Skippy All Natural Peanut Butter:
Ingredients:
Roasted peanuts, sugar, palm oil, salt
Philadelphia Cream Cheese:
Ingredients:
Pasteurized Nonfat Milk and Milkfat, Cheese Culture, Salt, Stabilizers (Xanthan and/or Carob Bean and/or Guar Gums)
Cool Whip:
Ingredients:
WATER, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OIL (COCONUT AND PALM KERNEL OILS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, SKIM MILK, LIGHT CREAM, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN AND GUAR GUMS, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, BETA CAROTENE (COLOR). CONTAINS: MILK
Domino Powdered Sugar:
pure cane sugar, corn starch
What is all that jibberish above? It's the ingredients of a peanut butter pie that I started to make for Thanksgiving. If you've read this blog for a while then you know that the Little Man passed his peanut nut challenge last fall. He tried Reese's peanut butter cups but didn't like them. He tried some other candy bar that had peanuts (that I've forgotten the name of, Baby Ruth perhaps?) but didn't like those. He hated peanut butter. He hates peanuts. He basically hasn't eaten peanuts since then. What has he eaten that's "nutty". Well, nothing. Unless you count M&M's since they are processed with nuts. He loves M&M's. We've eaten peanuts around him though. His brother has eaten peanuts and then they've shared the same chip bowl. No reaction there that we have seen.
He loves Muddy Buddies and before the challenge I always made it with sunbutter. One time last spring I made it with peanut butter and he came near it, smelled the peanut butter (didn't even taste it, just smelled it) and shunned the Muddy Buddies. I had to make a new batch the next day with sunbutter and that batch he ate.
I've always wondered if his hatred of all things peanut was just because he wasn't used to eating it or if it was his bodies way of telling him something.
Well, I thought I'd use my trickery again and make that stinkin' pie. I put the smallest amount of the filling on a spoon and said "Come here and taste this". He tasted the smallest bit (a lick really) and he said "OH WHAT IS THIS? IT'S AWFUL. IT'S BURNING MY MOUTH". And he spit it out in a paper towel and kept drinking water. At first, I thought he was being overly dramatic because he just doesn't like peanut butter. But then he said "My lip is swelling". So both my husband and I checked him and didn't see anything. I gave him some Benadryl to just be on the safe side. He said his tongue was now fine. His throat was fine. But his lip was still swollen. I checked it again and sure enough there was a hive on his lip right where the smallest amount of peanut butter touch it.
But he passed the challenge, right? He can't be allergic. Can he?
I have a call into the allergist today and am waiting for further instruction on what to do here.
He is allergic to other things (wheat, rye, barley, oat, egg and tree nut). But the products above don't *appear* to have those ingredients in them. I double and triple checked. (SH_T!)
Because he didn't eat the peanuts for a year could the allergy have cropped back up? Was he always allergic? Was it something else? God help us if they want to do another challenge. He won't even smell peanut. There's no way he's going to eat it.
When he said "Mom tried to kill me" my heart broke into a million pieces.
I hate food allergies.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The First-Annual Best of Gluten-Free Awards
Triumph Dining is hosting the first annual best of GF Awards. They are taking a survey from you, the gluten free public, on what products you like the best. Click Here to take the survey and to win 5 free GF dining cards. Only the first 2,000 participants will win the cards so hurry over to get yours. Once you take the survey, you sign up for the their newsletter and they will send you a confirmation email. After you confirm the newsletter subscription you'll receive a coupon code and instructions for how to recieve your free dining cards (a $10.95 retail value). Let your voice be heard and take the survey!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Love Beats Hate Blogging
Lately I've been very negative in what I post about food allergies. I've been frustrated and so has my son and my blogging reflects that. BUT, it's not all negative. There are positive, caring, loving people around my son that do try to make things better for him.
Today is the Love Beats Hate Blogging Event. It is not geared for food allergies. It's geared to empower marginalized persons. Instead of focusing on the negative, I'm going to focus on some positive and share this post in the Love Beats Hates Event. If you have food allergies, or are the parent of a child who does, then you know there is plenty of hate to go around this condition (I think the worst is when people say food allergies are part of the law of "natural selection". I'd like to naturally select those people for a good old fashioned beat down.)
The Kindness of Strangers (who aren't really all that strange):
One thing that has warmed my heart since the Little Man has started school are the parents who don't have food allergic children, but that work really hard to "get it". These are the parents who call me to find out what is safe for the Little Man so that if their child has a birthday and wants cupcakes, they can still bring in something for my son and he is not left out getting treats. It may be Dum Dum suckers or it may be plain Hershey Kisses, which to me and you may seem small, but to him it is HUGE because he got to have something that wasn't from his "safe snack box". And I know that he feels extra special because someone took the time to find out what he can have and bring it in special, just for him. One parent has a nephew with multiple life threatening food allergies and she always takes the time to find out what is safe so that if she is making treat bags for a school party or supplying something to the class she makes sure to include my son. And the parents that call me ahead of time to let me know that their child is bringing in birthday treats are my personal angles. Without them, I don't know and my son is left sitting in his seat eating pretzels while the other kids have cupcakes or donuts. To a six year old boy being left out is tough to deal with. We're working on getting him to understand but in the meantime, the parents that go the extra mile are kept in my prayers. It's the little things that are really the BIG things.
I realize that not everyone lives with food allergies, and that they don't understand about being left out but if you can take one small step to include that child you are actually bridging the Grand Canyon in that child's eyes.
Then there are the protective children. Yes, there are kids that just don't understand and they wave cupcakes in my sons face. These kids are six and seven and they don't do it to bully (I've seen them do it to non food allergy kids), they do it because they think they are being funny. But then there are the other kids. The kids that yell "Hey, he's allergic to that" and push the cupcake away. Or the kids that come up to me in the lunch room and say "We had chips in class today and I'm not sure that The Little Man can have those". They mother him the I would if I were there. It's cute and it's sweet and it's done with love. Kids get it even if they don't really "get it". They are usually more understanding than the adults that I've encountered. They help to make my son feel included even when he can't be. He feels their love and he takes it all in and returns it 100%.
These small acts of love are really circles of love and acceptance to my son. They make him feel special, and they keep him safe at the same time. I can never repay these people for what they have given him. I just hope that I remember to keep passing it on. Your contribution to someone who is sick, in pain, feeling loss or feeling low doesn't have to be big. Sometimes it truly is the little things.
Today is the Love Beats Hate Blogging Event. It is not geared for food allergies. It's geared to empower marginalized persons. Instead of focusing on the negative, I'm going to focus on some positive and share this post in the Love Beats Hates Event. If you have food allergies, or are the parent of a child who does, then you know there is plenty of hate to go around this condition (I think the worst is when people say food allergies are part of the law of "natural selection". I'd like to naturally select those people for a good old fashioned beat down.)
The Kindness of Strangers (who aren't really all that strange):
One thing that has warmed my heart since the Little Man has started school are the parents who don't have food allergic children, but that work really hard to "get it". These are the parents who call me to find out what is safe for the Little Man so that if their child has a birthday and wants cupcakes, they can still bring in something for my son and he is not left out getting treats. It may be Dum Dum suckers or it may be plain Hershey Kisses, which to me and you may seem small, but to him it is HUGE because he got to have something that wasn't from his "safe snack box". And I know that he feels extra special because someone took the time to find out what he can have and bring it in special, just for him. One parent has a nephew with multiple life threatening food allergies and she always takes the time to find out what is safe so that if she is making treat bags for a school party or supplying something to the class she makes sure to include my son. And the parents that call me ahead of time to let me know that their child is bringing in birthday treats are my personal angles. Without them, I don't know and my son is left sitting in his seat eating pretzels while the other kids have cupcakes or donuts. To a six year old boy being left out is tough to deal with. We're working on getting him to understand but in the meantime, the parents that go the extra mile are kept in my prayers. It's the little things that are really the BIG things.
I realize that not everyone lives with food allergies, and that they don't understand about being left out but if you can take one small step to include that child you are actually bridging the Grand Canyon in that child's eyes.
Then there are the protective children. Yes, there are kids that just don't understand and they wave cupcakes in my sons face. These kids are six and seven and they don't do it to bully (I've seen them do it to non food allergy kids), they do it because they think they are being funny. But then there are the other kids. The kids that yell "Hey, he's allergic to that" and push the cupcake away. Or the kids that come up to me in the lunch room and say "We had chips in class today and I'm not sure that The Little Man can have those". They mother him the I would if I were there. It's cute and it's sweet and it's done with love. Kids get it even if they don't really "get it". They are usually more understanding than the adults that I've encountered. They help to make my son feel included even when he can't be. He feels their love and he takes it all in and returns it 100%.
These small acts of love are really circles of love and acceptance to my son. They make him feel special, and they keep him safe at the same time. I can never repay these people for what they have given him. I just hope that I remember to keep passing it on. Your contribution to someone who is sick, in pain, feeling loss or feeling low doesn't have to be big. Sometimes it truly is the little things.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Oh here I go getting all ranty again.
Is there no end to my food allergy rants? Lately, no. This one isn't a total rant. But I feel the need to address part of this article.
There is an article floating around the news that talks about how we shouldn't ban peanuts from airplanes and most of the quoted information comes from Sami Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The reasons given are because A. Most allergies are over diagnosed due to inaccurate testing and people who don't truly understand allergies B. If you are going to ban peanuts, then what about tree nuts, dairy, wheat etc that others are allergic too C. Parents and Food allergic persons should be responsible for their own safety by carrying epinephrine, avoiding eating the foods they are allergic too or dosing themselves with an antihistamine prior to being exposed to one of their allergens (frankly I find this last bit of advice regarding the antihistamine suspect, but that's just me). For the most part, I agree with this (except maybe the antihistamine advice... REALLY??). I'm not personally for wide sweeping bans just for the sake of "just in case".
But what struck me really odd about the article (other than the fact that Sami Bahna's tone seems a little hostile toward those with food allergies... Did I imagine that or did you pick up on it too??) was the statement
"Maybe someday scientists can figure out how to trick the body into not putting up its guard when it comes to food, but for now, the only way to avoid a food allergy is to avoid the food, Bahna says".
Isn't that what most of us with food allergies or food allergic children do? And isn't that why some people ask for the peanut butter bans in school that Bahna calls an "overreaction"? Have you ever been around a child ages 3-10 years of age? Have you noticed them sticking their hands in their eyes, nose and mouth constantly? They do. I have two children this age and I see it all the time. And touching an allergen and then sticking your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth DOES cause a reaction. I know because my son has done this (at the grocery store, at the zoo, at church... really just pick a place because more than likely it's happened there). Should we ban foods due to this (for my son NO, I just constantly harp on him to not do that and since he's allergic to so many things and the only one in the school we haven't asked for that)? But what if you have multiple small children in school with a nut allergy and this is something that could be a major concern? I think it was irresponsible for Bahna to throw all the responsibility back onto the food allergic person especially when that person could be three years of age. And what am I supposed to do as the parent? Go to school and shadow him all day and wipe down everything he touches? And if you leave a comment that says "home school" I'm going to smack you upside the head because that is NOT an option for everyone. What if both parents work because they need to?
Saying that all bans are bad was too wide sweeping for my taste. Just as I don't agree that banning nuts from everything is the right thing to do, I also don't agree that you should never ban nuts and always put the responsibility on the food allergy individual. Maybe they took some words out of context. Maybe they left out some information in the article. I have no way of knowing. But I do know that as it stands, Bahna's words and suggestions in the article is going to make my job harder as a food allergy parent. As if it wasn't hard enough.
There is an article floating around the news that talks about how we shouldn't ban peanuts from airplanes and most of the quoted information comes from Sami Bahna, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The reasons given are because A. Most allergies are over diagnosed due to inaccurate testing and people who don't truly understand allergies B. If you are going to ban peanuts, then what about tree nuts, dairy, wheat etc that others are allergic too C. Parents and Food allergic persons should be responsible for their own safety by carrying epinephrine, avoiding eating the foods they are allergic too or dosing themselves with an antihistamine prior to being exposed to one of their allergens (frankly I find this last bit of advice regarding the antihistamine suspect, but that's just me). For the most part, I agree with this (except maybe the antihistamine advice... REALLY??). I'm not personally for wide sweeping bans just for the sake of "just in case".
But what struck me really odd about the article (other than the fact that Sami Bahna's tone seems a little hostile toward those with food allergies... Did I imagine that or did you pick up on it too??) was the statement
"Maybe someday scientists can figure out how to trick the body into not putting up its guard when it comes to food, but for now, the only way to avoid a food allergy is to avoid the food, Bahna says".
Isn't that what most of us with food allergies or food allergic children do? And isn't that why some people ask for the peanut butter bans in school that Bahna calls an "overreaction"? Have you ever been around a child ages 3-10 years of age? Have you noticed them sticking their hands in their eyes, nose and mouth constantly? They do. I have two children this age and I see it all the time. And touching an allergen and then sticking your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth DOES cause a reaction. I know because my son has done this (at the grocery store, at the zoo, at church... really just pick a place because more than likely it's happened there). Should we ban foods due to this (for my son NO, I just constantly harp on him to not do that and since he's allergic to so many things and the only one in the school we haven't asked for that)? But what if you have multiple small children in school with a nut allergy and this is something that could be a major concern? I think it was irresponsible for Bahna to throw all the responsibility back onto the food allergic person especially when that person could be three years of age. And what am I supposed to do as the parent? Go to school and shadow him all day and wipe down everything he touches? And if you leave a comment that says "home school" I'm going to smack you upside the head because that is NOT an option for everyone. What if both parents work because they need to?
Saying that all bans are bad was too wide sweeping for my taste. Just as I don't agree that banning nuts from everything is the right thing to do, I also don't agree that you should never ban nuts and always put the responsibility on the food allergy individual. Maybe they took some words out of context. Maybe they left out some information in the article. I have no way of knowing. But I do know that as it stands, Bahna's words and suggestions in the article is going to make my job harder as a food allergy parent. As if it wasn't hard enough.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Care For Creation
I was asked to do a book review for the book Care For Creation by Christy Baldwin, Illustrator Shelly Draven. This book is a children's book and it's about taking care of our environment and it has a Christian perspective to it. It shows children that God gave us our beautiful planet and that He asks us to take care of it. Each page contains a bible verse to go along with the writing and the beautifully illustrated pictures.
What I like about the book is that it teaches children that not only should they take care of the environment because it's the right thing to do, but because God calls us to do so. It's a sin to abuse the things that He gave us. This book gives the children simple, easy to understand examples of things that they can do to take of the world around us. Some examples are recycling, turning off the lights when we are not using them, picking up garbage and more.
Also, at the end of the book is an Interactive Guide with "Suggested Activities" and "Discussion Questions" to help parents take it a step further. And of course you could also add your own.
I'm not even sure that most adult Catholics are aware that the Pope calls for us to be environmental stewards and take care of the world that God gave us. This book is a wonderful way start teaching our children that very lesson.
To learn more about the book, the author, to purchase the book or to enter to win a free copy go to the Care For Creation Book website
(I was provided a link to on line version of the book in order to do a review. At no time was I asked to do a positive review or offered any compensation)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Teaching Grade Schoolers About Thanksgiving
How is my son's school teaching him about Thanksgiving? By having a BIG Thanksgiving feast in school. Which son you ask? BOTH of them. And no, they aren't doing it together. My food allergy son is in first grade and my non food allergy son is in third grade and BOTH classes are doing a big Thanksgiving feast (and the food allergy son also did this last year in Kindergarten). Know what else? I cook a big allergy friendly Thanksgiving feast EVERY year at home and have ever since my boys were born. So my questions are: What does this actually teach my boys about Thanksgiving? And why am I being asked to basically cook THREE Thanksgiving meals (sweet potatoes for 20 for Older Boys class, a complete meal for the Little Man since he has allergies PLUS contribute something for the class, plus our own family dinner on Thanksgiving)? How do I keep the Little Man safe in a room full of 40 first graders and Kindergartners who are eating stuffing, corn bread muffins, pumpkin bread, etc. (Yes, I will be there, in fact they requested that I be there)?
Last week I wrote a post about all of the food at our school. This meal isn't necessarily "junk" food, but it's one more example of too much food in school. Why do these kids need a complete Thanksgiving meal two days before they eat a complete Thanksgiving meal? I'm highly frustrated with this whole situation. And not just for the food allergy child. I'm frustrated because I feel all of this food is perpetuating the obesity issue. I'm frustrated because I'm not sure what "food" is teaching my children. I'm frustrated because I'm being asked to do quite a bit of extra work during an already busy time of year. And of course I'm frustrated because not only is this once again singling the Little Man out as being different but it's putting him at risk for having a reaction. And it's unnecessarily putting him at risk. I am correct in my recollection that Thanksgiving is actually about more than food, aren't I? Food is only a small portion of it. There's so much more to it than that and I feel like the real lesson behind Thanksgiving is getting overshadowed by a party. Where is the learning? Hopefully I'll see some of it the day I'm at the school for the "feast" but I'm doubtful.
Other ways to teach kids about Thanksgiving without using "the feast" (as a crutch):
1. Food Drive For the Needy: How about talking about how there are people that might not have as much as we do? How about collecting food for them? The kids could put together baskets/bags of food. They could donate them to the community center that is right around the corner from the school. I would even drive the food there.
2. Make A Thankfulness Bag.
Get a brown paper lunch bag. On the front, make a picture of a turkey holding a sign that says "Made by:" with a spot for the child's name.
On the inside are 2 pieces of paper. One says:
Thank you for your loving care And the kindness that you share, For helping me to learn and grow, And showing me all that you know. That's why I just want to say, "THANK YOU" in the biggest way!
On the second sheet is:
Thankfulness Bag Ingredients 1. A rubber band - to keep our hearts tied together always 2. A candy kiss - to say thank you for all your love. 3. A penny - to say thank you for sharing my thoughts and letting me know they are important to you. 4. A warm fuzzy (small piece of furry fabric) - to make you feel good when you are sad, like you always do for me. 5. An adhesive bandage - to say thank you for all the times you make my hurts feel better. 6. A facial tissue - to say thank you for all the times you dry my tears. 7. A piece of Lifesavers candy - a circle to show that my love for you will never end.
Have all these items on hand for the children to put in their thankfulness bags (from Teaching Hearts Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide)
3. Mayflower map and quiz
4. Teach about the REAL Thanksgiving.
5. Teach about the accurate Native American Culture.
6. There's too many to even mention on The Pilgrims First Thanksgiving! I especially like teaching what life was actually life for the Pilgrims. I like teaching the children that Pilgrim children actually had jobs that they were responsible for to keep the community going.
I also like:
*Science- Read Corn is Maize by Aliki. Study Indian corn -Estimate and count kernels. Conduct a growing experiment by placing an ear of corn in water, an ear in soil, and an ear in an empty container. Then make oral and written observations about the changes. (Idea is from 'What a Corny Life', 1998 AIMS Education Foundation)
*Write and send thank you letters to community helpers, grandparents, etc.
I realize that the "feast" is fun for the kids. But do we really have to do one EVERY year? And what are they learning? The foods we are asked to provide (other than the turkey) really weren't even eaten at the first Thanksgiving. I'd really like to see our school teach Thanksgiving in a fashion that doesn't always rely on food.
Does your school do the big feast? If you have a food allergy child how do you handle it? How many times does your school do the feast, is it done just once or does it get repeated in different grades?
Last week I wrote a post about all of the food at our school. This meal isn't necessarily "junk" food, but it's one more example of too much food in school. Why do these kids need a complete Thanksgiving meal two days before they eat a complete Thanksgiving meal? I'm highly frustrated with this whole situation. And not just for the food allergy child. I'm frustrated because I feel all of this food is perpetuating the obesity issue. I'm frustrated because I'm not sure what "food" is teaching my children. I'm frustrated because I'm being asked to do quite a bit of extra work during an already busy time of year. And of course I'm frustrated because not only is this once again singling the Little Man out as being different but it's putting him at risk for having a reaction. And it's unnecessarily putting him at risk. I am correct in my recollection that Thanksgiving is actually about more than food, aren't I? Food is only a small portion of it. There's so much more to it than that and I feel like the real lesson behind Thanksgiving is getting overshadowed by a party. Where is the learning? Hopefully I'll see some of it the day I'm at the school for the "feast" but I'm doubtful.
Other ways to teach kids about Thanksgiving without using "the feast" (as a crutch):
1. Food Drive For the Needy: How about talking about how there are people that might not have as much as we do? How about collecting food for them? The kids could put together baskets/bags of food. They could donate them to the community center that is right around the corner from the school. I would even drive the food there.
2. Make A Thankfulness Bag.
Get a brown paper lunch bag. On the front, make a picture of a turkey holding a sign that says "Made by:" with a spot for the child's name.
On the inside are 2 pieces of paper. One says:
Thank you for your loving care And the kindness that you share, For helping me to learn and grow, And showing me all that you know. That's why I just want to say, "THANK YOU" in the biggest way!
On the second sheet is:
Thankfulness Bag Ingredients 1. A rubber band - to keep our hearts tied together always 2. A candy kiss - to say thank you for all your love. 3. A penny - to say thank you for sharing my thoughts and letting me know they are important to you. 4. A warm fuzzy (small piece of furry fabric) - to make you feel good when you are sad, like you always do for me. 5. An adhesive bandage - to say thank you for all the times you make my hurts feel better. 6. A facial tissue - to say thank you for all the times you dry my tears. 7. A piece of Lifesavers candy - a circle to show that my love for you will never end.
Have all these items on hand for the children to put in their thankfulness bags (from Teaching Hearts Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide)
3. Mayflower map and quiz
4. Teach about the REAL Thanksgiving.
5. Teach about the accurate Native American Culture.
6. There's too many to even mention on The Pilgrims First Thanksgiving! I especially like teaching what life was actually life for the Pilgrims. I like teaching the children that Pilgrim children actually had jobs that they were responsible for to keep the community going.
I also like:
*Science- Read Corn is Maize by Aliki. Study Indian corn -Estimate and count kernels. Conduct a growing experiment by placing an ear of corn in water, an ear in soil, and an ear in an empty container. Then make oral and written observations about the changes. (Idea is from 'What a Corny Life', 1998 AIMS Education Foundation)
*Write and send thank you letters to community helpers, grandparents, etc.
I realize that the "feast" is fun for the kids. But do we really have to do one EVERY year? And what are they learning? The foods we are asked to provide (other than the turkey) really weren't even eaten at the first Thanksgiving. I'd really like to see our school teach Thanksgiving in a fashion that doesn't always rely on food.
Does your school do the big feast? If you have a food allergy child how do you handle it? How many times does your school do the feast, is it done just once or does it get repeated in different grades?
Friday, November 05, 2010
Dear ABC News, Is this the best you could do?
In this "news" piece, ABC News apparently wants us to know that gluten free diets are bad for you health. Of course they point out that if you have Celiac Disease then it's OK. REALLY? What about allergies to wheat, rye, barley or oat? Yea, you forgot to mention food allergies, ABC News.
And you use Elizabeth Hasselbeck as an expert in gluten free diets? Just because you eat gluten free or have Celiac Disease, you are NOT an expert on gluten free diets. Here's a news flash for you ABC News: I don't take my health and diet advice from Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Victoria Beckham or any other air headed celebrity.
Going gluten free to lose weight is ridiculous!! And I would agree that cutting ANYTHING out of your diet if you don't medically need to is not healthy (I don't think No Carb diets are healthy either). And if you cut "something" out of your diet (carbs, sugar, dairy, gluten, etc) you are bound to lose weight (at first) because you are eating less. That's how "diet" works.
My son has been gluten free since he was 10 months old and (he's going to kill me one day for saying this...) this child needs "husky" pants. He's not overweight, but he's not model thin either. I went gluten free for 3 months last year per my doctors request and I actually gained weight. So BELIEVE ME, these celebs are doing more with their diets than just going gluten free. They aren't just cutting out the gluten and dropping pounds like crazy.
The doctor that they used to discuss eating gluten free bothered me a little bit too. His statement about "fortified wheat flour" bothers me. I'm no expert either, but how much fortified wheat flour are you eating? Aren't the majority of Americans eating white flour that has no nutritional value? And the same goes for the statement about fiber. The average wheat eating American doesn't get enough fiber in their diet. My son eats lots of fruits and vegetables. He's getting plenty of fiber, natural fiber.
Instead of taking the opportunity to teach the public about Celiac Disease or wheat/gluten allergies, ABC took the sensationalized news approach and decided to cover gluten free diets from a celebrity approach. Way to go ABC news. Maybe you should change your name to "ABC Entertainment".
So friends and family, there is no need to worry about the Little Man's diet. Like most people who eat gluten free because they have to, his Mama makes sure that he's eating a healthy, well balanced diet. Believe me, I'm around the gluten free community every day on the Internet and these people eat healthier than the average American. They eat more fruits and vegetables then the average American. They cook all of their own food (from scratch, no processed crap there), and they eat more organic than the average American. They know exactly what they are eating because they have to. And they do it to live, not to lose weight.
If you want the real skinny on gluten free diets for Celiacs or the wheat allergic see:
Gluten Free Girl and the Chef - Her recipes are delicious!
Gluten Free Diet on About.com: Allergies
Wheat Allergy Diet from Rush University Medical Center
Wheat Allergy from The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
Celiac Sprue Association
The top 13 Gluten Free Blogs from the Denver Gluten Free Food Examiner
The Savvy Celiac - Blogging all things gluten free
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Food Glorious Food... or Not.
I love that song from Oliver! What I don't love is how food surrounds every activity at my sons school. And not good food either. It's all junk food. Here's an example:
Last Friday - Halloween party: I had the "snack" and I did cupcakes and grapes. I could have skipped the cupcakes but this is the only party I have snack for and I wanted to make sure that the Little Man actually got to eat the exact treat that the kids had. From now on, he'll have something different due to his allergies. Just once I wanted him to be "one of the gang". I added the grapes as a healthy option or to try to counterbalance some of the junk.
Monday - Sundae Bar for kids that were "heroes" last month: Neither of my kids were "heroes" (maybe I should be more concerned with that fact vs. the junkie food??) so they did not get the sundae. But plenty of other kids did. And what was on the lunch menu that day (I worked the lunchroom so I got a first hand view of all of this)? French bread pizza (French bread with cheese), tomato sauce for dipping, a store bought cupcake, and chips. Then throw a sundae on top of that and you've got sugar and fat over load. And because this was the day after Halloween, many kids brought candy in there lunches too. None of the parents I spoke with knew that it was sundae day or they wouldn't have sent in the candy too.
Tuesday - Election Day: The Little Man's class had to vote if they thought "chips" or "Tootsie Pops" were the better snack (to the teachers credit she picked 2 things that were safe for the Little Man... but I would have preferred they vote for apples vs. oranges). Tootsie Pops won so each kids got a Tootsie Pop.
Wednesday - Turkey Visits the School: The park system is bringing an actual turkey to school today to teach the kids about wild life and turkeys (wonder how many kids will no longer eat turkey on Thanksgiving after this?). I was asked to find a parent to make "turkey shaped cookies" in honor of the turkey being there. As the parent of the child with special needs in the class, I of course made the cookies (finished at 10 PM last night). So the kids will be eating cookies this afternoon (I did however use organic butter in them. And they are homemade and not store bought. But still......).
As the parent of the child with food allergies, all of this food poses a risk to my child. Not only is he more at risk for having a reaction in school (from cross contamination or because he's contact reactive) but also a risk to his mental health. Most of the time he's left out of these things. For example, on sundae day instead of making his own chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, he would have gotten a Popsicle. Now that may not seem like a big to you, but to a six year old boy, he'd rather have the ice cream and he does get upset when he's "different" from everyone else. If this happened once in a while I'd say "Suck it up son. It's part of having food allergies". But when it happens several times a week, it's just plain bogus.
Now putting the food allergy aspect of it aside, how about the obesity epidemic in our country? 1 in 5 children are obese. This should scare the living daylights out of every parent out there. But the school must have missed that number. Maybe they aren't aware of the obesity epidemic. Or maybe they are just too lazy to care. I realize that they are just trying to make things "fun" for the kids, but we need to come up with ideas that don't always revolve around food. Or at the very least, make the food options healthy such as voting for apples and oranges vs. chips and Tootsie Pops.
According to WebMD the following are few of the things that obese children are at risk for:
Obese children are at risk for a number of conditions, including:
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Early heart disease
Diabetes
Bone problems
Skin conditions such as heat rash, fungal infections, and acne
This is not a "fun" list of conditions. I think we need to start taking the "fun" out of junk food. When I was in school, junk food was reserved for the few holiday parties a year. No one brought in "treats" for their birthdays. We never did "food activities" in class. And school lunches tasted like crap but they were healthy and well balanced. We actually had lunch ladies that COOKED in the cafeteria. At my kids school it's all about reheating frozen, processed foods. There is no cooking involved.
We are killing our children with this stuff. Not only are we setting them for obesity and other chronic diseases, but we are teaching them unhealthy habits and to use junk food as a reward.
I'm sad that our school thinks so little of our children that this has become the norm. I'm sad to think of what the repercussions of this type of behavior will have on our children in the future. One mom is going to bring this up to the Principal today. We'll see if she gets the ball rolling for change or if she gets smacked down with the "this is how we've always done it" line. I'd hate to see this turn into a food fight, but I see it heading in that direction.
Last Friday - Halloween party: I had the "snack" and I did cupcakes and grapes. I could have skipped the cupcakes but this is the only party I have snack for and I wanted to make sure that the Little Man actually got to eat the exact treat that the kids had. From now on, he'll have something different due to his allergies. Just once I wanted him to be "one of the gang". I added the grapes as a healthy option or to try to counterbalance some of the junk.
Monday - Sundae Bar for kids that were "heroes" last month: Neither of my kids were "heroes" (maybe I should be more concerned with that fact vs. the junkie food??) so they did not get the sundae. But plenty of other kids did. And what was on the lunch menu that day (I worked the lunchroom so I got a first hand view of all of this)? French bread pizza (French bread with cheese), tomato sauce for dipping, a store bought cupcake, and chips. Then throw a sundae on top of that and you've got sugar and fat over load. And because this was the day after Halloween, many kids brought candy in there lunches too. None of the parents I spoke with knew that it was sundae day or they wouldn't have sent in the candy too.
Tuesday - Election Day: The Little Man's class had to vote if they thought "chips" or "Tootsie Pops" were the better snack (to the teachers credit she picked 2 things that were safe for the Little Man... but I would have preferred they vote for apples vs. oranges). Tootsie Pops won so each kids got a Tootsie Pop.
Wednesday - Turkey Visits the School: The park system is bringing an actual turkey to school today to teach the kids about wild life and turkeys (wonder how many kids will no longer eat turkey on Thanksgiving after this?). I was asked to find a parent to make "turkey shaped cookies" in honor of the turkey being there. As the parent of the child with special needs in the class, I of course made the cookies (finished at 10 PM last night). So the kids will be eating cookies this afternoon (I did however use organic butter in them. And they are homemade and not store bought. But still......).
As the parent of the child with food allergies, all of this food poses a risk to my child. Not only is he more at risk for having a reaction in school (from cross contamination or because he's contact reactive) but also a risk to his mental health. Most of the time he's left out of these things. For example, on sundae day instead of making his own chocolate ice cream with sprinkles, he would have gotten a Popsicle. Now that may not seem like a big to you, but to a six year old boy, he'd rather have the ice cream and he does get upset when he's "different" from everyone else. If this happened once in a while I'd say "Suck it up son. It's part of having food allergies". But when it happens several times a week, it's just plain bogus.
Now putting the food allergy aspect of it aside, how about the obesity epidemic in our country? 1 in 5 children are obese. This should scare the living daylights out of every parent out there. But the school must have missed that number. Maybe they aren't aware of the obesity epidemic. Or maybe they are just too lazy to care. I realize that they are just trying to make things "fun" for the kids, but we need to come up with ideas that don't always revolve around food. Or at the very least, make the food options healthy such as voting for apples and oranges vs. chips and Tootsie Pops.
According to WebMD the following are few of the things that obese children are at risk for:
Obese children are at risk for a number of conditions, including:
High cholesterol
High blood pressure
Early heart disease
Diabetes
Bone problems
Skin conditions such as heat rash, fungal infections, and acne
This is not a "fun" list of conditions. I think we need to start taking the "fun" out of junk food. When I was in school, junk food was reserved for the few holiday parties a year. No one brought in "treats" for their birthdays. We never did "food activities" in class. And school lunches tasted like crap but they were healthy and well balanced. We actually had lunch ladies that COOKED in the cafeteria. At my kids school it's all about reheating frozen, processed foods. There is no cooking involved.
We are killing our children with this stuff. Not only are we setting them for obesity and other chronic diseases, but we are teaching them unhealthy habits and to use junk food as a reward.
I'm sad that our school thinks so little of our children that this has become the norm. I'm sad to think of what the repercussions of this type of behavior will have on our children in the future. One mom is going to bring this up to the Principal today. We'll see if she gets the ball rolling for change or if she gets smacked down with the "this is how we've always done it" line. I'd hate to see this turn into a food fight, but I see it heading in that direction.
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