I'll keep you posted!

Survey on Management of Food Allergy in Schools and Child Care Centers

Have you had a chance to participate in the "Attitudes and Opinions about the Management of Food Allergy in Educational Settings" survey?

Developed by the Kids With Food Allergies Foundation; the University of Michigan Medical School’s Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Allergy & Immunology, the survey is anonymous and will give leaders in food allergy valuable insight into what we see in our schools.

It only takes a few minutes to complete and you can do it multiple times if you have several kids with food allergies.

Click here to take the survey.

Arizona Teenager in Coma After Eating Cereal With Peanut

This is one of those heartbreaking stories. A 14 year old Arizona girl was hanging out with friends snacking on cereal when she went into anaphylactic shock and then cardiac arrest. She's been in a coma for several weeks now. You can read the story here and follow her progress on Facebook.

From all of us who have kids with food allergies, our thoughts are with Adrianna and her family and we wish her a speedy and full recovery.

Peanut Allergy Food Challenge Coming Up

We've got a peanut challenge in two weeks. My nearly 11-year-old has never eaten peanut. We've avoided it because of blood test results. We feell like it's time to find out the truth.

Our allergist suggested not using actual peanuts for the challenge as they can scratch the throat and cause confusion over possible allergic symptoms. I plan to bake something with peanut butter, however the allergist said it needs to be "a substantial amount". I'm thinking of putting peanut butter in my chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I also considered making peanut butter type candies.

I'd love to hear your suggestions!

Food Allergies in the News

I'd like to share an article I wrote for our local Patch about the situation in Florida involving a peanut allergic six-year-old.

I know this is the nightmare of every parent with a food allergic preschooler, but I can assure you that this situation does not appear to be typical in schools in our country. We have had a very positive experience with our public school system and I hear mostly the same from my fellow food allergy parents. The key is planning and open communication.

A support system via Facebook has been set up for the Florida family involved in this national news story. Feel free to lend your support and share your experiences.

Gluten Free and Allergen Free Expo to be Held in Chicago

Living Without, a magazine for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity and food allergies, has become the title sponsor of the 4th annual Gluten & Allergen Free Expo, to be held April 29 - May 1 in Chicago.

Editor of Living Without, Alicia Woodward says “This Expo features a variety of experts, valuable information about great tasting specialty products, cooking and baking tips, recipes, and much more.”



More than 70 vendors will showcase their products.  Attendees can sit in on cooking and baking classes taught by well-respected chefs, nutritionists and cookbook authors to learn tips for preparing gluten free/allergen free meals and snacks.  Participants will enjoy lively presentations, taste recipes and have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with experts.

The Expo also features a designated nut-free area, kids’ activities and performers, and a special allergen-friendly cooking class for children.

For registration information, hotel deals and to sign up for e-mail notices, visit the Gluten and Allergen Free Expo site.

Anyone already registered or planning to attend?

Health Bloggers Can Earn a Little Extra Something

WEGO Health is a different kind of social media company whose mission is to empower the top 10% of online health social media contributors to connect with each other and with healthcare companies. They call these people Health Activists. Food Allergy Assistant is one of them.

WEGO Health is setting up an Insight Panel (online focus group) for parents who blog about family health, nutrition, parenting and more. I’ve already signed up, but I wanted to make sure that all of you knew about the opportunity as well. The Insight Panel will last about an hour and all participants will receive a $25 Amazon.com gift card for their participation. They’re still scheduling the actual Panel, but WEGO wanted to start sharing this with people now.

If you’re interested in participating in this Panel (or one like it) and want to see if you’re a good fit, take their brief survey here: Parents Who Blog about Health Insight Panel!

Food Allergy Conferences Begin This Week-end

FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) is kicking off their conferences in Baltimore this Saturday, April 2. On April 16, the Chicago conference is scheduled in Oak Brook Illinois and the west coast conference will be in Anaheim California on June 11. In 2012, the Baltimore (east coast) conference will be in Tarrytown NY, so you may want to plan accordingly.

I have found these conferences to be helpful during our food allergy journey. The speakers range from doctors sharing new treatment and research information to teens talking about how they deal with food allergies every day. At lunch, attendees sit with "their zip code" in order to meet people who live close to you. Discussion of local schools and support groups often takes place during this meal.

There are special sessions for teens (ages 11-18), school nurses and adults with food allergy. Other sessions focus on 504 plans and preparing allergy-friendly foods.

Check out the schedule and consider whether a FAAN conference may help you better deal with food allergy this year.

Camp for Children With Food Allergies

Have you worried that your food allergic child won't be able to participate in typical kid activitites like summer camp? FAAN has just announced registration for Camp TAG. These specially designed half day camps are "95% fun and 5% educational". Children ages 3-12 will be grouped by age and participate in activities including camp games, arts and crafts, boating, mini-golf and more.

There are three locations for the summer of 2011:

• Joliet Park District in Joliet IL
• Tall Pines Day Camp in Williamstown NJ
• Sandy Springs Friends School near Gaithersburg MD

TAG stands for The Allergy Gang and this camp experience may help kids with food allergies feel a connection to others who deal with food allergy every day.

Check out the registration page for more information.

Your family may want to consider a summer vacation around Camp TAG. Williamstown NJ is an easy distance to all the sights of Philadelphia. Gaithersburg Maryland is just outside of Washington DC and Joliet Illinois is 45 miles from Chicago.

Food Allergy Presentations at Annual Conference in San Francisco

The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) just wrapped up their annual conference in San Francisco. As always, many presentations addressed food allergy. I always look forward to information from this conference as we get the latest research and data.  Here are a few highlights:

In New Research Continues to Give Hope for Outgrowing Milk Allergy, researchers report that the median age for outgrowing milk allergy is two years of age.  Factors that may best predict the potential resolution of milk allergy include  lower milk IgE, a smaller wheal from the prick skin test and mild-none versus moderate-severe atopic dermatitis.

The presentation, When It Comes to Certain Allergies, Birth Order Matters, revealed that the incidence of food allergy decreased significantly as birth order increased. This would seem to indicate that your firstborn, or older children are more likely to have food allergies. While not the case in our family, this may give some relief to parents of food allergic children who want to have more children.

Children with More Severe Eczema Less Likely to Outgrow Milk, Egg Allergy gave information suggesting that child with no, or mild, atopic dermatitis were more likely to outgrow their egg or milk allergies.  


A presentation, Could Rural Environment Protect Against Food Allergy? showed that rural areas do seem to have less food allergy than urban areas. The next step, researchers say, is to find out what factors seem to provide this protection.


  

Lawsuit Against Chinese Restaurant After Peanut Allergy Death

Remember the tragic story last year of the 7th grader who died after eating Chinese food served at a class party? Katelyn Carlson had a known peanut allergy and suffered an anaphylactic reaction to Chinese food brought into school for a party. Teachers say they told the restaurant of the peanut allergy. The food was later tested and found to contain peanut protein.

 

A recent news article about the lawsuit is creating another divide in our society that reminds me of the recent controversy in a Florida school. I hate to see the finger pointing and the blame. It's time that everyone accepts that food allergies are part of our society and that we all, food allergic or not, need to deal with it. Adults need to protect children with food allergies and laws need to protect food allergic children and adults.

 

I know- not as simple as it sounds, but it's time to end the blame game and for us all to act as Good Samaritans and help one another. Those of us closely related to food allergy need to continue to educate others about what having a food allergy means. Everyone else needs to open their minds and hearts and step up to do what is right.

Stories like these also serve as a reminder to those of us with food allergic kids:

• Make sure they always have access to an Epipen.
• Create a 504 plan with your school.
• Teach children how to stand up for themselves and take control of their own food allergy.

I don't know any details of the Carlson case. I do know it is tragic that a child died of a food allergy reaction.

Food Allergy Detective App Offers Clues

Diagnosing food allergies requires some detective work. Anyone who thinks they have food allergies or food sensitivities should certainly consult a doctor, however there is some work you can do before and after seeing the doctor. While skin and blood tests may provide some clues, keeping track of what you eat and how you feel after you eat provides valuable evidence.

Fortunately, there's an app for that. Enter Tim, a good husband who wanted to help his wife as she struggled to figure out her food allergies and sensitivities. He created the Food Allergy Detective App, which can be used on an iPhone, iPod Touch or an iPad. Tim asked me to try it out to see if my blog readers might be interested in this tool.

We're currently doing some of our own detective work with my child's allergies. We've got an Excel® spreadsheet with a list of foods and we're recording any symptoms. The paper is getting pretty messy with our arrows, highlights and scribbles. I decided to enter it into Food Allergy Detective App through my iPad.

Here's what I like about this app. The eight top allergens are already listed, but it was very easy for me to go in and add categories I specifically needed like, "almonds" and "baked milk". From there, I could drill down further and document "1 baked egg in 24 cookies". This precision is important to me as we investigate my child's reactions to specific foods.

The app then allows you to record any symptoms that occurred after ingesting the food. Everything from abdominal pain to hives is already listed. Additional symptoms can be added. Now, the cool part is the app actually analyzes the data and lets you know if any patterns emerge.
Very convenient.

My sloppy charts work fine, but this app is much neater and has the added feature of organizing the data into patterns. If you are struggling with physical symptoms that seem to be related to the foods you eat, the Food Allergy Detective app may be just the tool to help you figure out the foods causing your symptoms.

For more information, check out Food Allergy Detective.

Food Allergy Awareness

Check out these great videos on PIX11. They are talking about all things food allergy this week on their morning show. Watch to see everything from how restaurants are becoming more allergy aware to a demonstration of how to handle an allergic reaction. You'll see Sloane Miller talk about her new food allergy book and you'll hear 7 year old Ronaldo talk about his food allergies. They also provide an update on current research.

What a great way to introduce food allergies and to raise awareness about them!

Food Allergy Book By Allergic Girl Sloane Miller

Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies

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Hopeful.

That's how I felt reading Sloane Miller's new book, Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies. Sloane is an adult who is living just fine with her food allergies.

For those of us who have food allergic children, once we get past the shock of the initial diagnosis, our brains turn to, "how do you live like this?". Then we kick it in gear. We find the recipes, we corral the medicines, eventually we interview preschools and then initiate 504 meetings for our food allergic school-age kids. Underneath all of that, though, I couldn't help but wonder how my child was going to navigate though all this as he got older (translation: when he didn't have his loving parents watching everything he put in his mouth).

• Would he ever be able to go out for pizza with friends?
• What about dating?
•  How could he go away to college?
• Would he be able to take a trip without the meticulous planning I do before every family vacation?
• Will he be safe when I am no longer responsible for his food allergies?

This book reveals a path. There is a way to live safely with food allergies. I like the concepts Sloane puts forth, like "having a safety person" and "team you". She takes us through the grief process that often accompanies a food allergy diagnosis. She tells us how she navigates things like going off to college, attending weddings, dining out and traveling.

If you are an adult struggling with your food allergies, or a parent anxious about your child's food allergies, I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book. It's a bowlful of information, blended with a spoonful of fun and then covered with a generous dollop of hope.

It's delicious!

New Flu Vaccines Safe for Egg Allergic

The 2009 swine flu scare has had an unexpected benefit for the food allergy community. On March 1, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced contracts with two companies to manufacture flu vaccine. The 2009 swine flu pandemic proved that companies were unable to meet the demand for vaccine quickly enough using traditional egg-based methods of production.

Novavax and VaxInnate are the manufacturers of these next-generation recombinant influenza vaccines. Novavax is to develop new technology to produce vaccines using insect cells to express influenza proteins and create virus-like particles that stimulate a strong immune response in humans.VaxInnate is developing a recombinant influenza vaccine technology based on combining influenza and bacteria proteins to stimulate strong immune response to protect against the flu.
People will be able to get the vaccine earlier in the season and these new vaccines by-pass the guessing game of which strain of the virus should be in the vaccine.

I'll keep you posted on more information as it is released.

Finally, egg allergic kids and adults won't have to weight the risk of their allergy against the risk of getting the flu!

Food Allergic? Be Our Guest.

Congratulations to Disney for being given the FAAN (Food Allergy and Anyphalaxis Network)Corporate Leadership Award. Disney was honored for "its commitment to food allergy awareness, education and management."

Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts accepted the award saying, "Our parks in the U.S. alone accommodated well over 400,000 special dietary requests from guests last year."

Fantastic! No wonder Disney feels like "the most magical place on earth". They really try to make everyone feel special; like an honored guest.

I hope to see other resorts, parks and restaurants rise to the challenge as well. Everyone should be able to eat safely every where.

Campbells Soup and several individuals were also honored at the Hollywood gala.

A huge thank you to all the winners. your efforts are much appreciated.

This week-end I made Libby Ilson's Double Chocolate Brownie Bites. They won the 2010 FAANtastic Divvies Cookie Contest.

Now I know why. They are so yummy and so chocolatey. My family declared them, "the best ever". Ever what, I'm not sure, but they are fantastic!

I made one addition to the recipe. I added almonds, since we've been able to recently include these into my child's diet.

So, the next time you're craving a little chocolate (oh, that's right now you say?) pull out this recipe and make a batch. They're great hot- right out of the oven, and when they're warm, then at room temperature and awesome the next day and even right out of the freezer.

I tried them all different ways and you can't go wrong.

Enjoy!

Winner of Food Allergy Book Giveaway

Thank you for your inspirational stories of  food allergies and love in response to Allergic Girl's book giveaway. Each tale was unique and heartwarming. I entered the number of comments into random.org...

And the winner is...drum roll...Andie D.:

"It's always hard to figure out what to buy my 3year old son with eosinophilic esophagitis. He has multiple food allergies and though he can eat dairy free chocolate, he hates it! So I bought a watermelon today...all for him! He was so excited! Nothing like sweet boy kisses!"

Congratulations Andie! Please shoot me an e-mail (foodallergyassistant@gmail.com) with your mailing address so I can get you your free copy of Allergic Girl.

Thanks to all for your participation!

Allergic Girl comes out March 1, 2011.

Helpful Food Allergy Resource

Do you know about Wellsphere? This online community connects regular people, enthusiasts, and professionals around health topics. There is a very active food allergy group on the site. Check out the site and contribute if you feel so inclined.

Today is the last day to enter in the free book give-away. Come on, share your story and try for your chance to win a book. Winner will be announced Monday.

New Information About Eczema and Food Allergies

I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I read the discussion on food allergies presented at the 69th annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology last week. Dr. Jon Hanfin discussed the link between eczema and food allergy. He said that people with atopic dermatitis, or eczema, make larger amounts of IgE than any other groups of patients.

IgE is what is tested when we do blood tests for food allergies. In other words, people with eczema are, of course, going to have high IgE levels, indicating they may, or may not, have a food allergy.

Dr. Hanfin went on to say that children with eczema may only have a sensitization to a food, but they are being treated as though it is a food allergy. This leads us back to the recent thought that "only a food challenge can confirm a food allergy".

The sick feeling in my stomach worsened as I read on to the part about "withholding foods may actually be causing more allergies". So, a parent takes her baby with eczema to the doctor. Allergy tests are conducted and show the baby to be allergic to a bunch of foods. The doctor says to avoid all of these foods or the baby could have a severe allergic reaction. The parent(s) re-arrange their lives to avoid the foods and later find out that this avoidance may have caused food allergies.

I know this is all new information, but this has been our lives for over 10 years. We've been fortunate to recently discover that some of the foods my child has avoided (like almonds, shrimp, baked milk and baked egg) do not cause a reaction. I'm grateful for that, but now I wonder if any of the foods we avoided were necessary to avoid.

These "new discoveries" can't come fast enough for me. I want this figured out!

Listen to a podcast about the session and read the discussion of the presentation. What do you think?

Food Allergy Book Giveaway

Sloane Miller, aka Allergic Girl, has been the stand-out voice for adults with food allergies. Her new book, Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies, is coming out March 1. To celebrate, she is offering one lucky Food Allergy Assistant reader a free copy.

Here's what you need to do to be eligible to win:
In the comments below, share your positive food allergy love story. It can be:

Any loving act you did for a food allergic family member or yourself,
Your best date with food allergies,
Your food allergic dream date,
A date you planned for a loved one,
Or what your dreams are for your food allergic child when they date.

Get the Valentine's Day theme? Just sharing the love.

I'll get this party started with my food allergy love story...

People have said, "I don't know how you do what you do". They are referring to the dozens of rolls, breads, cookies and cakes I make from scratch. They are talking about all the planning that goes into every trip we take so we can make sure there will be safe food away from home. They mean how do you manage all of the doctor appointments, meeting with school officials, and writing to legislators about food allergy issues?


You know what I say? "I do all of this because this is my child and this is what a loving parent does for their child. I hope I am being a good role model to my kids as I guide them along the path to be responsible, caring adults. I also hope I am sharing my knowledge with others so we have appropriate guidelines in place in our schools, restaurants, food manufacturing plants and our laws to protect everyone- food allergic or not. I will continue to do all of this until the phrase "food allergy" is no longer needed.

Check out the book trailer and comment below sometime this week for a chance to win. Winner will be announced next Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

Good luck!

Cold Allergy Better Than Food Allergy?

Did you see the segment on the Today Show Tuesday morning about the 9-year-old who has a cold allergy? The family talked to Matt Lauer about how the little girl can't tolerate temperatures over 70 degrees-that includes food and drink. She breaks out in hives, and experiences other symptoms, which could include anaphylactic shock.

She is unable to eat ice cream or go swimming. Her bath water has to be as warm as she can stand it and she needs heated towels and heated clothes to cover up immediately.

The family says that they must consider their daughter's allergy every day and carry epinephrine

Her mother said, "I actually prefer this to a nut allergy. I feel this much more manageable."

"Yes, Matt Lauer said, "otherwise you'd have to figure out everywhere there's nuts in the diet."

Funny, while watching this, I was thinking just the opposite- that I'd rather deal with food allergy than a cold allergy.

I guess it's all in what you're used to. Allergies with the risk of anaphylaxis, no matter what triggers them, all need to be treated the same- avoidance with emergency medications close by.

You can check out the segment, add the 400 plus comments here. For further information on cold urticaria, the Mayo Clinic offers both basic and in-depth information on this condition.

Food Allergy Test Using Saliva

A study written in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology peaked my interest recently. Researchers set out to test the concentration of a specific saliva mast cell to see if it helped determine whether or not a food allergy was present. Using patients already suspected of food allergy, participants were instructed to chew the offending food until they developed symptoms.

What researchers discovered was that concentrations of this mast cell peaked after about four minutes following the onset of symptoms. The conclusion of the study is that the measurement of this specific mast cell in saliva may be helpful in diagnosing food allergy.

My interest in this is that we may have another way to diagnose food allergy. Blood and skin tests have proved to be less than ideal for reliability and I've outlined before the difficulties of relying on food challenges. We are in dire need of better testing alternatives.

While this study had a small sample size, I remain hopeful that it is another key to help unlock the mystery of food allergy.

Food Allergy Labelling Too Costly?

Have you been following the new food allergy labeling requirements in Canada? Apparently there is still one sticking point. The beer industry wants to be exempt. They say it would be too expensive for them to put these labels on their products.

I say, "Tough- you do it because it's the right thing to do".

The law does not even require full disclosure of the beverage ingredients. Beer makers would simply need to list any food allergens- wheat being the most common.

Canadian lawmakers, stand firm. The beer industry should not get to create policy. Policymakers do that.

Read more here.

Food Allergy Update: Almonds Are In

With a child allergic to dairy, egg, peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish, we've worried over the years about protein and calcium sources. It's tough to get those things while avoiding so much. Last week, my child tried a sliver of almond.

No reaction, even though a blood test showed an allergy to almond.

The next day, half an almond.

No reaction.

Fast forward a week and a bunch of almonds later. Either my child was never allergic to almonds, or the allergy was very recently outgrown. Whatever the case, I'm glad to be able to add this nutrient-packed food to his diet.

Sesame seed, almonds, baked milk (powdered) and baked egg all successful over the past few months.

On to cheese this week.

We're making progress. Very exciting, quite stressful.

Food Allergy Friendly Massachusetts

Beginning tomorrow, February 1, Massachusetts restaurants will be required to have a certified food protection manager on staff. This staff member must must have completed allergen-awareness training through a state program and certification must be renewed every five years.

In addition, restaurant managers in MA must make sure their staff is trained and educated in the area of food allergy and the manager must deliver the meal to the table of the food allergic diner.

Yeah Massachusetts!

I've been saying for years, if Disney can make food allergic diners feel comfortable, so can other restaurants. MA is the first state to enact this type of policy. Here's hoping others soon follow.

I see a family vacation to MA in our near future. My kids would love the Freedom Trail and I've always wanted to visit Martha's Vineyard. How much easier our trip planning will be knowing we can speak to restaurant staff about food allergies and they will get it.

Really get it.

I'll be anxious to hear from Massachusetts readers and travelers as this law takes effect. Food allergy awareness will save lives and will allow those with food allergy to participate in activities others take for granted.

Like stopping at a restaurant for a quick lunch; or eating out with friends; or attending a family party at a restaurant...

Everyone has the right to eat safely.

New Study for People With Peanut Allergy

If you live in the West Hartford, Connecticut area, you may be interested in a new study being conducted by the New England Food Allergy Center. It is a desensitization program whereby small amounts of peanut protein are given to a peanut allergic individual over a period of time. The study starts with visits to the Center and are continued at home.

Unfortunately most insurance companies won't cover the costs, which will be in the $3000 range. It may be worth checking with your insurance though. Don't be afraid to escalate this to the medical director of your insurance carrier, who can often over-ride what customer service representatives are told to tell callers.

Time to Re-Check Food Allergies?

This NY Times article, Have a Food Allergy? It's Time to Re-Check, caught my attention recently. Having lived through this with my child for the past 10 years, my concerns about the accuracy of skin and blood tests continues to rise. A year and a half ago, based on blood test results, we were told to add more "foods to avoid to the list.  This was going in the wrong direction!

I've shared our experiences with adding baked milk and baked egg into the diet. This continues to be successful. We are now wondering about other foods we've been told to avoid and so, after consultation with our allergist, we are trying some of the "allergenic" foods in a safe environment.

Safe, as in at home, with epinephrine on-hand.

We tried sesame seeds- no reaction. 
We tried almonds- no reaction.
We tried  McDonalds® french fries (contain milk in the U.S.)- no reaction.

So, not allergic to sesame seeds, almonds or french fries from McDonald's. Now we know.
While I continue to feel greatful for the advances being made in food allergy, I still feel like the medical community is relying on "avoid the allergen" based on blood tests, and not giving us the information we need to make good decisions for ourselves and our children. It is not okay to live for a decade without dairy, eggs, nuts and many other foods. These food groups provide important nutrients and proteins and I want more from our doctors than "stay away from it".

So we continue. We've made a list of things to try. It's scary and exciting, but we need to figure this out. As always, your allergist is still the best source of information when it comes to food allergies.

I am not advocating this method for anyone else. We just needed to find something that works for us now. Already this method has reduced worry, fear, anxiety, and improved quality of life for our family.

I'll keep you posted.

Valentine's Day With Food Allergies

Chocolates without nuts, peanuts and dairy can be hard to find. That's why I started investing in candy molds a few years ago. I now have a collection of molds that work for all occasions.

These bite size hearts are perfect for Valentine's Day. Simply melt some Barry Callebaut chocolate chips, pour into the molds and refrigerate for about an hour. They'll pop right out of the mold to be festively wrapped or eaten immediately.  Now that I've discovered VeganSweets dairy-free white chocolate chips, I may do some experimenting with these chips and food coloring to create more Valentine's goodies.

If you want to order your allergy-friendly candy instead, there are many choices. Just order soon so you get what you need before February 14.

Check out Amanda's Own, Chocolate Emporium, Divvies, Premium Chocolatiers, and Vermont Free Chocolates, for a great selection of Valentine's Day gifts and treats.