family handout - suggestions?

[Guest guest]

Hi guys! Hope you all are having a good weekend, full of hugs and fun. My

mom is bugging me about going out for meals at her friends' houses, and

I've been trying to deal with her. She emailed a friend to let them know

that Elisha is allergic to some things, and left out nuts! Aargh. Anyway,

I responded by putting together a handout about Elisha's allergies, and I

was wondering if you guys would mind looking at it,and telling me if I

left anything out? I pulled most of it out of nne Barber's

Parent's Guide to Food Allergies, but the book was published in 2001, so

there might be things missing. Plus I could've mistyped something,

skipped something (I'm dyslexic, so I mix stuff up a lot).

I don't

know if this list does attachments, so I cut-and-pasted it below. Thank

you for any and all comments - I'm so nervous about this, and about

trusting other people to cook for the kid, that I might just show up with

food anyway, but I figured I should try putting this together

anyway.

-Ziva

mom to Elisha, 2, tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, beef and sesame (in

spades!).

ELISHA'S LIST OF UNFRIENDLY FOODS

Dairy: of any variety (cow, sheep, goat).

Also found

in ingredients as:

· artificial

butter flavor

· butter,

butterfat, butter oil

· buttermilk

· casein

· caseinates

(listed as ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium

caseinate)

· cheese

· cottage

cheese

· cream

· curds

· custard

· ghee

· half

and half

· hydrolysates

(listed as casein, milk protein, protein, whey, or whey protein

hydrosylate)

· lactalbumin,

lactalbumin phosphate

· lactoglobulin

· lactose

· lactulose

· milk

(derivative, powder, protein, solids, malted, condensed, evaporated, dry,

whole, low-fat, nonfat, skimmed and goat's, sheep's

milk)

· nougat

· pudding

· rennet

casein

· sour

cream, sour cream solids

· sour

milk solids

· whey

(in all forms, including sweet, delactosed and protein

concentrate)

· yoghurt

The following *may* indicate the presence of

milk:

· chocolate

· flavorings,

including caramel, Bavarian cream, coconut cream, brown sugar, butter

flavoring and natural flavorings.

· high

protein flour

· margarine

· simplesse

Beef: including veal, cow or cow protein of any variety or

age

Peanuts: Also found in ingredients such as

· peanut

oil (cold pressed or expeller pressed)

· ground

nuts

· mixed

nuts

· hydrolyzed

vegetable protein, or HVP (may contain peanut

traces)

· hydrolyzed

plant protein

· vegetable

oil ( unless the vegetable is specified, it may contain peanut

oil)

· peanut

butter

· peanut

flour

· peanut

starch

· beer

nuts

· artificial

nuts (can be de-flavored peanuts!)

· natural

flavoring (can contain peanut protein)

· chocolate

(processed with or in the same plant as peanuts)

May also be hidden in:

· Thai

rolls, egg rolls, wontons and other dumplings (used to stick the flaps

shut)

· Stews

(as a thickener)

· Veggie

burgers

· Jelly

beans

· Pizza/tomato

sauce

· Manicotti

· Baked

goods

Tree Nuts: including cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, walnuts,

pine nuts (also known as 'pinons' and 'pignoli'), hazelnuts (also known

as 'filberts'), chestnuts, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, pecans.

Tree nut ingredients are also known as:

· nut

butter

· nut

oil

· almond

extract

· artificial

wintergreen extract or other artificial mint

extracts

· gianduja

(chopped nuts mixed with chocolates)

· marzipan

· artificial

nuts

· nut

meal

· nut

paste

· nougat

· chocolate

(with or without nuts)

Note: water chestnuts are just fine! Despite the name, they are

*not* nuts.

Sesame: This is Elisha's most dangerous allergy. Sesame

ingredients can be found as

· sesame

seeds

· sesame

oil (toasted and untoasted)

· seeds

(unless specified otherwise, sesame is a popular ingredient in

multi-grain breads)

· spices

(again, unless specified otherwise)

· vegetable

oil (unless specified)

Tip #1: look for statements such as " may contain traces of

peanuts/sesame/dairy/tree nuts, " or " manufactured in a plant

that processes peanuts/sesame/dairy/tree nuts. "

Tip #2: Large bakeries may make individual items that are

Elisha-friendly, but if they also make items that are

Elisha-unfriendly, please pass. All too often the same spatula or

mixing bowl is used for different items, creating a risk of

cross-contamination. Alas, this includes bagels...

Tip # 3: Think of allergies as you would think of kashrut.

Cross-contamination between Elisha-friendly and Elisha-unfriendly foods,

the pots used to cook them, or the utensils used to serve or cook them -

all of this is a potential problem. It helps to remember that many

peanut-allergenic kids will react to the amount of peanut protein

contained in less that 1/100th of a peanut. And sesame allergies can be

even worse! I like to joke that Elisha's allergies have created a new

version of pareve in our house, with neither meat, nor milk…nor nuts,

sesame or peanut!

Commonly Asked Questions:

Q. With all of those allergies, what's left to eat?

A. A lot. You will notice that a lot of the ingredients in the

lists above are most commonly found in highly processed foods, or in

dishes with long ingredient lists. Like most toddlers, Elisha likes

simple, plain foods. Elisha adores plain fruit, vegetables (depending on

whim), baked beans, plain pastas and tomato sauces, (dairy-free) waffles,

fake/tofu cream cheese on crackers (or matza), homemade pizza with fake

cheese and many other, unprocessed and easily made foods. I'm happy to

offer suggestions, or to bring our own food for him.

Q. How strong are these allergies?

A. It varies. The dairy and beef allergies make Elisha

uncomfortable and give him hives and eczema, but thus far do no worse.

However, we are avoiding them carefully because if we do so, we then have

a good chance that they will go away as he gets older! The nut allergies

are fairly serious, and may be as serious as his sesame allergy. His

sesame allergy has caused him to experience anaphylaxis, during which

Elisha's throat and mouth swell, blocking his airways.

Q. Can he sit at the same table as someone eating something that

he's allergic to?

A. Yes! But there's a real risk. First, he's a toddler, and will

grab for anything he wants, so please warn us if you serve a dish with

allergenic ingredients. Secondly, please be careful of

cross-contamination, and only use the dish, serving utensils, cooking

pots, etc. for that one dish, and clean it carefully. Finally, if you are

thinking of putting Elisha-unfriendly items on the same plate as

Elisha-friendly items, please understand if we choose not to feed him the

Elisha-friendly foods. Again, the bogeyman of cross-contamination raises

its head...

Q. With all of these allergies, won't Elisha feel 'different' from

other people?

A. Yes, but that's just a fact of life. Any kid who has to explain

to his college roommate that he can't eat at Mac's feels different.

However, there is a fairly good chance that he will either outgrow some

of his allergies, or find that as he gets older, the allergies are

milder. Studies have shown that the way we give him the best chance of

having this happen is by eliminating the allergens from his diet

now.

Q. Are his allergies at all related to his hemophilia?

A. Nope! Allergies in children, and severe allergies in

particular, are on the rise. Our allergists at Boston Children's Hospital

call this an epidemic, and constantly look harried. There are two major

theories as to why this is happening. One theory says that this has to do

with how early a food is itroduced. For example, in the United States we

eat up to 4 million pounds of peanuts daily. A nation of peanut-lovers,

we introduce our children to peanuts early and enthusiastically. As of

2001, 5% of children in the US were allergic to peanuts, and between 1984

and 1994 the amount of reported cases of peanut allergy doubled. However,

in Scandanavia, where peanuts are eaten sparingly and rarely before the

age of six, peanut allergy is virtually unheard-of. (However, they have a

strong rate of fish allergy!)

Another theory states that, even as our culture eliminates major

childhood challenges to the immune system, such as polio, pertussis,

measles, etc, we have also eliminated minor challenges, by focusing on

hygienic standards. For example, in addition to our now-standard regimen

of immunization shots, we now also wash a pacifier before putting it back

in the kid's mouth! Good hygeine and a lack of dangerous childhood

illnesses can be a good thing, but some theorize that this leaves the

immune system primed for battle - and with nobody to fight. Allergies, or

strong immune reactions to minor irritants, can be the result.

Please always feel free to consult with me, either by email or telephone

(617 8760887 or 617 9055905). Thank you for taking the time to read this

letter, and for helping us keep Elisha safe and happy.