A July 4th Celebration Trifle
By Heather Legg | Jul 3, 2008 | No Comments »
Red, white and blue things are great at the 4th of July. The kids all wear patriotic shirts, the flags are flying, even our dog is known to sport a red bandana. Of course, food is always a part of any holiday and here is a pretty red, white and blue dessert that is nut free and egg free. You can try adapting the flour to fit your needs, too. Continue reading…
Talk it Out
By Heather Legg | Jun 30, 2008 | No Comments »
Food allergies and skin allergies, environmental allergies and pollen allergies, they are ally confusing. They have erratic symptoms, mysterious culprits, you just never know what is around the corner, I’ve said that a million times. Symptoms seem to disappear, then reoccur; you try one thing, it works one day, the next it doesn’t. You think your doctor knows everything, often times, he doesn’t. So how do you know what to do? How do you know what treatment to follow, what precautions to take and what preventative measures to take? I’ve found one of my best sources is other parents. Continue reading…
Living with Allergies
By Heather Legg | Jun 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Today was the end of year party for my daughters’ swim team. There were awards, trophies, games, and the always there – cake. It reminded me of four years ago when my daughter was first diagnosed with her nut allergy. It was right at the end of the school year when she was diagnosed and the end of the year swim party was probably her first encounter with cake since that. Continue reading…
School Allergy Plans
By Heather Legg | Jun 18, 2008 | No Comments »
With all the allergies there are in schools, you’d think that schools would all have universal allergy management plans. But there aren’t consistent ones nation wide, at least not yet, and in many states, it is really up to the individual school to do what they think is necessary to prevent allergic reactions. Continue reading…
Cupcakes: All the Rage
By Heather Legg | Jun 18, 2008 | No Comments »
Cupcakes, which have always been the quintessential kid’s birthday party fare, are even more in vogue right now. You see them featured on the Food Network, gracing the covers of cooking magazines and popping in more gourmet bakeries everywhere. But what about the food allergic? Regular cupcakes have milk, they have eggs, they have wheat flour. What do you do if you want to celebrate your child’s birthday (or another child’s birthday) with cupcakes, but he has an allergy? Continue reading…
Beer Allergy
By Heather Legg | Jun 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
For the past few years, my husband has had a mysterious swelling of his eyes. We’ve tried hard to pinpoint the cause of this allergic reaction, but never have come up with a consistent factor. Food has never been a consistent factor, or season, or environment. Sometimes it’s worse than others, sometimes not so bad. Sometimes the whites of his eyes even swell, and that has got to be uncomfortable! The other night it happened and both eyes were completely swollen shut in the middle of the night. In the midst of this attack he finally came up with a possible culprit - certain beer. Continue reading…
Deciphering Labels
By Heather Legg | Jun 17, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I was just reading how the food allergy industry is becoming a million dollar market. Food allergy grocery stores are popping up around the country, more and more companies are marketing food allergy safe lines, there are mail/internet order companies (of varying sizes) where you can find safe, custom food. Certain stores, like bakeries, suggest if you have certain allergies to not buy anything, or even come in the store (seems sort of rude, but better to be safe!). There have been new guidelines mandated for labeling foods, too. So with all this, you’d think it would be pretty easy to stay safe and confident when feeding yourself or your family with food allergies. On the contrary, it’s not. Continue reading…
Airlines and Nut/Peanut Allergies
By Heather Legg | Jun 11, 2008 | No Comments »
A New York family is suing American Airlines for endangering their son on a recent flight. The family went through all precautions and say they were told prior to boarding that there would be no nuts served on the flight, however, that was not the case when they boarded. Continue reading…
Communicating with Other Parents
By Heather Legg | Jun 4, 2008 | No Comments »
I remember a couple of years ago we were over at some friend’s house one afternoon and the dad came into the kitchen for a snack. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a jar of cashews to eat. I reminded them of my daughter’s allergy and he put them back, a little embarrassed, I think. Another time we were at a small family holiday party with a few close friends at the home of one of them. We arrived and all the food was out, including a plate of spiced pecans. I unobtrusively put the plate away out of anyone’s reach and washed my hands, then reminded my friend of my daughter’s allergy. Continue reading…
Summer Treats
By Heather Legg | May 27, 2008 | No Comments »
Summer is here. The weather is hot and your kids want some yummy, cool treats. SO what do you give them that is healthy, safe and tastes good? Here are some good ideas you may like to try: Continue reading…
