Allergy News Blog

GO NUTS FOR NO PEANUTS!

Enjoy this story featuring Carol and her family! Great success in St. Louis bringing awareness, compassion, and safety to sporting events!

On a personal note, sorry about the lack of posts lately. It has been such a busy time. If you’d like to be interviewed for Allergy News, I’m still recruiting Allergy Moms and Dads to talk on the show! Please leave a comment below.

Happy Seventh to my food allergic child, Samuel!

Thank you for listening to Mom and Dad. Thank you for being so brave about the allergy that makes you different. Thank you for being so smart and silly and fun and always telling us when there’s something questionable going on in terms of your diet–at school, at Grandma’s, wherever. Thank you for making Mom and Dad your safe people, to whom you can always talk to about your allergies, and about anything.

You are growing up and changing all the time. We see you going through the normal elementary school social stuff, like who is friends with whom, and who wears what kind of clothes and plays with what kind of toys. We love you and support you, we want the best for you, we cherish you, and we hope we do you justice, young man.

You are loved,

Mom and Dad

In case you missed Robyn on Good Morning America, here’s a link!

I was going to share the highlights from Robyn’s most recent allergykids.com enewsletter, but, actually, I am ending up putting up all but the links at the end. I highly recommend signing up for Robyn’s newsletter at allergykids.com.

Here’s a little bit of the great info she sent out this time:

You are an incredible group of parents and we are so inspired by all that you have shared! And though we are unable to respond to each and every email, we read them all and want to take this opportunity to address the most frequently asked questions:

1) What chemicals do I need to avoid?

The British study cited in the Good Morning America segment is from The Lancet, the British equivalent of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The chemicals of concern are additives used to enhance the colors and flavors of foods. They include synthetic colors for yellow, red and blue (including yellow #5 which is found in our mac n cheese boxes here in the US!) as well as the preservative, sodium benzoate (used in carbonated drinks). These synthetic colors, additives and preservatives are made in laboratories using chemicals.

Due to British parents’ growing awareness and concern over the results of these studies, Kraft UK, Coca Cola UK and Wal-Mart’s division in the UK, Asda, all voluntarily agreed to remove these additives and preservatives from their products in the United Kingdom.

Here is what Kraft had to say to parents in the UK:

“Kraft Foods UK has no products aimed at children that contain the ingredients highlighted in the study. For example, with our recent Lunchables reformulation in the UK, we reduced fat and salt, as well as removed artificial colours and flavours.”

So, what’s an American mom to do?

2) What do you feed your family?!
Get back to basics. Slowly! My kids were addicted to dino nuggets, blue yogurt and fluorescent orange noodles! So I began by picking ONE THING in an effort to reduce these chemicals in their diets.

Blue yogurt: Replace blue yogurt with WHITE yogurt and allow your kids to mix in any of the following: jelly, honey, chocolate chips, cheerios, even sprinkles (especially for those of you who have kids (like mine) who may not adjust well to this transition).

Fluorescent orange mac n cheese noodles: Replace the bright orange brand with the white cheddar brand (it really does help reduce your child’s unnecessary exposure to synthetic chemicals).

Or if your kids are like mine and freak out, then stick with the bright orange, only don’t use the ENTIRE packet of bright orange powder the next time you mix the box up - use 90% of the pack of fluorescent orange powder mix, then slowly cut back to 70% of the pack, then 50% of the pack…..until they are less dependent on seeing that bright orange bowl of noodles!

The important thing is to remember not to make the perfect the enemy of the good.

Cut the Colors
If the corporations aren’t going to voluntarily eliminate these colors from their boxes of cereals and mac n cheese here in the US, we can do it ourselves. As you try to reduce the amount of artificial colors that your kids are exposed to, they might (just maybe?!) have a bit of a conniption not getting blue yogurt, but you will feel so much better about the choice (and so will they!). So a great first step is to Cut the Colors.

Less is more
Your goal is to try to reduce your children’s exposure to processed foods that contain these chemical additives, colors, flavors and preservatives. In the meantime, look for the following:

* Ingredient lists with FEWER ingredients
* Ingredients with SHORTER names
* Ingredients that you can PRONOUNCE
* Ingredients that your GRANDMOTHER cooked with

Learn to Cook (this was scary to me!)
If you learn to cook, you will lose the chemicals.

Now I am no Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or anyone even resembling a chef. I burnt everything from noodles to pancakes in the process of learning to cook, so I am sure that you will be more successful at this then I was! But you can do it!

The point is, in the US, prepackaged, processed meals are loaded with chemical and synthetic additives and preservatives to PRESERVE and ADD to their shelf life (in the stores or in the freezer). If you cook your own food, even just one night a week, you will win Mother of the Year for your efforts!

Cook it once, eat it twice
Given the amount of time that I now spend cooking, I want to stretch those meals as far as they can go! So, instead of nuggets, I put chicken breast in a frying pan with olive oil and water, sprinkled it with garlic, salt and pepper, put a lid on top of it and steam away. The kids have it for dinner, and then get it again in either tortilla wraps or as a sandwich for lunch the next day.

Organic Options
Oh, how we wish that organic food was affordable, because by law, organic food is not allowed to contain these synthetic chemicals!

Sadly, it is these very USDA laws that make organic food more expensive, since organic farmers must adhere to strict additional standards and regulations when it comes to ensuring the safety of their products.

In the meantime, if you can afford to choose ONE THING in your kitchen to convert to organic, consider choosing something that your children consume a lot of (in our case it was milk, in yours, it might be juice, in others it might be bread). Just making that one change will help reduce a huge heaping of chemicals in your kids diets!

NOTE: given that different children have different allergies and sensitivities, make sure to read ALL labels before feeding your children, especially as manufacturers often change their ingredients unannounced.

And Remember….
This is a slow and steady process. It will not happen overnight (even though you may want it to!), so if sprinkles HELP you to wean your children off of the colored yogurt, then that is great! Eventually, you will “run out” of sprinkles….won’t you?!

Robyn always sends good resources, and her newsletter isn’t spammy or so frequent as to turn you off. I always read it and find it adds to my general knowledge.

Our family seems a lot happier, going organic!

Check it out.

from Karen Blue!

Canadian nut free bakeshops

http://www.thebestcakeshop.com Ottawa,ON
http://lilcakes.ca/Default.htm Ottawa
http://kimberlysorganicbakery.com Toronto ON
http://www.thecupcakeshoppe.ca Toronto ON
http://www.thefrenchoven.on.ca Toronto, ON
http://www.ohsosweet.ca Vaughan
http://www.richmansbakery.ca Toronto ON
http://www.katiescakes.com Toronto ON
http://www.icakes.ca Toronto ON
http://www.bakedwithjoy.com Toronto ON
http://www.cakesbyrobert Toronto ON
http://www.richmansbakery.ca Toronto, ON
http://www.woodbridgeparty.com Vaughan
http://www.alimentsangegardien.com Quebec
http://www.cakesbydesignbarrie.com Barrie
http://papapallones.com Winnipeg

Karen Blue
http://www.avoidingmilkprotein.com

I’ve known moms for years who swear that food colorings affect their kids negatively, contributing to food allergies and hyperactivity. Personally, I try to keep them out of our diet as often as possible, but it’s nearly impossible to get the grandparents to believe me that all this highly processed food is not good for kids (because the marketers know more about what’s good for kids, right? and if it comes packaged w/ a cartoon animal, it must be nutritious!)

Okay, so enough of that. If you care about food coloring, or even if you don’t (yet), then check out this link:

The European Parliament has adopted a legislative package that will see products containing any of six artificial colours labelled with a health warning for children.

Thanks to Sarah for this and other articles in the inbox lately.

Got this note via a friend on facebook. Remember to talk to your doctors about any drugs that will be used in surgery! They may not be thinking “food allergies” when they’re thinking of putting you or your littles under.

Hey Leslea,

I hope that all is well with you. I subscribe to many food allergy newsletters. One that I was reading today mentioned that Propofol, used for anesthesia, contains 10% soybean oil, and 1.2% purified egg phospholipid (emulsifier). I have experienced anaphylaxis when exposed to soy and will be having surgery in August.

Fortunately, I can share this information with my surgeon. In addition, I will also be consulting with my allergist in July. One can never take for granted how vigilant one must be about verifying the ingredients in everything! Another lesson learned is a tragedy averted. Take care.

Joy

Another very interesting news article on severe food allergy testing, from Sarah Chapman:

PORTAGE, Mich., May 8 /PRNewswire/ — Data published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology revealed variations in the results of three common allergy diagnostic blood tests used to quantify sensitivities to allergens. The study, conducted by allergy specialists at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, determined that the laboratory results from two other commercial tests for specific IgE were not equivalent to those measured by ImmunoCAP(R) Specific IgE blood test.

Previously published studies from thought-leading allergists have established threshold values for many food allergens. These values are often used to guide decisions about the severity of a patient’s food allergy and subsequent management strategies. These published data are based upon values determined using ImmunoCAP technology, which have become well-established.

“Test results from the three different specific IgE assays are not interchangeable. This study underscores the importance of knowing which test is being used to generate the patient’s results, particularly with food allergies, which can be life-threatening,” said Robert Reinhardt, MD, professor of family medicine for Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and U.S. Medical Affairs Director, Phadia U.S. Inc.

Read the rest here.

I tried having one of these, myself, once, but I didn’t get any entries (boo hoo!) Maybe I’ll try again this year!

If your child would like to draw a pic of his/her life with food allergies, send in their entry HERE. buy cialisbuy cialisbuy levitrabuy levitrabuy propeciabuy propeciabuy somabuy somabuy levitrabuy cialisbuy propeciabuy levitrabuy somabuy cialisbuy propeciabuy levitrabuy somabuy cialisbuy levitrabuy propeciabuy soma

Got these from Sarah, as well (thank you!):

Some of these links have graced these pages many times–others are new to me and maybe to you. Have a look!

(There are so many that I didn’t do the html on each one, but you can copy and paste them into your address bar, I think.)

www.anaphylaxis.org.uk
www.allergyuk.org
www.foodallergyalliance.org
www.kidswithfoodallergies
www.allergicliving.com
www.peanutallergy.com
www.foodallergyfaith.org
www.allergysmart.net
www.labelmyfood.org.uk
www.allergymoms.com
www.allergykids.com
www.allergyaction.org.uk
www.peanutallergyuk.co.uk
www.allergyhyperboards.com
www.leansaunders.com (ABCpeanuts)
www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST

Sent in by Sarah:

Three-quarters of primary care nurses have admitted to lacking even basic training in treating allergies, and more than half say they feel “uncomfortable” seeing patients with allergy-related conditions.

Read the rest here. It’s about the UK, but I’m sure it’s not an isolated situation.

Add me as a friend! It looks like a really cool site.

Hi Leslea,

Hope all is well! I’m letting all the ZenSoy fans I know about this exclusive discount. You and your readers can get $15 off when they buy any two ZenSoy Soy on the Go® beverages (available by the case in chocolate, vanilla and cappuccino). Just use the following promotional code when you check out: ZENZENI5. Good for all of June.

Enjoy!
Catherine
& your friends at ZenSoy!