The Obama family choose a Portuguese Water Dog for a pet. The Mers' family has one for a very different reason.
Hats off to Sherry- one creative mom! She noticed dogs sniffing luggage at an airport customs counter. They were searching for fruits and vegetables being brought into the country illegally. Then, light bulb moment...why not use dogs as a service animal to sniff out allergens for severely allergic children like her daughter Riley?
It turns out that this idea has been floating around for several years. In 2005, a Jacksonville FL teen hoped her peanut sniffing dog would enable her attend school. The price tag is high- $12,000-$15,000 for a dog. Several communities have begun fund raising efforts to help severely allergic children in their town afford a dog.
For more information, check out Angel Service Dogs, a website created by the Mers.
Learn more about these peanut dogs from the trainers at
Peanut Detector Dogs.
What a great idea!
As always, turn to the Food Allergy Assistant for food allergy news.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Monday Review- Allergy Alert Clothing
This week's Monday Review is brought to you by Alert Clothing Company. Summer camps and changes in caregiver schedules are right around the corner. Protect young children with Alert Clothing. Company founder, Rebecca Nelson, has three children- two with severe food allergies. In an effort to keep her children safe, Rebbecca designed several colorful t-shirts for her kids to wear to preschool. The shirts were a big hit and in 2005, Rebecca launched the Alert Clothing Company so that food allergic children everywhere can be identified and protected.
What do I love about Rebecca's designs? The sweatshirts, t-shirts and tote bags are bold, colorful and kid-friendly. They grab an adult's attention right away and send a simple message. I also like that the Alert Clothing logo is printed on the back of the shirt. Young kids don't typically sit still, so with a reminder on front and back, it's sure to be seen.
Show your child the designs. Let them pick out a few to wear when they're at daycare, preschool, camp or other places away from home. As Rebecca Nelson says, "A parent cannot be present constantly, and a two, three or four year old cannot be held responsible for advocating for themselves."
Grandparents, buy some for your grandchildren with food allergies. Allergy Alert Clothing is another tool in the food allergy arsenal.
Check out Alert Clothing Company. They even offer a fundraising program for preschools . Contact Rebecca by e-mail for more information.
As always, visit the Food Allergy Assistant for more information about everything related to food allergies.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Friday Feature: Raising Food Allergic Kids.org
This Friday Feature showcases Lissa, the founder of Raising Food Allergic Kids, a website packed with information to help raise your food allergic child. As you'll see in our interview below, Lissa's site is a must-read if you're planning a Disney World trip.
What is your food allergy background?
My daughter, Caroline, had her first reaction shortly after she turned one. It was her second exposure to egg. I had no idea that it’s very common for a sensitivity to manifest not in a first exposure, but in the second. I was taken completely by surprise. When I plopped a hard boiled egg on her high chair tray about a week after her first scrambled egg, I thought nothing of it. Within five minutes even the whites of her eyes were red and we were on our way to the doctor in a panic.
In the year since this first exposure she's have had multiple blood tests, skin tests and oral challenges. We've also learned that Caroline has severe asthma. I now know that asthma and allergies are often connected.
What are you passionate about in the food allergy field?
To be honest, I am passionate most about finding workable solutions for our everyday life. I really don’t care about the ongoing fight that seems to be happening in our world over what causes allergies and what has caused the rise in incidence. Finding that out won’t change the fact that we are living with it.
I want Caroline to have a normal, happy and safe childhood. So, I am passionate about finding ways to make that our reality. It often means that I do a lot of extra work behind the scenes, but it’s worth it to me so that she can experience life the way it’s meant to be experienced.
I'm also passionate about sharing with other parents. With diagnoses coming earlier in our children’s lives, it is overwhelming to think of raising your child in a world that seems suddenly scarier than it used to be. I’m all about trying to break our kids out of the protective bubbles that we instinctively want to put them in when we first hear that diagnosis.
What else are you working on in the food allergy area?
It’s a strange melding of my two major interests: food allergies and Disney World. Yes, I know that’s random, but I grew up in Florida and Disney is a huge part of my life. I am inspired by the way the Disney cast members accommodate guests with food allergies (and many other special needs, too).
It’s my hope to be able to bring their model to other vacation destinations and kid-centered activities like summer camps. We leave on our next trip in just a couple of weeks and I’ve reached out to Sea World Orlando and Universal Studios Orlando to see what kinds of accommodations they make and to start a dialogue about ways to open up their experiences to more kids with these potentially life threatening limitations.
Food Allergy Assistant: I love this idea. Whenever we travel to Disney World, I think, "Why can't everyone, everywhere, be this accommodating?"
What are your favorite food allergy friendly food staples?
Our egg-free banana pancakes are an absolute favorite in our house – recipe is on our site and Caroline can eat them three meals a day if we let her. We are very lucky to not have wheat allergies as I think that has to be one of the most limiting of the major 8, so Annie’s Bunnies crackers are also a great snack on the go for us. I like them better than the goldfish crackers since they don’t have any additives. Van’s Waffles saved our lives when she was first diagnosed, and remain a staple in our freezer.
What did you do before life with food allergies?
I worked for five years for the United States Chamber of Commerce, the number one lobbying organization in the country. That experience is proving to be very helpful now that I’m following the legislation pertaining to food labeling and protections for our kids.
What are some of your other interests/hobbies?
As mentioned, I love Disney and everything related to it. I help lots of people plan trips to Disney World- with or without food allergies. I love to cook, bargain hunt and can play a mean game of Ring Around the Rosie with Caroline.
Thank you, Lissa, for creating your website to help parents who feel overwhelmed with a food allergy diagnosis. I plan to try out your egg-free French toast recipe as my son has never had French toast!
Check out Lissa's site at www.rfak.org.
What is your food allergy background?
My daughter, Caroline, had her first reaction shortly after she turned one. It was her second exposure to egg. I had no idea that it’s very common for a sensitivity to manifest not in a first exposure, but in the second. I was taken completely by surprise. When I plopped a hard boiled egg on her high chair tray about a week after her first scrambled egg, I thought nothing of it. Within five minutes even the whites of her eyes were red and we were on our way to the doctor in a panic.
In the year since this first exposure she's have had multiple blood tests, skin tests and oral challenges. We've also learned that Caroline has severe asthma. I now know that asthma and allergies are often connected.
What are you passionate about in the food allergy field?
To be honest, I am passionate most about finding workable solutions for our everyday life. I really don’t care about the ongoing fight that seems to be happening in our world over what causes allergies and what has caused the rise in incidence. Finding that out won’t change the fact that we are living with it.
I want Caroline to have a normal, happy and safe childhood. So, I am passionate about finding ways to make that our reality. It often means that I do a lot of extra work behind the scenes, but it’s worth it to me so that she can experience life the way it’s meant to be experienced.
I'm also passionate about sharing with other parents. With diagnoses coming earlier in our children’s lives, it is overwhelming to think of raising your child in a world that seems suddenly scarier than it used to be. I’m all about trying to break our kids out of the protective bubbles that we instinctively want to put them in when we first hear that diagnosis.
What else are you working on in the food allergy area?
It’s a strange melding of my two major interests: food allergies and Disney World. Yes, I know that’s random, but I grew up in Florida and Disney is a huge part of my life. I am inspired by the way the Disney cast members accommodate guests with food allergies (and many other special needs, too).
It’s my hope to be able to bring their model to other vacation destinations and kid-centered activities like summer camps. We leave on our next trip in just a couple of weeks and I’ve reached out to Sea World Orlando and Universal Studios Orlando to see what kinds of accommodations they make and to start a dialogue about ways to open up their experiences to more kids with these potentially life threatening limitations.
Food Allergy Assistant: I love this idea. Whenever we travel to Disney World, I think, "Why can't everyone, everywhere, be this accommodating?"
What are your favorite food allergy friendly food staples?
Our egg-free banana pancakes are an absolute favorite in our house – recipe is on our site and Caroline can eat them three meals a day if we let her. We are very lucky to not have wheat allergies as I think that has to be one of the most limiting of the major 8, so Annie’s Bunnies crackers are also a great snack on the go for us. I like them better than the goldfish crackers since they don’t have any additives. Van’s Waffles saved our lives when she was first diagnosed, and remain a staple in our freezer.
What did you do before life with food allergies?
I worked for five years for the United States Chamber of Commerce, the number one lobbying organization in the country. That experience is proving to be very helpful now that I’m following the legislation pertaining to food labeling and protections for our kids.
What are some of your other interests/hobbies?
As mentioned, I love Disney and everything related to it. I help lots of people plan trips to Disney World- with or without food allergies. I love to cook, bargain hunt and can play a mean game of Ring Around the Rosie with Caroline.
Thank you, Lissa, for creating your website to help parents who feel overwhelmed with a food allergy diagnosis. I plan to try out your egg-free French toast recipe as my son has never had French toast!
Check out Lissa's site at www.rfak.org.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Food Allergy Thrive Expo
Chicago hosted the Thrive Allergy & Gluten-Free Expo on Saturday and Sunday (April 18 and 19). More than 3,000 tickets were sold. Check out this Chicago Tribune article listing many of the vendors
Did you attend, or hear any news about it? I thought this would be big news among bloggers and I haven't seen much. Am I missing something?
Did you attend, or hear any news about it? I thought this would be big news among bloggers and I haven't seen much. Am I missing something?
Sunday, 19 April 2009
Monday Review- Grill Charms
This Monday Review is brought to you by Grill Charms- think wine charm for your grilled meats.
Founder and mom, Leslie Haywood, had an "A-ha moment" when her husband mistakenly gave her the extra-hot Jamaican grilled chicken, instead of the mild chicken she requested. Leslie created Grill Charms to help barbecuers everywhere identify different preferences and dietary needs.
Back in February, Leslie sent me a Grill Charm from her Pink Collection (these charms benefit breast cancer research- love that!). Finally a balmy week-end arrived and we pulled out the grill. I must admit to feeling skeptical at first that these little charms would stay in ground beef. They did. Even through my clumsy burger flipping. It worked great for my grilled chicken the next night too. It was very easy to identify the meat with the charm.
So, how does this relate to food allergies? Of course, depending upon the specific allergy, special precautions must be made when barbecuing. Marinades may contain unsafe ingredients for a person with food allergies. Certain seasonings may be unsafe and foods may look the same on the grill. By inserting a Grill Charm, mix-ups are avoided.
A few tips when grilling where food allergies are a concern:
Consider several layers of foil between the food and the grate. This prevents contamination from the grilling surface.
Use separate grilling tools to avoid cross-contamination.
Do not mix up the meats. A tool such as Grill Charms will help keep meats differentiated.
Check out Grill Charms' website. They offer several collections for steak doneness, seasoning types, Charmed Life (may be great for food allergies) and the Pink Collection (10% of the proceeds from sales goes to breast cancer research). Individual charms can be ordered with free shipping.
Leslie is offering $5.00 off your order for Food Allergy Assistant readers. Type "grilling" as the coupon code when you place your order.
Great gift for Father's Day!
As always, visit the Food Allergy Assistant for more help dealing with food allergies.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Food Allergy Guidelines for PA schools
This article is of particular interest to me.
I spent many hours working with our school district so my child could be safe at school. As I've said before, he's carried an Epi-Pen around his waist since his first day of kindergarten. If the school had denied us this right, it would have been a deal breaker resulting in a search for alternative educational opportunities. Every child and every situation is different, but schools and parents need to have some basic understandings and rights when it comes to food allergies.
I fully support State Rep. Tom Murt in his efforts to require Pennsylvania to develop food allergy guidelines for schools. I'm going to write to him right now and see how I can help.
How is your school handling food allergies?
I spent many hours working with our school district so my child could be safe at school. As I've said before, he's carried an Epi-Pen around his waist since his first day of kindergarten. If the school had denied us this right, it would have been a deal breaker resulting in a search for alternative educational opportunities. Every child and every situation is different, but schools and parents need to have some basic understandings and rights when it comes to food allergies.
I fully support State Rep. Tom Murt in his efforts to require Pennsylvania to develop food allergy guidelines for schools. I'm going to write to him right now and see how I can help.
How is your school handling food allergies?
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Food Allergies? Discounts and Coupons
Uno's Chicago Grill now offers a gluten-free pizza. Here's a coupon. Check out their entire gluten-free menu.
Softress Body Oils perfect for those with food allergies, sensitive skin, eczema. 15% discount with code: "FOODALY". Good until Dec. 31, 2009.
Olinda Ridge Oils- if you sign up to receive their newsletter, you'll get a 15% discount on your order.
Go Picnic Snackboxes- 25% discount for your first order. Just use coupon code "GPTHANKS"
Ener G's poundcake, free of gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, yeast, soy, and nuts, is 15% off.
Do you know you can order Ener G and other food allergy safe foods through Amazon.com? Free shipping with your $25 order- not to hard to spend $25!
Any other coupons or discounts we should know about? Let me know.
What are you waiting for...get shopping!!!
Softress Body Oils perfect for those with food allergies, sensitive skin, eczema. 15% discount with code: "FOODALY". Good until Dec. 31, 2009.
Olinda Ridge Oils- if you sign up to receive their newsletter, you'll get a 15% discount on your order.
Go Picnic Snackboxes- 25% discount for your first order. Just use coupon code "GPTHANKS"
Ener G's poundcake, free of gluten, wheat, casein, dairy, yeast, soy, and nuts, is 15% off.
Do you know you can order Ener G and other food allergy safe foods through Amazon.com? Free shipping with your $25 order- not to hard to spend $25!
Any other coupons or discounts we should know about? Let me know.
What are you waiting for...get shopping!!!
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