Food Allergy News: Enjoy Life Foods Cookies, Now Even Tastier!

I was so excited when Enjoy Life Foods contacted me recently about their new cookies, complete with new packaging! My headline directly quotes the cookie boxes with its "Now Even Tastier" text, and it's easy to see what they're talking about. I pretty much had to wrestle the box of Lively Lemon Cookies away from my youngest daughter. Yes, they're THAT GOOD. You can even smell the delicious lemon aroma the minute you open the box.

We also sampled Snickerdoodles and Double-Chocolate Brownie cookies, the latter made even more amazing by the addition of Enjoy Life's dairy-free, nut-free chocolate chips. Snickerdoodles have all the wonderful cinnamon flavor and chewy texture you love, but with none of those pesky food allergens.

My whole family thought that each flavor of these delightful cookies were packed with flavor and that they had a great, chewy "soft baked" texture. Enjoy Life cookies cater to several different food allergies and intolerances, but you would never know they are "allergy-friendly" just based on taste alone. Plus, each is made with wholesome, natural ingredients so they're better for your kids than many other cookie brands out there.

The other thing that's great for kids with nut allergies is that all Enjoy Life products are created in dedicated, nut-free facilities. So you never have to wonder "Is this safe?" because it is. No cross-contact issues here, folks, so all you have to do is savor the cookies without worry.

I am always happy to hear about a new or improved Enjoy Life Product and I will be buying these again and again. I also recommend these cookies to my daughter's class and Girl Scout Troop meetings because NONE of the "Top 8" food allergens are present in these cookies and they also contain no sesame or sulfites. They're good for just about any allergy--and they taste good. A difficult combination to find, but Enjoy Life definitely achieves that here.

Please click this link to learn more about Enjoy Life and their fabulous line of products. You can also click the link to get some money-saving coupons!

Note: I was not compensated for this review, other than a few cookie samples!

Food Allergies and School Parties

Before I share some tips for dealing with school parties, such as any Valentine's Day celebrations that may be on the horizon for you, I want to share a link to an article about Illinois and how they handle food allergies at school, with regard to new legislation. I was interviewed for this article (you see my comments near the end of the piece) and I sincerely hope that schools are listening and paying attention to all sides of the "treats at school" debate.

Unfortunately, we just got more evidence of why schools really need to watch the extraneous food and snacks. I just read on Allergic Living's Facebook page, that yet again, another child was put into danger at school due to "sweet treats." Apparently, an unaware substitute teacher handed the child a chocolate with a hazelnut and the 7-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest after he ate. His life was most likely saved by nearly immediate epinephrine usage by his mother, as this happened to him at the end of the school day. The child was wearing his autoinjector and she was able to give it to him immediately. However, he still suffered two heart attacks. Is this enough to stop the constant candy-giving???? Another point: the candy had hazelnut, not peanut. People don't realize how serious tree nut allergies are and tend to focus on peanut. If your child has both or just tree nut, be sure that everyone understands the difference. I find it helps to name the tree nuts for people such as pistachio, hazelnut, walnut, almond, etc.

I would suggest forwarding both of these articles to your school, especially if you have had difficulties bringing home the seriousness of food allergies. Enough is enough. Most 7-year-olds will take candy if offered to them--so don't offer it to them!!! This is so simple to do. Something as simple as eliminating candy as a reward can save lives.

According to the article about the child who had the reaction, the candy in question was to celebrate another student's birthday. What happened to singing "Happy Birthday?" Our school gives each "birthday child" a free book of their choice from the school office and their birthday is announced during the beginning of the school day over the PA system. What about that? Or a sticker? Or nothing at all? Don't most kids get b-day treats at home anymore???

If I sound disgusted, I am. It's not that I'm against candy, birthdays or celebrations. I'm for all of them, but not as a focus at school. Why? It's just crazy to me that despite all the guidelines, laws and meetings, all the caution and care that most of a school staff will devote to food allergies can go out the window because one person is unaware. That's why I say no more food at school that isn't pre-approved. NO allergic child should be offered sweets, treats or outside food that wasn't provided from their own homes. Period. That would pretty much solve it.

I don't want to scare any of you off of school parties. Usually, if parents are involved and informed and teachers are kept up to speed, everything will go OK. However, incidents do happen and I think a proactive approach is called for at all times.

Here's what to do if your child's classroom is having a Valentine's Day party:

1. Give the teacher a heads-up now. Don't wait until the week of, or even a few days before. Speak to the teacher, send an e-mail, pick up the phone, your choice, but make it a point to find out what is going on with regard to food. Does food have to be offered? If it is, offer to send in a safe treat and then emphasize that your child sticks to that and that only.

2. Check the crafts. Are any edible crafts being done or is food being used for inedible crafts? Ask now. These are a bad idea unless everyone is on the same page about what is safe and what isn't. I've found that is usually not the case, so suggest an alternative craft if you must. The store Michael's has tons of craft ideas; so does Target.

3. Be careful of candy in the actual Valentine. People love to attach candy to valentines. It's cute, no doubt, but can be hazardous to a kid with food allergies. Instruct your child not to eat candy on their Valentine and alert the teacher (depending on your child's age and maturity) to be on the lookout for this.

4. Send home a note a week before the party. Ask your child's teacher to send home a reminder note of what to avoid sending. If you have a dairy-free, nut-free classroom, for example, be sure to include some suggestions of safe brands and treats. If people are intent on bringing food, at least they will have some idea of what is OK for the kids with allergies.

5. Role play with your child. This may be the most important point. It's never too early to teach a child to refuse food they are not sure of. Our rule has always been: "When in doubt, do without." Teach your child to be polite but firm when offered food that may not be safe. This would pretty much include all candy and baked goods you have not sent to school, but pretzels, chips and popcorn brands can also be unsafe. Our daughter has always refused food since she we knew of her allergy and your child can learn to do the same. They will need this skill their entire life; why not start now?

If there's anything you think I've missed, please share it with us. We can make our school parties safe but you must speak up.

When Food Allergies Go to School: Chicago Tribune Reports

With the recent peanut allergy-related death of a Chicago 7th grader and the also recent enaction of FAAMA, it seems that schools may finally take food allergies more seriously. Still, resistance to using or even keeping epinephrine autoinjectors in schools is prevalent.

See this article from today's Chicago Tribune, an excellent piece that covers the main points that parents are interested in with regard to keeping kids safe at school. I especially appreciated the expert opinions such as that from leading allergist Dr. Scott Sicherer, who pointed out that many reactions that occur at school are from undiagnosed kids. He rightly suggests that having epinephrine autoinjectors stocked at school can save lives.

I can speak to this situation, as my daughter was undiagnosed when she experienced a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction at preschool. Nothing was done for her there and I soon found myself in a nightmare that luckily had a happy ending. It was frankly a miracle my daughter didn't stop breathing--she had every other symptom of anaphylaxis and even lost consciousness during the episode. She was 4 years old at the time.

The current Tribune article doesn't cover preschools. That's an entirely different can of worms that I will address in a future post. However, it does uncover what many parents of food allergic kids have known all along: people are reluctant to use an epinephrine autoinjector even if they witness the symptoms of anaphylaxis. Plus, currently no one will use an autoinjector on your child unless you have the doctor's order. So please have your documentation and orders on file. It's so important.

However, as the Tribune article also reveals, even that's not enough. As parents we must continue to be proactive and involved with our schools. We must monitor situations that are dangerous to allergic kids--and that means any food from a restaurant or a home kitchen. There is never a valid, curriculum-related reason to serve this stuff and yet you'd think banning restaurant food and home-baked cupcakes from a classroom is akin to getting an F on a midterm. I never saw this much food brought to school when I was a student and I don't know why we're seeing it now.

Even with FAAMA, food allergy emergency plans and epinephrine easily accessible, schools won't be safe until people understand what food allergies mean, what cross-contact means and that "peanut-free" doesn't only mean "recipe that doesn't contain peanuts." An understanding of what triggers a reaction can frankly remove any need for medication usage--because reactions won't happen if they are prevented.

The article also sites sobering statistics for those of us sending peanut and tree nut-allergic children off to school each day. What allergies are the most deadly? Peanuts first and tree nuts second. And people wonder why we don't want our kids constantly exposed to food all day long.

If the tragic case of the Chicago 7th grader can have any positive impact, it is to show that half-measures and misunderstandings with regard to food allergies are not only unfortunate and ill-advised, they can be deadly.

Along with the passing of laws, which are just pieces of a larger puzzle, parents need to keep bringing home the fact that food in the classroom needs to be drastically reduced or eliminated unless absolutely necessary--i.e., actually meal times. Lives depend on it.

Peanut Allergy News: Valentine's Day Chocolate!

Almost everyone loves chocolate on Valentine's Day. For those of us caring for kids with nut allergies (or who have nut allergies ourselves) it can be difficult to find chocolate that is not only nut-free but also delicious.

Internet shopping to the rescue! Luckily, there are a few really good nut-free chocolate candy companies out there with everything we need to treat our kids or ourselves. You may have heard of some of these before but for those of you who haven't seen these before, allow me to introduce you.

First up is Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate, one of my all-time favorites. I've ordered from them numerous times and every product I've tried is absolutely delicious. Best of all, both of my daughters go ga-ga over this stuff! This is true gourmet chocolate at its finest. You can find beautiful heart-shaped boxes of nut-free truffles and fudge if you really want to impress. Plus, there are many Valentine's Day-themed chocolates that will make your child's day! In fact, Vermont Nut-Free has pretty much every holiday covered in terms of chocolate. They also offer great baking chocolate if you want to whip up a homemade treat. Check them out . I got a note from them that they get busy this time of year so if you want your order by February 14, head there now!

Next is Divvies, a fabulous nut-free candy company that is also egg-free and dairy-free. They have all sorts of Valentine's Day themed goodies and a great array of candies in general. I also like them because they offer a choice for people dealing with multiple food allergies.

Finally, many of you have tried Enjoy Life Foods chocolate treats. Candy bars like Boom Choco Boom (crispy rice is my favorite) are free of the top 8 food allergens as well as sesame and sulfites. While Enjoy Life does not offer Valentine candy, per se, you can check out their website for Valentine's Day themed recipes using their delicious, allergy-friendly chocolate products like dairy-free, nut-free semi-sweet chocolate chips!

Later this week: online nut-free bakeries!

Peanut-Free, Tree Nut-Free Valentine's Candy: Sweet Tarts Conversation Hearts

I'm bringing back my Valentine's Day post about conversation hearts from Sweet Tarts. Please note: these have nut-free status, only. I will be sharing more Valentine's Day treat ideas soon, so keep visiting!

When we first found out about my daughter's nut allergy, it was really hard to find "safe" candies for each holiday, especially the really iconic ones like candy corn for Halloween and of course, conversation hearts for Valentine's Day. It seemed like every candy heart package had a nut allergy warning on it, so she couldn't eat them at class parties or at home. Bummer.

Luckily, Sweet Tarts Hearts are the allergy-free answer to our  nut-free conversation heart problem. The candies are the Willy Wonka brand, made by Nestle, so I did a little digging to ensure these candies are safe for peanut and tree nut allergies.

The Wonka web site states that you should "check the back of the package" to locate allergen information. Just to be sure, I called Nestle and asked about the Sweet Tarts Hearts. They assured me that if there were any cross-contact risk for the "Top 8" allergens, this info would be reflected on the label with warnings such as "Processed on equipment that also processed nuts (or the other top 8) or "Made in a facility that also processes peanuts (or egg, etc.)

To clarify: There is a product called Sweet Tarts brand GUMMY hearts and they DO have a peanut and tree nut allergy warning. It appears they are made in a different facility from the converation-style hearts. They look very different too, as they are larger than the candy hearts and a soft "gummy" style of candy. So be careful and read all labels.

Of course, if you ever are unsure about a candy, just call the company as I did. The side benefit of calling is that they usually send you free stuff or coupons.

Important note: This post refers to the Sweet Tarts brand candy hearts ONLY! You will often see other brands of conversation hearts in the stores. Two popular brands are Brach's and Necco. Many candy hearts  carry peanut allergy and/or tree nut allergy warnings--at least in my most recent research. So be careful not to confuse Sweet Tarts with any other brand. It's up to you, the consumer to check! Thanks for your cooperation and understanding. :)

Personally, I like the taste of Sweet Tarts better than the "traditional" candy hearts. I bought these at Super Target, but I've seen them for sale everywhere. Enjoy!

Surf Sweets fruity hearts are always nut-free and free of the Top 8 food allergens.
www.surfsweets.com for store locator