Sharing Information With Others About Your Food Allergies

Sharing Information With Others About Your Food Allergies

When you have an allergic reaction to a food it is important for your health to share that vital information with family members, with friends, with those you work with or with those at your school including teachers, cafeteria staff and anyone who may feed a child of your's who has food allergies. Having others know about your food allergy may someday save your life.

When you have an allergic reaction to food, you may not be able to talk and others around you may not know what is happening to you and how to help you unless they know ahead of time that you are allergic to a certain food or food ingredient.

If your child is allergic to food it is important that everyone who cares for your child including teachers, lunchroom staff and parents of the kids your child plays with. Everyone you can think of who has any contact with your child should know about that child's food allergy. Especially if your child is young and unable to speak for themselves. You are your child's best advocate whenever your child has a medical condition. You speak for your child when your child is unable to speak for him or herself.

Food allergies can be life threatening and to protect yourself or your child, you had better tell everyone not only about the food allergy, but what it looks like when you or your child is having an allergic reaction. Let them know what to do if you have an allergic reaction. Let them know if you carry with you an Epipen - a medication injection that is given to open the airway of someone who has had a severe allergic reaction.

If you are eating out at someone else's home or at a restaurant it is very important that whoever is preparing and serving the food know what it is that you are allergic to so that every precaution can be taken to be sure that you are not given any food that may contain the food or food ingredient that you are allergic to.

It is really important that those you share information with about your food allergy and who buy, prepare or serve you know that reading labels is important because some foods that do not seem to have the food item in them can have "hidden" food ingredients that have the food you are allergic to, so it is very important to always read food labels. The FDA law that was implemented in January of 2006 saves lives because it requires all food allergens be listed on food labels and that the language and how it is written is to be easily understood. It is important to realize that food and drink manufacturers are constantly improving on their products so the ingredients of a product can change from one time you use it to another, so read labels every single time you buy a food item.

News About Food Allergies

Allergies? They're our bread and butter: The mothers who turned their childre... 5 Sep 2010 at 4:26am
The number of allergy sufferers has trebled in Britain in two decades. One in three of us develop an allergy and they affect about 40 per cent of children.

WATCH: Kids With Food Allergies 1 Sep 2010 at 9:05am
Find out why food allergies are on the rise. Health - Conditions and Diseases - Allergies - Food - Allergy

Woman's Carbondale store promotes raw food diet 5 Sep 2010 at 10:11am
Kimberly Williams in her new Carbondale food store, Nur-ish ? Raw Living Foods, which caters to people with vegan and raw food diets in the Roaring Fork Valley and serves as an education center on nutritional matters.

Celebrities, congressman, physicians support FAAN Walk on Sept. 11 5 Sep 2010 at 6:07am
LONG BRANCH ? Keeping children with food allergies safe is a constant concern for their loved ones. read more

Eating out with food allergies 3 Sep 2010 at 1:03pm
Chris Niddrie is a trained chef who is very, very careful when he eats out. It?s not that he?s picky, it?s that he has a serious food allergy: celiac disease, a medical condition in which the small intestine is damaged by gluten.

Citing prison food allergies, white-collar thief seeks bail 3 Sep 2010 at 1:01am
COURTHOUSE ? A former credit union executive awaiting sentencing for stealing from the Plymouth business during her tenure apparently doesn?t have a taste for prison food.

Within Reach: Lifesaving Medication for All Students with Allergies 2 Sep 2010 at 9:29am
Students with life-threatening food or insect allergies face down dangers every day at school, from food allergens in the cafeteria or classroom to bees on the playground. That's why physicians recommend students and others with severe allergies carry auto-injectable epinephrine with them at all times and know how to use it.

Susan Weissman: Will Honey Sweeten My Jewish New Year With Food Allergies? (3... 2 Sep 2010 at 3:01pm
As with most special occasions, I've heard many espouse the notion "It's not about the food!" Yet reality often brings me to a less hallowed place when planning a meal around food allergies.

Safer For Your Soul, But Is Kosher Healthier, Too? 5 Sep 2010 at 1:12am
After mad cow disease, peanut butter recalls and e-coli in spinach, shoppers want to know what?s in their food and where it comes from. That's turned a very old way of eating into a very new way of shopping -- one that crosses religious lines.

Allergen Free Party Boxes Help Children With Food Allergies Enjoy School Events 1 Sep 2010 at 2:01pm
Indie Candy is currently offering allergen free Back to School Party Boxes for children with food allergies. Each box contains treats that are Big 8 allergen free, gluten free, casein free and nut free. Â If the child has additional allergies, the parents can order a box that is customized for their children's dietary restrictions.