Be A Food Allergy Helper!
Do you know someone with a food allergy?
Chances are that you do. About 32 million Americans have food allergies, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE).
That includes 5.6 million children under 18 years, or about 1 in every 13 kids. This averages out to be 1-2 students per classroom in the United States.
Where am I going with these statistics?
May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, as well as when Food Allergy Awareness Week occurs during the second week of the month.
Join me during May 8-14 to celebrate Food Allergy Awareness Week, a time to help raise awareness about food allergies and anaphylaxis. I’ve got lots of great social media content to share, including allergy-friendly recipes and my new children’s book release!
Food allergies affect the entire family
As a food allergy mom, I understand how food allergies affect everyone in the family. It can be traumatic for siblings to witness a food allergy reaction, even if they don’t fully understand what is happening.
My youngest child had his first allergic reaction during a controlled peanut exposure when he was six months old. Our entire family was seated at the dinner table, including our two oldest children who were two and four at the time.
There is nothing that can prepare you for when an allergic reaction happens to your own child. We were fortunate that our experience did not result in anaphylaxis, but we know that his next reaction could be anaphylactic. Food allergies are unpredictable – every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room in the United States.
The morning after my son's first allergic reaction, I sat down with my toddler and preschooler to watch the episode of Daniel Tiger where Daniel has an allergic reaction to peaches. I searched for children’s books to help explain food allergy care and treatment. We talked about food allergies and how we need to work together as a family to keep their brother safe.
But food allergies continue to find ways to impact our family life. A spontaneous family trip to get ice cream cones is no longer an option for our child with multiple food allergies. Last summer we cancelled a highly anticipated trip to a minor league baseball game after learning broken peanut shells were everywhere in the stadium.
And it's not just us. A 2006 study surveyed food allergy families and found that 49% report food allergies impacted their family social activities. The same study also identified 41% of parents report a significant impact on their stress levels and 17% of families believe sibling relationships were affected due to a child having food allergies.
Nutrition tips for food allergy families
The anxiety and panic surrounding a new food allergy diagnosis is real. I understand how it feels; I have been there myself.
As a food allergy dietitian, I can’t take away all the stress that comes from having a child with multiple food allergies. Believe me – if I could, I would. What I can do is provide in-depth education and resources to help families feel more confident in managing their new food allergy diagnosis.
And that includes discussing how food allergies will affect other members of your family. In fact, I even wrote a children’s book to help siblings without food allergies understand their experience as part of a new food allergy family.
Be A Food Allergy Helper! explains how food allergies affect a family’s food choices and discusses how to be prepared for when allergic reactions do occur. The book also encourages siblings without food allergies to embrace their new role as Food Allergy Helper.
Here are some highlights from my book that I also share with new food allergy families:
Use special-colored dishes to help young kids learn to identify their own (safe) food
Wash hands with soap before and after eating
Let siblings ask questions and explain how adults check to make sure new foods are safe
Encourage siblings to help caregivers remember to bring the EpiPen when leaving the house
Think of new, safe ways to play and celebrate together as a family
Do you or someone you know have a family member with food allergies? Pre-orders for my book, Be A Food Allergy Helper! are available now, exclusively through my website. Once the book is published, online sales will transition to online retailers like Amazon.
Why pre-order my book now? In addition to receiving one of the first copies of my book, every pre-order comes with a food allergy poster, coloring page, and an exclusive invitation to a virtual book reading and Q&A on Saturday, May 7th at 3:00 PM CST.
Orders directly through Lisa Woodruff Nutrition will allow a higher percentage of the proceeds to go towards the costs of publishing this book and (hopefully) more in the future. Your support is greatly appreciated as I work towards increasing food allergy awareness and support through quality children’s literature!
