My son has a severe, life threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. We discovered this food allergy when he was two years old and we just could not figure out why he had severe asthma, requiring multiple emergency room visits, steroids and the like. He also randomly developed enormous hives all over his body and had difficulty breathing when the hives occurred. We took him to an allergist who tested him with both a skin test and a blood test, and we learned of the severity and breadth of the allergies.
Food allergies are different from food intolerances. A food intolerance can cause stomach upset, gastric distress, and possibly digestive issues in the form of diarrhea and constipation. Many people claim that they have a food allergy when a food does not agree with them, and this diminishes the severity for those with a true, life threatening allergy. A food allergy is defined as an abnormal response to a food triggered by your body’s immune system, and is most often triggered by the so called “Big 8″. These eight foods account for 90% of all food reactions and are milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, shellfish, sesame, wheat and soy.
You may hear of a person outgrowing their food allergies, but peanut and shellfish most often remain as lifelong allergies. A food allergy affects the breathing and heart and can, if not stopped in time, lead to death. People who have been diagnosed with a food allergy are often prescribed an epi-pen, an auto-injector of epinephrine that must be injected into the upper thigh to stop the reaction.
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The school bell has rung. The breeze that you just felt pass you by wasn’t a wind, but instead it was the sigh of millions of parents everywhere, breathing a sigh of relief. The kids are back in school, and that means that mom or dad can once again find time for themselves. Summer is a fun time for kids, but admittedly, it does leave something to be desired for parents, especially in the area of fitness. It can be difficult for a parent to devote hours to gym time, even if training for a race means that you simply must work out.
How can you rediscover “you” time? How can you get back in the habit of taking time to put yourself first – and more importantly, WHY should you?
If you’ve ever flown, you’ve heard the flight attendant instructions in the event of an emergency. Adults are always instructed to place their own oxygen masks on first, and then care for young children or those companions who may need help – or in the case of one humorous flight attendant, the women were told to care for themselves before their spouses. Humorous, yes, but there’s a grain of truth in this. If you don’t have anything in you to give, if you are depleted and exhausted – there’s no taking care of your family. You can’t give what you don’t have, and so it is mandatory to fill your own tank before you help your family.
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Packing lunches, day after day, can quickly become tedious. After all, there are only so many different ways you can pack a sandwich and even if your child is devoted to the traditional PB&J, banana and milk combo like one of my children, you may decide that you want to switch things up a bit.
Maybe you need to pack lunches in a hurry. You need some packaged foods to toss in the lunch bag, and you want foods that are yummy AND good for your child. Look for foods that are low in sugar, all natural, with no high fructose corn syrup and no chemical additives. It’s a tall order, to be sure, but here are a few of our favorite lunch box choices that meet our tough criteria.
Whole Grain Goldfish – Every kid loves to snack, and these childhood favorites have worked hard to make themselves a healthier choice. With 140 calories for about 55 goldfish – a perfect serving size to go with your child’s lunch – 5 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber, these whole grain, tasty cheese crackers are both fun and a good dietary choice.
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As school districts continue to tighten their budget, certain classes become extinct to make way for a more fiscally efficient approach to education. If the days of playing kickball, bombardment and whiffle ball in PE classes are long gone, what is taking their place to fulfill the physical activity requirements of growing children?
In 2001, The Accelerated School in Los Angeles, California piloted a program called YogaEd, designed by Tara Guber, in an effort to bring yoga into the classroom. The objective of this strictly secular curriculum was to teach proper posture and body awareness, techniques for relaxation and stress management, and self esteem building through compassionate problem resolution. The program’s goals were to instill life long habits for healthy living, enhance physical, social, emotional and mental health, and strengthen academic performance.
In 2003 a study was conducted to determine the results of the program, and the findings were in full support of not only its continuation at the Accelerated School, but also in the advancement of sharing the curriculum with more than 150 other schools.
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Wendy Gregory Kaho blogs about the care and feeding of a gluten-free family at Celiacs in the House.
Just as I had to regroup and strategize to send my two gluten-free kids off to college, mothers of preschoolers and kindergartners have to sharpen communication skills and have a game plan for sending their little ones out without Mom looking for gluten hiding everywhere. Teaching kids when they are young to know the rules, know how to ask the right questions and how to find safe food will help them avoid gluten. I’ve gathered my tips and some great resources to help prepare your child and your school.
Communication is key to living gluten free. Discussing your child’s dietary needs with teachers, cafeteria staff, and administrators will become a way of life as your young child steps out into the world without you and into the care of others. Tip sheets for these discussions can be found on the NFCA web site listed below.
Find a support group where you and your child can participate in events with a group that understands your gluten-free lifestyle and experienced moms who can offer advice.
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