Lately, it seems that I have been introduced to so many people who are experiencing food allergy issues for the first time. Like them, we too were once afraid to buy, eat, go, do anything because of not knowing for sure what to expect. The world had changed for us, and not in a good way. Everywhere we went, instead of enjoying ourselves, we found us scanning the area for possible "threats" to our child. We became a kind of vigilant cop of allergens. Our first visit to the store resulted in me in tears and my husband at a loss for words. All our "normal" foods had things that would harm our child and the store itself became a war zone. On one isle, there was a jar of Cheese Wiz that had been dropped and tracked everywhere....MILK!!!! Around the dairy case, there was a pile of ice cream someone had spilt, just sitting there, waiting for us to come along and get on our shoes, then track into our safe haven of a home. Of course, our normal shopping trip we try to avoid the diary isle, but that is where the soy milk is kept....so sometimes we have to brave that unknown world.
Throughout all this, there have been some "Ahhh-Haaa" moments that we had never thought of. So, today I would like to give you 5 tips that you may not have considered when dealing with food allergies....
1. Cart Covers - If you have a young child (3 or younger), buy a cart cover. This is a fabric cover meant to sit in the top of a grocery cart that keeps young children from touching the most germ invested areas, the handles. But, think about this, where do most people sit there milk, eggs or bread in the grocery cart? In the seat! Now, think of how many of those cartons or bags have leaked. This is where the cart cover is a life saver. No more of you placing your food allergic child in a possible puddle of allergens. You can find these cart covers at most Babies R Us stores. And, they are machine washable, which I suggest you do regularly.
2. Read Labels - I know you already have heard this one, but read the labels....every time. I can't tell you how many times I have almost placed a previously "safe" product in my cart, only to read the label and now find out they they "may contain" or "are produced in a plant/on a line/next to" an allergen. That's when I think "now that wasn't on there the last time. Was my child at risk all along, or is this a way of protecting the company?". We will never know, but it's best not to take the chance. The other misconception is seeing the name and thinking it is safe. Take, for instance, my experience with pop rocks. I thought it would be funny to see how Kevin reacted to these neat candies. We bought them, got them home, I opened the package and Ken said "did we read the label?" No, but these are pop rocks...hard candy right? Well, there on the ingredient is whey! I had almost given Kevin milk! I immediately got sick to my stomach. Another one is anything labeled vegan. For example, the vegan cheese located in the produce isle contains milk. Many vegan hot dogs contain milk also. And, non dairy creamers are not non dairy. There is a list a page long for the different names and proteins for milk. I would suggest making a laminated list to carry with you on the different names of the allergens you are avoiding. Make an extra for any family members that like to cook for you, especially around the holidays. I recently made a credit card sized list of milk names for my mom, at her request. The card actually turned out to be 3 cards, front and back! I now carry one, and my husband has requested a copy as well. You can never be too safe.
3. Showing Affection - Now, by no means am I saying not to hug or kiss your child. But be aware, you could be contaminated. There have been so many instances when someone, including me or Ken, have kissed or hugged Kevin only to notice a few minutes later that he had a bump(s) on him. It takes a few minutes to realize, oh my goodness, that's where I kissed/touched him! Most kids may not be as allergic as Kevin, but you want to be aware so that you don't have to worry. So many times, I will reach down to give Kevin a kiss on his forehead, only to stop and try to remember, have I eaten anything today that could hurt him. Ken and I are usually very good at "de-contaminating" ourselves after we have eaten a food containing one of his allergens. But, we are human, and sometimes, things get hectic and we forget to wash our face. It could be something as simple as a Hershey kiss that I think never touched my lips (I've gotten good at opening my large mouth and popping something in, without hitting my face). But, your saliva then contains the allergen and maybe you later lick your lips or something. That's all it takes. We've had to teach family members this early on, even strangers on the street. I can't tell you how many times we have had a stranger rub Kevin's head or touch his face or shake his hand. Ken and I look at each other, and without speaking (I think we've become telepathic) think "what has that person touched or eaten today and not washed their hands?" And on that last note, you need to always carry around baby wipes. Just find a refill pack with a flip top that you can carry in your car, in their bag or your purse. They are life savers!
4. Home Appliances - We never thought about our home appliances until we needed them after we found out about Kevin's allergies. When you have a child with severe food allergies, you seem to always be in defense mode. Trying to make breakfast one morning, I slipped the bread into the toaster and thought, what have we put in this toaster before today? When you put the bread into the toaster and it browns, crumbs fall off and land in the bottom or on the wire guides. Then, the next time you put bread in, you have cross contamination issues. Then I think, what kinds of breads did I put in there before? Did they contain milk? Most certainly, YES! Now, there are toaster bags you can buy that allow you to put the bread in a little bag and slide the bag into the toaster. But, those are really good for travel. Instead of us having to constantly buy those bags, we just bought a new toaster. Same with the can opener. You always hear people say "you need to wipe off the top of your cans before opening them so that nothing can drop into the product". Now, take a look at your can opener. Can you see bits of metal shavings, paper, maybe even some food? As you know I love to cook. I used to practically buy a case of condensed milk every time I shopped. Then we learned of Kevin's allergies and the thought of that tiny blade on the opener dipping into the milk, then the next time dipping into a can of green beans....cross contamination. New can opener bought that day! Same for mixers. Now, there was no way that I could afford to buy a new mixer, since I have the Professional series Kitchen Aid. But, I did do a thorough cleaning after noticing tiny splatters around the top where the beaters go. They weren't noticeable by the naked eye. I really had to search for them. But now I know that my appliances are safe.
5. Pet Supplies - I just made this mistake the other day. I bought a new dog treat, only to get home and notice that it had cheese in the ingredient. No wonder the dogs love it! But, think about this....feed the dogs a treat containing the allergen....dogs lick Kevin's hand or face.....Kevin has a reaction. This has happened one too many times. We figured, oh he's just allergic to the dogs. Then we had the light bulb go off over our head and read the label on their dog food....milk! Well, we changed dog foods, dog treats, etc. and no more problem. Same for our cat treats. I can't remember how long it would take, but I would be there all day reading the cat treat bottles and bags, trying to find some that didn't contain cheese. Evidently, cats love cheese! I only found 1 kind on the whole wall of cat foods that was safe....1! But, with just a little time invested, we knew that we didn't have to worry about our pets making our child sick. And it is worth it.
I hope that some of my tips you found were helpful. Ken and I have in no way figured out the whole allergy thing, but we are learning. Everyday seems to reveal some new product, or change in product, or idea we never thought of. Those "Ahhh-Haaa" moments are the ones that stick with you and you want to share with others. If you have any "Ahhh-Haaa" moments you'd like to share with me, please do. Food allergies are a learning process and they are constantly changing. We really need to depend on one another for help and guidance. And as I have said before, we are a society that revolves around food. When you have a child that is allergic to food, the world becomes different, maybe even more dangerous. But you can safely navigate through all this and lead an exciting and "full" life!
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