Helpful Food Allergy Resource

Do you know about Wellsphere? This online community connects regular people, enthusiasts, and professionals around health topics. There is a very active food allergy group on the site. Check out the site and contribute if you feel so inclined.

Today is the last day to enter in the free book give-away. Come on, share your story and try for your chance to win a book. Winner will be announced Monday.

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Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota

Over seven years ago, nine families started a support group in Minnesota for people dealing with food allergy. This group has become one of the most active in the country. For food allergy families living in Minnesota, resources and events like the Food Allergy Resource Fair, to be held Sept. 25, 2010, are available at little or no cost. This Resource Fair, their fourth annual, brings food allergy vendors together with families who can try out new foods and products. Children have the opportunity to explore "under the sea" with the crew at Underwater Adventures, while their parents have an opportunity to learn at the  "Ask a Doctor" station. The Fair is free and open to the public.

For those who do not live in the Minnesota area, a look at the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota website provides answers to many food allergy questions and concerns. From  how to handle a new food allergy diagnosis, to accommodations that should be expected for food allergic students, the site is packed with useful tips and tools.

Thank you to all those behind the scenes powering the resources and tools of the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota. You provide a valuable service to MN families and others across the world.

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Allergy Book for Children

Allergy Tales: Making Friends

I recently had the opportunity to read Allergy Tales: Making Friends. This book is one of several written for, and about, children with food allergies. Author, Carey Shoemaker is the creator of ALLERGYONBOARD, an organization dedicated to promoting empowerment and positive self-esteem for children with food allergies.

Making Friends is the story of a young boy who moves to a new town. He worries that his food allergies may get in the way of making new friends.

I love the positive message in the story. Elementary school children will be able to read this book themselves- and it's not directed only at children with food allergies. It helps all children understand that food allergies are just one part of a whole person.

I think this book would be a great classroom or school library gift. It would also be a great tool for school nurses, guidance counselors or teachers who may be educating a classroom about food allergies.

We all work hard to balance the risks of food allergy with the message that our food allergic kids can, and should, participate in regular childhood experiences. Books like this one help show all children that food allergies are manageable, and that everyone has special things about them.

Has anyone else read Making Friends with their child?

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Information From Food Allergy Assistant Readers

I've gotten some requests from readers to post their items of interest to the food allergy community. I wanted to pass these along:

Teresa posted a quirky, but fascinating article called “20 Weird Allergies That Actually Exist”.

Leeanne is giving away some allergy friendly candy on her blog. The offer is only available until Jan. 26, so hop on over for the chance to win.

I wrote a blog for Peanut Allergy.com recently about new peanut allergic mice which should help researchers with treatment and a cure for peanut allergy.

Don't forget the FAAN and Divvies Cookie Recipe Contest. The deadline is Feb. 15. Grand prize is a trip to Great Wolf Lodge.

Cooking Allergy Free has released an iPhone app to help those who need to prepare allergy friendly food.

Anyone in the market for a new grill? Reader Joseph W. sent me a link to his site where he reviews stainless steel grills.

So keep sending in your helpful info and the Food Allergy Assistant will help get the word out.

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Food Allergy Resource

I wanted to make you aware of a new food allergy site, AllAboutFoods. The site was co-founded by a mom after her child was diagnosed with food allergies. She gathered information and enlisted the help of a computer programmer friend. Together, they created AllAboutFoods.

I visited the site. I really find the tab marked "Allergy Charts" to be helpful as it lists well-known restaurants and the food allergen information for their products. Gotta love one-stop shopping!

From the home page, you can link to information about common allergens to learn how to avoid the foods as well as substitutions for it.

While on the dairy page, I learned something new. Apparently, some vaccines contain casamino acid, which is derived from casein, which is dairy. I know the FDA does not require allergen labeling on vaccines and medications- makes sense to me. Here's another example of something to question when our dairy allergic kids need a vaccine.

We wonder why our kids are not outgrowing their dairy allergies! But I digress...

Head on over to AllboutFoods and let the rest of us know what you learn there.

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Food and Food Allergy Resources

One thing food allergies has brought to my life is a greater awareness of food in general. I'm constantly asking "What's in it?", "How's it made?", "Where was it manufactured?". Fortunately, the Internet has made answering these questions much easier. I tracked down some fascinating sites for anyone who eats food:

The International Food Information Council has a great section devoted to food allergies. Bounce around the site, though, for other areas of interest such as food safety and nutrition. They offer a free online newsletter.

I recently posted a list of Food Allergy resources at Suite 101. You can find support, books and other resources. Let me know if I missed any you love.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers a wealth of info including a database of over 13,000 foods and their nutritional information. This is especially helpful when looking for substitutes if cutting out major food groups due to food allergy. Also check this site for laws and regulations related to food.

Food Safety.gov is another super source for tips to keep food safe and prevent illness. You can subscribe to alerts and get e-mail notification when the government makes a food advisory. Just last Friday, an alert came out warning about high levels of lead in certain dried fruits. Who knew?

Find the sites that are helpful to you and visit them regularly, or better yet- sign up for their automatic updates. We all need to eat and we all need timely information to eat safely.

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