Food Allergy Awareness Week!

May 11 is the beginning of Food Allergy Awareness Week. This is a great time to thank all the people that help your child with their food allergies. You can also use this time to spread awareness to those around you, whether it's reading a story to your child's class, talking to the school principal about ways to make the cafeteria safer or making an "allergen-free" treat.

Education is key. So don't hesitate to tell other parents, restaurant workers, family members and neighbors about how to handle food allergies. When everyone has the info, they're more likely to help and to ask questions about how to keep food-allergic people safe.

Every resource on the list to the right of this page has done a great job in helping spread enlightenment about food allergies. If you have others, I'd love to hear about them.

What have you done to help spread awareness? If you think back, you've probably done more than you realize. What has made a positive difference as cope with your child's food allergies? Be sure to post and let us know what's worked for you and your family.

No Peanut-Free Table???

I recently found out that the new school that my daughter will attend in the fall does not have an "official" peanut-free table. However, the principal said she will work with us to accomodate her needs and that they have many students with peanut allergy.

Currently, my daughter sits at a peanut-free table with kids who have not brought peanut butter. This has been good from a safety standpoint, and not so good from a social standpoint, at least some of the time.

She is going into 3rd grade and certainly knows to avoid certain foods. I trust her. Also, she does not react if she smells peanut, but she doesn't like the smell. She's repelled by it, which is different than having an allergic reaction from it. I don't know if she'd feel uncomfortable if she sat with kids eating PB & J. She's done this on field trips and I know she's been OK with it. Also, someone watches her and all the staff know about her allergies. Obviously, we're going to have to work out the same deal at her new school.

I'm kind of pysched at the thought of her not being excluded from her friends, while at the same time I worry about her safety. But it got me thinking: with all the other "top 8" allergies on the rise, is it even feasible to have a "peanut-free table?" You'll also need a milk-free, wheat-free, egg-free and soy-free table at some point, right?

I'm not sure what we will propose to the principal. I was thinking of a making a "peanut-free" area of the table, but I don't know if that would make it better or worse for her.

What do you think? How have your schools dealt with these tables and/or multiple food allergies?

Chef Heroes for the Food Allergic

. If you're like me, you worry about taking your food-allergic children to restaurants.

Thankfully, some leading chefs are working to make restaurants safer for the food allergic.

For one, there's Ming Tsai, a famous chef in Boston (you may have seen him on the Food Network in "East Meets West" or most recently, as a guest judge on "Top Chef Chicago"). Chef Tsai is a food allergy hero!

His young son has severe food allergies, including an allergy to all nuts--just like my daughter. Because of his personal experience with food allergies, Chef Tsai's restaurant, Blue Ginger, in Boston is leading the charge to make restaurants safe for everyone.

As a spokesperson for FAAN, Chef Tsai also recently testified at the Boston Statehouse about creating policies that would require all restaurants in Massachusetts to maintain a high level of awareness about food allergies. Chef Tsai is highly aware of the danger of nut allergies, which makes him cool in my book!

I'm especially excited that an Asian chef known for Asian food is taking the lead here. Asian food is one of the big "no-nos" for anyone with nut allergies and maybe someday this can change. I miss my Chinese food and Thai food!

But there's more help on the way, right here in Chicago. Chef Dominique Tougne of Bistro 110 has 2 children with severe food allergies. He was recently profiled in Living Without magazine on this very subject. At Bistro 110, he says that they will accomodate food allergies and in fact, do this each day with increasing regularity. I've been to the restaurant and the food is great, plus it's located in a fun part of the city. I'm looking forward to taking my daughter there.

That said: always call ahead. Kitchens get busy, so also try to go at "off" times. You're more likely to get the special treatment you need when chefs aren't in the thick of lunch or dinner rush.

Thank you, thank you to these two chefs for their amazing efforts! I hope many more chefs will follow their lead.

Top Chef Chicago Goes Nuts!!!!

I'm a big Top Chef fan (I've watched every season) and last night's episode was kind of an eye-opener for me regarding the way the culinary world still thinks "kid food = peanut butter."

The chefs' challenge was to cook a low-cost nutritious meal for kids. They had kids as their sous chefs from a very good program here in Chicago that helps teach kids about good nutrition. At least 2, and possibly 3 of the chefs used peanut butter as a key ingredient in their dishes. In other words, even chefs, who should know all about food and certainly about peanut allergies, went straight for the Skippy. (Actually, since the chefs shopped at Whole Foods, it was most likely organic and probably pricey.)

I know that they were limited to a budget of $10 and peanut butter is cheap. Still, I wonder if chefs receive food allergy training in most culinary schools--I'm looking into it and will let you know.

In any case, I still love Top Chef but am disappointed in their peanut prediliction when kids are concerned. Luckily, a few high-profile chefs in the U.S. are working to make their restaurants "food-allergy friendly." I'll post about that soon.

"Living Without" Update, Food Allergy "Source" Roundup

I just came from my local Borders where I was thrilled to find the latest issue of "Living Without" magazine. This has not been available in most bookstores, until now, despite the fact that it has been published for more than 10 years!

If the magazine isn't sold at a bookstore near you, ask them to order it. It's so validating to see someone devote an entire magazine to food allergy issues.

Also, as a freelance writer, I'm busy developing article ideas about living with food allergies. If anyone would be willing to be interviewed as a source in the future, please e-mail me at nutfreemom@sbcglobal.net. I am always looking for quotes on the topic of parenting with food allergies. If you are an adult living with food allergies, I'd love to hear from you as well.

Thanks!