Good Tip for Candy Treats

My youngest son is in preschool with a little girl that has a peanut allergy.  This last Friday, their class had an Easter Egg hunt.  Parents were asked to bring in a dozen plastic eggs filled with treats.  The note home to the parents reminded us that there was a child in the class with a peanut allergy and asked that we be mindful of the type of treats that we put in the eggs.

On the way home, I let my son open the plastic eggs that he had found during the hunt to see what treats they held.  Guess what was in one of the eggs?  A miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Seriously?? There were several hard candies in some of the eggs, some questionable, but there is no question about the safety of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  Was that a busy mom that just didn't think or an irritated mom that was making a statement.  Given that I know all the parents, I'm going to choose to believe it was a busy mom.  Regardless, I made a call to the mom of the little girl giving her a head's up of what he found in one of his plastic eggs.  I told her I felt her pain.  Abigail is all the time bringing home unsafe treats from school and birthday parties.  As a second grader, she knows that she's not allowed to eat anything until we look at the treats together.

I was reading through a copy of Family Fun yesterday and came across a really good tip that had been submitted by a reader whose son had several severe food allergies.  She found a really large jar and put lines around it at several places.  Each line had a dollar value associated with it.  When her son received treats that he couldn't eat, he'd drop it in the jar.  When the candy reached one of the lines, he could choose to keep saving or turn it into cash to then spend on something he wanted.

I have 2 one gallon bags full of candy that my kids have received from various parties and holiday events.  It's not all unsafe, I just limit the amount of candy my kids can eat.  Not only the amount though, but the type.  I'd rather they have something that I've provided that is either organic or that does not contain artificial sweeteners and dyes.  I might try this tip and make a treat trade-in jar for our house as well.  In the meantime, does anybody know what to do with all that candy?

Easter Treats

I'm having a hard time finding Easter treats that both meet my health standards and that are safe for Abigail's peanut allergy.  I'm sure I could find items to order off the internet, but I feel like those items come at a premium plus the additional shipping charges.  Having had luck at World Market with the Sun Cups in the past, I thought it was worth stopping in to see if they had any Easter candy.  They did.

I found these Marshmallow Easter Eggs made by Rose Manufacturing in Ireland.  The allergen information lists dairy and soy only, and they're labeled gluten free. There was no label for peanut/tree nut cross-contamination which appears to be a World Market requirement, and because they are made in the UK, there was a good chance that they didn't contain GMO ingredients. At $1.99 for a pack of 6 individually wrapped eggs, I thought it was worth the chance.  I couldn't find anything about the product on their website, so I e-mailed the company.  Here's their response:

Thanks for purchasing our products. I hope you enjoy them. Our manufacturing facility is a nut free environment with the exception of Coconut used on site. All raw materials used on site are GMO free. Hope this puts your mind at rest and have a nice Easter.

I haven't had a chance to try them yet so I can't guarantee the taste.  However, considering they each just contain 7 grams of sugar, are made without GMO ingredients, have no artificial colors or flavors, are gluten free and are made in a nut free environment, they're going in the Easter baskets.  I went back today and bought a few more packs.  My sister has Celiac Disease so they're going in her basket as well.

I'll have to do a taste test later this weekend.  I'll add a post note with the results so check back.

GM Food and Robyn O'Brien

For the first time ever, I reached out to my elected state officials.  I expressed my support of the Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act.  It's an issue that I feel extremely strong about, and I felt the need to do something. I've gotten one response, which frankly, is more than I expected.  I don't know if it will make a difference, but I feel good for having made the effort.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I'm a big advocate of eating foods that are either organic or are not made with genetically modified ingredients.  I believe that genetically modified foods are making us sick and also play a huge role in the increase in food allergies.

Here's a link to a YouTube video featuring Robyn O'Brien, author of "The Unhealthy Truth."  That could be me standing up on stage.  Just ask my friends.  Give me an opening, and I'm going to tell you how the food you're eating is making you sick, how we are human guinea pigs, how disgusted I am at how big business is making profits at our well-being and the well-being of our children, grandchildren and future generations to come and how our government is allowing them to do so.  They'd tell you how I'd mention that over 85% of the food in our grocery stores contain GM ingredients and that food manufacturers are not required to tell us.  Like Robyn, I'm trying to make a difference one person at a time.  I get so thrilled when you guys send me e-mails telling me that reading my blog has made you change the way you eat.

So, watch the video, get fired up and help me make some changes!

Finally...

Finally...another post.  It's been days.  Sorry about that.  We sold our house.  Wanting to wait until the due diligence period was over before we signed a lease on a rental or started packing, we had just 3 1/2 weeks to find a house, pack, load, unload, clean and close.  Now we are in the process of unpacking, at least somewhat.  We only signed a 6 month lease so I had to pack extremely strategically, packing items together that we might need, won't need and need immediately.  I've been both physically and mentally exhausted.  We were in that house for 12 years.  That's lots of time to collect "treasures", i.e., junk, and plenty of time to create memories that saddened the moving process.  What eased the transition is that we moved only 5 miles away in order to allow Abigail to finish her current school year.  We're not yet loosing access to friends, our community or our church.

I've got lots of post ideas.  You great readers are also e-mailing me links to interesting articles and suggesting post topics.  Keep them coming.  Now, I've got to get busy.

Dove Chocolate

One of my blog readers sent me an e-mail about Dove Chocolate and their "awesome" labeling for peanut/tree nut allergens. I went on their website, but couldn't find a written statement. However, if you call their automated phone system (800-551-0704), there is an option to press for a list of peanut free products.

I hope my reader doesn't mind me quoting her, but she spoke to several reps from the Mars company, and I wanted to pass along what she found out. They told her that "they will always list "may contains" if it is manufactured in a facility or on shared equipment with peanuts." Several of their products no longer carry a "may contain" warning so the assumption is that they must have a peanut free facility.

Thanks to my reader for e-mailing me. She was excited to be able to buy a candy bar for her peanut allergic son, who was in heaven having such a wonderful chocolate treat.

Special Offer from Annie's HomeGrown

Annie's HomeGrown is giving away free garden gloves and packs of vegetable seeds with the purchase of two of their products.  We almost always have a box of the Bunny Crackers and/or boxes of mac 'n cheese in our pantry.  It was just a matter of filling out the information online.  The gloves come in either adult or childrens' sizes.  I selected the kid's size, and I'm going to put them to work in my garden this spring.

http://www.annies.com/root

Free Root 4 Kids gardening kit is available with PROOF OF PURCHASE of any TWO (2) Annie’s Homegrown or Annie's Naturals products. Products must be purchased between January 5, 2011 and April 30, 2011.  Offer good in U.S only. Limit one per household or address. Must be 18 years or older. Supplies are limited. Offer expires April 30, 2011 or while supplies last.  Allow 8-10 weeks for delivery. 


Update 5-6-11 
We received our package today from Annie's.  The kids loved the gloves.  They fit Abigail perfectly, but are a little too large for my 3 year old.  He didn't seem to mind.  I loved the surprise coupons that were included.  $5.50 worth to be exact for Bunnie crackers, pasta, snack bars, dressings and cereal.   Hope you got yours!

High School Freshman in Coma

A 14 year old, high school freshman girl is in a coma after going into anaphylactic shock. The coma is a result of delayed CPR and an extended period of time without oxygen flowing to her brain. There are plans later this week for her to undergo surgery so that a feeding tube can be inserted.

Apparently, she was hanging out with some friends after school and they were eating Kellogg's Crunchy Nut cereal for a snack. The words "peanut" or "nutty" appear about 20 times on the cereal box. She did know the severity of her allergy. There is no mention of an epinephrine pen anywhere in the article. Her dad mentions that Benadryl had worked on past minor allergic episodes to MSG and preservatives.  Here's the link if you'd like to read the full story and see the Fox News video clip interviewing the girls father.

I really don't know how to comment. It's a very tragic tale that brings up more questions than answers.  I can say this though.  It's a perfect example of one of the main reasons that my husband and I decided to pursue the peanut clinical trial at Duke, and why we're putting Abigail as well as our family through repeated 290 mile round trips to the Duke Clinical Research Unit, multiple blood and skin tests and a daily regiment of drops for 3 years.  We were very concerned of what would happen when our very strong-willed, opinionated daughter reached the pre-teen and teenage years and was no longer under the constant supervision of either ourselves or another adult.  My husband agrees.  Ironically, when I told him about this girl in Phoenix and the tragedy, his first comment was, "that's why we are in the clinical trial."  What a blessing this trial is for our family, and we pray that the results bless many in return.

A mom wrote on a food allergy message board that she trains all of her teenage daughter's close friends on the signs of an allergic reaction and the administration of an EpiPen.  Prior to letting her daughter go anywhere with her friends, she makes sure that they are all aware of where the EpiPen is and asks that they make sure it doesn't get left behind in the car.  What a great tip.

In the meantime, we need to keep this young girl and her family in our prayers.  I can't imagine what they must be going through or how much they are suffering.