Food Allergy Families

Could Santa be a threat to those with peanut allergy?

2011-12-09T13:28:00.001-08:00

We took the kiddos last night to see Santa Clause at the mall and of course have their pictures taken. Seems harmless right? Every year millions of little ones climb up on the big guys lap, but how many of those millions of children have a peanut allergy? Statistics would suggest close to 3 million which is why I was alarmed when I overheard Santa saying he was getting hungry.... the peanut

Tax Breaks for Restricted Diets?

2011-11-04T11:25:00.000-07:00

We all know avoiding certain foods can be very expensive. Most allergen free brands tend to be specialty brands and can cost significantly more then big brand or store brand products. There can also be shipping fee's included for items that require online orders. Now, I had no idea, but apparently you can claim gluten free foods on your tax returns. Check out this post from Gluten Free Society,

Too much protein is known to cause some chronic health issues, but food allergies?

2011-10-03T16:07:00.000-07:00

Its no secret that food allergies have been on the rise for the last decade, but still no one seems to really know why. There are some theories, which I have discussed in earlier posts, however, none have yet to be proven causes. In fact, most of these theories have been widely debated by both medical professionals, scientist and the general public. So, for whatever reason, I was thinking about

How does your child's school handle classroom celebrations with food allergies?

2011-09-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the new birthday/food policy being created at my son's preschool this year! In years past they have allowed parents to bring in a nut-free treat to share with the class to celebrate their child's birthday. Last year they implemented a new policy allowing parents to only bring treats from a list of approved snacks handed out prior to each child's birthday, but of course as we

Introducing The Yellow Tail Housewife

2011-09-13T16:08:00.000-07:00

Ive decided I kind of like this blogging thing. What can I say, Im a nerd at heart. Although Im not much of a writer, check the disclaimer, I decided to create a new blog where I could write about, well, anything. So please check out my new blog, The Yellow Tail Housewife.

Food Allergies and Soccer

2011-09-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

As if the new school year wasn't enough, we are just weeks away from soccer season. My son will be playing soccer for the first time this year and though we are hopeful he has outgrown his nut allergy, we continue to take every necessary precaution to keep him safe from a possible reaction. Luckily my husband has volunteered to coach and I have taken on the role of team mom, making this task much

Update on A's allergy

2011-09-07T10:11:00.000-07:00

As those of you who read my blog know, A's last visit to the allergist suggested that he had outgrown his tree nut allergy. As I explained in my previous post, his skin test showed no reaction to the nuts tested. However, before we start introducing him to nuts he will need to go back in and complete an oral challenge, which I still have not scheduled. Yes, I am procrastinating and coming up with

Gluten-free back to school made easy!

2011-08-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Though I am very excited for school to start, I can't believe how quickly our summer came and went. We have definitely been busy and I have found little time for blogging. Hopefully with at least my oldest back in school I can get back to some routine. Now I know that packing a restrictive diet lunch can be a huge dilemma, but for those avoiding gluten, things just got easier! Rudi's Oganic

Oven Baked Crispy Green Bean Fries

2011-07-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Nobody hates "real" green beans more then me. So when my mother-in-law brought over green beans from her garden, lets just say I was less then thrilled. Not wantng to waste them or deprive my kids of the opportunity to eat a green bean that actually contained some nutritional value, as oposed to the so called green beans I usually heat and serve from a can (yes, I am a sucker for canned green

Allergies: Disease in Disguise - Review

2011-07-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

(click on image to purchase) Allergies: Disease in Disguise How to heal your allergic condition permanently and naturally by Carolee Bateson-Koch is, what I thought to be, a fascinating book. This was a very informative and easy to read book that gives great insight into the cause, symptoms and possible cures for not only allergies, but some very common and unexplained chronic health problems

Food Allergies - Could this really be the end?

2011-07-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

After recently switching my sons allergists, I had been putting off his annual testing, I know bad mom, but after a recent reaction to what we are now suspecting to be from either the new sunscreen we tried or the neighbors swimming pool he swam in on the 4th of July, I decided it was time to get him back into the allergist for his annual testing and I couldn't be happier! I am thrilled to say

A's mystery reaction - Now what?

2011-07-14T12:11:00.000-07:00

The Tuesday following the 4th of July the kids were sitting on the couch watching cartoons after breakfast when A asked me why he had polka dots on his legs. I immediately panicked at the sight of several hives covering his thighs. After a dose of Benadryl I quickly re-read the label to the Cheerios he had eaten earlier. There was no sign of nuts on the Cheerios label and he had eaten them

True Life - Did it live up to the hype?

2011-06-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

After watching 'True Life: I'm Allergic to Everything' last night on MTV, I was a little disappointed. Having watched 'True Life' before I'm not sure why, but I was expecting something different. I understand that they are looking for extreme situations, I was just hoping last nights episode would be a little more focused on the majority of those with food allergy. While trying to watch as an

Reality TV takes on Food Allergies in MTV's 'True Life' Documentary

2011-06-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Gigantic! Productions held a national casting call last November for MTV's documentary series 'True Life'. They where looking for individuals between the ages of 16 and 23 who suffered from severe allergies. Well, set your DVR's because will be airing tonight on MTV at 10 p.m. and I couldn't be more excited! The episode will feature two young people living with severe, life-threatening food

New Rules for Sunscreen Protection

2011-06-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share that finally, after 33 years, the FDA has issued new rules for sunscreen protection. Many thanks to those of you who read my previous post on sunscreens and signed the sunscreen petition in order to support the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund in their efforts to make these changes occur. Under these new rules, sunscreens will no longer carry misleading claims such

What's in your sunscreen?

2011-06-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

This Memorial Day my son had a reaction to Banana Boat sunscreen. He broke out in a rash almost immediately after I applied the sunscreen. My first thought was of course tree nuts. However, after reading the label and calling Banana Boat I was assured that there was no use of tree nuts in the ingredients, BUT they still could not guarantee that the facility used to process and package their

Food Allergies: Health and Healing Book Review

2011-06-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

click on image to purchase Food Allergies: Health and Healing By: Jo Stepaniak, MSEd Vesanto Melina, MS, RD Dina Aronson, MS, RD Reviewed by Frank and Mary Hoffman Review: I just finished reading Food Allergies: Health and Healing, a Natural Health Guide sent to me from Books Alive publishing for review. I found the book very informative and practical for those new to food allergies. With

The link between Food Allergies and Migraines

2011-05-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

A family history of asthma, eczema, hives, hay fever, or any type allergy are said to possibly increase ones risk of developing a food allergy. So, while discussing our family history at a recent consultation with my sons new allergist, I was asked if any of us suffered from migraines. I found the question rather odd since it wasn't clear to me at the time how my migraines could be related to my

What would you do?

2011-05-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Food allergy advocacy and education take center stage this week as we kick of this years Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) May 8 - 14, 2011. A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein that effects more than 12 million Americans, that's one in 25, or 4% of the population. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 3 million children under 18 have food allergies and this number appears to

My Little Rant on Steve Ells and America's Next Great Restaurant

2011-04-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

I love that Chipotle Mexican Grill is very allergy friendly, but what good does it do when they're food is so spicy my son cant eat it anyways. I have been watching America's Next Great Restaurant and becoming continuously annoyed with Steve Ells, the founder of Chipotle. Does it bother anyone else to see him as a judge on this show? How can he critique a kids meal while he serves up chicken in

How will you celebrate Food Allergy Awareness Week?

2011-04-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Mark your Calendars for the 14th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) which will be taking place May 8th - 14th. The theme this year is, "Be a FAAN Hero". If you've been wanting to make a difference now is the best time to get started. Just by sending a reminder to those in your contacts and in your social networks about FAAW you will be helping to spread awareness. There are several

Miracle-gro potting soil contains peanuts, tree nuts & coconut.

2011-04-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Spring and gardening seem to go hand in hand, but if you or your child has a peanut or tree nut allergy be sure to take extra caution when choosing your potting soil. There was a post on the Spokane Food Allergy Support Network (SpokaneFASN) Facebook page recently by Kimberly S. who wrote, "VERY IMPORTATNT!! PLEASE READ - Miracle-gro potting soil contains peanuts, tree nuts & coconut. The

More Fruits and Veggies, Please!

2011-04-06T14:07:00.000-07:00

By Anne Kolker MS Registered DietitianAs a dietitian and a mom of three young children, I naturally have a bowl of fruit on the kitchen table. You may think that this has always been the case. The truth is that it wasn’t. The practice of having fresh fruit sitting out didn’t occur to me until I had a friend from out of town visit me. This was during the time when I only had one young child

J-E-L-L-Oh No!

2011-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

It seems as if our non allergic (as far as we know) son has been giving us more scares then our son with the nut allergy. At our friends house last night I noticed he had been scratching his face. Then my husband pointed out soon after that it was turning red. After looking closer it seemed as if the area around his eyes and mouth where slightly swollen. This is when I started to worry. First

The cost of EpiPens

2011-03-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Having a few expired EpiPens laying around can be a great accomplishment if you have food allergies. You've made it another year without a major reaction! Sadly for a lot of families, an expired EpiPen can also be a huge financial burden, especially if your without medical insurance, an unfortunate reality for many these days. Studies have found that though there may be some loss of potency,