Menu Changes Could be Dangerous to Those With Food Allergies

For our family, a trip to McDonald's is a safe treat as the hamburgers, fries and chicken nuggets are free of dairy, egg and peanut. However, changes in menus could catch those with food allergies unaware. Paul Antico, founder of AllergyEats, shares that Wendy's recently started buttering the buns of certain hot sandwiches.

According to this USA Today article, "Wendy's researchers knew customers wanted warmer and crunchier buns, so they decided that buttering them and putting them through a toaster was the way to go."

Good to know.

Antico says, "people with food allergies should always inform restaurant employees about their food allergies and ask about ingredient lists, dedicated fryers and possible cross contact - even if they've comfortably eaten at that establishment in the past." 

Great advice.

To stay on top of menu changes, consider the free Allergy Eats app for iPhone or Android. Adventures in Fast Food has a list of every fast food chain I can think of, with a link to each website and each menu.
So the lessons here are to be safe, stay informed and speak up about food allergies when eating out. Menus get updated, restaurant training and practices change, so never assume that something from your favorite restaurant is safe even if you've eaten it 1000 times.

By the way, I love Allergic Girl's latest post about dining out. Great lessons!

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!

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!