Sweethearts Candy Blog's

There are three kinds of cookie lovers: those who love soft chewy cookies, those who love crunchy, crisp cookies and those who love ANY cookie. I'd have to place myself in the crunchy crisp cookie category so I was very happy when Enjoy Life offered to let me try their newest product: Crunchy Cookies!



As you see from the photos, there are four kinds available: Double Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Vanilla Honey Graham and Sugar Crisp.



With so few nut-free Chicago bakeries, these cookies are definitely a welcome addition to my house.



I loved these cookies before I even took a bite. For one thing, they are a bigger cookie so they look more like what you would find in a bakery (always good for our kids and ourselves). They also have a wonderful flavor and I really like the texture. It's crunchy and crisp and the cookies taste buttery (though they are dairy-free...how do they do that???) and delicious.



Our family favorite was the Chocolate Chip but all the flavors were a hit. I especially like the Vanilla Honey Graham--in fact, I can see this one as a gluten-free and nut-free option for making a pie crust that calls for graham crackers. The double chocolate had "intense chocolately flavor" according to my husband and my daughters both gave me a "thumbs up" and said "Yum." That kind of says it all.



I also love these because I am asked so often for "safe" cookies and I like to endorse those made in a nut-free facility. These would be great to bring to a school party with multiple allergies because they are free of dairy, soy, egg, peanut, tree nut and gluten. I remember last year a Girl Scout leader asked my advice on Chocolate Chip cookies for a troop meeting so these go on the list this year, definitely!



Go to Enjoy Life Foods' store locater to find out where you can buy their latest, tasty addition to their cookie roster! You can also order these online if you visit the Enjoy Life web site.



Thanks to Enjoy Life for letting me try these!



Note: I received cookie samples but no financial compensation for this review.

We just returned from a short summer vacay and I wanted to share a restaurant story.



I know that dining out is one of the most stressful things for people with severe food allergies because you just never know what's in the food.



We visited a wonderful lakefront restaurant on our trip, one we had been to many times before. It was a very hot day and my daughter wanted a Greek salad. (She's big into salads lately).



We communicated our daughter's allergy when we made our order and asked the waitress to check on the item. It was listed as having "Greek dressing" which in our home never contains any peanut oil or pine nuts, but we still wanted to know.



Our waitress returned and said she had spoken with the chef, which we had asked her to do. She said they didn't make the dressing, it was brought in and one of the chefs thought it might contain peanut oil or some kind of tree nut; they weren't 100%certain. They recommended we use oil and vinegar, that they would bring to our table and my daughter could put this on her salad herself.



My first thought was to be extremely thankful for this waitress. My second thought was--who would think that peanut oil is in Greek dressing?? Once again, this incident confirmed my belief that you always have to check with the chef and never assume that something is "safe" for your allergy.



I'm happy to say that the dinner was delish and we enjoyed a nice, stress-free meal after that. We thanked the waitress profusely and tipped her well--it's nice to give a good tip when they help you out. Kind of like food allergy PR as well as a thank you to the waitperson.



As you visit restaurants, never be afraid to speak up and as your child gets older, have them speak up as well. You have no way of knowing how the food is prepared unless you ask.



Here's another recent post I wrote about dining out.

Back to school time is right around the corner for many of us, so I've compiled a list of links to help get you on track for a great year.

I've included links for preschool, elementary school, parties, play dates, etc. Some of the articles first appeared on this blog, some I wrote for other publications and the last one quoted me as a source. :)

I hope you find these to be helpful!

Preschool and day care tips Nut-Free Mom blog post

Elementary school checklist Nut-Free Mom blog post

Back to school with food allergies article for Chicago Parent magazine (by Jenny Kales)

Play dates and birthday parties with food allergies Chicago Parent magazine by Jenny Kales

Back to School with Food Allergies Real Simple magazine

FAAN Back to School Tips

Food allergies force us into the kitchen out of necessity. But sometimes that necessity can turn out to have unexpected health benefits.

Recently on my Nut-Free Mom Facebook page, a reader shared that even though food allergies can be a drag, she had a recent revelation while at the zoo.

Jane K said "I watched my kids chow down on their turkey and avocado sandwiches, on homemade whole wheat bread, with a side dish of apple and strawberries. And homemade pumpkin choco chip cookies for dessert. I looked around, everyone else either had fast food or PBnJ on white bread, with chips... Etc. I realized that my kids are growing up healthier than they would without the allergies. I really have to think about what to feed them, but that means I THINK about what they eat... They aren't going to be these adults that have to force themselves to eat veggies and fruits. The allergies are forcing us to be a very healthy family, and I like it! (Not the allergies, but the fact that my kids are learning to eat so well.)"

I've often thought the same thing. Kind of like, well we have these allergies to deal with but I know my kids are learning to eat healthy foods and that will benefit them over the long term.

Families are so busy today. KIDS are so busy today, their lives filled with so many activities. That's why, besides the health benefits of home cooking, getting into the kitchen together is a great way to spend quality time with your kids. This is not a new idea at all, but one that is easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of every day life.

Some of my best childhood memories take place around the table--in fact the only birthday cakes I remember are the ones that were home-baked for me by my grandmother. Were they fancy? No. (Though they were delicious). When people cook for us we feel loved.

Here is what reader Tina had to say on my FB page: "I have my moments where I am upset about my lil ones food allergies BUT I always come back around to the silver lining :) It forces me to feed my kids healthier foods. It forces me to cook instead of us jumping in the car to get some fast food on a busy night. FA's have certainly forced me out of my comfort zone in the kitchen (which before kids was to open a box and put it in the microwave) but it is a GOOD thing!"

In the spirit of kitchen bonding, I've included the following recipes that are two of our favorite easy-to-make and relatively healthful treats:

Banana Bread

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

You can search my blog for dinner ideas, too. I also highly recommend Linda Coss's book "What Else to Eat?" because it has a treasure trove of yummy and healthy allergy-friendly dinner recipes.

What about you? Do you find your family has adapted healthier eating habits because of food allergies?

Dealing with nut allergies means avoiding bakeries. So now that you have to home bake, what ingredients are safe to use?

Labels don't always reveal all of the information we need. With current labeling laws, they only have to list actual ingredients, not whether or not an item was processed on the same lines as potential allergens. So sometimes we need to do a little more digging to find out.

Through my own research as well as tips from readers of this blog and my Facebook page, I've found that nut-free cake and cookie decorating items like sprinkles, colored sugars and food color are some of the most difficult to find.

If you plan to bake much (and you probably will if you have a child with a nut allergy) then ordering safe nut-free items makes sense. Is it as convenient as a trip to the grocery store? No, but if you stock up you will have what you need when you need it.

The list below offers some suggestions on decorating items that are nut-free. A few you can find at the supermarket, but it's worth ordering some of these online items for a huge variety as well as quality and non-artificial colors, etc. Of course, if you have any questions about products mentioned here or other products I haven't mentioned, please contact the company's customer service department for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Sprinkles/Cookie and Cake Decor
Let's Do Organic Sprinklez. This company has a detailed list what each product is "free of" on their web site; they are tree nut-free and peanut-free. They are also free of other allergens so click the link above to find out more.

India Tree. This company offers a beautiful array of products with the added bonus of natural colors and flavors. So it's a healthier option in addition to being nut-free. India Tree has really special decor that's hard to find nut-free. The web site has a store locator and you can even order many of their products from Amazon.

Cake Mate/Betty Crocker--Signature Brands These are readily available at the supermarket and many of these are safe for nut allergies. Here is a post I wrote about Cake Mate. Both Cake Mate and Betty Crocker are made by Signature Brands. In my e-mails and phone calls with this company, they tell me they will list cross-contact info on the package. Please contact Signature Brands directly for specific info.

Food Coloring
Sugarcraft. Nut-free food colors and decor, beautiful and natural. Click the link for exact products and product info as well as ordering information.

Americolor. Food coloring that's entirely nut-free. Karen McNeil, one of my Facebook followers, clued me into this one. Thanks, Karen! The colors are deep and rich and unlike a lot of the Wilton gel colors, they are safe for nut allergies. A great find! (Note: Wilton has detailed allergy labels. If you are interested in a specific product, check the label for more info.)

McCormick Brand I've used this brand many times for food coloring--they are very helpful when you e-mail or call. Unfortunately they do not list allergen info on their web site. I wrote about their vanilla extract and I also use their food coloring.

Decorative Candies
Divvies. They have amazing candy that you can use for cake decor. In fact, my daughters just used their "star" candies on a beach cake to make "starfish." This company is so awesome, and they have baked treats in addition to candy that is egg-free, dairy-free and nut-free.

Vermont Nut Free Chocolate One of my all-time faves for nut-free sweets, Vermont Nut Free has jelly beans and other nut-free candies you can use on your cakes and cookies. They also have delicious gourmet cocoa powder for baking as well as baking chocolate.

When you have a family member with food allergies, sharing cups or other items is more than just potentially germ-inducing--it can trigger accidental allergic reactions. What if there was a product that could help you identify each family member's personal items to cut down on accidental exposures and cross-contact? Wouldn't color-coded labels come in handy here? However, labels you find at office supply stores fade immediately and can't stand up to dishwasher usage.

That's why I'm so happy to tell you about color-coded labels especially designed for this very important purpose. Elizabeth Goldenberg of Onespot Allergy is the mother of a child with severe peanut and tree nut allergies, and she knows firsthand how important it is to keep an allergic person's items separate--and safe. To help identify items at home, she created convenient, color-coded food allergy labels (pictured above). These handy labels can be used on everything: plates, glasses, a lunch kit, water bottles and more items that need to be identified for the food allergic person's use only.

Most labels and inks are made from toxic or carcinogenic materials. Onespot Allergy food allergy labels are non-toxic. The labels are designed to be fade-proof and will stay on your items, even when placed in the dishwasher. Plus, they can be peeled off items without leaving any residue, a huge bonus for the busy mom.

Elizabeth suggests choosing a color for each family member so that everyone knows what belongs to them and to eliminate potentially dangerous mix-ups.

In addition to food allergy labels, Onespot Allergy also offers back-to-school items such as EpiPen belts so that your child can wear their life-saving EpiPens at all times.

If you want to learn more about these color-coded labels, click here to see Elizabeth explain her product in a video.

For more info about any Onespot Allergy items for back-to-school or at home, visit the company web site web site.

One of the number one questions I get is: Where do you find a nut-free bakery in Chicago? The answer is that it hasn't been easy and mostly non-existent when it comes to cakes or cupcakes. My biggest pet peeve has been places that are "only" peanut-free, but still loaded with tree nuts (making it unsafe for many with nut allergies) or places that use peanuts and tree nuts but still market themselves to food-allergic consumers.

Because nut allergies are so serious, dedicated nut-free bakeries are the only thing I feel that I can trust. Most of the time, the only nut-free bakery out there is my own kitchen.

So I was very happy to hear from Brian Walker, owner of Nutphree's Cupcakes. They are the only dedicated nut-free cupcake bakery that I know of in the Chicago area, so welcome Nutphree's!

I recently asked Brian to share with us a little bit about his new company. You'll be happy to know that while this is a currently home-based business, they are soon opening a storefront bakery.

Thanks, Brian for sharing some info with us. Something tells me that you will have some loyal customers, very soon!

Here is the Q&A with Brian Walker, creator of Nutphree's Cupcakes:

Me: What is your personal experience with food allergies?
Brian: Our oldest son, who is 4-1/2, has a severe peanut and tree nut allergy. When he was first diagnosed with the allergy, we couldn't believe how difficult it was to find baked goods that were safe for him to eat. We found ourselves always having to bake a separate cake or cupcakes anytime we went to birthday party because we weren't sure if the ingredients in the cakes being provided were going to be safe for him to eat. That's when we decided it was time for Nutphree's.

Me: Tell me a little bit about Nutphree's and how you are helping to serve a customer niche.
Brian: We created this business out of need we felt wasn’t currently being fulfilled. We did extensive research to find ingredients from manufacturers that guaranteed safe, nut-free products. We take tremendous joy in providing delicious and safe products which allow those with peanut and tree nut allergies to enjoy the same baked goods as everyone else, especially our young customers.


Me: What is your favorite Nutphree's cupcake? Your son's favorite?
Brian: I’d have to say my favorite cupcake is the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese frosting. Not only does it taste great, it looks great, too. As for my son, he’s all about the vanilla with vanilla frosting.

Me: How do we order and where do you ship to? Do you have a storefront bakery? If so, where?
Brian: Currently, orders can be placed either through our website (www.nutphrees.com) or by calling us up at (847) 754-4320. Until we determine a reasonably inexpensive shipping method that guarantees product freshness and product appearance, we are currently only offering local pickup in Des Plaines, IL or delivery to the nearby surrounding suburbs. We are also in the process of finding a storefront for our bakery. It will most likely be in downtown Arlington Heights, IL or Mount Prospect, IL.

I don't know if it's all of those Nutella commercials that we've been seeing lately (you know, Nutella for breakfast, etc.) but a lot of you have been contacting me about my recipe for as we call it, "Sunella" a nut-free hazelnut chocolate spread that we make at home using SunButter brand sunflower seed butter.

I posted this recipe awhile ago and when Babble.com was looking for allergy-friendly recipes on their Facebook page, I entered this and won a cookbook! So I hope you'll try it. What follows is my original post:

I used to be a big fan of Nutella, that chocolate-hazelnut spread that is a European sensation but is now widely available in the U.S. I don't have peanut butter or tree nut products in my house anymore, but I definitely have missed Nutella. I bet some of you do, too.

Last week, I remembered that I had (from years ago) a peanut butter-chocolate recipe that was meant to be used as filling for dessert calzones (this recipe was suggested if you didn't have access to Nutella). I used to make these dessert calzones using only Nutella, but that was back in the days before nut allergies came into my life.

I dug up this book and decided to use Sunbutter in this recipe, along with a few other of my changes. I know that some of you with nut allergies also are allergic to seeds, so if you can have soy butter, you can replace the Sunbutter with that. In fact, I've seen a soy butter-chocolate spread at the supermarket, but making your own tastes a lot better if you have the time. Also, I tend to prefer the taste of Sunbutter over soy butter, but of course, use what is appropriate for you.

So here goes: the Sunbutter-chocolate spread recipe followed by the one for dessert calzones. Enjoy!

Sunbutter-Chocolate Spread

2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)
2/3 cup milk (any kind--substitute non-dairy if you need to)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use McCormick or Nielsen-Massey)
1/2 cup Sunbutter sunflower seed spread

In a medium saucepan, stir the sugar and cocoa powder until blended. Gradually stir in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, then lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for at least 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and Sunbutter, stirring until smooth. Let cool thoroughly before using.

Store this in the refrigerator. It will keep for about a week.

Dessert calzones with Sunbutter-chocolate filling

Use your favorite pizza dough recipe or buy pre-made dough (I sometimes use Pilsbury brand). Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each piece into a 6-7 inch circle. Spoon two tablespoons filling into the center, then fold dough into a half-moon over the filling. Pinch the edges together and fold bottom half over top, crimping to seal well. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each calzone. Bake until well browned-between 12 and 20 minutes, depending on your oven. Remove from oven and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar. To die for!!!!

I know, I know, it's early for some of us to think about school, but I've already started getting many questions and hearing concerns from parents who are about to send kids to school for the first time. Plus, there is so much to do, it helps the stress level to start early and avoid the mad rush right before school begins.

It can be scary to contemplate dropping your young child off at school with the knowledge that they will be around food and situations beyond your control, sometimes for the first time. However, if you keep open communication with the school and stay on top of things like parties, you will be one step closer to ensuring a safe and enjoyable school year for you, your child, the teacher and everyone in the class.

July is a good time to get started. If your school office is currently closed, try setting up meetings via e-mail for later in the summer. The important thing is to make contact early so that you can iron out details before the first day of school.

Here are a few things to do this month:

•Schedule any doctor's appointments and have your allergist complete important paperwork such as Food Allergy Action Plans, notes and other medical documents that you need for the school nurse or a 504 Plan if you have one. Make sure to include recent photo of your child (such as a school portrait) that can be glued/taped onto their emergency plan. FAAN has Food Allergy Action Plans on their website.

•Schedule a meeting with the principal and district nurse. If they are on vacation, send them an e-mail or leave a phone message with the distrtict asking for a meeting before school begins. Many schools offer these meetings for parents to discuss everything at one time. This meeting would also be a time to discuss things like peanut-free tables.

• Review your current EpiPen prescriptions and renew them if necessary. Have at least 2 EpiPens for school--one for the health office and one for your child's classroom. Make sure your prescription is current and that you sign up for the new EpiPen registery (there is also a form is included in your prescription.) It lets you know when your Epis are about to expire.

•Invest in an EpiPen carrier for your child -- great designs and colors can be found at Kozy Epi and Activeaide.

•Make sure your child has a Medical ID bracelt (or other medical ID jewelry)such as you'll find at Lauren's Hope (I just interviewed them for this blog) and Hope Paige medical ID jewelery. If your child feels fashionable, her or she will be more excited about wearing this important item.

•Stock up on lunch gear for all those packed lunches you'll be making. Green to Go, offers handy, reusable lunch containers for back-to-school with the added bonus of being eco-friendly.

Full disclosure: Green to Go, Lauren's Hope and Hope Paige, mentioned above, are advertisers on this blog. Click their logos if you'd like more info about any of these companies.

See those two people in the photo? Those are my kids and the photo was taken a few years ago. Back then, I had to be more involved with my child's care and protection at school and in the world. As she is now much older, I have become her helper and she has become her best advocate. Still, I feel misunderstood many times in my role as parent of a child with a life-threatening medical condition.

My family has been dealing with my oldest child's severe peanut and tree nut allergy for several years now, and during those years I've read the angry commenters on news forums and heard in other places how crazy parents want to keep kids with food allergies in a "bubble." I've always hated the term "bubble" because I find it a) insulting and b) inaccurate. No parent, including myself, wants to keep their child in a bubble. The parents I know, parents of kids with food allergies included, want a happy and full life for their kids. But when we deal with food allergies, the opposite is often said of us. Unfortunately those comments sometimes come from the people you'd least expect--like adults with food allergies.

I bring all of this up today because I have been faced with the task of responding to an interview I participated in for a book about food allergies by Sandra Beasley. Sandra contacted me because she said she had no experience with peanut allergies (but had experience with a lot of other food allergies) and said she wanted my take on certain things like school, baseball games and airplanes.

We actually had a nice conversation. She and I had a lot to talk about. My interview appears in a chapter called "The Great Peanut Scare." I don't know who chose that chapter title, but to me, the wording implies that concerns about peanut allergy discussions are overblown. Obviously, I don't agree with that for both personal and medical reasons.

First off, I want to say that Sandra's book offers her own opinions and her experiences as it should. I'm a writer too and that's what I offer. She is certainly entitled to that. What I and many of the mothers I heard from today feel, however, is that the chapter actively seeks to discount food allergy accommodations made in schools, airplanes and yes, baseball parks.

Many peanut allergy accommodations are taken to task in this chapter but the most hurtful one for me is the author's shock at the fact that my daughter hasn't had anaphylaxis (though she's had milder reactions) in several years. The implication is that such a situation can only be achieved if a child living in, yes, a "bubble." She states that she had one reaction a week as a child because her parents expected "different options for her," I guess implying that I don't expect the same "options" for my own child.

In our case, one nut allergy reaction a week would not only prove traumatic for my child but it could prove deadly. Do you know what I think about my child not having anaphylaxis in several years? I'll quote what my allergist said at our last visit: "Good for you. You must be doing a great job." Am I supposed to feel wrong that my daughter isn't being rushed to the ER weekly? If that were actually happening, you can bet I'd be re-thinking my approach.

I definitely cop to being careful as a family not to expose my daughter to allergens just for the heck of it. Why would we? But we travel, go to restaurants, encourage our daughter to participate in extracurricular activities, play dates, Girl Scout camp, and anything else she wants to do. To imply otherwise is not true for us and for most of the parents I know.

The chapter goes on to dismiss peanut-free ballpark sections as somehow damaging to children who won't then be able to live in the "real world." To that end, my husband (who is pretty laid back about most things, truly) came home from a Cubs game with a friend one day and said he wouldn't take our daughter to a "regular" game. Why? Because peanut shells fell into his food and drink for the duration of the game, just due to the wind stirring them up. Sometimes peanut allergy dangers do exist, and accommodating them isn't just to soothe parents' irrational fears.

And, of course, the "real world" has changed. When the author was young, food allergies were not as numerous or discussed and/or accommodated and that must have been tough. I don't feel that the past must dictate the future, however. I also want to say that I have never advocated anyone, much less my own child, to live in a "bubble." In fact, an honest acknowledgement of my daughter's allergies and the precautions she must take have helped her succeed in the "real world."

I wish that anyone with a food allergy--parent, adult living with it or child-- would stick together to accomplish the goal of a society that is more tolerant and aware about food allergies. There are so many people who want to pull us apart and divide us--so I hope we don't give into that.

I'm not sorry my voice was shared in Beasley's book. I offered my views and bottom line, it is not my book, it's hers. Her book tells her story, not mine. My story is and will be shared in the articles I write, the blogs I post and a book of my own, still in the works.

I fully support every parent who tries to prevent their child from suffering a fatal allergic reaction--they do happen (and it happened in Chicago recently). I don't think it would be comforting to me if my child suffered a fatal reaction that happened because I don't want to be one of "those" parents.

Summer is the time that many of us get in the car, hit the road and visit the relatives. For many of us, these are folks we haven't seen in awhile and they may not be fully aware how much food allergies can affect our lives. Also, there can be more family baggage involved than simply what you've packed in the trunk of your car.

Some family members are ready and willing to help accommodate a severe food allergy. They understand that it's not a food preference, but a medical condition and they accept the dangers. Other family members are less receptive and/or less informed about it so it's going to be your job to be proactive so that you can have fun and also, a safe trip.

Family relationships can get strained over food allergies, but there are some things you can do to help.

- Call ahead. Don't just show up at your appointed time and expect everything to go smoothly. Especially if you're staying with relatives and even if you aren't, give a shout out and discuss the food allergy situation. You will want to give people a heads up about foods to avoid but also you want to reassure your family that you will help provide safe meals and won't leave it all up to them.

- Bring food. Pack enough non-perishable safe treats, either homemade or from places like Enjoy Life Foods or Divvies so that your allergic child is not left without good stuff during family meals or snack times. Stocking up will also save you and your family the stress of last-minute grocery runs or overheated discussions about "just one bite won't hurt" and "why can't he have the plain M&Ms?" etc.

- Be fun. Food is part of the social fabric that holds families together but it can also be divisive if you're dealing with food allergies, so don't let all the focus go to the food. Once you arrive, organize a family vs. family soccer game, go to a movie or beach or bring your favorite board game and engage everyone in a fun activity that doesn't revolve around food. Everyone will be having too much fun to comment on what your kid is or isn't eating.

- Plan activities that allow you to bring your own meals. If you're visiting a zoo or amusement park, for example, you will want to make sure you can bring a picnic lunch so that you don't have to rely on the food allergy-unsafe food options found at these places. Everyone loves a picnic, so help pack a good one and then you can focus on the activity instead of finding what so often turns out to be as easy as finding a needle in a haystack -- a "safe" lunch or dinner while out and about.

I recently learned about Lauren's Hope medical ID jewelry from some other parents at the FAAN conference in Chicago. Kids allergy bracelets are a crucial item once we receive a diagnosis of severe food allergies, but many times kids don't want to wear them. What I liked about Lauren's Hope is the the fashion factor--they are so wearable! I ordered my daughter a "mood-changing" bracelet (like the blue one pictured above) and necklace and she loves them--and at 11, they have to love it to wear it. The red bracelet pictured is for swimming, perfect for summer. To provide more information to readers about medical ID jewelry, I asked Lauren's Hope to do a Q & A about their fabulous jewelry and kids allergy jewelery in general. Here's what they had to say:

Me: What is the inspiration for Lauren's Hope jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: In the past, medical ID bracelets have been big, bold, and not at all pretty. They can draw attention to a person’s condition, which can make people (especially kids and teenagers) feel “different” and self-conscious. Obviously, if they aren’t wearing it – it can’t help. At Lauren’s Hope, we are trying to change that. We want to encourage the use of medical ID jewelry, so making the medical ID bracelet attractive and worthy of their wardrobe was the answer. Through the creativity and expertise of our designers, we have created hundreds of beautiful pieces of medical jewelry that even the most style-savvy teenager would love to wear. Our motto is Safety with Style and that’s the balance we try to strike with every product.

Me: What are your most popular styles for boys and girls, respectively?

Lauren's Hope: The most popular medical identification style for boys would be our medical ID dog tag necklaces. These ID necklaces are durable enough to wear 24/7 and come in stainless steel and colored aluminum. Each medical ID dog tag can be custom engraved with up to 5 lines of information. Our most popular medical ID bracelet for girls would have to be our groovy color changing mood bead medical ID bracelet. This style has stood the test of time and changes color with each change in mood. This is also great for parents! Generally speaking, younger boys and girls tend to gravitate toward medical ID's that are bright and cheerful, yet durable enough to provide lasting protection from the playground to an awards banquet.

Me: Any new or innovative products that you want to tell us about?

Lauren's Hope: The heat of summer is upon us and with that in mind our designers have created dozens of new styles that are water friendly and durable. We've focused on bright colors with hot pink and flowers being the theme among our medical ID bracelets for girls. Boys are always on the go, swimming and playing with friends and the go-to summer ID has to be our waterproof adjustable medical alert bands. Our designers have done a fantastic job of keeping up with the trends, so for women we have dozens of brand new multi-strand beaded medical ID bracelets and necklaces galore! The classic durable stainless steel medical ID bracelets are always a popular option for men.

Me: What information should be on medical ID jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: Determining what you should engrave on your medical ID tag can be tough - especially with multiple allergies, medications and conditions. Thankfully, we offer plenty of room to engrave your most vital medical information in a clear and concise manner. You doctor will be able to provide you with their suggestions on how to phrase your medical conditions, but there are other key pieces of information that should be included on your medical ID. Let's talk about what you should engrave on your medical ID tag if you have a severe allergy.

First and Last Name - Typically customers will request we engrave their first and last name on the very first line of their medical ID tag. This makes it easy to drill down to your medical records in the event of an emergency.

Medical Condition(s) - If you have a medical condition other than an allergy such as Diabetes or Epilepsy you should list this directly underneath your first and last name. EMT's and ER doctors should have as much medical information as possible in case you are unable to communicate.

Life Threatening Allergies - Many of our customer's have severe allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, stinging insects and shellfish. If you carry an EPI pen that should be administered in an emergency, be sure list that as well. Remember, with room to engrave up to 5 lines there's almost always room to fit everything you need.

In Case of Emergency - This would be the first person you would like called in an emergency. For children, this is often times mom and/or dad. Simply listing MOM 555-888-7777 is just fine.

Doctor's Phone Number - If there is room, you can also list your doctor's phone number. You can simply have DR. 555-888-7777 engraved here.

Helpful Tip: If you find yourself running out of room to engrave everything on your medical ID tag you can choose to have 1 line engraved with SEE WALLET CARD. Lauren's Hope will then send you a free wallet card which you can fill out with additional details and medical information. You can also download a free wallet card on our blog by visiting: http://blog.laurenshope.com/download-your-free-wallet-card/

Me: Lauren's Hope has such attractive products--how do emergency medical techs know to distinguish medical IDs from regular fashion jewelry?

Lauren's Hope: This is always first and foremost in our minds when designing new products. Emergency medical personnel are well aware that they shouldn’t just be looking for a stainless steel chain anymore and are trained to look at the wrist and neck for medical identification. Medical jewelry now comes in all shapes and colors. Each of our medical ID bracelets and necklaces feature a brightly colored medical caduceus symbol top and center. This is the universal symbol for medical information and is always featured prominently on our medical ID jewelry. Our medical ID tags are an 1 1/2" in length which is large enough to be seen in the event of an emergency and also allows plenty of room for your most vital medical information. We have had customers request a smaller medical ID tag over the years, but because we feel so strongly that you want your tag to be noticed in an emergency situation we've kept our original size and design.

To view Lauren's Hope complete medical ID jewelry collection please visit www.LaurensHope.com. We invite you to browse our site and call us at 1-800-360-8680 with any questions you may have.

I hope everybody is gearing up to enjoy a great 4th, but since that means travel for many of us, I wanted to share some tips for coping with this fun and food-filled summer holiday.

First of all, if you're traveling by car, try to start the trip after a meal: It saves time, worry and stress! You'll also want to pack plenty of safe food options--you never know what a road trip can involve so be prepared! It's better to give your child food you've brought alone for the trip than risking restaurant food somewhere that looks sketchy just because you have nothing else to feed them (or you!)

Also, if you are traveling by airplane, see this post I wrote about air travel. Don't forget to remind the airline about your family's food allergy needs and don't forget to keep the EpiPen with you in the cabin.

In fact, always remember to keep your EpiPen with you at all times.

My personal tip: Don't risk a food because you don't want to "offend" someone. If you're unsure that the food is safe,then just skip it. Bring your own safe dessert or treat for your child and be sure to teach your child to decline a food politely. It's a lot more fun to stay at the backyard BBQ and avoid a potentially unsafe food than to take a trip to the ER on a holiday weekend!

Here are a couple more links that will help you on the 4th:

Staying safe at summer barbecues

Jen Roeder Love from FAAN (The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) shares her favorite travel tips

FAAN's travel tips from their web site

Have a great time everybody!

You might think that shopping for food allergies at the supermarket is stressful simply because it entails lots of research and label reading on each product.

That's only part of it. Commenters on my Nut-Free Mom Facebook page reminded me recently of several other grocery shopping pitfalls with food allergies. This is something that I often struggled with when my daughter was very young and I'm sure many of you are in the same boat. If you are new to food allergies, you will want to be on alert at the supermarket if you've got young kids with allergies in tow.

Shopping carts. Because many parents give their kids food (PB & J being one such popular snack) to quiet them down for a shopping trip, you will want to wipe down the cart handle if you are placing a little on in the seat of the basket. Better yet, purchase a washable shopping cart cover (like these, available at Target) to protect the seat. The bonus of shopping cart covers is that you will also cut down on exposure to colds/flu and other lovely little baby and toddler germs. If your kids want to ride in those special grocery cart "cars" just give them a good wipe down before letting them get in. Bring the wipes and let them ride. You'll miss the days when they no longer want to do this...at least I think you will.

Food samples. If you don't have food allergies, free food samples may seem like a lovely way to spend an afternoon. However, if you or your child has food allergies, you will soon come to view this situation as "food pushing." Be on alert for these kindly but sometimes clueless folks--one mom who commented on my Facebook page said that, while on a recent grocery trip, somebody handed her peanut-allergic child a trail mix sample (contains peanuts!!) while her back was turned and she had to quickly wrench it from her child's hands. If this happens to you, please nicely tell the food sample rep that they might want to think twice before handing food out to children--your child has severe allergies. If this continues to be a problem, contact store management. They may need to issue these reminders as well.

The deli. My daughter doesn't have dairy allergies, so one of my kids' favorite things was to get the "free" piece of cheese when I made my deli order. That was OK for us--wouldn't be for many. Obviously, the deli counter can have all sorts of free items on offer that kids might be offered (or that might be in grabbing distance). I've seen crackers, mixed nuts, etc. all out for display at various supermarket delis.

The bakery. This one was always the heart breaker for us when my daughter was little. At SuperTarget, they offered my daughter cookies even as we passed by, quickly, on our way past the bakery items (supermarket bakery items are unsafe for nut allergies.) Kindly refuse and teach your child to refuse. Sometimes I would say "She has allergies" in the hope that it might deter them the next time.

Bulk bins. Candy, peanuts, and all types of other foods may be in kid-level bulk bins at the supermarket. Be on the lookout and be sure to remind your kids that bulk bins are "hands-off."

Believe it or not, the supermarket will not always be such a drag. It really helps to talk to even very young kids about not taking food from strangers because learning to nicely refuse foods is going to be a life-long skill.

Any food allergy pitfalls at your local supermarket? Let us know!

I was devastated to read about Gina Clowes's recent struggle with American Airlines regarding accommodations for her son's severe nut allergy. Gina is the founder of Allergy Moms and a devoted food allergy advocate who I met in person recently at a FAAN conference.

Gina's request to the airline was extremely reasonable. She didn't object to the serving of cashews in first class seating, but she asked them to refrain from roasting the cashews in-flight because of the increased risk of allergic reaction.

Roasting cashews in-flight? Yep, you read that right. I had no idea this was a common practice and am very glad that Gina spoke up on her blog and Facebook page to let us know.

As parents of kids with severe food allergies, (especially nut allergies since peanuts and tree nut snacks are hard to avoid on most airlines), we already do our best to ensure a reaction-free flight for our kids by being proactive: cleaning seats, bringing our own food, etc. Some airlines are willing to work with us and many of us fly without problems. Other airlines value cashews more than passengers health and rights.

The trouble is--we can't get off the plane once it's in the air. What do they want us to do? Parachute out of the plane if our child has a reaction? Obviously, what would happen instead is that the flight would need an emergency landing, everybody's travel plans are disrupted, the airline loses tons of money and goodwill. Plus, a human being--the most important issue here--may even lose their life. All because of roasted cashews. Really?????

Gina kindly offered to do a Q & A with me about the situation so I'd like to allow her to share her story in her own words:

Jenny: At what point did you become aware of American's first class nut roasting policy?

Gina: I was speaking at the FAAN conference in Anaheim a few weeks ago. On the flight home, I was overwhelmed by the smell of roasted nuts. I thought “What in the world are they doing? Are they cooking with nuts?”

I could not believe that in this day and age that any airline would roast nuts in an enclosed cabin at 30,000 feet. Airborne reactions may not be as common as other types but I know that cooking food increases the risk. Of course on an airplane, the air is recirculated as well.

I remembered that my family’s upcoming flight to Dallas was on American so I made a note to call. I remembered reading through their website and though they mention serving some nut products there was no mention of actually roasting them on board. If there had been, we would not be having this conversation because I would have never booked tickets with American.


Jenny: Can you explain to those who may not understand--why is the process of heating up nuts in-flight so dangerous to those with a tree nut allergy?

Gina: Cooking foods releases more of the particles into the air (aerosolization) This type of exposure can cause a reaction in a sensitive individuals. So this is just another type of allergic reaction. But even though it may seem benign, inhalation can cause a range of reactions from skin symptoms to respiratory symptoms to full blown anaphylaxis.

My son has had a few mild inhalation reactions. Once in a Chinese restaurant, presumable from the cooking but we were able to leave right away. I understand that to some, this may seem remarkable, but it really does happen.

Jenny: What level of American Airlines worker did you reach? They wouldn't let you talk to the supervisor of the worker who wouldn't help you, is that correct?

Gina: First, I started with a Disability services rep. He said “They do different things on different flights. Just ask the flight attendant on the day of the flight.”

Next, I sent an email. No response.

Then I sent another email stating “This is my third attempt to find out if American Airlines will accommodate my son by refraining from roasting nuts in first class on our flight...”

That’s when the second Disability rep called me. She told me to “Ask the flight attendant..”

I said “Does the flight attendant have the authority to decide whether or not to roast the nuts?” She said “Probably not.”

I asked to speak with her supervisor. It was very unpleasant. He asked me “If you went to a Seafood restaurant, would you ask them not to cook shrimp?”

I said “The purpose of a Seafood restaurant is to eat seafood. I wouldn’t take my son to a seafood restaurant. The purpose of an airline flight is to get from one place to another.”

I offered to buy every first class passenger a large bag of nuts, I offered to buy four first class tickets for my family (my mother is ill and this will be the last trip she will take to see my brother), but he said “We’re still gonna do it.”

That’s when I lost it and started to cry.

I asked for his supervisor. He gave me a name but would not transfer me. He said “She doesn’t take calls.”

Then he said something like – Now that I know the severity of your son's allergies, I'm going to need you to get a letter from your son's doctor, that says if he gets in contact with peanut or nuts, he'll be able to continue the flight!

Jenny: Is there any recourse for you now? Does DOT (or other transportation authority) have any rules that American may have violated with their treatment of you? Can you get a ticket refund if you want one?

Gina: I filed a “Complaint Concerning Accessibility of Airline Service (Passengers with Disabilities)

My son has a Section 504 plan, which means he is considered “disabled’ because of his food allergies. I don’t like the word “disability” any more than anyone else does. But my son does, at times, need some additional accommodations.

I’m by no means an expert but with a little help from my friends, my understanding is that an airline cannot refuse to provide transportation to a us simply because an accommodation may “offend, annoy, inconvenience crew members or other passengers.”

They can refuse to fly us for safety reason but would have to notify us in writing.

American Airlines posted a comment on my blog and stated that they were “looking into it.” My best case scenario would be that they would change their policy and make accommodations for allergic passengers ahead of time. Allergic children deserve access to safe air travel!



Thanks again to Gina for sharing her story and for keeping on top of airline practices so that we don't have to go through what she did. I certainly hope her situation results in a good outcome for all allergic passengers. I will keep you all posted.

I am thrilled to have an essay posted on The TODAY Show web site to correspond with a breaking news story that shows food allergies in children are more numerous than previously believed. The study, conducted by an allergist from Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, also shows that 40% of kids affected have experienced a severe allergic reaction.

My essay appears on The TODAY Show Parenting section of the web site and here is a direct link.

I'm so happy to have been able to share my story and thanks to The TODAY Show for allowing me to share the personal side of living with food allergies!

I'm so excited to share the following guest blog post with you from Jennifer Roeder, Director of Marketing and Media Communications for FAAN, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. I have met Jen a couple of times at FAAN conferences, including the most recent one in Chicago and she kindly offered to write a guest post. As someone who not only works with FAAN in a dynamic capacity, but as someone who deals with dietary restrictions herself, Jen gives us some valuable insights on summer travel with food allergies. She also shared this great picture of herself with her husband Mark on a recent vacation. Thanks to Jen (and FAAN) for all you do!

School’s out for summer! And that means summer vacations are in full swing. Traveling with food allergies presents unique challenges, but with advance planning, it can be done.

While I don’t have a life-threatening food allergy, I do have to avoid all milk and gluten products due to my own medical conditions, so I always have to plan ahead to make sure that I have access to safe foods when traveling.

My husband and I enjoy traveling. Earlier this year we traveled with my parents, and next week we are headed to North Carolina with my husband’s parents to enjoy some time at the beach. Here are some of the preparations I make when traveling, as do others who are avoiding certain ingredients:

1. Pack safe food and snacks. There are certain foods that are hard for me to find substitutes for such as yogurt, butter, pasta, and bread. These substitutes are certainly easier to find then they were 15 years ago, but when you are traveling to an unfamiliar location you don’t always know what the grocery stores will carry. When traveling by plane, I always have one bag with food staples and snacks. It works out nicely that you eat the food while you are on vacation and then have a bag to bring home souvenirs. When driving to a vacation destination, I pack a cooler and a bag with food to make sure that I have enough food to eat on the drive, plus some cooking essentials for the week. I have also heard from people that they ship food to their destination in advance. The method of getting the food to vacation may vary, but one thing is for sure – vacation is much more enjoyable when you know you won’t have to worry about what you’re going to eat.

2.Reserve a hotel room with a kitchen or kitchenette. With food allergies and intolerances, many of us feel safest eating food that we or family members have cooked. Having access to a kitchen makes it that much easier.

3.Research local restaurants. Many hotels and resorts have a wonderful concierge staff that knows the local restaurants. On several trips I have found wonderful restaurants I would never have known about without their help.

4.Bring your medicine. It is always important to have your medicine in case of an allergic reaction. Before traveling, make sure to double-check the expiration dates of all medicine you are packing, and talk to your doctor if you need extra.

5. Find the location of emergency medical care. We hope you won’t need it, but it is better to know the location of emergency medical care and never need to use it than need it and not know where to go.

The key to traveling with food allergies and intolerances is planning ahead. Here is to a safe and enjoyable summer. It’s time for me to start packing!

I wanted to share a story with you since I know that many of us worry about teaching our kids to handle their allergies on their own. When your little one is diagnosed with severe food allergies (usually this happens at a very young age)it can be difficult to imagine them ever managing it on their own.

From personal experience as well as what others share with me, I've found that teaching a child to manage the allergy should begin immediately. Obviously you don't want to scare a tiny child with too many details, but emphasizing "safe" and "unsafe" foods and teaching kids how and what to avoid is something you can do right away. Two really good resources for helping you to do this are the Beyond a Peanut flashcards and the young children's book "Ally the Allergic Elephant" by Nicole Smith (who I met recently, along with her awesome teen son, Morgan.)

My family used these resources as well as positive encouragement and reinforcement with my daughter from the time we knew of her allergy at age 4. Her own memory of her severe allergic reaction (that clued us into the fact that she had an allergy at all) certainly keeps her on track, but our family's consistency with regard to managing the allergy has also helped. Like many of you, I've often felt like a broken record, repeating myself over and over, but now that my daughter is 11 years old, she's taken over a lot of the ownership of her allergy management.

Case in point: This past weekend, my daughter attended a Taylor Swift concert with her cousins in Detroit. Since the concert was held at Ford Field (a football stadium) of course peanuts were being sold by vendors. Luckily, there weren't a lot of peanuts around her seating area, and it was nowhere near as "peanutty" as a baseball game, but she told me later that she was a little concerned.

Since we knew this would probably be an issue, she asked to eat before going to the concert and while there, only ordered a Coke. Let me tell you, she could have cared less about eating at the concert. It was her first "grownup" concert so it was all about Taylor Swift and the experience of seeing her.

What really impressed me was that she was careful to only order a "bottled" Coke from a vendor at a stationary location in the arena. Why? She noticed that the vendors selling food/drinks in the stands were serving peanuts as well as "open," already-poured drinks and she didn't want to risk the cross contact. This was something she spotted on her own and brought up without prompting. She was right to be concerned because the vendor-sold items did carry a risk that was better to avoid altogether. She also carried her own hand wipes and cleaned her hands--you can't have too many hand wipes when out and about with a food allergy.

Do I wish she didn't have to be so concerned? Of course. But this kind of proactive thinking (along with eating before the show) is what's going to keep her safe and healthy as she moves to even more independence. It wasn't a big deal to her--by now, it's just part of life and it doesn't faze her.

This is such a great point for a child to reach. It doesn't mean I don't worry anymore, but since I can see her making the right choices, I feel good about her doing things on her own.

For those of you who have very young kids facing food allergies, just keep playing the "cracked record" and one day, your kids will be telling you how they can stay safe.

And that's a huge point to reach, because let's face it: no one is going to be as concerned about food allergies as you are (or your kids are). They have to self-advocate and the sooner they learn, the better for everyone.

Many readers of my Nut-Free Mom Facebook page have brought up the question of food labels recently so I thought it was a good time to tackle this increasingly confusing subject.

If you are new to food allergies (and even if you've been dealing with it for awhile like I have) one of the most daunting things you experience is a trip to the supermarket. What do the labels mean? If it doesn't say anything about food allergens, does that mean it's safe to eat? What are you supposed to do, call every food company?

The answers vary, but first it helps to understand the current FDA food allergy labeling laws.

Current food allergy labeling laws: FALPCA
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALPCA) ensures that foods will include "plain language" listing of the top 8 common food allergens. These are considered to be: soy, egg, dairy, wheat, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts.

The FALPCA law also requires that companies also list exactly what the allergen is, for example, they must name "pecans" if it is a tree nut or "shrimp" if talking about shellfish. It must be specific.

Here is an excellent document from the USDA that explains more about FALPCA.

A common misconception about FALPCA is that this law requires companies to add "may contains" or "processed in a facility with" or "processed on equipment with" statements. These are NOT required by law and are in fact voluntary statements placed there at the discretion of the food manufacturer. If do you see these statements, please don't discount them. A study was done of "may contains" statements and it was found that a large percentage of the time the food item in question did contain the allergen even though it was not an official "ingredient."

What does it all mean?
Where does that leave us when grocery shopping? First off, you must read every label every time because practices do change. Just because it was safe before does not mean that it's safe today. Check every item you plan to serve to an allergic person, every time.

When you see a food label with no allergy warnings and it is a "high-risk" food for nut allergies such as ice cream, candy or baked goods, that's when you may need to call the company. I always start by going online and reading allergy labeling policies -- some companies even let you search according to the exact brand name or type of food. If you call, have the UPC symbol with you--take a pic of it with your cell phone, but have it because then you will exact info for the product in question. Also, have the exact item name. (The UPC code will usually suffice if you don't have this). UPC codes are the numbers beneath the "lines" on a package so that it can scan at the grocery store. It's also known as a "bar code."

Pitfalls
Some companies will not give you complete info. Some will tell you to avoid all of their foods. Some will even list "may contains" warnings on their web sites but not on the actual package. (Edy's brand ice cream does this, for example.) Another practice that is relatively new it to tell consumers to look for certain "ID" numbers that supposedly indicate what plant the food was made in. Ragu said this to many of us a few months ago in response to new tree nut allergy warnings on some of their sauces. Supposedly if it had a certain "code" that meant the sauce didn't have tree nut allergy risk.

To me, this is bunk. It does NOT fall within current FDA law to play roulette with consumers and I would avoid companies and/or products that try to hedge their bets this way.

Ultimately it is up to you, the consumer, to decide what you feel comfortable serving to a person with severe food allergies. If avoiding reactions is your goal, a conservative approach will serve you well. Until we have more complete labeling policies, a lot of this is going to be up to us to manage, ask questions about and deal with.

Eventually you will find the foods and companies that you feel you can trust. You will probably also find yourself making more food so that you know what goes into it.

Please note that I am unable to answer specific questions about specific food companies. I'm a consumer just like you so I would advise contacting companies directly with your questions and concerns.

Here are some additional links that describe current food allergy labeling laws:

Official food labeling law w/regard to food allergens from FDA web site

Food Labeling law explanation

Other FALPCA requirements

For me, the most stressful part of traveling with my nut-allergic daughter is restaurants. When you're away from home and staying at a hotel, restaurants are your main source of food. As someone who watches "Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America, that is a pretty scary reality for me. The bottom line is that you just never know what is going on in a restaurant kitchen and who is doing the cooking. As we know, restaurant workers vary widely in their knowledge and understanding of food allergies. So the pressure is on us to communicate and navigate menus and establishments on our own. Yes, some restaurants do a stellar job, but you always have to do your research prior to eating.

Less is more. When evaluating a restaurant for allergic folks, seek our restaurants with small, simple menus. Why? Well, big menus that feature everything under the sun usually contain several off-limits items and cross-contact risk becomes greater. Also, the bigger the menu, the more likely that several chefs are cooking at once and again, cross-contact is an issue.

Find out what kind of oil they use for frying. This is especially important if a fried dish is one of a resto's specialities. When we travel, we call restaurants with lots of fried items and ask if they use peanut oil. If they do, we skip it. I've heard a lot about the "cold-pressed" vs "refined" peanut oil debate and some people insist that peanut oil is safe. The thing is, people have reacted to peanut oil -- some fatally -- and I would also argue that if you tell restaurant staff that you can have peanut oil with a peanut allergy, you're sending them a mixed message that may result in other kitchen mishaps. Plus, no peanut oil is 100% free of peanut protein, so for me, that's dancing too close to the mouth of the volcano. Many times, restaurants tell us that they use canola oil, and we have staff confirm this from the kitchen. These are the restos we feel good visiting. If you want to be absolutely safe, peanut oil is out and canola is in. Minimize your risk ahead of time and you'll have a better experience.

Get the menu in advance. Most places have their menu displayed outside the restaurant and in many cases you can get menus online. This is hugely helpful--don't skip this step! Knowledge of the menu helps you to avoid places that emphasize items that your allergic family members need to avoid.

Pay attention to salads. Salads are one of my daughter's favorite meals, especially Greek salads (no doubt a heritage thing since my husband is Greek.) However, salads can be high risk so before you let your child order one, examine what other salads are on offer. Do any of the salads contain nuts or nut oils in the dressings? If so, don't order a salad. The reason? Sometimes chefs untrained in food allergy simply pick the nuts off of a prepared salad and serve it--this makes for a potential reaction because the salad is then contaminated. Dressings look alike and can be mistaken for each other. Side note: my daughter knows to do this already. When she ordered a Greek salad, I opened my mouth to say--let's look at the other salads first--and she already had read the menu. None of them contained nuts. One more reason to involve your kids in the menu-reading process, even when they are young. It's great when they take responsibility for their own allergies.

Take the pressure off with some non-restaurant meals. We made sure to get a room with a refrigerator, enabling us to give our kids some cereal for breakfast or simple snacks. We also had a picnic dinner and lunch during our vacation using items we purchased from the local grocery store. Our kids really enjoyed picking out foods for our picnics and our allergic daughter felt more in control and more relaxed. Our picnics were some of our best times while on our trip--and it was the one time I wasn't on alert for allergic reaction. I needed a break--and so will you. Adding a few non-restaurant meals to your trip is not only stress-saving, it's money-saving as well.

AllerDine and Allergy Eats. These two food allergy restaurant guides help you decide where to eat by offering a database of U.S. restaurants that are rated according to your specific allergen. If you travel and find a good place to eat (or a bad place) don't forget to share your experience on these helpful web sites! www.allerdine.com and www.allergyeats.com