Our post today is a guest blog entry from Lynda Mitchell, the Founder ofKids With Food Allergies Foundation. We'd like to thank her for guest blogging with us. 

As the parent of a baby who had multiple food allergies, I truly understand the joys and challenges of parenting a child with food allergies. My baby - now 21 years old - is successfully attending college, living a full life, and managing his own food allergies.

As the founder of Kids With Food Allergies Foundation (KFA), a nonprofit grass roots support organization for families raising children with food allergies, I want to assure you that you are not alone, and want you to know that there is a world of support waiting for you.

KFA offers daily assistance and practical food allergy management help. Reach out to us when you're just getting started. We can help you not feel alone, give you pointers to make your life easier and help improve the quality of life for you and your child. Or, if you've been "in the trenches" managing food allergies for a while, you are welcome to get involved and share what you know with others who are new to food allergies, stay informed with news, or get involved with volunteer work or leadership opportunities.

Our website is rich with resources to help you day-to-day. Most of this information is fully accessible without cost to you. Please check out what we offer, and use what is helpful!

Looking for social support?

Our online support community of 24,000 members is the largest online peer support group focused solely on children's food allergies. Registration is free-so if you haven't already become a member, please join us and participate in sharing support, exchanging information, and giving and getting help with food ideas, recipes and cooking challenges! In addition to general forums, there are places to discuss special issues, like raising children with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders, food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), celebrating birthdays and special occasions (Yes, we can even help you bake your child's birthday cake!), and lots more!

New to food allergies?

Check out our free e-book starter guide, From Confusion to Confidence, and our online tutorial and videos. We also offer a one-page handout with need-to-know information focusing on prevention and preparedness.

Need help with grocery shopping, food ideas, baking, cooking or recipes?

Check out our label reading guides; basic substitution and "How to Cook" information; grocery shopping tips; and Safe Eats Recipe Database. We also offer twice-yearly reports on new allergy- and kid-friendly foods; an Allergy Buyer's Guide; and food and cooking support forums where you can ask other parents for tried-and-true suggestions.

Looking for help navigating holidays, school, travel or special occasions?

Check out our holiday guides, school resources, travel and camp tips! We've got lots more to offer too. So, visit our website soon, become a member and sign up for our free news updates! Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. We're here to help inform, connect and support families. I hope we can be of help to yours, too.

Lynda

Not so many years ago, it was pretty common for kids to give classmates valentines with candy, bring in baked goods to share, and have a Valentine’s Day party at school. While a lot of classrooms have cut back on such activities, it’s still a great idea to play it safe this Valentine’s Day and avoid the risk of allergic reactions.

Preparing

Since Valentine’s Day falls on a school day this year, the best thing you can do is to remind your child’s teacher(s) of allergies ahead of time. If valentines are going to be exchanged or a party is planned, the teacher can help share information with other parents to ensure that everyone remains safe from potential allergens. Feel free to offer to send a “safe” treat in with your child if they won’t be able to enjoy other foods.

If your child is going to a friend’s house for a Valentine’s Day party, make sure to check in with the host parents to make sure they are aware your little one has a food allergy and ask what will be served ahead of time. Remind your child that they should keep an eye out for allergens: even if a party has a menu, there’s no guarantee other parents won’t send unplanned treats.

Hosting

Are you a teacher? If so, remember that the safest valentine for a child with an allergy is one that doesn’t include candy. You may find it easiest to institute a “cards only” rule if valentines are exchanged. A Valentine’s Day party can be great without the snacks by involving fun games or crafts. You could also keep the food and ensure it’s safe by purchasing or preparing snacks yourself that you know are safe and instituting a “no treats” rule for parents.

If you’re a parent who’s hosting a get-together for some of your child’s playmates, it’s best to check ahead of time with other parents to ask about allergies. Other parents may be more than happy to contribute allergen-free foods to the menu, or you can forgo food altogether and host the party away from mealtime with some fun activities instead.

Giving

Whether your child has an allergy or not, make sure he/she is giving valentines that are safe for other students in their class who may have an allergy of their own. Lots of valentine multi-packs include candy, which most kids enjoy. However, to keep the valentines your child hands out safe, you might consider sprucing up a “traditional” card-only valentine. You can add to the “cool factor” by including valentine-themed tattoos, stickers, or other approved favors in place of edible gifts.

Have a child that can’t enjoy chocolate or the usual treats? Try out our recipe for a knock-out knock-off of chocolate pudding. Also consider family-friendly activities that don’t involve food. Finally, a t-shirt, CD, game or even small vase of flowers could be the surprise gift your child wasn’t expecting!

What tips do you have to keep Valentine’s Day worry free?

- Rob

Kashrut and Kosher Foods

Kashrut is the division of Jewish law that deals with the foods that a Jew may and may not eat and its proper preparation [1]. Kosher foods are foods that meet Kashrut standards. Under Jewish dietary laws, meat and dairy can never be eaten together so kosher foods are labeled as either fleishig (meat), milchig (dairy) and pareve (neutral). Pareve or neutral foods contain neither milk nor dairy. Many grocery stores have a designated section of kosher foods to accommodate those who keep kosher. In addition, many big food manufacturers have kosher-certified foods and label their products with kosher symbols.

Reading Kosher Labels

Look for the kosher symbol on a product, it’s usually in small type on towards the bottom of the package. In the U.S. the symbol is usually some variation on the letter U or K (Click here to view the commonly used kosher symbols in the US). This indicates that the food has been inspected by a kosher certifying agency. If it has a “D” or the word “dairy” next to it, this means that it contains dairy. If the kosher symbol has an “m” or the word “meat” next to it, this product contains meat and if it has “pareve” written next to it, it contains neither milk nor meat. Fish is commonly classified as “neutral” or “pareve” so keep this in mind if your little one has fish/shellfish allergies.

[*For those of you with smartphones, there’s an app that can be helpful to understand kosher labels!]

Kosher Food and Restricted Diets

People who are not necessarily kosher but who are following a restrictive diet, such as vegetarians or vegans, often find the kosher labeling system useful for determining whether or not a food is suitable for their diet.

Kosher Labels and Milk Allergies: A Reliable Tool?

Being familiar with kosher labeling can help save you a lot of time because you’ll be able to quickly identify the kosher symbol with “dairy” written next to it and know this food is off limits. That being said, it’s very important to note that kosher labels may not always take cross-contamination into account so it’s possible that there are traces of milk in a product even though it is not labeled as “dairy" [2]. Therefore, you should never assume that a kosher symbol listing “meat” or “pareve” is 100% free of dairy. With such foods, you should continue to closely read the ingredient list as you normally do and call the manufacturer to make sure the product is safe for your child’s milk allergy.

Key Points

• Kosher symbols can help you to save time by quickly identifying products which contain dairy rather than having to search through the ingredient list for each product

• You should never assume that a kosher product labeled as “meat” or “pareve” is 100% milk-free because it may still contain traces of dairy. Continue to study the ingredient list and check with the manufacturers to make sure this product is safe for your child with milk allergies.

Kosher Foods during Passover

If you see a kosher symbol listing “P” does not mean that the product is “pareve” rather it means that it is “kosher for Passover”. Foods designated as “P” or “kosher for Passover” are often only sold for a limited time during the year corresponding to the Passover holiday, when there are stricter dietary restrictions. Many families find that they are able to find hard-to-find, allergy-friendly products in the stores during this time and stock up while they are available. To learn more, read the “What Does Kosher for Passover Mean for Food Allergies?” article provided by Kids with Food Allergies.

-Mallory

[Image Source]

[1] KofK Kosher Certification.
[2] Kosher Labeling and Milk or Dairy Allergy. Kids with Food Allergies. February 2008. http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/resourcespre.php?id=100.

With fall upon us, cinnamon breakfast bread will warm your little one right up!

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar & salt. Cut in shortening with a fork until fine and mealy. Add rice milk (or Neocate formula) all at once. Pour into a greased 8” pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm for breakfast.

Nutrition Information Per Recipe*:

• Calories 150
• Protein 2g
• Carbohydrates 17g
• Fat 9g

Makes about 12 servings.

* Nutrition information for recipe using rice milk.

Submitted by: Mary Blackorby

To get more food allergy recipes, be sure to download our new Food Allergy Cookbook!

We know how difficult mealtime can be if you have a child whose food choices are limited by food allergies. This is why we are excited to announce the release of the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook!

With the help of other members of the food allergy community and the countless moms who submitted their own personal recipes, we have compiled a cookbook full of yummy, allergy-friendly recipes for your families to enjoy. From birthday cake and crepe suzettes to turkey meatloaf and zucchini bread, we received some delicious recipes and can’t wait for you to try them.

All About the Cookbook

Inside the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook you will find over 60 healthy and nutritious food allergy recipes, all of which are free of one or more of the top eight allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy).

The full cookbook is available for download on our website. And starting tomorrow, every Wednesday we will be featuring a different recipe from the cookbook here on Food Allergy Living.

Eat Drink and Be Merry!

We hope that the cookbook will be a valuable resource for families of children with food allergies and help make mealtime a little bit easier for everyone. As a reminder, please check each recipe to be sure all ingredients are safe for your child and if you have any questions or concerns please consult your physician.

Bon Appétit!

- Sarah

I love reading blogs and articles like this one about allergy and celiac-friendly foods becoming more mainstream.

Even though we often don’t want to tell our allergy children, it can be tough, and even scary, to take them out to dinner or to a grocery store. However, lately I’ve noticed that restaurants and grocery stores around the country are beginning to offer more allergy friendly foods.

According to the Washington Post, marketing to food-sensitivities is becoming widespread and will continue to grow as the number of food allergies rise. Even the Girl Scouts are making a milk-free version of their cookie!

I’ve noticed this in my personal life. Just the other day, I walked into Whole Foods and there was a display of gluten-free brownie mix at the register. At restaurants, I’ve noticed the new asterisks on the menus, leading to a note at the bottom that states “this entrée contains peanuts.” All this I am very happy about.

However, continue to be vigilant when buying new foods or taking your allergy little one out to dinner. Even though the food industry is taking steps in the right direction, you can never be too careful!

- Sarah

Food Allergy Awareness Week is Finally Here!

Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW) May 8-14, has finally arrived and we wanted to remind you about all the ways you can get involved and educate others about the serious nature of food allergies. 

Here are some easy ways that you can celebrate and help raise awareness:

At School

As we all know schools and food allergies are major hot topics and this week is the perfect time to volunteer to give a presentation about food allergies to your child's class or school.  The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) has some great presentations for elementary schools, teenagers and even corporate environments that you can download.

In Your Community

As we've mentioned before one idea to spread the word and raise money for allergies is to host an allergy-friendly bake sale!  Another idea is to create or print flyers about food allergies and hand them out at your local grocery store or mall food court.  Also, if you aren't already a part of a local advocacy organization, join one!  They are likely to be hosting their own events this week so it's a great opportunity to get involved.  But, if there isn't an organization in your town, now is the perfect time to start one!

Online

If you're on Facebook or Twitter be sure to post about FAAW.  Or, if there are any events in your area you plan to attend be sure to invite friends.  Also, don't forget to follow Neocate on Facebook and Twitter, where you will find more information about food allergies.

What are you doing to celebrate FAAW this year?  We'd love to hear about your plans!

- 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

As we’ve mentioned before, mixing food allergies and birthday parties requires a bit of effort.  This includes both hosting a birthday party (with guests with food allergies) and sending your food-allergic child to a birthday party.

We wanted to round up a few recipes that could provide a potential solution. It would also be great to have an allergen-free dessert, whether you’re hosting the party or sending your little one to a party.  This way everyone can safely enjoy a treat.
 

Cakes & Baked Goods

Most cakes and baked goods call for dairy, eggs, and wheat, which are three of the top eight allergens.  In fact, fish and shellfish are the only two of the top allergens that do NOT regularly appear in baked goods! Here are a few alternatives to a traditional birthday cake that could make a great stand-in.

On page 14 of the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, there’s a great recipe for a frosted birthday cake, made with a cake mix from Cherrybrook Kitchen – free of dairy, nuts, and eggs. But don’t count out serving cookies, brownies, bars, cupcakes, or cobbler, all of which appear in the same great cookbook. Another great place to check is the Kids with Food Allergies website, which offers a variety of recipes.

Not interested in handling the baking yourself? There are several companies that can bake a great, safe alternative and have it shipped straight to you, candles not included. A few places whose treats are allergen-free to varying degrees are Divvie’s Bakery, Home Free, Liz Lovely, and Betsy & Claude Baking Company.  You can also check grocery stores that cater to special dietary needs, such as Whole Foods.
 

Delicious Desserts

Who says that an equally delicious dessert can’t make a stellar stand-in for cake? Not us! Here are some ideas for other great foods that most kids would never refuse.

See our Neocate Nutra Recipe Guide for allergy-friendly ice creams and puddings.  Also check back into the Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook for great shake and smoothie recipes, many submitted by parents.  Top suggestions include the Banana Chocolate Shake or Chocolate Covered Strawberry Slushy.  If you really feel like going all-out, you can use one of these frozen desserts alongside a baked good, in place of the usual cake and ice cream.

Feeling REALLY adventurous? Try your hand at a homemade ice cream cake by combining recipes for an allergen-free ice cream, cookies, and frosting.

What have you used in the past when the traditional birthday cake wouldn’t do? Let us know in the Comments section below.

- Rob

For the next three weeks, we’ll be posting some allergy-friendly meal ideas, starting with breakfast. While it can be difficult to come up with meal ideas for standard diets or choosy children, a diet that has allergy restrictions is even tougher! Here are some breakfast ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.

Neocate-Only Breakfast Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, it’s helpful to have ideas that add variety. For instance, mixing some of the flavors and formats that Neocate offers can help fight the formula monotony. One of our favorite ideas for children over one year is mixing Neocate Nutra with Neocate Junior Tropical, Neocate Junior with Prebiotics Vanilla, or Neocate’s E028 Splash Grape. A ratio of about four scoops of Nutra powder to every one ounce of a prepared Neocate formula provides you with what we like to call “almost-yogurt.” You can of course adjust the ratio to your child’s tastes. For children older than six months but below one year, you might try mixing Neocate Nutra with a pasteurized fruit juice that they tolerate.

Top Eight Allergen-Free Breakfast Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can try mixing a Neocate product with pureed fruit. By mixing Neocate Junior with fruit you can come up with some great breakfast shakes and outstanding flavor combinations. Or by mixing Neocate Nutra with pureed fruit you can come up with a great alternative to oatmeal. If you want to serve it warm, we still recommend against using a microwave: start with warm juice instead to avoid the hot spots and lower nutrient levels microwaves can cause.

Less Restrictive Breakfast Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great breakfast suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top 5 breakfast ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in a large batch, portioned, and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Apple-Oat Muffins on page seven would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few breakfast recipes appear in blog posts, such as Banana Bread Muffins.

If your family has a favorite “standard” breakfast recipe that involves milk but is otherwise allergy-friendly, you may be able to substitute Neocate formula for the milk. While this might change the final result a little bit and may require some experimenting, it will provide the high levels of most nutrients from Neocate that other milk substitutes (such as water or rice milk) can’t provide. Just be aware that the high heat from cooking will lower some of Neocate’s nutrient levels, especially some vitamins. Again, check all recipes to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

What allergy-friendly breakfast ideas have helped your family in the morning?

Rob

The topic for today’s post in our allergy-friendly meal idea series is lunch! Just like with breakfast, a lot of the go-to lunch options for most children aren’t suitable for children on a diet that has allergy restrictions. Here are some lunch ideas that might help you add variety. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.
 

Neocate-Only Lunch Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, the same formula one lunch after another can become very routine. One great option Nutricia offers is the multiple flavors of Neocate’s E028 Splash. Many children find restrictive diets less of a struggle if they have a say in the flavor. On top of this, Splash is packaged in kid-friendly drink boxes so that nobody knows their drinking a special medical formula. Another option is to send your little one to school with a great Neocate-only pudding recipe such as Chocolaty Nutra Pudding. But why stop with chocolate pudding? Experiment with mixing the different flavors of Neocate Junior and Splash with Neocate Nutra to come up with different flavors. My favorites are Grape Splash with Junior Chocolate (“chocolate covered raisin”) and Tropical Fruit Splash with Junior Vanilla (“Dreamsicle”).
 

Top Eight Allergen-Free Lunch Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can offer some different food options along with one of the Neocate formulas. It may seem difficult at first, but you can still put together a lunch that looks pretty normal, even without the top 8 allergens. A few months ago we posted a week’s worth of ideas for allergen free lunches. Bear in mind that while most processed foods have ingredients derived from the top 8 allergens, dining on whole foods makes the top 8 much easier to avoid. You may even be able to find convenience foods in natural or organic food stores that are free of the top 8, such as soups or frozen items. Even though we first shared a lunch post from Allergy Moms in 2008, it’s still relevant and has some great ideas!

Less Restrictive Lunch Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great lunch suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top five lunch ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated for later use. The Turkey Meatloaf on page twelve would definitely be in my top five! We’ve also had a few lunch recipes appear in blog posts, such as Dairy-Free, Egg-Free Chicken Pasta Salad.

As always, we recommend that you check any recipes on our websites or from other food allergy resources to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

Do you have any allergy-friendly lunches that have helped you that you’d like to share with other families?

Rob

Today’s post in our allergy-friendly meal idea series is the final topic: dinner! While breakfast and lunch may tend to be rushed or eaten out of the house, a lot of families still prefer to have dinner together at home. On top of this, the restrictions and rules that come with food allergies can make dining out very difficult.  Here are some dinner ideas that might help you add variety to the evening meal. As always, check with your little one’s health care team to make sure they are appropriate.
 

Neocate-Only Dinner Ideas

For children whose diets are strictly limited to amino acid-based formula, the same formula breakfast, lunch and dinner can be difficult for some children, especially older children. As we’ve mentioned in the previous two posts in this series, Nutricia offers multiple flavors in both Neocate Junior and Neocate’s E028 Splash. Many children have an easier time with restrictive diets when they have some input. Keeping a few flavors on hand can help kids to stay satisfied with an elemental diet. Try letting them chose their dinner flavor. Just like with breakfast and lunch, experiment with mixing different flavors of Neocate Junior and Splash with Neocate Nutra to come up with different flavors and textures. One of the easiest ways to offer variety is to use a blender. Mix one part Neocate formula with one part ice, blend well, pour into a fancy container or dish, add a straw or spoon, and enjoy! Neocate Junior Vanilla lends itself especially well to this shake format, and can be mixed with the other flavors or even with a fruit juice your child tolerates.
 

Top Eight Allergen-Free Dinner Ideas

If your child is on an elimination diet for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) or is avoiding all of the eight major allergens, you can offer some different food options along with one of the Neocate formulas. For younger toddlers, you can mix unflavored Neocate Junior with pureed foods that they tolerate. Vegetables and citrus flavors blend especially well with unflavored Neocate. If you’re putting together a full meal for the family, it may not be as difficult as you think to avoid the top 8 allergens and come up with something everyone can enjoy. You can easily build off of our ideas for allergen free lunches. Remember, while most processed foods have ingredients derived from the top 8 allergens, dining on whole foods makes the top 8 much easier to avoid. You may even be able to find family-sized convenience foods in natural or organic food stores that are free of the top 8, such as soups or frozen items.

Less Restrictive Dinner Ideas

For children who avoid dairy and only one or two other allergens, we have some great dinner suggestions in our online Neocate Food Allergy Cookbook, a compilation of recipes submitted by families. Mallory posted her top five dinner ideas from the cookbook, many of which use wheat, in a previous blog. One great thing about a lot of these recipes is that many can be made in advance and frozen or refrigerated for later use. If you decide to dine out, it’s a good idea to do some planning ahead with these tips we shared in a previous blog post.

As always, we recommend that you check any recipes on our websites or from other food allergy resources to be sure that the ingredients are safe for your child and ensure that the health care team is on board.

Do you have any allergy-friendly dinner ideas that have helped you that you’d like to share with other Neocate families?

Rob

[Image source: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/bafoodist/2009/03/5-tips-for-handling-a-bad-wait.html] 

Birthday cakes are so much more than just the ingredients that go into them. They are symbolic of accomplishment, celebration and childhood in general. Each birthday cake is a milestone for another celebrated year of life. Every parent feels an instinctive need to provide their child with a birthday cake.

When your child has a food allergy or other condition limiting the food that they can eat, a typical birthday cake may not be an option. I am always amazed by the measures that parents take to provide a suitable birthday cake for their child. I’ve talked to parents who are traveling to different stores all over town to gather allergy-safe alternative ingredients for their masterpiece cake.  If you are looking for an allergy-friendly cake recipe, there are several in our Food Allergy Cookbook. Please keep in mind that allergy-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean allergy-free so be sure to check if the ingredients are appropriate for your child’s specific food allergies. For some more tips on allergy-friendly birthday parties, visit http://www.foodallergy.org/page/birthday-party-tips-.

For kids who are not able to eat food at all, this is an even greater challenge. In these cases, parents get extremely creative making fun, non-edible birthday cakes. For example, Connor’s birthday “Neo-Cake” or Sy’s foodless bowling cake. My sister Caroline has a feeding tube but up until last year, she was able to eat SOME food by mouth so we always just got her a regular birthday cake. She can no longer have any food by mouth due to swallowing problems so this year, I made her a fake pink and purple princess cake out of cardboard, foam paper, ribbon, tissue paper and glitter paint (pictured below). We poked little holes in it and inserted candles for her to blow out. Her favorite part of birthdays is singing and blowing out the candles so she didn’t even seem to miss eating cake. In fact I think she loved this foodless cake even more because she can keep it and we can relight the candles and sing over and over again (although she might think she is 300 years old by now).

The moral of the story is that food restrictions don’t have to stop you from giving your little one a happy birthday. When it comes down to it, birthdays are not about the cake but about the effort that goes into making your little one feel special on their day. With a little creativity, you can still have a great time celebrating another year and milestone.

Have a great allergy-friendly cake recipe to share? Please do! We’d also love to see pictures of your creative foodless cake ideas!

-Mallory