Allergic Living Magazine--U.S. Version, Just Launched!

For those of you new to the world of food allergies and even to those of you who have been dealing with food allergies for awhile, I have to tell you about Allergic Living magazine. This amazing resource for people living with food allergies, environmental allergies and asthma, is chock-full information about all aspects of life with allergies. Unlike some other publications, it does not focus mainly on gluten-free living, but delves into life-threatening food allergies in greater detail than you'll find anywhere else. What's more, Allergic Living recently issued a U.S. edition (they are based in Canada) to deal directly with the many aspects of life with food allergies in the U.S.

Allergic Living's latest issue, the new U.S. edition, focuses on one of the toughest aspects of living with food allergies: dining out. With a feature article by Sloane Miller of Allergic Girl (the blog and the book), you'll find page after page of awesome advice and support, so don't miss out! This article also features tips from top chefs including Ming Tsai and Top Chef Masters' Susur Lee.

In addition, you'll find new monthly columns from FAAN CEO Julia Bradsher and also a column from Gina Clowes of AllergyMoms.

I had the pleasure of finally meeting Gwen Smith, editor of Allergic Living, (after e-mailing, Facebooking for months) at the recent FAAN conference in Chicago. (I'll post my conference recap later this week.) She is such a warm, bright and knowledgeable advocate for people living with food allergies and we had a great time chatting in between sessions. Gwen has food allergies herself so she knows what she's talking about!

It's rare that I've found a resource as complete as Allergic Living so I just wanted to share it with all of you. I hope you'll check it out! Let me know!

Peanut Allergies and Easter: More Treats Ideas (incl. Non-Edible) plus our Giveaway Winner!!!

Congrats to Jennifer N. of Minnesota--you won the Vermont Nut-Free Easter chocolate giveaway!!! Please e-mail your complete name and address to nut-freemom@sbcglobal.net so I can get the prize to you! :)

Thanks to all who entered the giveaway!! These have been a big hit so I will have more in the future.

Many of you commented about the non-edible Easter treats you like to offer, so I wanted to share some of my own. Here is a link to a post that I wrote that discusses some ideas for Easter baskets. Candy is traditional but for food-allergic kids, other items can be just as fun. Share this list with friends, family and churches.

I'm heading to the FAAN conference this weekend, so if you see me there, be sure to say hello!

Food Allergies When Crisis Hits: Emergency Preparedness Is a Must

I had another post planned for today but the tsunami in Japan got me thinking about so many things. My heart goes out to everyone who has been touched by this tragedy, including those in the affected U.S. regions who must now wait out the oncoming storm. I hope they are all safe.

This incident reminded me of a post I did when we were hit with severe weather that caused lengthy power outages here in Chicago. Luckily, this was nothing like what they are facing in Japan or in other places where earthquakes have occured, thank goodness. However, when you've got food allergies in your family, more common weather emergencies like hurricanes, flooding, blizzards and tornadoes require a bit more preparation.

Weather disasters and other emergencies aren't pleasant to think about but since they don't happen when you expect them, it's best to be ready.

Here's a few tips for keeping on top of food allergies in an emergency:

1. Have a good stock of "safe," non-perishable food items that can be eaten by the entire family. Soy milk (if you can have it) doesn't require refrigeration and bottled water is always good to have on hand in case you can't use your tap water for any reason. I like to have cereal, crackers, pretzels and slow-spoiling fruits like apples and bananas on hand in case of a blackout. SunButter, if you can eat it, is also good to have as is non-refrigerated cheese and crackers (if you aren't allergic to dairy). Anything from Enjoy Life like trail mix and granola is safe for the Top 8 food allergens, gluten and sesame. These foods will keep well and give you much-needed energy if you are low on food and stressed.

2. Make sure all your prescriptions are up-to-date and well-stocked. Check to make sure that you have several epinephrine auto-injectors, a bottle of Benadryl and whatever asthma or seasonal allergies your child needs well before a crisis hits. In the event of extreme bad weather, you may not be able to renew these prescriptions in a timely manner, so get them now. Keep them in a plastic resealable bag so they don't get wet.

3. Keep a nice supply of cleaning wipes and antibacterial hand wipes. If the worst happens and you have to leave your home for any reason, you'll be able to remove allergenic residue from surfaces. In addition, hand and face wipes will come in handy for personal use.

4. Get the "Go Bag" ready. At a FAAN Conference I attended a couple of years ago (sign up now for the 2011 FAAN conferences coming up soon!), a dad who used to work with NYC on Emergency Preparedness discussed the need for a "Go Bag" that you have ready for your child in a convenient area of your home. This bag would contain up-to-date medications in addition to safe, unperishable foods and drinks.