Managing food allergies – yours or for someone you love – can feel like a full-time job in its own right. It can feel overwhelming. It can be frustrating. Every time you think you have a handle on things, someone changes their manufacturing process or tweaks a recipe and now you’re back to square one in the challenge of finding safe staples for the family diet.  The holiday season, starting this week with Thanksgiving, can bring its own special set of challenges from social gatherings to navigating traditions to potlucks and cookie exchanges. During this stretch in particular, it can be e ..read more

When it comes to our personal health, we don’t usually walk into a public setting and announce what we’re dealing with. Living with food allergies, however, requires a willingness to speak up often. It’s not a chronic health challenge we keep to ourselves. In fact, we need to be prepared to ask questions and share information about our allergies in all sorts of settings. Some of them may seem like a given to you – a restaurant? Sure. Others may not have crossed your mind. Eating Out and Taking Out Whenever you’re buying prepared food, whether you’re eating there, taking out, or having it deliv ..read more

For most of us, holidays are steeped in traditions. But when we step back and consider what those traditions are, a good number of them are likely linked to food. There’s grandma’s famous strawberry pie recipe that must be made every 4th of July. It’s even brighter and a bigger “bang” than the fireworks. There’s the authentic shortbread cookie following a recipe that your spouse’s great-great-grandparent wrote down on a card before the family emigrated from Scotland so very many years ago. Christmas can’t occur without those cookies wrapped delicately in tissue paper and placed in tin canister ..read more

Your child has been diagnosed with food allergies. It’s a lot to take in. Suddenly everything you know about caring for and nourishing your family has been flipped on its head. You’re spending more time than you ever thought possible food shopping as you pause in front of every potential purchase to scan labels for allergy statements once… twice… three times, just to be sure.  You’re slowly realizing that food allergens are in more than just food. That moisturizer you’re about to put on your hands, scan the label there, too. The lip balm – yes, check that one. Also check those art supplie ..read more

Cool, crisp autumn air is just made for afternoons of whipping up scrumptious baked goods and deep dishes of warm comfort foods. Living with food allergies doesn’t mean you have to give up the culinary delights loaded with squashes and apples. It just means you need to experiment with ingredient swaps and new recipes.  Of course, sometimes you just roll your sleeves up and get cooking without taking the time to sort through egg alternatives and wheat substitutes. If today is one of those days, then good news, we’ve already done the digging for you. Try some of these recipes. Pumpkin Muffi ..read more

The aisles in your local supermarket and big box store have transformed from Back to School to BOO! Rows of candy in cartoonish goblin- and ghost-themed packaging, smiling plastic pumpkin buckets in all colors, howling decorations designed to thrill and entertain, and rows of costumes in all sizes signal that Halloween is on the way.  Among the assorted decorations and sugary treats, you’ll find a collection of teal hued décor, trick-or-treating buckets, and small toys and gadgets. It’s not just a fun twist on the standard color scheme. It’s a hue with a message – this house (or this tric ..read more

Does this sound familiar? You just popped a bit of buttery sweet lobster tail into your mouth. You’ve been looking forward to this and yet, something doesn’t feel quite right. Your mouth feels weird. Maybe itchy? Your stomach is rolling. Is that a hive? Is this an allergic reaction?  How about this – you’ve been feeling off for weeks. It seems to be worse after you’ve had your morning coffee – light and sweet – or a dish of ice cream or that amazing platter of loaded nachos and potato skins dripping with melted cheese and sour cream. Is it a coincidence? A stomach bug? An allergy? The pos ..read more

Autumn looms on the horizon. The sun is setting a little earlier. The evenings are a little cooler. Pens and papers fill the ‘seasonal’ aisles in your favorite store as classroom lists are published. Backpacks are being prepped. It’s time to start shifting from our summer routines to the school year rhythm.  If your daily grind from September to June looks like a wild combination of work (for you), school (for you and/or your kids!), sports practices, scouts, other extra-curriculars, homework, and more, finding time to make and enjoy dinner may sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. Juggling ..read more

It’s no secret that parenting teenagers is not a job for the faint of heart. Teens are pressing the edges of their independence, managing a tumult of shifting hormones, and defining their place in the world at large. They’re doing it with a brain that’s still making connections and developing. In fact, research has shown that the last connections made in the brain occur in our early 20s.  These connections occur in the areas of the brain that control judgment and problem-solving, as well as the centers that control emotional learning and self-regulation. This means, among other things, th ..read more

Food allergies are not uncommon. In fact, they impact 1 in 13 people (adults and children) in the USA. While that represents less than 10% of the population, it’s at a rate high enough that you probably know someone with a food allergy. It’s a child in your son’s class. It’s a teammate on your daughter’s lacrosse team. It’s your co-worker. It’s a friend from your book club. Maybe it’s your child. Maybe it’s your partner. Maybe it’s you.  Somewhere in your sphere, there’s someone who is at risk from a particular kind of food. Being aware of food allergies, and how to keep people who live w ..read more