2008-03-20

Living with Food Allergies Blog Carnival #13

Welcome to the Food Allergy Blog Carnival! The theme this week is restaurants. Eating out safely with food allergies can be a stressful, rather than enjoyable experience. I was expecting to see a few horror stories, but instead everyone sent in posts about the places that are good to them. I am very happy to return the favor and spread the word about restaurants that go out of their way to accommodate diners with food allergies.
Many of you are preparing for Easter, and were kind enough to share your recipes and holiday plans. Finally, we have the latest news.
Eating Out With Food Allergies:
Disney sets the gold standard for providing a magical dining experience for the food allergic. Gina Clowes of Allergy Moms interviews Joel Schaefer, Disney's Special Dietary Needs Manager, in their latest newsletter. He provides detailed instructions for visiting all of Disney's attractions.
Allergy Moms issues a well deserved "Accommodation Award" to The Plaza at The Magic Kingdom.
Ria Sharon of Check My Tag writes about "Nut Allergy Friendly Restaurants." Amazingly, she finds a Chinese restaurant, The Chinese Noodle Cafe, that reigns supreme. They prove that it's not the style of cuisine, it's the attitude of the owner, who takes cross-contamination seriously.
Sarah, the No Whey, Mama, says "We heart Eat'n Park" with good reason. The Pittsburgh based restaurant boasts soy milk on its menu, has lists of dairy and gluten free items, and has a knowledgeable and accommodating staff that willingly bypasses the salad or breakfast bar to bring food directly to their dairy allergic child.
Recipes and Strategies for a Safe Holiday:
Alisa at Go Dairy Free researches egg dyes and finds "many food-grade, FDA approved dyes are made with toxins such as coal, tar, and other petroleum based products." In "Avoid Added Chemicals with Easy Homemade Easter Egg Dyes," she provides safe and ecologically friendly recipes and directions. Your children may enjoy making the dyes more than dying the eggs!
Janeen at Our Story generously shares her entire "Easter Menu" (with recipes), which is safe for those allergic to wheat, rye, barley, eggs, dairy, peanuts and tree nuts. I'm definitely going to try making the Maple Glazed New Potatoes.
Janeen's post also links to this touching article on "Making Purim Allergy-Free" at Chabad.org by Sara Atkins. She details her journey as the mother of three food allergic children who, "have gone from a total of forty-plus allergens down to less than twenty." Of course, there are also recipes for hamentashen, etc.
Libby at The Allergic Kid bakes an egg and dairy free "Coconut Key Lime Pie" for March 14th, the mathematical holiday known as "Pi Day."
Allergies in the News:
Leslea Harmon from Allergyware sifts through the headlines in her latest post and podcast of "All the News that Itches." She also interviews former Jeopardy champion Victoria Groce of About.Com Food Allergies, who provides useful information on the difference between food allergy and celiac disease.
At The Allergic Kid, Libby puts the EPA into time out for failing to protect asthmatic and allergic kids in "New EPA Limits Protect Industry Not Children."
That concludes this issue of the Carnival. Many thanks to Rational Jenn for allowing me to host. The next theme will be food allergies at school. What have your experiences been? What precautions does your child's school take? Were they already in place, or did you need to request them? Has your child experienced any food allergy related bullying? Did a food allergy contribute to a decision to home school? Don't forget to pack those lunch boxes!

4 comments:

Jenn Casey said...

The carnival looks great! Thanks for being a great host!

Anonymous said...

Very good carnival, thank you!

Rosa Raskin, M.S., M.L.S. said...

I am one of those worried Aunts with a nephew that has 30 major food allergies. I started a recipe collection for him 15 years ago, made his first birthday cake, etc. When he liked something I made as a toddler he would say "cookbook" which meant that I should enter it into my cookbook of recipes for him.

Now he is in high school and in orchestra and other activities, my sister had to figure out how to package his food as there are very few places he may eat. We are lucky that McDonald's offers plain hamburgers with no dairy, eggs or soy products. My sister freezes his food for the trip, and he carries it in a cooler to his hotel room where his teachers make sure he has a refrigerator. He does well with this and has snacks he carries around during the day. There is nothing he can eat from a vending machine but a drink, coke.

I am glad that his Mom and I are going to NYC to see him play violin at Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts. We were lucky to find a room with a kitchenette, including a refrigerator and microwave, walking distance from Lincoln Center, and local grocery stores.

He is not the only allergic teenager on the trip but I do believe he has the most allergies.
I know he will not need us, as this is not his first experience but I am glad we are available just in case. We are looking forward to a fantastic concert!

Thanks much,
Rosa S. Raskin
Web: http://www.raskinfo.com
Blog: http://preciouscooking.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed your carnival. Some good, helpful info is provided. Thanks! It can be hard to find much information on positive restaurant experiences for food allergy sufferers! We had a very good dinner experience at McCormick & Schmick's in Philadelphia last year.