food allergies

For the love of gingerbread! Gathering around the table with sheets of gingerbread and bowls of candy is an annual tradition in many families. But for those with food allergies, it can be just another activity they need to sit out of for fear of going into anaphylactic shock. Unless of course, you purchase a safe kit!

A&J Bakery, a Rhode Island-based nut and gluten-free bakery that ships nationwide, is introducing Allergen-Friendly Gingerbread House Kits ($30) this year. The peanut, tree nut, wheat, gluten, soy, egg, dairy, and sesame-free kit includes everything budding architects need to create their confectionery masterpieces, including pieces of pre-baked gingerbread, a variety of five allergen-free candies, and non-edible decorations for additional fun. Mama's got to act fast to get her hands on a freshly baked kit — A&J is only accepting orders until Dec. 21!

Source: Flickr User Carrie Stephens

No tricks, just treats! Halloween is a particularly spooky time for tots with allergies. With so many sweets passing through kids' hands, it's best for mama to have a few holiday-themed treats on hand to alleviate any accidents. As nut allergies become more prevalent, many bakeries are going nut-free – guaranteeing that their goodies are baked with ingredients and in facilities that have never been contaminated by the highly allergic nuts. Here are a handful of nut-free bakeries that will ship their Halloween cookies nationwide.

• Boston-based Fancy Pants Bakery ships their nut-free goodies nationwide, including their Monster Mash Cookie Gift Set ($40), pictured here.
• Eleni's adorable Halloween cookie tins (starting at $25) are all nut free and perfect for a group gathering, or to send to fellow costumed pals.
• Though not up on their site yet, Seattle-based Little Rae's Bakery will be shipping their peanut- and tree nut-free Halloween-themed shortbread cookies nationwide again this year.
• O My Goodness' Kosher and nut-free cookies are available in a wide selection of spooktacular shapes and will be a hit with allergic trick-or-treaters.
• Want to make your own nut-free party treats? Cherrybrook Kitchen Sugar Cookie Mix is peanut-, dairy-, and egg-free, making it safe for most of the kids who'd be attending your event!

• Blue Bottle's New Orleans-style iced coffee might be the best iced coffee ever. — Serious Eats
• Should food writers out the names of restaurants that made them sick? — Grub Street NY
• The sad fate of Sandra Lee's memoir. — Eater
• Must make: chipotle corn soup. — Chow
• Why are food allergies on the rise? — CNN
• Top Chef Harold Dieterle's second restaurant will be Thai. — Feast NY
• The best food and drink tees. — Huffington Post Food
• A look at the fifth annual Great Hot Dog Cookoff of Brooklyn. — The Epi-Log

Source: Flickr User thebittenword.com

• Alice Waters's new cookbook is called In the Green Kitchen. — Eater
• Must make: bucatini with sausage. — Serious Eats
• What do you think will be the future of cookbook publishing? — Chow
• Writer Amy Tan recalls the food of Chinese New Years past. — SFoodie
• Heart-shaped pizza: love it or hate it? — Grub Street NY
• Make grilled cheese sandwiches five different ways. — Food Network
• Are food allergies real or just plain hype? — The Epi-Log

Mealtime may get a bit easier for parents of the four million US children who suffer from food or digestive allergies. According to The Wall Street Journal, many tots who have been diagnosed with allergies based on blood or skin tests may not actually be allergic to those items. When tested with a food challenge in a doctor's office or hospital, parents may find that their lil one can in fact tolerate the food in question.

At the American Association of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAI) conference last year, doctors from National Jewish reported that of 125 young patients given food challenges, more than half could tolerate foods they'd been told to avoid.

While knowing the history of what a child has eaten may be the most important part of initially diagnosing an allergy, food challenges, during which a child comes in contact with a food item while under a doctor's supervision, appear to be the best way to determine a true allergy. But parents who fear a full-on anaphylactic reaction tend to shy away from such experiments.

If your child had a food allergy, would you consider a food challenge to determine the severity of the problem?

Mealtime becomes a little more difficult for parents with kids who have food allergies. Nuts, eggs, wheat and dairy top the list of most common food allergens, but some kiddos have a whole slew of things that are restricted from their diets.

Symptoms can be minor, or severe, but leave parents investigating all ingredients that go into their tot's food. Some even opt to send children to a "peanut free" school so they don't have to worry about their tot coming into contact with the nutty stuff during the day. Do tell, does your child have any food allergies? If so, which ones?

We are all aware of what our lil ones eat, but parents of kids with allergies have to be extra sensitive when it comes to the menu. The rate of allergies has increased over the past 20-30 years and now more than three million kids have them. By the time they enter middle school, one in every 20 kids is watching what she puts in her mouth.

Fifty-four percent of LilSugar readers' children attend a peanut-free school or daycare center, making them well-aware of the issues. While most kids know someone affected by food, eczema, asthma, hay fever, it is virtually impossible for them to understand the emotional issues they deal with on a daily basis. This Sunday, Sept 27., Nickelodeon takes on the world of life-threatening allergies with a new special called I’m Allergic to My World. The Nick News with Linda Ellerbee special follows the lives of several children with various allergies and shows what it is like to spend a day in their shoes. The eye-opening program is a must-see for anyone who has ever questioned their school's no-nut policy. Will you tune in to watch it?

Photo courtesy of Lucky Duck Productions