Kosher by Design Teens and 20-Somethings, by Susie Fishbein

How many of you love to cook? How many of you started out at a young age? Well, I have been given the opportunity to review a really great cookbook geared for teens and people in their twenties. I am referring to Susie Fishbein's latest cookbook, Kosher by Design Teens and 20-Somethings. This is her latest in the Kosher by Design series.

The beginning of the cookbook has a couple of different sections. The first one talks about what you need to do to get started cooking. The second one gives you different healthy eating tips along with the right equipment to use. The third one tells you about the different labels and how to read them. Beside every recipe is a label to let you know what type of recipe it is. For instance, there is V for vegetarian, GF for gluten-free, DF for dairy-free, and NF for nut-free. So as you can see, this cookbook isn't just for regular diets, it also accommodates those that have health issues, which in this day in age is a great inclusion.

Just like most cookbooks, the recipes are broken down into different sections. I will break them down for you along with one of the recipes that I liked from each section.

1) Starters - Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings
2) Munchies - Scones
3) Soups and Salads - Lox and Avocado Salad
4) Poultry and Meat - Teriyaki Mushroom Chicken
5) Fish, Pasta, and Dairy - Pesto Salmon
6) Side Dishes - Banana Pumpkin Cornbread
7) Desserts - Chocolate Chocolate Chip Sticks
8) Parties - Gives you ideas of party themes you can have

The recipes themselves are well written and very simple. One thing that I really loved is that there is a picture for every single recipe in the book. I love this because I like to see what it is going to look like before I make it. I need some kind of idea how it is going to turn out. They are very colorful also. Great presentation!

All in all I have to say that I really love this cookbook. I think that everyone should go out and purchase it. It will make a great addition to the ones they have or a great starter if they don't have one yet. I know this one has convinced me to go out and get her other ones and try them out.

I thank Marcus Wynn Goup Public Relations for giving me this book for an honest review.

101 Recipes for GLUTEN-FREE Microwave Mug Cakes, by Stacey J. Miller

Do you or someone you know have a food allergen problem? I do and it is not always easy to handle. At times it can be hard to find really good food for them to eat and enjoy. Due to the fact that food allergies are becoming more and more prevalent, allergy free recipe books are starting to pop up all over the place. One book in particular, 101 Recipes for GLUTEN-FREE Microwave Mug Cakes, by Stacey J. Miller has become a household favorite of ours. If you are gluten intolerant and love cakes, this book is for you. Of course, you can use the book even if you are not gluten intolerant. There are cakes in here that everyone can enjoy.




*Click here to order the book* 

First of all, there are 101 different gluten-free microwave mug cake recipes. That alone should be exciting enough for someone who is gluten intolerant to want to own the book. That is over a cake a day for the next three months!!! Another great thing is that they take only 10 minutes or less to make from start to finish. All you do is mix the ingredients together, pour it into a mug, put it in the microwave and wait for it to finish. It is as simple as that.

Just to give you and idea of what is in the book, I have listed a couple of mug cakes below:

Very Cherry Microwave Mug Cake

Banana Chocolate Chip Microwave Mug Cake

Strawberry Cheesecake Microwave Mug Cake

Coffee Cheesecake Microwave Mug Cake

Lemon and Lime Microwave Mug Cake

Pina Colada Microwave Mug Cake

Beside every recipe, there is a small note with a whimsical statement or question for you to answer. Also at the top of some recipes, you will find icons that let you know if it calls for 'no eggs, dairy, sugar, or oil'. Another interesting tidbit is that at the back of the book, the recipes that require no eggs, dairy, sugar, or oil are all organized by their ingredient category. So if you are making one of these cakes for someone and they cannot have eggs, you can look down the list of all the cakes that do not require eggs and find one that they like. 

All in all, it is a great book filled with tons of single-serving cakes to make. And they are so simple that a child can even make them. So, grab the book, a mug, the ingredients, and pop it in and out of the microwave and enjoy a gluten-free mug cake.

I want to thank Stacey J. Miller for providing me a copy of the book for an honest review.



Food Allergy False Positives, Maybe, But I Don't Think So.

Just the other day, I was flipping through the television channels when I came across a news snippet about kids and food allergies. For a brief moment they talked about how kids can have false positives and not even be allergic to half of the things that the tests are saying they are allergic to. They were trying to warn parents to be careful with some of these test because half of them don't come out right.

Well, I beg to differ. I have a daughter who has been tested a couple of times and I can say for a fact that she IS allergic to the items listed on her results. I have seen her react to some of the nuts or seeds or even beans. It is not a fun thing to go through when you see your child's facial expression change from happy to sullen. It is scarey to think that can this be the moment when I am going to have to use the epi pen. Now, I don't mean to harp on anybody, but some of these people who are going on the news and saying that "kids and food allergies" aren't real, really piss me off. They don't have to talk to people before their child eats something. They don't have to sit and worry if their child is going to be okay when they are at school. If they had to, I bet they would sing a different tune.

I remember being on the internet and looking at some other people's posts to see what they had to say about food allergies and you would be surprised how many people I found who thought food allergies was just in the brain and not real. Once again, shocking, but true. It really amazes me how this is becoming a topic of discussion. At least, a little bigger than it should be.

Now I have heard of people who have had a bad reaction to food and then went for testing and it came back negative. But I have never heard of anyone who tested positive for a food allergy and then was able to eat it. I know they have different levels of food tolerance and maybe that is what they are talking about. And if it is, they need to say so instead of saying food allergies aren't real. Maybe it is just me, but I know I have enough Twitter/Blog friends to know that food allergies are REAL and not just something that is made up in one's head. Because I am not the only one, who has to worry about themselves or their child and food.

Traveling With Food Allergies

I was on the internet the other day reading various articles on traveling with food allergies. I love to travel, but it does make it somewhat harder when taking my daughter's allergies into consideration.

I remember one time when we flew to Seattle, Washington for a visit. We were out walking around and it was close to dinner time and we hadn't eaten yet. She was getting hungry, so I stopped by the nearest McDonald's (this is a treat for her because we do not do fast food places). In the middle of our order she noticed that the buns had seeds on them. Where we live they don't have them on the kid's buns, so I assumed it would be the same there. I was wrong. I should have inquired before placing an order. This just goes to show you that just because it is the same "restaurant" they may not prepare their food the same way.

I also read where some people were talking about traveling to different countries and having to deal with food allergies. Sometime ago I was thinking about moving to Scotland for awhile (just the thought of it makes me want to hop on a plane). So I thought to do extensive research on the types of food that they had in restaurants over there.  Most of the places she would be okay to eat in. I also looked into what types of grocery stores they had to offer also. I primarily shop for organic foods, so that would have to be a big option for me. It makes you realize how easy it is for people who don't have to worry about food can just up and go pretty much where they want. But for those who have food allergies or have kids that have them, must take an extra step in order to make sure their lives or their love one's life is safe.

During further reading, I discovered that in some countries it can take up to two months to get an epi pen replaced. It would be terrible to be somewhere and have used the epi pens that you have and not be able to get a replacement for them. I know of one person who traveled to another country and took about 4 epi pens with her family so that they could be covered. Now if you are a neurotic mother like me when it comes to the food that passes your child's mouth, then 9 out of 10 times you probably won't need to use the epi pens, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Even though my daughter's food allergies aren't as severe as other kids, I still take it seriously and try to protect her as best as I can. I feel that it is highly important for her to be well traveled and will not let her food allergies stop that from happening. I just tend to be extra cautious and take as much food with me, that is safe for her, that they will allow me to carry in our suitcases.

My Child's Attempt With Honey Nut Cheerios

When my daughter was first diagnosed with food allergies she was able to eat Honey Nut Cheerios. It always boggled my mind because it says, 'Honey Nut'. At the time, being new to food allergies, I didn't take the time to figure out what kind of nut it was because it never affected her. Plus I talked to another mother whose daughter had nut allergies and she said her child was able to eat Honey Nut Cheerios also, so, no big deal, right?

Sometime later, I gave my daughter a bowl of the cereal and she said it made her tongue feel funny. I asked her if she was sure. I thought she was fine when it came to this cereal. So I tried a bowl of it myself. I don't know if I was trying to "empathize with her", but it left a metallic taste in my mouth. Just like any mother who is weirded out by stuff, I threw the box out. This prompted me to see just what kind of nut they actually used in the cereal. I know, I know, bad mother. How could you feed your daughter something you haven't fully researched? Well, my daughter never had severe reactions to food like most other kids did and her allergist also told me that peanuts and cashews were the ones I needed to look out for. Not getting much help from her allergist, I realized how serious it really was after doing research on my own.

Now, we jump to the present. I was in the store shopping for cereal when I came across the "new" Honey Nut Cheerio. Well, it was new to me. Apparently they took out the nut and put in almond flavor instead around 2006. I figured we could try it again because the actual nut is no longer in it. So I gave her a bowl and she happily ate it. Halfway through the bowl she stopped eating it and started on her bread. She had a weird expression on her face, so I asked her if the cereal made her feel funny. She said that it did, with a little hesitance. I think she really wanted to finish it, but I didn't let her. This convinced me to pull out her results again and look them over to see what her number had gone down to. It went from a 2.58 (class 2) to a 0.44 (class 1). Now my question is, how is it that when she was listed as a class 2 she could eat the cereal, but now that she has dropped to a class 1, it seems to bother her? Am I the only parent out just doesn't get this whole allergy thing, or are there others?

Mixes from the Heartland Reveiw #2

This is my second review for Mixes from the Heartland. I really enjoyed the food that they sent me and implore everyone to go to their website and try some of their food. It makes mealtime very quick and delicious. And if you have any food allergies it is perfect because they are a facility that is free of wheat, soy, barley, oats, rye, eggs, nuts, and by products (which is listed on the back of their packages).

The last time I posted a review, it was regarding their Beef Skillet Dinner and their Sweet Potato Brownie Mix (which was to die for!!). This week I am going to be reviewing their Italian Bean Soup, Corn-n-Tomato Salsa, Strawberry Dip, and Tex Mex Spaghetti Meal.

Like most of their packages, all the ingredients are inside. I just added some chopped tomatoes and Italian sausage and the meal was good to go. You put it on the stove and boil it for a while and then it is ready to eat. I will be honest, I hate soup, but this one I really liked. I wasn't sure if I was going to, but I did. The variety of beans and the added sausage, makes it a quick meal in one soup.

Their Tex Mex Spaghetti meal was really good. I added the browned beef and tomatoes and mixed everything together for a Texas flare to the spaghetti. It was really good. And everything again came right in the bag. All of the meals that I made produced enough for a family to eat. I was able to actually share most of everything that I made with my sister's family. They said they really enjoyed it also and would buy from Mixes from the Heartland (and none of them have any food allergies). Once again, people probably think that this food might not taste as good because it is allergy free, but it does have flavor to it.

The Corn-n-Tomato Salsa was really good as well. I put the mix in sour cream and made a chip dip with it. It gave a great twist to the plain chip.

If there is something that I think you should try, it would be the Strawberry Dip. I had people asking to take some of it home (not trying to be selfish, but I didn't want them to). This was a major hit in my house. It was amazing!!! All I had to add was some cool whip and cream cheese and it made an incredible dip for fruits. I used strawberries and bananas. It tasted great with both. My niece was eating it plain out of the bowl. That is how good it tasted. I have to say I was surprised by this dip.

Once again I have to say that I really think that this is a company that you should shop through if you have food allergies. It is something that everyone can eat and the person with the allergies will not feel left out because everyone is eating the same thing. So go out and buy some of their products. Their food will be in my cupboards!!

A Child's Food Allergy Poem

I have a food allergy

So what if that’s true.

That doesn’t make me different

I just avoid certain foods.

You may think it’s funny

To taunt and to tease,

But I also have feelings

So stop and back away please.

Just think how you would feel

If denied all these foods,

Especially at birthday parties

Where you can’t have cake or ice cream too.

Each and everyone of us is different

Our allergies are not the same.

For some it could be dairy, nuts, or fish

And for others soy or wheat is to blame.

Whether young or old

I have to remain safe,

Because cross-contamination

Could cause a devastating fate.

So please learn to read all labels

And my arm bracelet too.

Cause 100% safety

Is the best thing for me and for you.

© 2010 Belladona Creations
QE4J2BJFGA37

Asian Food Made Allergen Free

Every Saturday our whole family gets together and we have lunch. Yesterday I decided to do something different. Maybe we should start having at least one ethnic day thrown in there. Not that typical American food is bad, but a little change is always nice. Of course this can cause some kind of a problem with my daughter not being able to eat everything.

One Christmas when she was about 1 years old we had Chinese food. That didn't go over very well. She was very lethargic while opening her gifts and wound up throwing up later on that night (this was before we definitely knew she had food allergies). So, in order for us to enjoy a nice variety of food and having her join in, I would have to figure out how to make everything instead of buying it.

My older sister made the Chow Mein (she is a great cook) and white rice. I decided to make the Lumpia and Beef and Broccoli. As your mouth waters I will let you know that I am a vegetarian (which works out well when my daughter tells people she is allergic to meat), so everything has veggie meat in it. Surprisingly, everything can taste just as great with veggie food instead of meat. You just have to find the right products to supplement. At times it can be hard. I spent half a day trying to find veggie beef for the Beef and Broccoli!

To make the Chow Mein food allergy free, I had my sister put some aside for my daughter and used olive oil on it instead of the Asian sauce she uses. For the Beef and Broccoli, I took a portion of it out before adding the Asian sauce. She will just eat the beef tossed with some broccoli in it without any type of seasoning. And for the Lumpia, I took a portion of the mixture out and set it aside. I left out the soy sauce, egg, and cayenne pepper.

So, she can join in with us when we eat different foods. We just have to tweak it a bit so that it is safe for her to eat. I use to just make her separate food, but as she gets older, she wants to eat what everyone else is eating. So I have to learn how to substitute!

p.s. ~ All she ate was the lumpia and some of the veggie beef! Picky, picky, picky!

Allergy Free Cafeteria Session and Friday Blog Hop!

My daughter ate school cafeteria food for the first time last week. I don't know that I will be making a habit out of this. I don't feel as though they have the healthiest food to eat, but once in awhile will not hurt.

According to her it was the best time she had ever had. I make her lunches every single day. Sometimes I try to coordinate with what the cafeteria is having, but that doesn't always workout. We are vegetarians and the school pretty much offers meat. That particular day they were serving pizza, so I felt like she would be safe eating there that particular day. The office asked me to have the teacher follow her and make sure she picked out a pizza and not something else.

Well, it was a successful event and I may let her do it again. I just have to get pass all the unhealthy grease and unnatural products they put in the food!



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Unexplainable Hives

I decided to make some oatmeal raisin cookies for my family's luncheon on Saturday. I figured if I made them from scratch my daughter would be able to eat them also. So I pulled out all the ingredients for them and proceeded to create them. Once I was done, I put them in the oven and cooked them. After they cooled off, I gave one to my daughter to try. As usual, she was hesitant to try it. I think she has been told no so many times that when it comes to trying allergy free foods, she thinks problems will still occur.

For some strange reason she went downstairs to eat it. It was a good thing she did because she yelled out that her throat felt funny. I was able to give her something to drink and her throat felt better. I am beginning to believe that her food allergies aren't as life threatening as some other people's children. She doesn't seem to go through all the major symptoms that some other children go through. Don't get me wrong, I still treat them as though they are. You never know when it could change.

After I gave her something to drink, I thought that everything was fine. She went back to playing and it was as though she never had the cookie. I then put her in the tub to give her a bath. While she was in there she told me her legs were itching. I told her, her skin was probably dry. She use to have eczema when she was a baby, so her skin tends to be a little drier. When I took her out and started to put Vaseline on her, I noticed scratch marks on her legs. I asked her what had happened and she said after her throat started to hurt, her legs started to itch. She had little bumps all over her thighs. I told her to try and not scratch as it would put marks on her legs.

Later on in the middle of the night she woke up to tell me her legs were itching her really bad. I turned the light on and examined her legs. She had actual hives on them. I had to look for the topical benadryl to put on her. She stated that it didn't help, but she was able to go back to sleep.

I can't figure out why that happened. It is always hard to tell when it is not directly related to food. There shouldn't have been anything that would have set her off in the cookie. The only thing that I can think of is either the nutmeg or the cinnamon. I don't think she is allergic to either of them, but those were the only seasonings in them that she doesn't usually have. I don't know, maybe she is truly allergic to one of them or maybe she is just having a pseudo allergic reaction to them. Only time will tell.

From Food Allergies to Asthma

I just had a conversation with my daughter's allergist. We were going over how her RAST numbers have gone down and what to look forward to in the future. We decided (more or less me) that we would wait two more years before putting my daughter through a food challenge. I just think it would be better if her numbers were closer to zero.

According to her allergist (I can't speak for all the others), there is a certain trend they follow. This would be kids that she has dealt with that have had lower RAST numbers vs. higher ones. As excited as I was to hear that there was a trend in the numbers going down I become dismayed at what followed. See, my daughter not only has food allergies, she also has outdoor and pet allergies. I never thought that her outdoor allergies could become an issue like her food allergies, but apparently they can. She explained that most of the kids that she has whose RAST numbers fall (food wise), start having to deal with allergens in the nose which leads to asthma. The sad thing is that her outdoor allergen numbers went up quite a bit. This is due to the fact that we are going into spring/summer. So, this year, or over the next two years (before her next test session) I have to watch for her coughing or wheezing while she is running. If that starts up, it is back to the allergist again.

Having to make sure I have her epipens and benadryl with me at all times is something that I have become accustomed to. But now having to think that I may have to include an inhaler with them is very disheartening for me. To think that she may have to carry her epipens and an inhaler to school..... I just pray it doesn't get to that point, especially for a kid who is HIGHLY active and loves being outdoors.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Food Allergy Conflict

This weekend has been a good one. We haven't had any issues with food, which is good.

Within the next two weeks my daughter's school is going to have a pizza day for lunch. She is not allowed to eat cafeteria food (per school request), which has her feeling left out sometimes. I am going to go up to the school again and see if they will let her participate in pizza day. Technically, I am against her eating food that I haven't prepared, but I think this could be an exception. So starting today, I will have to go to the office and make my way through the chains to find out if it will be okay.

Another thing I have decided to do is call all the local schools in my area and see if they are set up to deal with kids with food allergies. I will also ask (if they are) what protocols do they follow. Then I will put an article in my local paper so that more parents can be informed as to which schools to send their children to.

The only way for our kids to be food safe at school is for us parents, to take the initiative and make it that way.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Parsley ~ An Actual Food Allergy

There are so many different types of foods that children or adults can be allergic to. Sometimes I am not sure if my daughter is just not feeling well or if she is really having an allergic reaction. Most of the times her reactions to certain foods is pretty much clear cut, but then there are those times when she just vomits (pardon my words) hours later and has no other reaction with it. Those are times when I am left wondering if it is truly something to be avoided or not.

A while ago we had a big dinner at my parent's house. Everything was "food safe", so my daughter could eat until her heart was content. At least that is what I thought. A new item that was presented was red potatoes with parsely and olive oil. Now looking at that, you wouldn't think that it would affect someone in any way whatsoever. But later that night, she got up out of her bed and told me she felt sick. She then went into the bathroom and plopped herself in front of the toilet. I have been blessed to have a young child who can tell me she is going to be sick and still make it to the bathroom before throwing up. As gross as this may sound, I have been in the habit of checking her vomit to see what has made her sick. This time it was red potatoes and parsely. Wow, who would have thought that would be the thing to make her sick!

Today I decided to look on the internet and see if someone could really be allergic to parsely. Can you believe it, you can. I have always kept her from it after that one incident, but that is just because I tend to get paranoid when she has any type of reaction to food. On Wikipedia I found out that parsley is part of the Birch family. Some of the other foods in the Birch family are: almonds, apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, chicory, coriander, fennel, fig, hazelnuts, kiwifruit, nectarines, parsley, parsnips, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, prunes, soy, strawberries, wheat, and potentially walnuts. After seeing this I thought that I should have done research on it sooner. She happens to be allergic to almonds, hazelnuts, wheat, and walnuts. It is hard to say what to avoid and what not to avoid. She can eat apples, bananas, carrots, celery, cherries, soy, strawberries and wheat (her number for this is so low she is not affected by it) without a problem. Unfortunately, it is going to have to be a guessing game for me for the rest of her life.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Allergy Test Results

I received good news today from my daughter's allergist. Her test results came back with lower numbers. Now when I say lower, I mean way lower. To most of you this may not seem like a big deal, but for someone who has had to watch what their child ingests for the sake of their life, it's a big deal. I thanked her allergist over and over again. I'm sure she could see the smile on my face by the tone of my voice.

First, we talked about her cashew results. This one was the highest number the last time she was tested. The results showed that it went down from a 28 to a 6. She wanted the number to be a 5 or lower, but this was good news for me. See, I had to deal with her having a reaction to cashew butter and it wasn't easy. She fell asleep (her blood level dropped) and then threw up later. I was happy to hear that it was a 6 even though a 5 would have been better.

Next we talked about her peanut number. Originally, it was a 12 and dropped down to a 6 also. This is good news because peanuts seem to be in everything or cross-contaminated with everything. This shows that within the last 3 years, her numbers dropped in half. Just think what another 3 years could bring.

The last thing we discussed was regarding her having a food challenge. I can't say that I am all that keen on this idea. I would love for her numbers to be a lot lower. I still fear that something could go wrong even though she would take this test in a hospital.

When my daughter got out of school I told her the allergist called and gave me good news. I explained to her that her numbers were lower this time which means she is getting better. I told her she still isn't allowed to have the foods that are listed on her allergy bracelet, but one day she may be able to. With a smile on her face, she looked at me and said, "One day I may be able to take this bracelet off and not have to wear it?" I told her maybe. She jumped up and down with joy.

Even though her numbers are lower, I will still take the same precaution as before. The epipens and the benadryl will continue to go with us everywhere. The avoidance of bakeries, certain restaurants, and potlucks will still stand firm. But the thought that maybe, just maybe one day all of this will be in the past, is all I need for hope.
Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Allergy Free Pudding Disaster

A lot of times I wonder if I am the only parent who can't cook for their own child. Maybe I'm not and it just feels that way. Seeing how she has food allergies and can't eat most foods from the store, I have decided to try to cook for her more often, that way she can try new stuff and not eat the same things week after week.

The other day I decided to make some chocolate pudding for everyone to eat. Now the fact that I am making it at home means my daughter can eat it because the ingredients will be nut allergy safe. I was so happy that she could finally partake in all the food we were going to eat. Excitement over took me and I grabbed the cocoa powder, milk, vanilla, etc. I put the pan on the stove and poured in all of my ingredients. Okay, it states that I am suppose to bring it to a boil and cook it on medium heat. My thinking was how on earth is it going to come to a boil on medium heat. HI heat is what I felt would bring it to a boil, so that is what I did. As I was stirring the ingredients together in the pot, my father came down the stairs and announced to me that it smelled like something was burning. I told him it smells like that but my pudding wasn't burning. He proceeded to walk over to where I was diligently stirring and looked into the pan. He noticed that there were clumps in the pudding. I told him it was pieces that I just didn't feel like breaking up. I was then told by him to take the metal spoon out and use a wooden one because it was scraping "stuck pudding" off the bottom of the pan. Well, I'll have you know, that I somewhat thought that I knew what I was doing, so everything had to be fine. I left the metal spoon in and continued to cook it. Then my daughter came into the room and looked into the pan. I asked her if she wanted to help and she excitedly agreed. Oh what joy, mother and daughter making chocolate pudding together!!! After some time, I took it off the stove and transferred it to a bowl to cool off. Then I realized, there was pudding stuck at the bottom of the pan and it did somewhat smell like it was burnt. I thought if we put cool whip in it, then it could mask the flavor. So I put it in the fridge to cool off until we are done with our lunch.

After everyone was done, it was time for the pudding. I warned everyone that it had a funny taste and smell, but they could still try it. My mother and I poured the pudding into small bowls and included a cookie for each person. We also put a dollop of cool whip on top. Now it was time for me to make my daughter's bowl. As I was pouring it in, she came over and looked at it and looked up at me and said, "I am going to get a popsicle". And down the stairs she ran for her popsicle.

I try to include her with the rest of us (food wise) as much as possible. Figuring I made this, she could eat it. Well, I guess there is always next time. I am better at baking vs. cooking. Maybe I will make a cake the next time and she will partake in that. So, for now I will leave the homemade pudding alone and buy it from the store.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

The Joys of Raising A Smart Kid

Is my child the only one who uses her food allergy symptoms to get what she wants (in terms of food)? My daughter thinks she can pull one over on me by saying she is experiencing symptoms in order not to eat a certain food. If it weren't for me knowing exactly what she is allergic to and how to really tell if she is having a reaction, she just might be able to get away with it.

Her favorite cereal, for the time being, is the Puffins cinnamon flavored cereal. I lucked out when I came across Barbara's Bakery cereals. They don’t have a lot of choices, but the two I get are wheat free, dairy free and made in a peanut free facility. Because we don’t have a slew of different cereals for her to choose from, when she finds one she likes, she tends to over indulge. Quite naturally, most kids do.

Just the other day, she was eating a bowl of cereal. In order for her not to eat up all the cinnamon cereal, I gave her the regular brand. Half way through her bowl she started to yell for me. I went in and asked what was wrong and she proceeded to tell me that her tongue was feeling funny. This is the first symptom she usually experiences when she eats something that she is allergic to. I looked at her and she seemed fine. I asked her what she meant by her tongue feeling funny and all she could say was that it felt weird. Apparently, she had forgotten that I gave her this same cereal the night before and the week before without any kind of reaction. When I refreshed her memory, she had a "man I just got found out" expression on her face. Yes dear, I know all your tricks! I've explained to her that she can't fake her symptoms (when she doesn’t want what is in front of her) because one day I may not believe her when she tells me she is having them. Of course, anytime she says something is wrong, I take her seriously. While she is trying to outsmart me, she doesn't need to know.

While sitting here typing this out, I wonder, is there anyone else going through what I am going through or is my daughter the only one who tries to manipulate me with her allergic symptoms?

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Valentine's Day Candy Denial

Valentine's Day is usually a fun time for most people, but for a parent of a child who can only eat certain foods, it is not.

On Friday, my daughter had an impromptu Valentine's Day party at her school. Normally this is fine, but when I went to drop her off, I saw a ton of candy filled bags and cupcakes. Her teacher proceeded to come over and asked me if she was allowed to have anything. I let her know that she couldn't, but she could bring everything home. Well, to my amazement, when I picked her up she was sucking on a lollipop. I know most of you are thinking, what is wrong with a lollipop? For my daughter, a small lollipop could set off a chain of reactions. One reason being, she is allergic to blue dye.

My weekend was spent going through bags of candy (not only from the party on Friday, but also from a birthday party on Sunday). First, I had to take out all the chocolate candy for nut reasons. Then the hard candy was divided up depending on color (blue or purple (we all know red and blue make purple)). And last but not least, anything that had blue dye #1 in it but wasn't the color blue, I also put aside. If you are thinking that she wasn't left with a lot of candy choices, you are right.

As sad as it is, she is use to being denied certain foods. It doesn't get any easier explaining to her that she can't eat what the other kids are eating because of her food allergies. She thinks that all we have to do is stick her with her epipen and she will be all right. I have explained to her that if it comes to that point, it would be a serious matter. Maybe it will get easier for her and maybe it won't. One thing I do know is that I am the one who has to watch what goes into her mouth and until she is able to use discretion, I will be the candy separator.

Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Food Allergic Kids and Babysitters

The other day I had to leave my daughter with a babysitter who has never watched her before. I usually try to take her with me or leave her with my sister or parents. I had no choice this time. It can be a little nerving leaving her with someone new, whether it is a family member or a friend. I always wonder if they are doing things the way that I want them done. Not to sound like a brat, but it is my kids life we're talking about.

I have found a way to make it a little easier on myself and maybe for others who read this too.

1. Prepare food for them to eat. I find this option very useful. When you do this, you don't have to worry about what the babysitter will have to feed them. You know that whatever goes in their mouth is going to be food allergy free.
2. Babysitter should watch what they eat. If they are not in a food allergy friendly home, the babysitter needs to be careful what they ingest also. If the child is allergic to nuts and the babysitter eats peanut butter and has some on their hands when touching the child, it could set off an allergic reaction.
3. Inform babysitter to read ALL ingredients. If you don't have time to prepare food , you can let them know what they need to look out for. Make sure they know to look over all the ingredients and make sure they also know what hidden words that are used. This is very important.
4. Allergy Bracelet. If your child has a bracelet, it usually has the foods that they are allergic to listed on it. You can let them know if they forget, they can look at the bracelet to help them remember. Another good thing about one of these bracelets is that if anything goes wrong, you can call the number on the back for help. Actually, this is with the Medic Alert Bracelets. I'm not sure how the rest of them work.
5. Food Allergy Card. These are very helpful to hand out when someone is watching your child and they aren't sure what foods to watch out for. They have them on the Internet to purchase. I made some up myself and handed them out to all my family members. I can't speak for the other cards, but the one I created has her allergens listed from severe all the way to very low. I also listed foods to watch out for/avoid and cross contamination issue.
6. Know what symptoms to look for. Knowing the symptoms of an allergic reaction is important for a babysitter. Different symptoms show up with different kids, but they are generally the same. It would be imperative for them to know the ones that your child tends to suffer from. Itchy skin/hives, tingling in the mouth (my daughter tends to say her mouth or her throat feels funny), stomach pains, difficulty breathing, swollen tongue or throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of consciousness. One sign that is not usually listed but happened to my daughter is falling asleep. This could be right before loss of consciousness, so telling them this would be important.
7. The EPIPEN or EPIPEN JR. I feel it is very important for the babysitter to know how to use the epipen, just in case something does happen. You should let them know to use the epipen (make sure they know how to use it correctly), then call 911 and follow up by calling you.

I'm sure a lot of people already know or have done this, but if you are new to having a kid with food allergies and you have to leave them with someone, I hope this can help.


Copyright © 2010 Allergykidmom. All rights reserved

Can Nut Allergies Equal Poor Health?

I was reading an article regarding how beneficial the consumption of nuts are to ones health. They play more of an important roll in our dietary plan than I had assumed.

According to Consumer Reports on Health, just a handful of pistachio nuts a day are very beneficial to the health of our hearts. Pistachios contain phytosterols. This is a substance that helps absorb cholesterol in our system. Pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds are also high in phytosterols.

Nuts are also high in fiber and contain antioxidents. They also contain amino acid arginine, which helps boost your immune system and lower blood pressure levels. Most of them help produce serotonin in your brain, which can help keep you mellow. Another good thing about consuming nuts is that they help ward off heart disease. Nuts have also been noted as helping reduce strokes, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

I realize that you can eat other foods to achieve most of the benefits you can receive from nuts, but wouldn't it be nice to just be able to pop a handful in your mouth and gain a little nutrients?

It worries me daily to think that my child could be missing out on simple health benefits because she is allergic to nuts. Of course it doesn't help that there are other healthy foods that she is also allergic to, preventing her from acquiring all the health benefits that she could use. It is a hope of mine that one day they can find a way to help all of the kids and adults who are allergic to nuts, so that they can also enjoy the great taste and health benefits from them as they rest of us do.

Why Can't Schools Care More?

I went to my daughter's school sometime ago to talk to the nurse about her safety there. Would you belive it, she was not in. The school nurse is only there one day out of the week. How am I to feel safe if the "school nurse" is only there one day out of the week?

This is a big irritation of mine. I would like to drop her off to school and feel as though she is in good hands. I can't feel that way knowing that the nurse can only attend to her one day out of the week. What if something were to happen on one of the days that she isn't there? Who would take care of her? Much to my chagrin, it would be one of the staff members in the office. Part of me doesn't agree with this. And the reason being is because I don't believe they have taken the class that the nurse needed to correctly administer the epipen to my child.

Another surprising thing is that the nurse had never taken the class before. There are other kids that attend the school that apparently have food allergies also, but she wasn't told to take the class until I started nosing around. Whether there are kids on the campus with food allergies or not, I believe she should be trained in this matter. Call me crazy, but you are a school nurse, right? I know most people are probably saying, 'Why take a class if it is not needed?' Well, so you will be well prepared when it comes about.

When I enrolled her into preschool it didn't matter as much because she didn't eat lunch there. She also had a wonderful teacher who asked me on the mornings of parties if certain foods were appropriate. And when she graduated to kindergarten it was okay because that teacher was awesome with her also. She would call me up at home and ask me if certain foods were okay. She would also keep frozen popsicles for her if parents showed up with cupcakes unannounced.

This brings us to her first grade teacher. Bless her heart, she is a beautiful woman. But I don't think she understands food allergies. The first day of class I explained to her that my daughter had food allergies. She looked very puzzled, so I decided to make up an example for her. She looked at me and said, 'If I have a mango at my desk, what should I do?' Well, if you want my honest opinion, put it back in your lunch. No matter what I said to her she just didn't get it.

Last week they had an impromptu party and had cookies that came from a bakery. It shocked me when my daughter told me that she had some cookies. Unfortunately my daughter is starting to want to eat what the other kids are eating and I am having to hound her a little more than I use to. So when she told me about the cookies I confronted the teacher. All she said was, 'Okay.' Can you believe that is all I got out of her. I didn't get a sorry or I will ask her the next time. I just got an 'okay'. And to make matters worse, she let my daughter take home some food that she was allergic to. Why would you do that? I know it was wrapped up in a napkin, but come on!

Oh, it gets even better. They will not allow her to eat cafeteria food either. They say that it doesn't state where the food is made and they don't want to take any chances. I even asked to look at the packaging so that I can determine if it is safe, but they will not allow it. In a way it is good. I don't really want her eating cafeteria food anyway. But sometimes I don't feel like making her a lunch and wouldn't mind her eating a cheese sandwich or a bean burrito from the school. And when it comes to kids sharing food at lunch, all they do is tell them not to share food because some kids have food allergies. As you can see, this school does not have food allergy free tables.

I'll be honest, I am not happy with my daughter's school or the administration members either. It is hard to drop your child off and wonder if you are going to get a phone call stating that they either gave them an epipen or called an ambulance and they are on their way to the nearest hospital.