"The Gluten Glitch" Has Been Embraced by Colorado Community!

I Eat Different's new book The Gluten Glitch has had a wonderful debut in our home State of Colorado!  A big thank you goes out to the independent book stores that have decided to share Gideon's gluten-free story with their readers.

 

The newest gluten-free kid's book is available at these fine Colorado book stores:

Tattered Cover Book Store - Denver, CO

Boulder Book Store - Boulder,CO

Anthology Book Company - Loveland, CO

Old Firehouse Books - Fort Collins, CO

Off The Beaten Path - Steamboat Springs, CO

Chicago Gluten-free Community - Thank you!!

Whew! What an Expo! 4500 people, tons of vendors... and a great debut for The Gluten Glitch!  First, thank you to all the gluten-free kids and parents that I met.  Your stories were the highlight of the Expo.  There were many brave kids with new diagnosis, and I tip my hat to you all.  It was so wonderful to be in a place where GF kids could just walk around and eat anything!  I would also like to thank Jen Cafferty for her unwavering support and advocacy.  Can't wait for next year!

The Gluten & Allergen Free Expo!

Hey Chicago... Here we come!  I'm happy to announce that I Eat Different! LLC will have a booth at the 2012 Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Chicago.  The event is at the Westin-Lombard Yorktown Center and will be held 4/14 - 4/15/2012.  Stop by and get your first copy of the newest gluten-free children's book!

I Eat Different! LLC will be debuting our new book, The Gluten Glitch. 

This book, about a little boy who has to eat gluten-free, will raise money for FAAN and the Celiac Disease Foundation for research and prevention.

I Eat Different!... fighting child food allergies, one book at a time!

Happy New Year... Although bittersweet

First of all, my condolences to the family of Ammaria Johnson. This is indeed a horrible tragedy. This little girl, with undiagnosed allergy, died from eating a peanut. For those of you food allergy warrior parents out there, a peanut allergy is a very scary and serious matter. After reading this ABCnews.com article, I have called my pediatric allergist and had him issue a prescription for an EpiPen Jr for my 7 year old. You see, his allergy is actually very mild... so why have I now required an EpiPen? Let me explain, that a peanut allergy or should I say the symptoms are very inconsistent, almost unpredictable, and of all allergies, I truly believe that this one is the worst. You can eat a peanut one time and have just mild rashes, and then the next time, you may stop breathing.

So even though my son has a mild peanut allergy, according to blood tests, I now want him to have an EpiPen. So in that moment, when there needs to be a decision made... there will be action, and that action is to save a life.

To school nurses, teachers, and parents... the EpiPen is like a defibrillator, or like CPR... it should be used no questions asked.

Halloween is Here!

Happy Halloween my little food allergy warriors! This is a special time of year for many kids, but for food allergic children, Halloween can be a sad time, since many of the candy is unsafe and unfit to eat. My little ones have the peanut, milk, egg and gluten allergy. This means I am extra careful about what they can have. I also like to think outside the "candy" box and look for treats that don't need to be eaten.

Pencils/erasers, stickers/tattoos, bracelets and stretchy skeletons... you name it, they sell it. Most of the kids that come to the door get so excited that the big bowl has everything, but candy! Get creative with your kids about trick-or-treating as well. Let them go door-to-door, let them get all the candy, good and bad, and when you come home... that is when the trading happens.

You see, my husband and I are peanut and chocolate lovers, and we're not allergic either. So to snag some of that wonderful candy, which of course should not go into the trash can, my husband and I trade with the kids. Safe Halloween goodies (I usually buy some extra special things that are not in the front door treat bowl), for that good old fashioned Reeses, and Snickers, and these wonderful little bars called "Take 5" that I just have to have.

So with all the different kinds of treats out there, whether they are to eat or not, food allergy warriors can still have a fabulous Halloween... and stay healthy.

Back To School!

Food Allergy Warriors Go Back To School

This month my youngest son, who happens to be the most severe in his food allergies, started Kindergarten.  I attended the first lunch with him on Monday and it was really quite a sight.  I’m ok with most situations that we are in when it comes to food, but to see that almost half the lunches, either from the cafeteria or home, were peanut butter sandwiches.  I was like, WOW!  I immediately asked the lunch attendant if there was a peanut-free table, which she said she didn’t know.  Right after this conversation, about 4 other students at that Kindergarten table said they had a peanut allergy.

Well to say that I was floored was an understatement.  Being that I know the principal pretty well, I walked over and said, “Hey Rick, we’ve got some peanut allergies over here.”  Immediately, he cordoned off a table with a No Peanut sign and was very attentive to the matter.  The nurse double checked that indeed there were six friends in my son’s new class with peanut allergy.

This was an interesting lunch indeed.  I was pleased by the response by the school and also shocked by the fact that one class alone… one random Kindergarten class with all new friends, has 6 students out of 20 with peanut allergies!  The times they are a changing…


Please post your back-to-school experiences.  Sharing stories can increase knowledge and awareness!

Summertime Blues

Food Allergy Summertime Blues

Well, I should have written this in the beginning of summer, but here we are now, half-way through and I’m writing because I am tired of the picnics and parties and food, food, food!!

Everyone knows that there is Memorial Day, The 4^th, Labor Day and everything in between during the summertime.  And it all revolves around food.  For most people, this is a time to indulge, but for food allergy warriors, it is a time to do the ho-hum usual:

-          Enjoy something that is not quite like the original

-          Focus on fruits and veggies

-          Redirect with activities like a new coloring book, or table game

I do this with my little ones all through summer and it gets old.  My oldest decided to put his foot down and try ice cream… with days of funky stomach and rash issues that we won’t go into.  My youngest is tired of the same old gluten-free cookies and popsicles for treats and I’m sick of it too.

But here we are pushing the negative in the food allergy world, when at the end of the day we survive by pushing positive… all day long!  And that’s ok. 

Our kids need for us to say the, “I know that’s a bummer, but you’ll feel better if you don’t” and the “I’ll bake you something just like that at home!” (Not even close as you think to yourself)… and even the “But these are a new type of popsicle!”  The consistency and encouragement count… every day!

So when you, like me, are facing another bbq backyard picnic with your little food allergy warriors...

Eat ahead of time, and instead of having the family head straight to the buffet table, take time to scope out the decorations, or say hi to the pets, or start playing some of the party games.  Remember that food doesn’t always have to be the focus for our little ones.