Wait, Nutella isn't a Health Food?!?

Nutella and Food Allergies

I had to shake my head this weekend when I heard about the Nutella® lawsuit. Apparently some people watched TV ads for Nutella and believed the gooey, chocolaty spread was a health food. That in spite of the fact that the first ingredient listed on the label is sugar. 


"I don't have time to read ingredients when I'm grocery shopping. It would take me like 4 or 5 hours to shop," said San Diego mom Athena Hohenberg (the plaintiff behind the class-action suit) this weekend in a TV interview.


Welcome to our world. A world of reading food labels so you know what you're buying and feeding your family. Trust me, I'd like to not read food labels too. It sure would make for quicker grocery shopping and I could go on believing that carrot cake is a health food.


A couple of tips for people who eat food:

• don't trust advertisements by companies trying to get you to buy their food product .
• spend a few minutes reading the ingredient labels of the foods you eat and feed to your family. 

Many food allergy families would have avoided Nutella due to the nuts, dairy and soy clearly listed on its label, but if you happened to buy Nutella between Jan. 1, 2008 and Feb. 3, 2012, you can file a claim. 
 You may be eligible for up to $20 from the company.


However, if you choose to purchase more Nutella with your winnings, know that you're getting a spread of sugar, palm oil, hazelnuts, cocoa, reduced minerals, whey, soy lecithin and vanillin. 


I know, because it says so right on the label.

McDonald's and Food Allergies: A Few Fast Food Tips

McDonald's Hamburgers and Dairy Allergy

I've mentioned in the past that McDonald's has become our go-to restaurant when we're traveling or otherwise on the go. We stopped there last week and I wanted to share our experience:

Us to cashier: "We'd like two hamburgers, but our son is very allergic to milk and eggs so please ask the person making the burgers to change their gloves and use clean utensils. Please make sure they don't touch anything like cheese while making the burgers."

Cashier: "Certainly"

Cashier turns toward food prep area.

"GRILL CREW," (all McDonald's employees in the vicinity stop what they are doing and turn to her- including the guy mopping the floor) "WE'VE GOT A FOOD ALLERGY! CHANGE YOUR GLOVES AND DON'T TOUCH ANY CHEESE!"

It was like an airport lock-down.

Cashier, turning back to us says sweetly: "Will that be everything?"

She then positioned herself to watch her grill crew make those burgers. We all saw both employees change their gloves (even though only one of them actually prepared our food) and pointedly concentrate on the task at hand. The openness of the kitchen area allows everyone to see exactly what is going on (This came in handy a few weeks ago when we were traveling and I had to alert a McDonald's manager that an employee grabbed a slice of cheese and hurriedly put it down to continue making our burgers. The manager apologized and re-made the burgers.).

Here are a few tips we've learned about ordering at fast food restaurants:

• Avoid the drive-through.
• Try to arrive at less busy times.
• Be clear about the food allergies and what you need for them to do.
• Model a consistent dialogue and tone knowing that your child will eventually need to order for him/her self
• Watch the food preparation.
• Don't hesitate to alert the manager if you are uncomfortable with anything you've seen.
• Thank the employees for their extra efforts.

Remember to check out Allergy Eats to find and rate restaurants. The more ratings, the more helpful the information will be. Happy dining!

Food Allergy Research Boost With Multi-Million Dollar Grant

Milk Allergy

Perhaps you've read the news that David H. Koch, Executive Vice President of Koch Industries, has donated 10 million dollars to the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. This donation, one of the largest in the Institute's history, will create the David H. and Julia Koch Research Program in Food Allergy Therapeutics.

This is great news for the food allergy community. Mt. Sinai has already brought to light the possibility of introducing baked milk and egg to people with milk and egg allergies. They have also lead the way in researching the link between bullying and food allergies, and the lack of a link between waiting to introduce foods to infants and the development of food allergy.

Part of this donation may go toward some of the clinical trials currently underway at the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, such as using Xolair to help develop milk tolerance and the effect of Chinese Herbal medicine on food allergies. All great research paving the way toward figuring out what causes food allergy and how to prevent it.

Eczema Resources

Treat Eczema

It's a funny word that's easy to misspell, but for those dealing with eczema, there's nothing humorous about it. We've had our share of keeping fingernails super-short so as not to cause cuts when scratching. I once spent a small fortune on the softest sheets imaginable and I think I could buy a pony with all the money I've spent on special laundry detergents and moisturizers over the years.

It is very common for people with food and environmental allergies to also deal with some level of eczema. Here are a few of my favorite eczema related resources:

The National Eczema Association offers support and helpful tips. I really like their suggested list of cleansing and moisturizing products. Their patient conference will be held in Atlanta GA this summer.
The National Eczema Society has a great list of FAQ's.
The Mayo Clinic lists the symptoms, causes, treatments and more for anyone new to eczema.
Penny's World is a cartoon site for kids to learn all about eczema and how to treat it.
It's An Itchy Little World is a blog filled with tips and additional eczema resources.

Did I miss any of your favorite eczema places?

Allergy Free Eggs

It may seem a little science fictionish, but researchers at Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Australia believe they can modify the proteins within egg whites to produce chickens which will lay allergy-free eggs.

Maybe we can also answer that age-old question- "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

In this case, the egg wins.

Researchers at Deakin, in collaboration with CSIRO in Geelong and the Poultry Co-operative Research Centre, state that there are four proteins in egg white that cause allergic reactions. They have found a way to effectively switch off those allergens in the egg, which will make a chicken that will then lay eggs free of allergens.

This could lead to a flu vaccine free of egg allergen and may even lead to bakery items and other commercially available foods that can be labelled as containing "allergen-free eggs". 

While the research is expected to take another three years to complete, there is a possibility of allergy-free vaccines in five years. 

This leads me to wonder if allergens can also be switched off in peanuts, dairy and other foods that cause allergic reactions for many people.

Stay tuned!

Food Allergies on Pinterest

Food Allergy Assistant on Pinterest

Have you joined the Pinterest craze yet? Food Allergy Assistant is on Pinterest with food allergy boards ranging from "food allergy books I love" to "food allergy blogs I follow". You can also find some of my favorite recipes, cookbooks, products and more.

If you're on Pinterest, check out my boards and feel free to comment and re-pin. I'd love to follow your boards too, so let me know in the comment section below how I can find you on Pinterest.

Happy pinning!

Peanut Allergy: What is the Trigger?

A recent study, funded in part by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, may offer an important clue as to why some children develop a peanut allergy and others do not. It turns out, it may have to do with a disruption in the skin barrier.

Researchers have been able to key in on the immune cells that respond to peanut protein and found that these cells carry a "marker" to show where the peanut allergen was first encountered- either through the skin or oral exposure. The results show it was the marker for skin that was associated with a peanut allergy.

This means that skin exposure may be linked to peanut allergy, while eating peanut may actually provide protection against the allergy. These results line up with the thinking in the ongoing LEAP study (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) which is looking at whether parents should continue to be counseled to avoid giving peanuts to a child for the first three years of life.

For more information on this specific study, check out the March 2012 edition of Allergy. If you have any questions about peanut avoidance or peanut introduction, talk to your pediatrician or allergist. This exciting research may some day lead to the prevention of peanut allergy.

We'll all be celebrating then!

Best Recipes for Food Allergies

Homemade Granola Bars Free of Dairy, Eggs, Nuts

I've spent a little time freshening up and tweaking my recipe section. Please take a look and try out a few. Our family favorites include Marinated Chicken (yummy baked or grilled!), Homemade Rolls, Granola Bars, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Fruit Salsa...oh, the list goes on.

If you're looking for some new recipes to try this week, follow the link and head to the kitchen. I can smell those granola bars now!

Homemade Easter Candy is Allergy Friendly

Make Easter Candy

Thanks to places like Amanda's Own, Premium Chocolatiers and Vermont Nut Free Chocolates, it's easier than ever to find dairy, nut and peanut-free candies for Easter. If you didn't get your Easter order in on time, there's no need to worry. Pull out your safe chocolate chips (Enjoy Life mini-chips are great for this), melt some in the microwave and pour them into a mold.

I found this 6-inch bunny mold at AC Moore and the bunny, chick and egg-shaped chocolate lollipops (candy sticks are available in any craft store candy section) are always a big hit. Encase the goodies in some colored plastic wrap in rose, blue, green or violet for a festive presentation.

If you're looking for a cute Easter Bunny cake recipe, bake your favorite cake recipe in one nine-inch round pan and one eight-inch round pan, then check out the rest of my instructions here.

Happy Holidays!

Easiest Cake Recipe Ever

Egg-free Cake

Okay, a boxed cake isn't exactly "a recipe", but when I think about all of us allergy moms finding out at 9 pm that our food allergic child needs a birthday treat (aka cupcake) the next morning, I knew I needed to share this quick and easy trick. It's truly as easy as 1,2,3...

1. Take a box of safe cake mix (Duncan Hines Classic Yellow is perfect for our dairy, egg, peanut and tree nut allergies) and dump it in a large mixing bowl.
2. Slowly whisk in a 12-ounce can of club soda.
3. Pour into pan(s) and bake.

Really, that's it. I made 12 cupcakes and one nine-inch round cake. Fast and delish.

Oh, and if you're watching calories, this recipe cuts them in half. I mean it's practically health food!

So, run out and get a few boxes of safe cake mix and a case of club soda to have on hand for the next time you hear, "Mommy, Sam's birthday is tomorrow and he's bringing in cupcakes for the class. Can you make a cupcake I can have?"

"Of course, dear..."