Back to School Days

It’s back to school time for our family.  My son started first grade on Monday. Wow!  Hard to believe.

In the last week we followed the age old pattern of awaiting the news about teacher assignment, then calling around to see which friends would be in the same class.  Then we combed the aisles of our nearest discount store to gather school supplies.  First grade books now have my son’s name in them!  Lunch boxes and book bags have been deemed “keepers” or replaced after too much use last year.

Another list we check off every year has important food allergy items on it. That one is done now too.  Epi injector expiration dates have been checked. New anti-histamine packs have been added to emergency kits.  New teachers have been trained.  New lunchroom staff oriented.

While in some ways this part of the back to school ritual seems just as routine as others, food allergy preparedness is never taken lightly.  Each year I enjoy the time I spend with the school staff talking about the signs and symptoms of allergic reaction, then training on epi injector use.   To quote the teachers this year:

“Oh, I see!”                    ”OK, I get it.”                  ”I can do that.”

“That’s easy!”                                         “I feel so much better about this.”

“Wow, we can handle this.”                              ”This is really important.”

If you need a little trick for focusing your back to school efforts this year, I suggest “the 3 P’s”:  Prevent, Prepare, Participate.   I shared this idea recently with the folks at Living Without magazine, and you will can see the write up of my school safety plan in their August/September issue.

Prevent. Work with teachers and staff to recognize, remove or reduce risks.

Prepare. Help caregivers recognize symptoms and understand exactly what to do in the event of an allergic reaction.

Participate. Share your knowledge, ideas and commitment to food allergy safety.  You could be the food allergy expert at your school and your energy might be just what’s needed to make things the best they can be for your child and others.

On the Road with Lucy’s & FAAN

Hans Christian Andersen once said, “To travel is to live” and we couldn’t agree more.  As we drift into deep summer, millions of American families will head out on the road for one last horrah before the return of the school year, short days and cold nights.

Lucy’s will also be on the road this summer and fall with the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN).   To help raise awareness and improve food allergy education, Lucy’s is sponsoring FAAN walks in 25 cities across the U.S.  Show your support by attending a walk in your area.

On the road with Lucy’s and FAAN—sweet!

Summer Food Safety

For most of us summer fun includes gathering with friends and family around the scrumptious flavors of the season.  Whether you’re cooking on the grill in your own backyard, packing a picnic basket for the beach or filling your backpack for a hike—it’s good to take a few minutes this summer to review some food safety tips.  Plus with the prevalence of food allergies and celiac disease, it might be nice to think about what steps to take for guests with special dietary requirements.

Here are 7 tips for food safety this summer:

1.  When packing your cooler for a long trip, you might consider freezing some food items ahead of time.  This will more likely keep your items at a safe temperature in transport and can help your entire cooler function better as a cold spot.  Remember that a cooler full of cold or frozen items will maintain lower temperatures better than a partially filled cooler.  Pack high, even if it’s just by adding a bag of ice cubes or frozen juice boxes  serving double-time as ice cubes.

2.  If you’re taking produce on the road, try washing all salad ingredients and fruits or vegetables before packing and find a cool place for transport.

3.  If running water is not available remember to take along hand wipes or hand sanitizers that don’t require water to clean hands before and after working with food.

4.  Wash hands, utensils, and other food contact surfaces using soap and warm/hot water after contact with raw meat or poultry.  If you’re taking meats to grill at the park or beach, consider getting them ready while you’re at home.  Taking pre-formed burgers or trimmed chicken from a container prepared at home surely beats tangling with preparation while you’re away.  Remember to use fresh utensils and plates to turn items and for removing food from the grill.

5.  If you’re cooking for someone with food allergies, think ahead about any marinades you might be planning to use.  Check to see if all ingredients are acceptable.  You might be surprised at how many marinades contain gluten or nuts.  Clean your grill surface well, and segregate any foods that might contain allergens of concern (including cheese that might be added to hamburgers).   Use a separate utensil and plate when handling the food that must avoid allergens.  You might consider inviting your guest to assist with cooking his or her special item.  This might increase everyone’s sense of comfort regarding safety.

6.  Cook foods to proper temperatures.  As a refresher, you can review minimum cooking temperatures here.  Don’t forget to pack your meat thermometer if you’re travelling.

7.  Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours when the temperature in the food serving area is below 90° F, within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90° F.  Getting food back into the fridge promptly is always a good idea.  Produce and leftovers will last longer.

For more great tips on food safety, visit the US Health and Human Services website on food safety.  Happy grilling!

Shopping with a Friend

While in college and again in my early twenties, I enjoyed grocery shopping with a friend.  Meandering down the aisles, chatting away about our latest activities, filling our carts—everything was a social event in those days!  Most of us are too busy to think of taking the time to grocery shop with a friend at this point in our lives, but recently I had the opportunity to indulge in this luxury once again.

This time it wasn’t just about the fun of visiting and sharing an experience.  This time it was to help a friend who had just learned that her family would be eating a diet without gluten and diary milk.

We met at our closest, convenient gluten-free, allergy friendly grocer.  This was a whole new shopping location for her, as it is for many people who must shop for a restricted diet.  This practical, hands-on help brings real relief and can be lots of fun.

The experience of shopping with my friend not long ago inspired me to provide these ideas for our readers, whether you are newly diagnosed with a food allergy or sensitivity or just interested in helping a friend or family member.

Focus on meals that the family already enjoys and might be easily adjusted to fit the new needs. You’d be surprised to realize there are simple substitutions for meals you already know and love.  If you love pasta, there are several gluten-free options.  I have found that it really helps to follow the cooking instructions.  Adding oil and salt, and stirring frequently while cooking is important.  I think gluten free pasta is great, but I have found that it requires a little more attention in the cooking phase.  If your family loves hamburger night, try a gluten-free bun or just go with out the bread.  I’ve come to prefer my burger without a bun and along side a big green salad.

Don’t tackle any major baking right away. If an item doesn’t turn out it can be discouraging and get you off on a negative foot.  I suggest buying a basic ready-made cookie for the cupboard (Lucy’s or other brands!), and a brownie mix.  I think most gluten free brownie mixes are great, and usually can be made without milk or eggs.  The fancy baking can come later once you’ve comfortably adjusted to the nuances of substitutions.

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Support Celiac & Food Allergy Awareness

The month of May is Celiac Awareness Month and May 9-15 is also Food Allergy Awareness Week.  In support of this, Lucy’s will be giving away Starbucks gift cards all month on twitter.  Let’s celebrate the new options we have, even while following a special diet.  We’ll continue working with The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network through the month in a variety of ways to share important information about these two topics.

As a mother of a child with severe food allergies, I am confronted daily with the challenges a restricted diet brings.  For me, and others like me, this month represents a time to step back and collectively come together to focus on these issues in our communities and beyond.   It’s a time for meaningful connection with others sharing our same  journey.  In honor of that I hope that you’ll take a moment to post a comment on this blog and share a brief, inspirational piece of your journey.  Thank you.

Reader’s Gather for Jodi Picoult’s House Rules & Lucy’s Cookies

Escaping with a good book has traditionally been a solitary, personal act.  Today, social book clubs have become all the rage.   Groups of intelligent engaged women and men meeting to enjoy good food, good conversation and perhaps a little healthy debate about a book they’ve all read.

On April 24, Lucy’s will help take that concept to another level with Partique, Simon & Schuster, and Jodi Picoult.

In hundreds of homes across the US readers will gather to discuss Jodi Picoult’s  #1 best seller House Rules.  We’re thrilled to participate by providing our gluten-free, casein-free cookies for all the hosts and their guests.

House Rules centers on the life of Jacob, an 18-year-old with Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder that’s part of the autism spectrum, and his mother’s desperate struggle to keep him out of jail.  It’s quite riveting and is almost impossible to put down.

There can be no doubt that discussing a fantastic book over scrumptious cookies with good friends is just plain fun!  Consider us and House Rules for your next book club.

We’re giving away copies of the book and boxes of cookies all week on twitter so be sure to follow us for a chance to win.

Some of our cookie fans living with autism follow a gluten-free, casein-free diet and Picoult addresses this approach in House Rules, writing directly and often about Jacob’s GFCF diet throughout the book.

Lucy’s & NFCA Team up for “Creative with Cookies” Photo & Video Contest

Lucy’s and the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) want to know how YOU celebrate the gluten-free lifestyle.  So grab your friends, family and like-minded neighbors and a camera and get creative.  Entries can include poetry, song, rap, dance—anything that demonstrates how much you and your family enjoy Lucy’s cookies and living gluten free.

As many of you already know, NFCA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding for celiac disease that will advance research, education and screening.  Awareness brings treatment that in turn brings improvement to the quality of life for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

NFCA is affiliated with the leading researchers internationally and supports collaboration and partnership among scientists and institutions.  We’re honored to partner with them in aid of their mission.

For details on how to enter and win, visit NFCA’s website today.  I can’t wait to start seeing how YOU celebrate the gluten-free lifestyle with Lucy’s cookies!