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!