It has been five years since my son’s diagnosis of food allergies. During that time I have discovered a number of wonderful resources to make managing food allergies easier. Many of these products have been inspired by families like mine who developed something that worked for them and they wanted to share their product to help others. Below are a few great products. Please visit www.beyondapeanut.com/ for more fabulous resources.

Peanut Free Planet – An on-line store carrying over 200 fabulous nut free items. Free shipping on orders over $100.00

CherryBrook Kitchen – The sweet solution for food allergies. Great cake mixes, frosting, cookies and more. ( Everyone LOVES the white cake when I make it!)

Vermont Nut Free – Delicious gourmet chocolates guaranteed safe for those with any nut or peanut allergy. (This was the first year my kids enjoyed a big chocolate bunny)

A and J Bakery – All of their products are nut free and made from scratch (with no preservatives) and are a delicious treat that all ages will enjoy. Safe Biscotti 

Enjoy Life Foods – A great selection of gluten free, soy free, dairy free, nut free, casein free foods. (Yummy trail mixes with seeds instead of nuts.)

The Soy Nut Butter Company – The peanut butter substitute. Kids can’t tell the difference!

Chung’s – Frozen gourmet Asian foods made in a nut free facility. Yes, you can enjoy Asian food!!!

The diagnosis of a food allergy can be life changing. Things that seemed simple like going out to eat, traveling or a play date with friends can feel overwhelming. As with most situations education is power, and in the case of food allergies education means safety.

After some time had passed, and keeping my children safe began to feel more manageable, I was able to see some small blessings that this experience has provided our family. Don’t get me wrong, I would give anything to not have to worry about every bite of food my children take, or if the boy up to bat had peanut butter on his hands before my son picked up the bat. Since this is our destiny, we are able to find some of the positive changes it has provided.

Managing food allergies has inspired our family to become healthier eaters. Working to eliminate allergens from a diet forces you to become an avid label reader. When half of the ingredients in a product label have over five syllables and appear to be something that would be in a science project rather than something you would ingest, it makes you think twice before you feed that to your children. We eat less processed foods, and eat more fresh foods. We eat out less and have to plan more for meals. We bake more, cook more and make healthier choices about what we eat. We might not have been so selective or made cooking and baking a family affair prior to our experience with food allergies.

Having two children with food allergies we have become the parents who chaperone events, run the car pool and take care of snacks for school parties. It is important that we are involved in knowing what will be served at all times. When we cannot be at an event we need to know that whoever our children are with can recognize a reaction and are trained to administer an Epi-Pen. For this reason we find ourselves much more engaged in our children’s activities than we might have.

So for all the worry we have daily, and how a simple change of events can throw me into a panic, I still try to remember the positives that have come from this experience.

I would love to hear your “silver lining” story.

Worried about inviting a friend with food allergies to your child’s birthday party? Which foods are safe? Which are not? What if the child has a reaction? Food allergies are on the rise among children. This can present a challenge when planning your child’s birthday party. A few helpful tips in the party preparation can ensure a safe fun memorable birthday celebration for all.

Most parents of a food allergic child understand that you will not feed their child a food containing the specific allergen. For example, you would not serve a cake with nuts or a peanut butter sandwich to a child with a peanut or nut allergy. The concern for parents is the cross-contamination of foods that might be considered safe.

Cross-contamination is when a “safe” food comes in contact with the allergen. One way cross-contamination can occur is through shared utensils and /or shared manufacturing equipment. This is often the case with birthday cakes that are purchased from a bakery. Even though the cake may not have nuts, it “may contain” nuts because it was made on equipment that also makes other products with nuts.

Communication with a child’s parent prior to the party can alleviate concerns. Discussing what will be served at the party, as well as safe food options, helps to avoid surprises. It is best to gain as much information about food restrictions or safety concerns prior to the celebration. This will allow you time to plan safe foods or to contact the parent if you are unable to make changes to your menu. In addition, this gives the parent the information they need to determine if they are comfortable having their child attend.

When inviting your child’s class to a party and do not know all the students, it is nice to add a line to the invitation “If your child has a food allergy please contact us, so we can discuss safe options”. If a child has food allergies, the parent may opt to bring their own food and only allow their child to eat the food they brought to the party. Do not take offense. They are being respectful of your time as well as the safety of their child. Most parents of food allergic children are used to providing a special cupcake or treat for their child.

Children with food allergies often carry an Epi-pen. This is emergency medication which is used to temporarily counteract an allergic reaction. If the parent will be leaving a child at the party with medication or an Epi-Pen, you may want to meet the parent prior to the party to review medical treatment/training. It is important that you or another adult at the party is comfortable with administering medication, and understands what steps to take in the event of an allergic reaction. If you are not comfortable, you may want to ask the parent to stay and provide an assignment (i.e. photographer, food server, game timer) so that they feel useful, and their child does not feel as though the parent is there solely to watch over them.

If you feel comfortable having the parent drop off their child, it is nice to leave all the food packages out or available should they want to confirm ingredients. While you may have gone over this, having the parent look at the labels can provide additional comfort for both you and the parent.

Another safe idea is to use more non edible items when possible. For example, there are numerous fun party favors that can replace candy in pinatas. Children love little toys for prizes. Party bags can include toys or crafts that were made at the party.

Taking a few extra steps prior to the party will eliminate uncomfortable or potentially unsafe situations. Parents will be so grateful for the time you took to ensure a safe environment for their child. Your child’s birthday is a special day, they’ll appreciate that you made it possible for them to include all of their friends. With some planning and communication both you and your guests can relax and enjoy your child’s party.

There has been a recent surge of articles and stories in the news on the possible “cure” for peanut allergies. I am pleased to see media coverage and stories on food allergies as it helps raise awareness. The announcements around the success of a desensitization trial are encouraging. The fact that doctors are working to eliminate the life-threatening aspect of this allergy, has helped to educate people on the seriousness of the allergy.

As a parent of two children with life-threatening peanut allergies there are still so many unknowns. First, I have to admit that the thought of my children participating in this kind of treatment is scary. I want to thank all of those parents and children who have participated in these tests. Their commitment, passion and bravery toward finding a cure should be acknowledged and someday will hopefully help millions.

The one caveat of the media attention is that many have interpreted the news as a cure. While this is progress there is still a lot to learn. If my child is “desensitized” will he have to eat a certain amount of peanut products each day? Can his tolerance build up, and will there be a new threshold that can send him into anaphylactic shock? What will happen if he doesn’t ingest peanuts each day, will the allergy return to its original state?

As I mentioned, this is encouraging news for a number of reasons. Bottom line; do not try desensitization or any kind of food challenge in your home. This kind of testing needs to be done in a controlled medical environment. Please keep in mind that there is still no medical cure for food allergies. Education and avoidance are the only way to provide a safe environment.

Please let us know if you have any tips on providing a safe environment for children with food allergies. For products to empower children with the allergy and help teach those providing care for them how to provide a safe environment visit www. Beyondapeanut.com

I consider myself as a reasonable individual with realistic expectations from my family and others. Why then when I was asked to speak to incoming Kindergarten parents at my son’s school about the severity of his peanut allergy was I a mess?

Why did I feel that I would be viewed as irrational and over the top, as someone with unrealistic expectations? To think that others without a life-threatening food allergy would consider providing an alternative to their child’s favorite PB&J didn’t seem that unrealistic to me.

Why ? Because many of them did look at me that way. Many who were uneducated about the true dangers of food allergies?

Why? Because I was not the only mother who has a child at the school with a peanut allergy. I was however the only parent asking for special accommodations to keep my child safe.

Why? Because I was the only parent there whose child had experienced a severe anaphylactic reaction which almost took his life. The thought of leaving him in an environment with 5 and 6 year olds eating peanut products that could potentially have a fatal outcome for him was paralyzing.

There are a number of challenges that make managing food allergies unique. One is that we are not able to manage this alone. Keeping children with food allergies safe requires help from those who will be near them, and who will provide care for them.

Families who manage children with “hidden disabilities” deserve a unique medal. A hidden disability is a “catch-all phrase” that means a person’s impairment or condition is not obviously apparent or visible. In the example of food allergies, children appear happy, healthy and live a “normal” life. It is hard for someone to imagine a trace element of a peanut protein sending them into anaphylactic shock.

For the most part when parents are provided with the appropriate educational materials, they are happy to make daily sacrifices for the safety of other children. So while I still consider myself a reasonable individual, I understand that others may view me as “over-the-top”. When it comes to the safety of my child I can accept that.

Do you have a story where protecting your child was perceived as “over the top”?

To help teach food allergy safety, I have developed a set of training flashcards. You can learn more about them at www.beyondapeanut.com