Concession Stands, Basketball and Letting Go

Now that my daughter is nearly 10, she's been wanting to do more with friends. This is good and only natural but of course for kids with severe food allergies, letting go is a little harder. I've always tried to be consistent with our rules about eating so that she will stick to them when she's away from home.

Last weekend, my daughter was invited to a high school championship basketball game and she was very excited to attend. We fed her a good-sized dinner complete with dessert to make sure she wouldn't be tempted to eat uncertain foods, asked her not to eat at the game (we said she could get a drink) and offered to pack a snack. She declined the snack and we sent her on her way.

I am happy to have her be invited to things, but I always worry a little bit when I know she'll be around food and I have no idea what it is. Sure enough, not only was there a concession stand but my daughter was offered sandwiches from the "coach's lounge" (privilege of attending the game with the daughter of a teacher--woohoo!).

My daughter declined the foods (she wasn't hungry--thanks to the big meal) and that was that. She was very secure in doing this and it was not a big deal.

One thing she pointed out to me was that the concession stand offered unpackaged foods like fresh popcorn and nachos. She also noticed Snicker's bars behind the counter.

The concession stand was being staffed by two teenage girls and my daughter noticed they were eating while they served customers. Nothing wrong with that, except my daughter said that she would probably not buy a non-packaged food (like fresh popcorn or nachos) from someone eating an unknown substance, like maybe a Snicker's bar. I admit that I hadn't thought of that aspect, but I'm glad she did.

Letting go isn't easy, but it looks like she's got some strong self-preservation instincts so I can feel pretty good about that. We're also teaching her to use an EpiPen and that will also help her to feel more secure when she's out and about.

When you've got a fairly young child diagnosed with nut allergies, you might think you have to follow them forever, that you'll never be able to let them out on their own. I learned that if you teach them reasonable caution, they'll get it. Sooner or later, they'll get it. In basketball terms, my daughter scored a 3-pointer that night.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to make sure they've got a full stomach before sending them out there. :)

Nut-Free Info for Cake Mate

I get a lot of questions about safe, nut-free cake and cookie decorations such as "sprinkles." Especially in the last few weeks, you all want to know about sprinkles! I guess everybody is doing a lot of baking at the moment.

I have used Cake Mate products (made by Signature Brand) for years. I've called them in the past about possible nut allergens and was advised that their labels would reflect this. This does seem to be the case; however, in response to several comments and e-mails I've received recently, I contacted them again for an official list of items to avoid.

The good news is that most sprinkles (with a few exceptions; see below) and other Cake Mate decorations such as holiday or birthday-themed cake and cupcake decorations are "safe" for nut allergies. That said, please check the labels each and every time.

The following is a list of Cake Mate items to avoid. The items listed below either contain nuts or were processed on lines that many contain nuts. Don't use them:

Marble Mixins
Parlor Perfect
Cake Make Fruit Flavored Decor
Cake Mate 26 oz Rainbow Sprinkles (UPC code--5210032626)
Cake Mate 26 oz Chocolate Sprinkles (UPC code--5210030247)

Also, the Cake Mate rep reminded us to always read the labels for any ingredients updates or line changes.

You can also call the company Helpline for more info: 877-726-8793. The line is open M-F, 8-5, CST.

Nut-Free Party Treats for School

The last few weeks my inbox has seen a slew of questions from non-allergic moms wanting to know what to a) bring to the class holiday party or b)what to serve to nut-allergic guests at a birthday party. I'm happy to hear from them because I appreciate their regard for kids with serious dietary restrictions. You rock--thanks for your concern.

Regarding the class party question, it's really tough to find the perfect "safe" edible treat to serve. For one thing, something that might look OK may turn out not to be.

If you're involved in planning or bringing food to a class party, make sure to get the allergic families involved. I usually send in something I know is safe for my daughter--as long as she has something good to eat, she doesn't care if she can't have everything.

Another thing to consider: Labels change so frequently these days that what might look safe one day is not safe the next. This happened to us when we put Jay's OkeDoke Popcorn on our own safe list a few years ago. A few weeks later on a trip to the store, I discovered that a new nut allergy warning had appeared. It's hard enough for allergic families to keep up with the label changes, much less anyone not used to dealing with it. Why go to all the trouble of searching for a food that the allergic kids can't eat anyway? It just makes sense to ask the allergic families to contribute. Believe me, we prefer it and are happy to do it.

Plus, many classrooms contain multiple food allergies. You may search all over to find nut-free only to find out another child has a milk or dairy allergy.

If your child is celebrating a birthday during the school year or if you want to send in a little something for a holiday (like Valentine's Day), my favorite suggestion is to offer non-edible treats. Some schools are limiting edible treats anyway for both allergy and nutritional reasons.

I was at Target recently and I discovered many Valentine's themed pencils (10 for $1), small toys and such in their dollar section. Kids love this type of thing. Or what about stickers and plastic rings--you can find these at many discount or party stores for decent prices. Kids also love colorful small notepads to write and/or draw on.

If you really want to serve an edible treat, tell the teacher in advance so the allergic kids can bring something safe to eat. That's really the best option for everyone.

For birthday parties, non-allergic families should always ask the parents of the allergic child for advice on what to serve. We'll either offer to bring some safe options or provide you with some safe brand ideas, etc.

I always stress the party aspect rather than the food aspect to my own child. From a young age, allergic kids learn that they have to say "no" to certain foods. Don't worry that you'll offend the kids and risk offering them something that they may not be able to have. Our bottom line is staying out of harm's way and sometimes that means that allergic party attendees will eat their own treat.

One nice thing is to tell the allergic family what treat you will be serving--for example, yellow cupcakes with blue frosting. Then, the nut-free caregivers can recreate it as closely as possible (just make sure you keep the "safe" cupcake away from the other ones). This is especially important for the younger kids who really get excited about sweets.

What has worked for you? Let us know.

Just in Time for Valentine's Day...Nut-Free Bakery Roundup

"Where can I find a nut-free bakery?" This frequent question is what inspired this blog post, so I hope you enjoy the following suggestions. I've talked about many of these before and you can find them in my "Nut-Free Foods" section of the blog, but since I seem to have a lot of new readers, I thought it was high time we had a nut-free bakery roundup. The list I've compiled is by no means representative of every bakery out there, but every one on list is a dedicated, nut-free bakery that I've personally shopped from or had recommended to me by trusted sources. All of the bakeries below are available for online order.

A couple of them are dairy-free and egg-free as well!

A & J Nut-Free Bakery. Nut-Free. Located in Rhode Island, this Italian-style bakery (yum!) is completely nut-free. They offer all types of baked goods including Valentine's Day themed goodies. I've had many good reviews from this bakery so give them a try. If you live in the area, lucky you--you can stop in.

Divvies. Egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free. This allergy-friendly sweet treat mecca offers baked goods such as cookies and cupcakes. Divvies treats are individually packaged and you may have seen them for sale in cafes and coffee shops. Some of their candies make great cake decorations, too. Check them out!

Little Rae's Nut-Free Bakery. Nut-free only. This Seattle-based bakery now offers Valentine's Day decorated shortbread cookies that look divine. I've ordered their cookies and they are delish. Plus, the people that work there are darn nice. The owner is himself allergic to peanuts so these people really get it.

O'My Goodness Bakery. Nut-free only. Located in Illinois, this bakery is nut-free and is dedicated to creating beautiful decorated cookies. Take a look at the site for their current selection of themed cookie treats.

Sweet Alexis Bakery. Nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free. Based in California, this wonderful bakery produces baked goods made with lots of love that taste absolutely delicious. Their quick breads are particularly good, but right now they're selling plain V-Day cookies perfect for cookie decorating parties. The owner is the mom of child with food allergies.

It's great to support these bakeries whenever possible. They provide the ultimate safe choice for the nut-allergic because they don't process any peanuts or tree nuts.

Be sure to tell them I sent you and please tell me what you think after ordering! I hope this gives all of you some great Valentine's Day ideas.

What Is a Nut-Free Cupcake?

"Is there a nut-free bakery in Chicago?" is one of the most frequent questions I receive. Luckily, there is a terrific peanut and tree nut-free cupcake bakery in the Chicago suburbs: Nutphree's! They have recently opened a storefront in Mount Prospect and I couldn't be happier to have them. You can also order from them online.

The Chicago area's premiere peanut and tree nut-free cupcake bakery! http://www.nutphrees.com
 

However, nut-free bakeries are still pretty rare and I bring up the topic for two reasons. One, I've been getting the nut-free bakery question with increasing frequency the last few weeks. And two, many bakeries that serve all manner of peanut and tree nut treats are claiming they can create a "nut-free" cupcake that's safe for allergic people. This is what I'm seeing not only in Chi-town but all over the country.

What is a nut-free cupcake for the purposes of a severely allergic individual? That would be one that is created in a dedicated nut-free facility. Now, I'm talking about supermarket and storefront bakeries right now. You know, the ones you like to sidle up to on a Saturday morning. Mass-produced baked goods have different standards, etc. and different regulation.

Most of you are aware that supermarket bakeries now carry allergy advisory signs somewhere in the baked goods section. That's because there is just too much risk of cross-contact in these small bakeries. If a small bakery is serving pecan pie and peanut butter cookies, I'd be concerned about serving an allergic person their products.

Here are two other red flag terms for nut-allergic people when evaluating a bakery: vegan and gluten-free. The vegan diet has tree nuts and peanuts as staple; gluten-free can often mean that ground up nut flours have been substituted for wheat. When I see vegan and gluten-free, I head for the hills. Personally, I wouldn't serve anything to my daughter that was created in a vegan and/or gluten-free environment unless the place was also dedicated nut-free.

Many bakeries see "nut-free" or "allergy-free" as a marketing tool. They don't realize (or choose not to acknowledge) that nut-free to a nut-allergic person is a health matter. And a serious one at that.

In my opinion, sticking to dedicated nut-free bakeries (and the U.S. does have several that ship across the country) makes the most sense.

Baking at home is also a great option if you're dealing with nut allergies. For example, you can bake cupcakes, leave them unfrosted, wrap them individually and then freeze them. Frost them as needed for parties or events. It's pretty easy and saves a ton of worry--and unnecessary risk.

Here are a few grocery items to have on hand at all times for nut-free baking: white and brown sugar (I use Domino brand), vanilla extract (McCormick or Nielsen-Massey are my choices), confectioner's sugar (Domino's again), all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, McCormick food colorings, nut-free/allergy-free candies for decoration (check my Nut-Free Foods list for ideas.) Wilton and Cake Mate also have some safe options for nut allergies, so check the labels. I'm waiting to hear from Cake Mate about a list of nut-free cake decorations as I write this. I'll let you know. Don't feel like baking from scratch? Try the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes and frostings. These allergy-free mixes are available at most well-stocked supermarkets. If you're looking for cake molds, cookie sheets, cookie cutters, etc. check out the Wilton baking section at your local craft store. They have a treasure trove for the home baker.

I will have my nut-free bakery roundup later this week. Please let me know your favorites so I can add them to my list.