Food Allergy Support Group

A new study “Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy” was published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine that may change the way your doctor views the prevention of peanut allergy. In the first of it’s kind, the study looked at whether giving peanut products before the first birthday could PREVENT the development of peanut allergies in kids at risk. Children at risk were defined as babies with egg allergies, eczema but a negative skin prick test for peanuts. The kids were then separated into two groups – one got peanut products and one group did not. The group eating peanut products beginning before age 1 and lasting until age 5 were much less likely to have developed peanut allergies compared to the group where peanut introduction was delayed. This is the first study to suggest that we may purposely introduce peanuts to protect against peanut allergy – the opposite of advice given just 15 years ago. There is still much to be tested as the research only included kids labeled “high risk” of development of allergy but this may have opened the door to prevention of peanut allergies in a good number of kids. With 1 in 50 kids in the US having a peanut allergy and peanut allergies being the most common cause of food allergy deaths, this is great news.

If you are like me and like to bake (and by bake I mean adding chocolate chips to pancake batter) but have a child with a food allergy then you might want to check out Enjoy life brand Chocolate Chips. Enjoy life chocolate chips are dairy, nut and soy free! According to the package they are also NON GMO and gluten free. I used to purchase mine on amazon.com but today found them in my local specialty grocery store. Wearing my mom hat with this tip but thought it was too good to not share!

I love this new effort created by FARE for kids with allergies to be able to enjoy their Trick or Treating experience a little bit more! Think about offering allergen-free treats in your neighborhood and putting a teal pumpkin on your porch! https://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project

What are your favorite Dairy Free websites for kids recipes?

The legume (bean) Lupin on was in the news last week as a concern for parents of children with peanut allergy. Apparently, this legume was previously uncommon in the US but is being imported and used as an ingredient more and more often. Parents need to add this to their ingredient vocabulary as it is a potential allergen for children who are also allergic to peanuts (also a legume). http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/830165?src=emailthis

We have a dairy and soy allergic son who’s 19 months old. The thing I struggle with most is managing people’s reactions when they find out that he doesn’t (or hasn’t to this point) have an anaphylactic reaction to his allergens. He suffers from slower, less “severe” reactions like eczema, blistering eczema in his diaper area, itchy eyes, stuffy nose, trouble sleeping, etc. (When I say less severe I say it with mild sarcasm since his last flare of eczema in his diaper area took 4 weeks to completely heal and caused bleeding, open sores on his bottom and penis- that’s pretty severe to me…) Most people are flexible, cooperative, and concerned when we say he has food allergies but when they learn that his reactions aren’t life-threatening they take us much less seriously. It’s a hard balance to achieve because we are both thankful that he has so far avoided any kind of anaphylaxis, we also want people to understand that he does have real symptoms that cause him real discomfort if his exposures aren’t managed. Does anyone else have experience dealing with non-anaphylactic reactions in their allergy children?

One of my coworkers has a best friend that lives in Boston. Her daughter passed away a few months ago after going into anaphylaxis shock. The Epipen wasn’t enough to save her life. Please take the time to read this article and feel free to pass it on. http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2014/08/22/they-keep-smiling-for-abbie-benford/IaGrzgrFlOWQGfCqJ4HrUN/story.html?event=event25

For those who might not take food allergies seriously, this video is a must see. These courageous parents are speaking out in hopes of making people realize that not only are food allergies real, but can often be deadly. http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/parents-of-girl-who-died-of-peanut-allergy-reaction-speak-out/21686610#!bzcwxL

FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) released the Food Allergy Field Guide this week for families living with food allergies. It can be downloaded free from FARE’s website http://www.foodallergy.org/field-guide It has useful information for living safely with food allergies. Way to go FARE!

The Centers for Diseases Control released the “Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care Education Programs” guide this week. The guide, which is meant for health care professionals, gives suggestions and useful information for the implementation and management of food allergy action plans in schools. Way to go, CDC!