Potluck Tonight

I was invited to a gluten free potluck this evening and I’m bringing dessert. At least I’ll know there’s one thing I can eat. Behold, Namaste Blondies with Enjoy Life chocolate chips cooling near my window sill right now.

TIP: I’m bringing the empty Namaste/EL packaging with me for anyone who wants to know ingredients.

Beet Salad With Hazelnut Oil

Summer travel and food allergies will be the topic of my next Worry-Free Dinners events THIS SUNDAY. There’s still room to join us, check out the WFD website.

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Happy 4th of July everyone. I hope you had deliciously safe holiday BBQs, picnics, a super fun family trip or like me, an unplugged weekend away.

It was a friend’s husband’s birthday (a big one) this past weekend and she put together a lavish surprise weekend getaway for their nearest and dearest friends and family at their country home. The event was catered by a chef on Friday night and my friend gave the caterers a heads up about this Allergic Girl.

As you may have noticed, I am not shy. Sure, I’ll have moments when I feel intimidated but overall I can rise above them. (Sometime really not with hilarious results i.e. put me in a room with straight male models, because that happens all the time, and I’ll be staring at the floor). However, having food allergies is really not compatible with shyness. If I had any shy bones, talking with caterers and food service professionals would be tortuous. Or like Friday, walking into a room and having my food allergic reputation precede me might just crush an extremely private or shy person. For you shy food allergic people out there, I acknowledge you and how difficult it can be. But please remember, your safety is in your hands; it is vital you that you speak up, communicate your needs so they can be met and you can stay safe.

Back to this un-shy, Allergic Girl, when I walked into the house on Friday afternoon, the chef Paul and his assistant Sulan were prepping the dinner. I was able to talk with them straight away about what they were making for dinner (fish for apps and main) and what I would need. I was very clear about my needs, allergens and cross contamination concerns. I smiled lots and thanked them for their assistance profusely.

They told me they were using hazelnut oil with goat cheese on the beet salad app. I could see the beets already roasted sliced and prepped on the kitchen counter. They said, “We’ll make a separate one for you”. But in my mind that salad was already tagged as a no go. Too scary; too easy to mix up. And indeed the salad arrived and I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. I even asked another house guest sitting next to me to taste it for the offending and frightening oil. He said it was just olive oil and I still couldn’t eat it.

I was officially spooked.

Even if it was fine, and it probably was, I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy it. So, I skipped it; left it untouched on my plate. Yes, I felt badly, and a little embarrassed, actually a little more than embarrassed, but I knew I just couldn’t eat it. The second course came around and it was fine: plain grilled chicken, steamed veggies and asparagus risotto. Both guests on either side of me taste-tested it for me with clean forks, and then I dug in.

So, what’s the lesson here? Maybe it was that even though I knew I was being a little irrational, I had to go with my feelings about the beet salad. However, I didn’t let it stop me from enjoying the rest of the meal. And try not to be shy. And this food allergy stuff is always a work in progress.

Diet, Celiac Disease

At the Thought Leader’s Program, June 14, 2009 at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, the center's preeminent leaders on celiac disease discussed the following topics (the event will be up on Youtube.com shortly, will repost when it's up):

10:00 am, Peter Green, MD: Introduction to the Center and recent new information on celiac disease

10:30 am, Phil Kazlow, MD: Update in pediatric celiac disease

11:00 am, Suzanne Lewis, MD: Evaluation of poorly responsive patients

11:30 pm, Suzanne Simpson, RD: Why see an expert nutritionist for evaluation of celiac disease

12:00 Buffet Lunch Served (gluten-free, of course!)

12:30 pm, Christina Tennyson, MD: Nutrient and vitamin replacement

What I found of particular interest was the discussion of both "Evaluation of poorly responsive patients" by Dr. Lewis and Ms. Simpson's discussion about “Why you should see an expert nutritionist for evaluation of celiac disease.”

Sound familiar? Folks at the FAAN conference also talked about the vital importance of diet for the food allergic community.

According to Dr. Suzanne Lewis of Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, thirty percent of people on a gluten-free diet fail to see improvement. Why? It’s mainly due to noncompliance.

Why do gluten-free folks not follow the diet? Because it’s difficult and they don’t know what to eat exactly.

As Dr. Peter Green stated: the gluten-free diet is what to avoid as well as what to eat. Many become educated on what to avoid but how many know what to add back in?

For those with diagnosed celiac disease, I urge you to make an appointment with a registered dietitian who understands celiac disease.

Some helpful sites.
www.celiacdiseasecenter.org
www.mypyramid.gov
www.eatright.org
www.eatrightny.org (NY ADA Chapter)

"Don't You Trust Me?"

My father and stepmother follow the raw diet religiously, so their kitchen is one tree-nut factory: nut milks, sweet nut balls, nutmeats and nut salads. They are nurtz for nuts. For this allergic girl, their kitchen is a potential minefield. When I visit their home, I do my best to further minimize risk by bringing my own food, keeping it segregated in the fridge, and generally washing and rewashing a lot of dishes and hands.

Of late, dad has been buying this organic raw honey. It’s crystallized, spreadable and beyond delicious. He buys it in bulk, in a carton of six big tubs and offered me some. This past Father’s Day weekend, I brought a quart jar to fill up with honey. (Always fun to “shop” at the parents’ house.)

On the counter top (next to lots of open packages of tree-nuts) there was an open tub with deep groves left by the bowl of the spoon scooping out luscious portions of honey for their morning green tea consumption.

I took out a fresh tub from the carton in the pantry and asked if I could open it to take a portion from there.

“Sure”, my dad said. “But why not use the open one?”

“Because you put your used spoons in there.”

“Yes, but just spoons for tea.”

“But what if you ate some nuts and then used a nutty spoon to dip into the tub?”

“But we don’t do that.”

“Never? Ever? You’re saying you never ate some nuts using a spoon and then used that nutty spoon and dipped it into the tub?”

It was an irrational question, I know, and not really probable but it was my deepest fear. I was thinking of the few occasions when he absentmindedly has offered to cut me some watermelon after popping a few Brazil nuts in his mouth without washing his hands. Not neglect per se, just not focusing.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done that”, he said. Then the T bomb: “Don’t you trust me?” He was teasing with a grain of truth.

“No,” I smiled. “Not with this. As it’s all the same to you I’m going to open the new honey and take some with a clean spoon.”

"OK," he said.

I did and it was delish.

But my dad’s question has lingered. Did I go a step too far in saying, “I don’t trust you with this”? Or was that a legitimate precaution? Especially given the lack of hand washing history and/or all the tree-nuts everywhere? At what point does risk management become global distrust? Can a person with food allergies ever let their guard down? Even with loved ones?

Big questions, I know.

I wonder readers: what would you have done? Would you have taken the honey from the already open but potentially contaminated container? Or would you have held your ground for a new fresh container? Is there a third option you can envision?

Diet, Food Allergies

There is another aspect of food allergies that is often not discussed and I was glad to see FAAN address it at the FAAN Conference in Tarrytown.

Diet.

How does one deal with the inevitable dietary restrictions, avoidances and eliminations that are an integral part of a diagnosis of food allergies?

With a lot of emotional, family and medical support. And dietary support from a well-trained, highly knowledgeable registered dietitian.

(Not all dietitians are created alike. Make certain yours is registered with the American Dietetic Association and has experience dealing with food allergies. How do you find out if your dietitian is registered? ASK before you go or look them up on the ADA site .)

I know many of you adults have been dealing with food allergies or intolerances your entire lives and have NEVER seen a registered dietitian, not even once, to go over what you’ve eliminated and what you need to replace. It’s never to late to learn more about your condition and new ways to stay healthy and happy!

According to Marion Groetch MS RD CDC of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine a dietitian is needed:

If eliminating milk or wheat
If eliminating more than one food
If having a tough time with avoidance
If your growth faltering (for kids)
Evidence of nutritional inadequacies
Feeding difficulties or finicky eating (for kids)

Of any of that sounds like you, see a dietitian today. Some helpful sites.
www.foodallergy.org
www.mypyramid.gov
www.eatright.org
www.eatrightny.org (NY ADA Chapter)

Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

When was the last time you had cocoa crispies that make the milk (or dairy-free alternative) turn chocolaty? I know for me it’s been decades. As a child, my mother didn’t allow sugary cereals and then as an adult many of these morning treats became off limits because of my food intolerances (dairy and wheat).

Well, welcome back morning deliciousness.

Erewhon, who I’ve discussed in the past, has both organic and gluten-free cereals. What could be better?

This morning they had a cereal media tasting in Midtown where they displayed what they think could be better.


Erewhon is rolling out two new gluten-free cereals.

Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice whose product development included ensuring that the cereal would make the milk chocolaty (which it does, as you can see in the picture below).


And Strawberry Crisp, Erewhon’s version of Special K, with a light “frosting” and freeze dried strawberries.


I tried them both. (Erewhon/US Mills arranged for some Lactaid milk to be available so I could try the cereal in their correct state--Thank you, Amy!)

The Cocoa Cripsies tasted just right, a deep cocoa flavor but not overly sweet. The Strawberry Crisps flakes had a satisfying corn crunch; the frosting was light enough to suit an adult's palate (who has a low sugar diet, that would be me) and I think a child would still be thrilled with the product.

Overall: I think these new GF cereals are winners.

Thank you Erewhon for the breakfast and for the new products.

Worry-Free Dinners & B.R.Guest

I’m thrilled to announce a new Worry-Free Dinners partnership with a renowned NYC restaurant group: B.R.GUEST.

I've had many happy and allergen-friendly meals at various B.R.Guest restos over the years and have talked about several of them on Please Don't pass the Nuts. Remember my great date at Blue Water Grill? Or the business lunch at Dos Caminos Third Avenue?

Now you can experience some of the allergen-friendly love yourself. We will have our inaugural Worry-Free Dinners event for adult members on July 12th.

The excellent Mexican menu will be gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free, fish/shellfish free and still full of delicious flavor! Chef Young will be on hand to chat and walk us through how she specially prepared each dish just for us. Our table discussion theme will be: safe summer travel with food allergies/dietary restrictions. And as always I'll be there, chatting, coaching and eating with you!

Visit the WFD website for more details.

(Remember: Worry-Free Dinners® is a membership group and you MUST be a member to eat with us. It's super easy to join. Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com to request an application. )

Lupine Allergies

Recently on Twitter.com I was asked about lupine allergies and how they may (or may not) relate to legume and/or peanut allergies.

Never heard of lupine? (Always makes me think of the Monty Python skit: “Dennis Moore”)

According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica, Lupine is in the pea family: Fabaceae (the plant family also called Leguminosae). So you can see why there might be some concern for you peanut and/or legume allergic peeps.

As of now, in the US, we don’t see a lot of lupine in food allergy free from foods. However, lupine is all over Europe and as more European free from foods are distributed and sold here (the FA food demand is high and getting higher) lupine may be something you'll see more and more. (Here’s a BBC story about this very concern.)

* Remember: it is vital to be reading food labels with vigilance. Please call food companies if you have any questions or concerns BEFORE eating.*

So peanut or legume allergic peeps: will a product made with lupine or lupine flour be safe for you? I turned to board certified allergist Dr. Matthew Greenhawt to have a look at the literature and this was his reply:

Within the legume family, the most notorious allergen is peanut. On blood tests and on skin tests, however, it is often observed that allergy to one legume results in cross reactivity to other legumes. This concept differs from multiple legume allergies, which most commonly involves allergy to lupine, chick pea, and lentil.

Given the rates of cross reactivity, the question becomes what level of concern should a peanut allergic individual have about reactivity to any given legume?

Clinical observations have shown that peanut allergic individuals generally have less than a 5% risk of having a reaction to another legume family member. There is one notable exception: lupine. Lupine is a bean that can be processed into flour, and it is generally used as either a supplement to wheat flour or a substitute for soy flour. There have been increasing reports of lupine allergy in both peanut and non-peanut allergic individuals.

In one small recent study, lupine was potent enough to elicit reactions beginning at just a 1mg dose in both peanut and non-peanut allergic individuals. Other studies, all involving lupine challenge in peanut allergic individuals, observed rates of cross-reactivity of 13%, 22%, and 35%. Therefore, clinically relevant-cross-reactivity with lupine in peanut allergic patients is a concern.

Peanut allergic individuals should exercise caution and consider avoiding foods containing lupine until testing (only available via ImmunoCAP in the US, outside of a research institution) and possibly controlled challenge with an allergist determines there is no risk of reactivity.

It should be noted that the presence of lupine is not always clearly labeled, and concerned individuals are reminded to carefully read all package labels before ingesting their food.


UPSHOT: There is a possibility of cross reactivity. Check with your allergist about how to proceed. Need to find an allergist check out AAAAI.org.

Allergy-Friendly Restaurants, NYC

Welcome Allergic Living newsletter readers! Please, have a look around the Allergic Girl site, the Allergic Girl Recommends site; join us for a family Worry-free Dinners luncheon if you’re visiting NYC this summer (our next one is June 28th at 11:30am), join me on Twitter.com and please email me at allergicgirl@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Julie & Julia

Remember food blogger Julie Powell’s Julie/Julia Project? Over a year, Julie Powell cooked her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and blogged about it. Then it became a book. Here’s the NYT review. And now, it’s a movie with Meryl Streep directed by the wonderful Nora Ephron. (I met Ms. Ephron at the movie screening and only gabbed with her for like 3 minutes but she seemed wonderful.)

I saw the movie screening (it comes out in August) with a BookExpo America audience, one well versed in this publishing story, Julia Child’s story and the story of Judith Jones, the American editrix that published Julia first.

Food was the star of the show, after the story of Julie & Julia (or was food first really?). Butter and sauces and meats and fowl and fish were gorgeously shot, luscious to look at and clearly enjoyed by the characters.

The movie also showcased a fictionalized version of Julia Child: her appetite for life, her joie de vivre and her innate sexiness (yes, sexiness). Meryl Streep was the embodiment of this larger than life food icon, and she seemed to be having a great time portraying Julia.

For me, the food, the cooking, Julia Child's story, the copper pots and pans, the whisking, the braising of beef in wine and the trussing of chicken legs were joyous reminders of our collective human affection and respect for food, culinary craft and technique and the wonder that is cooking and entertaining.

For someone that has food allergies, like this Allergic Girl, all the foodie elements of the movie deeply resonated with me.

Are you surprised? Perhaps you think that having food allergies means I dread mealtimes? Or that I should dread them? Or that I wouldn't like movies about food and other people's carefree abandon when eating anything they want, anytime?

I know for many of you, by many I mean millions, mealtimes are fraught with panic, anxiety, even fear and dread. Joy doesn’t enter that dining room; joy is for other people and food.

Let me say to you right now and I hope you listen closely: Joy and food and food allergies can co-exist.

I am proof: My love of food has not been diminished by food allergies. I think my foodie love has been heightened precisely because every safe morsel is savored and treasured and a reason for delight.

Sure, I wolf down a quick rice pasta dish every now on my couch in my jammies without much thought or pomp (like I did while writing this post). But for the most part give me some roasted asparagus in olive oil with sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon and watch as I consume each spear with relish.

I invite you to start thinking about this, for yourself. Food and joy and food allergies and then joy again. If you think about this "issue" all the time, then think a little deeper than you have before. Try to be kind to yourself and connect to what you love about sustenance i.e. food. And then maybe see the movie when it comes out. And have some butter.

Indications for Autoinjectors of Epinephrine

I had a brief chat with the Dey folks at the FAAN conference a few Saturdays ago. Did you notice that the indications for when to use your Epi-pen have changed? What’s the difference and why should you care?

For a more formal answer I turned to colleague board certified allergist Dr. Matthew Greenhawt whose bio is here. Here's what Dr. G had to say:

Dey Pharmaceuticals (Napa, CA) recently modified the prescribing indications for EpiPen® and EpiPen Jr.®. Formerly, the prescribing indications were limited to those with a history of having an anaphylactic reaction, overlooking the potential of those with milder reactions to have more severe reactions upon their next encounter. The indications now recommend use “in patients, who are determined to be at increased risk for anaphylaxis, including individuals with a history of anaphylactic reactions.”

The distinction is an important one, allowing the physician a liberal interpretation of who needs the device to include anyone who they feel may be at increased risk of anaphylaxis. Most allergists were likely following these “new” indications all along, as the medical literature has long supported this practice. However, this wording change may provide incentive to primary care and emergency room physicians to prescribe more devices, which will ultimately protect more at risk individuals.

A person “at increased risk” for anaphylaxis should be interpreted broadly, and include persons with milder food induced or insect sting induced symptoms, in addition to those with a history of recurrent angioedema or anaphylaxis without a known provoking cause, to name a few examples of how this could apply.

As an allergist, my rule of thumb has always been to consider anyone who has shown even mild evidence of the potential to react to food or a sting as someone at future risk of anaphylaxis, because no individual can accurately predict the severity of one’s next allergic reaction.

Current data has clearly shown the association between fatality (at all ages) and the lack of having an available epinephrine auto-injector.

*As always, if you are concerned that you may be at risk for anaphylaxis and are interested in exploring if you need an epinephrine auto-injector, discuss your concerns with your allergist as soon as possible.*

Not everyone who feels they are at risk may actually need the device, as one must actually have evidence of a condition that would place them at risk. If you do not have an allergist, discuss with your primary care physician if a referral to an allergist is necessary. And, most importantly, once you are prescribed a device, it should be carried with you AT ALL TIMES. Having the device at home while you are having a reaction outside of the home is akin to not having the device at all.

Well said Dr. Greenhawt, thank you!

Additional resources from Dey Pharmaceuticals :
--a video on how to use your epi.
--a slide presentation about allergic reactions.

Freezer Tips, New York Times

The more we read about our national food supply being contaminated, (see recent New York Times articles) the more we are all hoping to avoid those contaminations. For those of us with special dietary needs, it makes sense to buy less processed foods; even allergy friendly ones have plenty of allergen or pathogen recalls. When we, any of us, food allergic or not, buy and make whole foods, not processed foods, we cut out the middleman, the food processor where so many things can go so wrong.

So say you went crazy at the farmer’s market after reading a post where I say, well, exactly what I just said: there’s are no nuts in carrots AND eat more whole foods. You happily snap up all the whole fruits and vegs, whole grains, lean meats, organic diary and good fats that you can fit into your hemp recycled tote bag. Excellent.

However, if you’re like me, single and sometimes cooking for uno, there’s only so much you can and should eat in a day, which means a lot of leftovers or food spoiling because you bought too much or made too much.

What to do?

Aha-you can freeze stuff! Yes, a freezer is a great option (and it comes attached to most fridges). But how to utilize it to the max? I use my freezer sparingly because it tends to kill food. If I leave anything in there for over a month, it’s ovah: freezer burned, dried out or tasting of freezer (not a good taste). But I’ll keep things in there for a week or two until I can get back to it or run out of the fresh goods. What I’d really like is an article to tell me how to work with my freezer optimally.

Mark Bittman to the rescue. For many of us, the freezer is just the final step before the garbage and that truly is a waste. Bittman outlines some very clear steps as well as a food/freezer chart of sorts. (He did a funny feature a while back on the underused broiler and now he hits us again with the freezer and some tips about how to use it effectively.)

My favorite tip since I keep mostly vegan/vegetarian at home is how to freeze rice and beans: “I’m tempted to say that you should never cook beans or grains without making more than you need. Freezing them (covered with water or cooking liquid, leaving room for expansion) works that well, and saves loads of time.”

So go out there to your local farmers market, stock up and then stock up your freezer; just don’t leave it in there too long!

Food Allergies, Teens

Teens are a high risk group normally but add to that they’re food allergic and you have a potential recipe for disaster.

I’m heartened to see the excellent Anaphylaxis Canada is addressing this population with a new site, in partnership with bloggy FA buddy Kyle Dine.

If you have a food allergic teen or a teen on their way to college next year or know of one, I urge you to check it out.

**

From the press release:

Anaphylaxis Canada Launches whyriskit.ca

A website for pre-teens, teens and young adults at risk for anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis Canada is responding to the growing public health challenge of keeping pre-teens, teens and young adults with potentially life-threatening food allergies safe, by launching a new youth awareness strategy. This strategy, the first in North America, is aimed at reaching out to teens to talk about challenges they face on a daily basis in a format that they can relate to. As such we are pleased to introduce a new interactive website, http://www.whyriskit.ca/

The website has a number of unique features including:

· In-depth resources and information specific to teens & young adults on risk management strategies

· Website content created by teens for teens through our Youth Advisory Panel (YAP)

· Accessible resources for over 250,000 young Canadians at risk for anaphylaxis and thousands more worldwide at no cost

· First online teen resource available in French (summer 2009)

**

Pass it along!

Food Safety

So last week, I took the national Servsafe course through the National Restaurant Association, which also prepped me for the NYC’s Department of Health food handler’s certification. (I tweeted about on Twitter). Now I know way more than most non-food service professionals about what *should* be going on in the kitchen to reduce the possibility of pathogens in your prepared foods. And yes, the training includes a section about food allergens and how to reduce cross contamination. Suffice it to say, if every restaurant really did what they were instructed to do regarding cross contamination alone, there would be far fewer allergy accidents and pathogens flying around.

Case in point. On Saturday, brunch at Peter’s Gourmet, server did major no no: scooped ice with my water glass and served me ice water in said glass. If glass were to break in the ice bin, that would be a physical hazard and a violation. And that’s just a violation I can see. Oy.

Anyway, I’m now all primed to see violations, everywhere. And it seems big food companies are expecting you to have that same information at your fingertips (so they don't have to).

The New York Times ran a story this weekend about how big food manufacturers are placing the onus squarely on the consumer's shoulders to ensure their food safety with processed food products:

"So ConAgra — which sold more than 100 million pot pies last year under its popular Banquet label — decided to make the consumer responsible for the kill step. The “food safety” instructions and four-step diagram on the 69-cent pies offer this guidance: “Internal temperature needs to reach 165° F as measured by a food thermometer in several spots.”

And yet how many of us have food thermometers (I have one in my oven but not an immersion one, yet)

From New York Times : “For more than a decade, the U.S.D.A. has also sought to encourage consumers to use food thermometers. But the agency’s statistics on how many Americans do so are discouraging. According to its Web site, not quite half the population has one, and only 3 percent use it when cooking high-risk foods like hamburgers. No data was available on how many people use thermometers on pot pies.”

There's something off here.

If I’m making a chicken pot pie from scratch, then yes, it’s on me to ensure that I’m creating safe dish for me and my family to consume.

But if I buy a food from you, ConAgra, should you be ensuring that same thing?

Confused about food safety in the home, check out this governmental backed consumer site: Partnership for Food Safety Education.

all® Free clear

“Laundry detergent allergies” gets a lot of hits on the Allergic Girl blog. And I know why. So often laundry detergent is the culprit for eczema, unexplained rashes or skin irritations. I’ve even had itchy eyes and been sneezy from a strongly perfumed detergent on clean clothes so much I’ve had to rerun them in clean water. Annoying.

More and more mainstream companies have realized that the consumer (that would be US) wanted less odor from their detergent as well as a less harsh product for their skin and have made new products to keep up with that demand.

All is one of those companies.

Recently, they contacted me to ask if I would try their all® Free clear product.

Sure, why not?

Coincidentally I was talking with an allergist friend who mentioned that this is the detergent he uses for his family (he has two young children): all® Free clear. Cool, it really is recommended by at least one allergist.

I’ve been using all® Free clear for the past three or four washes and I’ve found that it’s truly low on perfume-very little smell at all-my clothes seem clean and I’ve had no adverse skin issues when wear the newly washed clothes.

So seems to be a triple win for big detergent.

Have any of your tried all® Free clear? Thoughts? Issues? Like? Dislike?

Smoothies

My mother has been on a smoothie kick recently and has been dying to buy me the machine so I can make them too.

“But I already have a blender; I don’t need another machine,” I reply.

I really don't have room on my counter top. Between allergen-friendly food samples, a small rice cooker, an electric kettle and dry goods like oats, raw sugar and pasta, well, real estate is scarce. NYC kitchens are notoriously small, even for well-known New York Times food writers.

However, mother and the New York Times are right. The hot season is coming around, again, when all I'll want to eat is something cool and sweet - no more stews or soups or large hunks of meat.

So it’s nice to see this piece in the New York Times about blended smoothies, a reminder to dust off the blender and start blending.

Food Allergy Twitter Party

Talk to me in real time May 15th at 12pm EST through Twitter!

Join me and lots of your favorite food allergy bloggers (and win prizes!) during the Food Allergy Twitter Party this Friday, May 15 hosted by Food Allergy Buzz (whom I met last week at the FAAN Tarrytown conference) and Best Allergy Sites.

The party will take place at 12 Noon EST and at 10:30 PM EST. (I'll be on the Noon-12pm slot).

To follow or participate in either party time, visit www.tweetgrid.com or another Twitter real-time dashboard of your choosing and type in #foodallergy. This will take you to the party where you will see the streaming conversation.

More directions here.

Hope to see tweet with you tomorrow!

FAAN Conference, Tarrytown

I’ve never been to a Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) event before. My assumption was that it was mainly focused on families and kids and, as you know, I advocate for adults with food allergies.

What I discovered was that the daylong seminar was a great primer (and reminder) for newly allergic folks; geared toward for families and extended families of food allergic children but appropriate for food allergic adults too.

(I Tweeted the whole times, lots of interesting info bits: http://twitter.com/allergicgirl. Foodallergybuzz was there too tweeting away: http://twitter.com/foodallergybuzz)

I couldn’t possible summarize hours worth of incredibly valid and valuable information in one post. All I can say is: Get educated, get motivated, connect with community and get reliable information. If there's a FAAN event in your city, consider attending.

If you have food allergies and want to learn how I dine out successfully (among other strategies for survival), join me for a family or adult Worry-Free Dinners event either in NYC, or selected cities, throughout the year.

Whether you or your family has been newly diagnosed or you’ve had food allergies a long time, it’s always worth it to continue to educate yourself, to meet and connect with others in the food allergic community and to know you are not alone.

Thank you FAAN for an educational and fun day.

Granola Bar, New York Times

An easy no-bake granola bar from Mark Bittman. Will have to try these.