As most of you know, we redesigned our Neocate.com website in May of 2011.  In case you haven’t paid us a visit, come on by.  We added a few new online tools to help provide support and guidance to you and your family.  Our new Parent’s Toolbox and Reference Library includes a symptoms guide, glossary and a symptom checker which have all gotten great reviews – thank you for the feedback! 

Our website is always a work in progress and we will continue to work on providing new tools and resources.  Our newest online tool that we are excited to share with you is the online diary!

The online diary is a perfect tool to use when you are trying to determine the right formula for your child, starting on solids or reintroducing foods into your little ones diet.

It is tough to remember or keep track of all the small (or big) symptoms or behaviors that may occur throughout the day and even more difficult trying to relate those symptoms back to a food if you’re not recording it somewhere.  Keeping a daily diary of what your child eats and drinks – and any symptoms you see afterward – gives your child’s doctors vital information. It can help them identify what might be triggering any symptoms. This online diary makes keeping track of everything a snap.

Over the past few weeks, under the guidance of my little ones physician, I have started adding solids into my 6 month olds diet.  Since starting, I've noticed a little rash around his mouth and chin.  With the dry winter weather just starting and the drool from new teeth coming in I couldn't figure out if the new foods I was introducing was causing the rash or not.

So I started using the online diary to record everything that we did.  When he took a bottle, when he ate solids, what he ate, when he was out in the cold, when the rash appeared, the severity of the rash, etc.  With the help of the online diary I was then able to begin to see a pattern of when the rash was appearing - right after we fed him, every night.  Could he really be allergic to peas?  I still had my doubts but relieved to have a record of what was occurring to share with my doctor.  Now we both had a clear understanding of what was going on and therefore were able to best determine the root of the problem.

I hope all of you find the online diary to be as resourceful as I do.  Do you have any other ideas of useful tools you'd like to see on Neocate.com?

-Sarah

Three million children are affected by food allergies in the US. Studies have also suggested that food allergies persist longer in life than was once previously assumed.¹Food allergies can have a wide ranging negative effect on children and their families, affecting life at home as well as the social lives of the family.

Sending a food allergic child to school, camp or any child care can be a scary task for a parent. Doctors are helping families prepare for these situations by ensuring that:

• Each child has an epinephrine device
• The family and child (if age appropriate) know how and when to use the device
• The family can train others on how to use device
• The student has an emergency plan (such as a 504 plan) for the facility in case of a reaction

Reactions in schools

Reactions in schools are actually rare. However, it is important to know that reactions do occur in schools and can be severe in some circumstances.

There has been a growing trend of parents who home school their food allergic child due to fear of a reaction. It is important to know that the vast majority of food allergic children can and do attend school safely.^2-4

The highest risk of a reaction is from direct ingestion of the food. Studies have shown that reactions to environmental or airborne exposure to allergens are extremely low.  In summary, the greatest risk of a reaction is from direct ingestion of the allergen.

Management of reactions at school

Reaction to a food allergen should be treated in a universal fashion. Isolated skin or mild GI symptoms without signs of shock (ie. hypotension, respiratory symptoms) can be generally managed with short acting oral histamines such as Benadryl® or Vistaril®.

Epinephrine should be given as soon as possible for more severe reactions involving laryngeal, pharyngeal or respiratory symptoms, severe vomiting or shock, followed by antihistamines with additional epinephrine as necessary. These protocols should be clearly communicated to parents by the healthcare professional.

Food reaction scenarios are where an Emergency Plan or 504 plan for your child must be available and easy to follow for all appropriate personnel at the school. Full time nursing availability in schools is becoming uncommon, which has placed the burden on the teachers and administrations. Studies have shown that emergency plans are not always followed as written, especially in schools without full time nurses.  This is why the healthcare community and parents must seize the opportunity to better educate all involved.

Do you have any tips for managing your child’s food allergies at school?

*This article was adapted from a Medscape Special Report, Oct 2011, written by Dr. Matthew J. Greenhawt, MD, MBA

1. Boyce JAS, Assa'ad A, Burks AW, et al. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: report of the NIAID-sponsored expert panel. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 126(6 Suppl):S1-S58
2. Young MC, Munoz-Furlong A, Sicherer SH. Management of food allergies in schools: a perspective for allergists. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124:175-182.
3. Greenhawt MJ, McMorris MS, Furlong TJ. Self-reported allergic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts occurring in schools and child care facilities (Abstract). J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121(S1):S95.
4. Sicherer SH, Furlong TJ, DeSimone J, Sampson HA. The US peanut and tree nut allergy registry: characteristics of reactions in schools and day care. J Pediatr. 2001;138:560-565.

On behalf of all of us here at Nutricia North America the makers of Neocate, we want to wish you and your families a very happy, healthy holiday season!  We hope these festive allergy-friendly recipes brighten your holiday!

Milk-Free Hot Chocolate

• 4 scoops Neocate Junior Chocolate
• 4 ounces water
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)

Heat water on the stove or in the microwave. Remove from heat, allow to cool and add Neocate powder and sugar. Stir well. Top with marshmallows (check the label to be sure the brand is appropriate for your child’s dietary restrictions).

Calories: 170
Protein: 5.2g Fat: 7g
Carbohydrate: 22.5g
Calcium: 183mg
Vitamin D: 1.8mcg

 Gingerbread Cookies:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 2/3 cup canola oil
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp ground ginger

Directions:

Over medium heat combine molasses, oil and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. Set aside. Combine flour and other dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and add molasses, sugar and oil and pour into mixing bowl and then add egg and blend together to form a thick dough ball. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour (if dough is too dry, add drops of canola oil, if too sticky to roll out, add flour). Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide dough in half and roll out on floured surface. Use cookie cutters and place cookies on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-14 minutes and let cool.

• Calories190
• Protein 2g
• Carbohydrates 31g
• Fat 7g

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Submitted by: Marie Bedard

Milk-free Peppermint Shake:

• 6 scoops Neocate Junior unflavored
• 6.5 ounces water
• 1 cup Organic Rice Dream® Vanilla Frozen Dessert if tolerated, or alternatively, add 1 cup crushed ice
• 1/8^thtsp peppermint flavor (be careful, a little goes a long way!)
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)

Add all ingredients except Neocate powder into the blender and mix until smooth. Next, add Neocate powder and mix on low setting until blended. Pour and serve. Makes 1-2 servings. If your child drinks smaller servings, pour half and store the remaining shake in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Tip:Remember using the Old-fashioned peppermint sticks as a straw? Try using it with this shake! Check ingredients because brands will vary. Alternatively, you could use candy-striped straws, which you can find at most party stores!

Calories: 409
Protein: 8g
Fat: 18g
Carbohydrate: 54g
Calcium: 295mg
Vitamin D: 206mcg

 Halloween is right around the corner and your little ones are probably getting excited about their costumes, class parties and trick-or-treating.  And while these  can be fun experiences for children, we know that for parents of children with food allergies these events can be more frightening than ghosts and ghouls.

 Fortunately, with a little advance planning, you and your little ones can have a safe and spooky Halloween, without the risk of an allergic reaction.  Check out some of these blog posts for tips to help you prepare:

1. Celebrating Halloween without a Food Allergy Scare
2. Halloween with Food Allergies
3. Food Allergy Friendly Sweet Treats
4. Safe and Spooky Halloween Tips
5. Halloween: Focus on the Fun, Not the Food

What are you planning for Halloween?  Be sure to share your tips for having a fun and safe Halloween in the comments! 

We’re excited to introduce you to our newest product — Neocate® Junior with Prebiotics, Vanilla!  This is the first and only flavored amino acid-based medical food with soluble prebiotic fiber for children with GI conditions.  Neocate® Junior with Prebiotics, Vanilla will help fight flavor fatigue and provide digestive support for a balanced gut for manychildren who suffer from milk or soy allergies, multiple food allergies or allergy-induced gastrointestinal disorders.

Just like Neocate® Junior, Chocolate and Neocate® Junior, Tropical, Neocate Junior with Prebiotics, Vanilla is an aspartame-free, hypoallergenic and nutritionally complete medical food for children over the age of one.

Children who use Neocate Junior should be under the care of a healthcare professional. Families with questions about Neocate Junior with Prebiotics, Vanilla or the whole Neocate family of nutritionally complete amino acid-based medical foods, please visit www.Neocate.com or call the toll-free number at 1-800-365-7354, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 8:00 pm EST.  

It’s time for back to school and whether it’s your child’s first day of school or they’re returning to school for another year, introducing a child with food allergies into a new environment can be nerve-racking.  This is why it is important to educate and remind your children’s teachers and caregivers about food allergy precautions and safety before school starts.

Here are some simple steps you can follow to make sure that the transition is a safe one for your child:

1. Schedule a back-to-school checkup with your pediatrician or allergist to make sure that your current treatment plan is still effective.
2. Document your child’s allergies and treatment plan in school or daycare paperwork.
3. Provide teachers and caregivers with brochures and information on your child’s allergy to prevent accidents.
4. Create a one page “Cheat Sheet” with information about your child’s allergies for substitutes or new employees.
5. Discuss what to do in case of an emergency.  Ask your pediatrician about keeping an EpiPen on-site.  Be sure to train the caregiver on when and how to use one.
6. Make sure that your child fully understands what can trigger their allergy.
7. Look at upcoming lunch or snack menus and identify safe options, also provide the school with a list of safe foods that your child can enjoy at any time.
8. If no safe options are available, pack food from home and warn your child not to trade food with his/her classmates.
9. Offer to bring in allergy-safe treats for holidays and special events.  This way you know that your child is safe, and they won’t feel excluded from the fun!

Communication and education is the most important part of going back to school with food allergies.  Hopefully these tips will provide you with some ideas on how to best educate your child’s new classroom on living with food allergies.

If you have any creative strategies to help prepare for a safe school year, we’d love to hear about them in the comments! 

We are happy to announce that we have added four additional states to our Nutricia Product Coverage Navigator program!  The program assists patients in obtaining insurance coverage for Nutricia products, including Neocate.  When we first launched in November 2010, the program was only available in New York, Texas and Massachusetts, but now it is offered in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois and New Jersey!

If you are a resident of Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York or Texas please call 1-800-365-7354 for help with:

Obtaining prior authorization for any and all Nutricia products, including Neocate Infant, Neocate Junior and EO28 Splash;

• Answering questions regarding claims submissions;
• Drafting letters of medical necessity;
• Providing instructions on how to correct billing errors;
• Interceding with the insurance company on complex reimbursement matters; and
• Appealing a denied claim.

If you don’t live in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York or Texas, please visit the Neocate website where you will find tips for obtaining coverage and details about reimbursement legislation.

- Sarah

With the Fourth of July around the corner, we wanted to share some food allergy-friendly ideas and recipes for you to enjoy during the holiday weekend. We wrote a blog in the past that may help to find general food allergy tips if you and your family are planning a day out of the house.

In honor of the Independence Day, I compiled a couple food allergy-friendly recipes with a red, white and blue theme. As always, check the ingredients to ensure they are allowed in your little ones diet. Also, recipes can always be tweaked to meet your needs, so if you have other ideas on how to make it better for your family, feel free to experiment.

Being the Nutritionist, I tend to stay away from high fat and nutritionally void treats. Fruit recipes are always a great way to add beneficial fiber as well as important vitamins and minerals to a healthy diet.

These recipes are all diary free and egg free.

RED Strawberry Shortcakes

This recipe is definitely a family favorite, with that same classic taste without the dairy. I prefer to use my own dairy-free vanilla ice cream if I have the time, but for weeknight desserts or quicker treats, a dairy-free store-bought variety works just as well. Feel free to use whatever fruits you like along with the strawberries; peaches, mangoes and other berries are always a nice variation.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

About 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into halves

¼ cup and 2 Tbsp. white sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup and 2 Tbsp. white sugar

2 ½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

6 Tbsp. dairy-free soy margarine, cut into pieces

½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk, soymilk or rice milk

Dairy-Free Vanilla Ice Cream, either store-bought or homemade

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, toss the strawberries with the 2 T. sugar until well coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the biscuits. In a food processor, mix together the remaining ¼ cup sugar, flour, baking powder and salt until well-mixed. Add the dairy-free soy margarine, pulsing until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. With the machine still running, add the non-dairy milk alternative gradually, until the dough just begins to hold together and pull away from the sides of the bowl.

3. On a lightly floured surface, turn out the dough and pat into 8 small round biscuits. Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with sugar, and bake about 18-22 minutes, or until golden. Allow the biscuits to cool on the baking sheet. To serve, place two biscuits on each plate with a scoop of dairy-free vanilla ice cream and a helping of the sugared strawberries.

WHITE Bean and Garlic Dip 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked (1 c dry) white beans, ie. Great Northern, Cannellini, Navy, or Butter Beans (canned beans may be used)
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 c olive oil
1/4-1/2 c bean cooking liquid, broth, or water
1 Tbsp fresh thyme or 1/2 Tbsp dry
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper

Optional: olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme for garnish

Directions:

If starting with dry beans, soak overnight, then cook beans per desired method, saving any leftover bean cooking liquid. If using canned beans, drain beans, and rinse well. 

Place cooked beans in blender or food processor, along with garlic, olive oil, 1/4 cup liquid, thyme, and Vitamin C crystals. Pulse a few times, then blend until well smooth. If mixture is too thick, add additional liquid as necessary while blending. Add salt and pepper salt and pepper to taste, and blend again to mix. 
To serve, scoop into serving bowls, and drizzle with additional olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme leaves. Store leftover dip in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze in an ice cube tray and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Pineapple-Strawberry (or BLUEberry) Granita

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries or Blueberries, hulled
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Directions

Purée strawberries (or blueberries) in blender or food processor; pour in pineapple juice, blend and set aside. In small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and let syrup cool, about 20 minutes. Whisk pineapple-strawberry mixture into sugar syrup and pour into to a shallow metal pan. Place pan in freezer, mixing with a fork every 30 minutes until frozen, about 2-3 hours.

If you have any other recipes to share, please let us know, we would love to hear them.

Enjoy the 4^th of July weekend!!

-Christine

Last month we launched our redesigned website, Neocate.com! Our goal for the new site is to provide even more support, answers and guidance for your family’s journey with food allergies.

In case you haven’t visited us online yet, one of the helpful new resources we added to help you find answers about your child’s condition is the Parent’s Toolbox. The applications in the toolbox were designed to help you identify, track and understand the different symptoms your child may be experiencing. 

Below are some of the different ways you can use the Parent’s Toolbox:

Confused about what is “normal” and what could be a sign of food allergies? Use the Symptom Guide and Checklist as a reference.

Knowing what symptoms to look for and understanding what they may mean is the key to finding relief for your child. These tools help you identify symptoms so that you know what to discuss with your doctor and dietitian.

Not sure what that long medical term your doctor just used means? Look it up in the Glossary.

Sometimes it can seem like you need to be an MD to understand your child’s condition with all of the terms that are used. Our glossary breaks everything down so that you can easily understand what everything means.

Want to educate yourself? Visit our Learn About Conditions page.

We’ve got detailed, easy to understand information on what causes conditions like Cow’s Milk Allergy, Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Multiple Food Protein Intolerance, what symptoms are generally associated with each one, and how Neocate can help provide relief.

Don’t forget that you can also connect with the nutrition specialists on the Food Allergy Living blog or at 1-800-NEOCATE for real-time advice and tips.

We would like to let you know that Nutricia North America is currently transitioning Neocate Infant original formulation families to Neocate Infant DHA & ARA.  Neocate Infant original will be discontinued October 1, 2011.

Neocate Infant DHA & ARA provides the same nutritional advantages as Neocate Infant original and has the added benefit of DHA and ARA.  DHA and ARA are two nutrients present in breast milk and are known to help brain and eye development.

As always, be sure to consult with your physician before switching formulas.  We are also informing healthcare professionals and have requested that they transition their patients to Neocate Infant DHA & ARA immediately.

If you have further questions or need assistance with transitioning, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-Neocate (Monday through Friday 8:30 am - 8:00 pm EST) and ask to speak with our nutrition specialist.

- Sarah