Food Allergy Knowledge! Food Allergy Power!

They say that knowledge is power.  And I would say that for two reasons, the attached article from this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association provides both knowledge and power.  First, there is real hope and power in what is summarized there, and in a title like:  Treatment Rather Than Avoidance May Be Within Reach for Children With Food Allergies. Secondly, this article might answer some of the questions you hear from family and friends.  So read on, and get the knowledge and the power to respond – you just might encounter these topics at a Super Bowl party this Sunday.  I hope you’ll be munching on some Lucy’s cookies and sharing with friends!  Have fun.

New Year, New Recipes!

You may have noticed that I like recipes that are gluten free and food allergy friendly.   I get a huge kick out of finding something good to make – that I can do just as the recipe calls for.  There is something normal about it, and I like it!  When I find recipes from mainstream sources, they are often fruit or vegetable based and they’re lean, clean and really good for you.

In late December I posted on Facebook a link for some wonderful, healthy, New Year’s eating ideas from Bon Appetit.  Most are gluten free and food allergy friendly, or easily adapted.  Check these out.

Lean and clean aside, I am on the lookout for some new ways to make the rich and fancy stuff.  Since it can be challenging to work without certain ingredients, sometimes I feel like I’m in a recipe rut.  So this year, I am forging ahead with new attempts and new ideas.

I will be posting my successes here throughout 2011.  And, I invite you to share some of your own.  Please do.

This month I’ll post a couple of options for using Lucy’s cookies in a dessert recipe, plus a few ideas for savory winter entertaining.

Coming tomorrow is my recipe for Gluten Free, Vegan Chocolate Cake complete with video commentary.  Really, we’ll be posting a cooking video with National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.  Alternative Appetites Chef, Dan Kohler, and I made the cake together.  There’s a secret ingredient!  Stay tuned.

Hallowed Tricks & Treats in Our Neighborhood

My son is six and therefore at the age where picking the perfect Halloween costume means the difference between being cool and uncool.  This also means his desired costume has been changing weekly.  We’ve gone from Frankenstein, to Chewbacca to Mummy to Clown.  My favorite costume is still the little puppy dog with the floppy ears and spots that he wore at age three.  Of course it would barely accommodate one of his legs now, much less his whole body, but I like to hold onto this memory as a reminder of his innocence.

Costume importance aside, Colin’s allergies to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat require a heightened awareness this time of year.  But just as important, my husband and I want Colin to feel like any other little boy on his night of hallowed haunting.  Because of that we’ve always approached the trick or treating event on Halloween in an open way.  We grab his candy container of choice, a flashlight and EpiPens; then we join the troops of grandly dressed kids and adults in our neighborhood.  The big rule is that we don’t eat candy while on the trail.  And frankly, this is not very dramatic.  It’s just like all food rules for us.  The great thing is that the rest of our romp through the neighborhood is just like everyone else’s.  Colin has a great time.  And so do we as parents; watching him stand side by side at each door with his friends just being a carefree kid.

Once at home we sort the candy into three piles—OK, Not OK and Not Sure.  This is part of the fun.  And, it turns out to be a great confidence builder.  Colin knows he will be able to sort for himself as he becomes more independent, even on Halloween night.   He is free to take from the “OK” pile.  The “Not OK” pile goes off to Dad’s work and the “Not Sure” pile becomes my sleuthing project.    I spend the next couple of weeks reviewing ingredients online, calling candy companies, etc.  It takes a little time, but it’s worth it.  Colin checks in on the status of my work and through this he is building lifelong skills for living with food allergies.  Colin is learning how to determine what is safe or not.

Our unrestricted trick or treating tradition isn’t necessarily for everyone with food allergies of course, but it works for us and we look forward to Halloween night and thereafter each fall.

These days, Halloween celebrations aren’t limited to the one night though.  It’s a candy-fest for the entire month.  For other October days we try to focus our celebrations around activities that are less food oriented and schedule them after a nice, healthy meal at home.   This is not just healthy for us, it’s good for everyone!   In fact, many other families find this the best way to celebrate fall.  After all, we are what we eat.