Living Without

This is a great magazine for those dealing with food allergies, specifically gluten and casein allergies. While Caden isn't allergic to gluten, this is still one of my favorite magazines to pick up from Whole Foods (the only store in my area that carries this magazine). The recipes are healthful and the articles pertinent to those "living without."

By the way, there is a coupon for $1 of any two Enjoy Life candy bars in this month's edition, if you need another selling point.

Awesome Allergy Product

Since this was reputed to be good on my allergy board (http://www.kidswithfoodalleriges.com/), I decided I had to try it. Well, I finally found it yesterday. It puts every other vegan ice cream to shame (well except the one I make at home, of course). Caden loved it. I liked it. Should I need to go dairy free ever again, I will not miss my ice cream. And if I ever meet who created this for Turtle Mountain, I will probably fall into their arms weeping with gratitude. Hey, I might even mow their lawn for them! It's made entirely from coconut milk. No dairy, no soy. And frankly, any soy ice cream I've ever eaten has tasted like vomit compared to the wonderful taste of Purely Decadent made with coconut milk.

Rumor had it a couple weeks ago, that Turtle Mountain was also releasing a line of coconut milk yogurt. Much to my delight, it is now being advertised on their website. My local Whole Foods dairy manager had better plan on carrying this at the new store, otherwise I'll be harassing him until he orders it for me, err Caden. We've used Ricera in the past, and Caden likes it okay. I, however, cannot stomach it. I'm hoping that this will follow the genius of coconut milk ice cream though and be more palatable. Still I'm not knocking Ricera, its a great product, but if something tastes better... eat it!

Yay for Turtle Mountain!

Living Without

Off the dorm life topic. I just discovered Living Without magazine. It focuses primarily on gluten free/dairy free diet, but for the most part, their recipes are very allergen friendly (baring egg). It is so nice to have a quality magazine for those with food allergies.

What every food allergic kid needs

We got Caden one of these in December. I cannot tell you the peace of mind it give me. One of my biggest fears was that we would get in a car accident, and Jason and I would be incapacitated, unable to tell anyone of Caden's food allergies or medical concerns. Medic Alert is the only company I will trust. They print the most pertinent information on the bracelet with and id code. A medical professional can call Medic Alert 24 hours a day any day of the year and receive all pertinent information about Caden, including blood type, allergies, and medical conditions. If you have a child (or adult) with extensive medical conditions, they can even keep a copy of his medical records on file.

I also appreciate that they do not print Caden's name or other identifying information on it. Should he become seperated from us at a mall or airport, a security guard or police officer could call the 800 number and Medic Alert will notify me, or if they are unable to contact me, the remaining people on our contact list.

It's been recommended to me by EMTs to always get the bracelet. That is the first place medical professionals will check. We have the petite emblem on Caden, and it is not too large for a toddler. Large enough to print the pertinent information, small enough to not get in the way. Caden doesn't even notice his anymore.

This has given me such a peace of mind. I don't begrudge the yearly fee (about $30) or the cost of the bracelet ($10), even though we're going to have to replace the bracelet yearly until Caden's growth slows down. If your food allergic child doesn't have one, it's a must buy. And your child doesn't have to have a medical condition to have one. As I said, its a safety precaution even in the event of being separated.

Silk (finally) recalls it's soy milk

From an official release from White Wave

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Marguerite Copel(214) 721-1273Allergy Alert on Undeclared Dairy in 11-Ounce Single Serve Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor in Plastic BottlesMount Crawford, Virginia (April 23, 2008) - WhiteWave Foods Company is voluntarily recalling 11-ounce plastic single serve bottles of Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor because it may contain undeclared milk protein. The individual bottles are printed with both a “use by” date of May 7, 2008 (printed as 05 07 08) and a Universal Product Code (UPC) of 2529360028. Consumers can find this information on the back of the individual bottle.People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk protein run the risk of a health problem or illness if they consume this product. Some reactions have been reported. This affected product was distributed nationwide and reached consumers through retail and foodservice outlets. WhiteWave’s sales team is working with distributors to actively recover any affected product remaining on store shelves.

HOW TO IDENTIFY THE RECALLED PRODUCT This recall includes only 11-ounce single serve plastic bottles of Silk Soymilk Chocolate Flavor with both a “use by” date of May 7, 2008 (printed as 05 07 08) and a UPC code of 2529360028. Consumers should look for this information on the back of the bottle. The Company apologizes for any inconvenience to its customers. Consumers who purchased the product may return it to the place of purchase for a full refund or exchange. Consumers with questions can contact the Company at 1-800-587-2259.The Food and Drug Administration has been notified of this recall.


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For the record, I am p-i-s-s-e-d off about this. Silk was notified weeks ago, were given the official documentation that dairy was indeed present in this from an independent lab and just before the FDA pulls the plug on it, the do a "voluntary" recall. Three children that I know of were hospitalized for anaphylaxis related to this, and Silk just gets around this.

Caden isn't able to eat soy products right now, but since Silk (owned by White Wave) dragged their feet every step of the way, they will no longer be getting our business now or in the future. It's a pity too because I really like Horizon products. Not big sacrifice though when it comes to something like this. Land o' Lakes is also owned by White Wave. We're boycotting the company for now, unless some serious, voluntary amends are made to the families who suffered sickness due to White Waves negligence.

If I was vegan, I'd be mighty pissed too.

Allergy Stories in the News

http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6961f0f9-adb0-4391-a880-a89fa3d95036

http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=6961f0f9-adb0-4391-a880-a89fa3d95036

Sorry for the messy links. I'm not quite sure how to post them without the full address.

At any rate here are two stories in the news.

The first is about an eighth grade student who apparently intentionally planted a peanut butter cookie in his peanut allergic classmate's lunch pail. Said student is now being charged with a felony. Now, I think what he did was atrocious, particularly since it seems that he knew the FA (food allergy or food allergic) student was indeed allergic. However, my question is if he really understood the ramifications of his actions. So many adults don't really get food allergies. Many equate them with the severity of seasonal or environmental allergies, which, while pesky, are not typically life threatening. I'm interested in how this case plays out, what the student who was charged intentions were, and if he really understood what would happen.

Often times, those with food allergies are in some ways dependent on those around them (in part) for their safety. There are good reasons why schools go peanut (or other allergen) free, why doctor's offices have signs, etc. It's truly scary knowing that something as innocent as a cookie could kill you. Teaching children without food allergies the dangers of certain foods to certain people and instilling empathy in them (not pity), is key and is greatly appreciated by families who deal with FA.

The second story is about an inmate who died after eating a peanut butter sandwich. I'm interested in the findings of the investigation and whether it was a suicide, accidental, or "forced". If it was accidental, its a sad reminder that food allergies can develop at any time, even with foods that one has eaten for years without a problem. Sometimes it can be sudden (anaphylaxis after having no symptoms). Others, it can develop over time. Pay attention to your body. If you feel "funny" or your mouth is itchy after eating something, stop and get tested. Just because a reaction is minor this time, doesn't mean it will continue to be minor. Even those with minor food allergies should strictly avoid their allergens and carry epi pens and benadryl with them at all times.

Tales from Cleveland

We traveled with my parents down to Cleveland last weekend. Good times, let me tell you. Road construction on the road that took us every where we needed to go, a blizzard, and did I mention road construction? All in all, it was a nice change of scenery. Cleveland looks like a blast, and we may be going back again in May. We didn't get to do much of anything, since the city experienced a blizzard, which made it necessary for us to get out of Dodge a day earlier than expected.


The highlight of our trip was supper at Tommy's in Coventry. Not only did they have yummy food. They had vegan food that was safe for Caden. Not only did they have vegan food that was safe for Caden, they also had rice milk. Not only did they have vegan food and rice milk for Caden, they also had rice cream (rice milk ice cream). Score one for the food allergy team! They also had good cleaning practices to reduce the risk of cross contamination. They cleaned off the beaters really good for us, and they have a separate beater for the soy/rice milk shakes from the dairy milk shakes. If Caden was anaphylactic or even severely allergic to soy, I probably wouldn't have chanced it. He did great though and loved it. He kept smacking his lips and saying "Mine, mine, yummmmm." Needless to say, we'll be making a visit to Tommy's when we travel to Cleveland again.

What I hate most about food allergies

Food allergies are a pain in the butt. They just are. It's hard keeping a toddler safe, finding a variety of nutritious foods, traveling with allergies, finding safe substitutes for holiday candy, being on an elimination diet, dealing with stupid people (or evil people who think their peanut loving selves should take precedence over someone's safety and well being). Yes, I hate those inconveniences. They make my life more difficult, but it's all worth in the safety of my son.

What I hate MOST about food allergies is the constantly changing goal posts. If Caden's allergies stayed the same, if he developed no new ones, I could handle it. It's being thrown a new one every couple months, that pushes me off keel. We added sesame and chickpea to our lengthy list now. The chickpea isn't a surprise; the sesame is. It does explain a couple of random reactions that we weren't sure what caused. Eating out, if he's able, is going to be even more difficult. I shudder to think what traveling is going to be like this summer.

God, if there was just a cure. Please, God, just a cure!

I'm about ready to lose it. Its not that we had a diet of chickpeas or sesame. Its the new rules. The new danger lurking at every salad bar. In every chef's kitchen. That is what makes living with food allergies so difficult.

Holy tshirt, Batman!

I peered out of my window yesterday to behold.... the first robins of spring. For all that we are still going to get some nasty weather this week, they were certainly a welcome sight.

Today, for all the rain and grayness, is a lovely day. I have the windows open to get some fresh air. Fifty degrees sure is warm when compared to twenty degrees!

There is nary a sound in the hall right now. I'm thankful for the reprieve. The students are gone on spring break and will be back later this weekend.

The family is headed to Cleveland for a short vacation with my parents. It'll be nice to get a change of scenery.

On an allergy note, we've been in a rut as far as what to serve Caden for lunches. I tried sunbutter some months ago, and that afternoon, Caden spit up. Thinking it could be a sign of allergy (or just aggravating to suspected reflux), I didn't give it to him again. Well, we tried it for lunch today, and it was a hit! My little carb-aholic licked it off the bread. This will be awesome for when we need to travel or are going to eat at an unsafe restaurant.

Lame, Martha, Lame.

I posted last week on Martha Stewart running a voting contest for a magazine publication. One of those options was a publication on food allergies. The allergy community voted en masse and gave the allergy publication 54% (57%?), more than any other votes for any of the other options. The pet publication came in second. Guess which one Martha is doing? Hint: it won't benefit me any.

So Martha, I call it Lame, with a capital L. Why do the contest? Why get up the hopes of the allergy community? There are already many pet publications out there. There are no mainstream allergy publications in the US at all.

Very disappointing.

Go, Martha!

Okay. So Martha Stewart has a contest of sorts going on right now. She is currently taking votes at her blog for a special publication. She has a whole list to choose from but the most important one (in my not so humble opinion) is one on food allergies! How exciting would that be!!!! In fact I'd probably be line on the day its released in the stores to buy my very own copy. So in essence, I'm requesting that you vote for the food allergy publication if you have the time and inclination. It would really benefit millions of families who have to deal with this issue day in and out. I would be so excited to try new recipes.

Scroll down a bit to vote. Thanks

http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/martha/?rsc=todaysidea_Homepage_Homepage