Baked French Toast
10 slices of bread
1 1/2 c milk
4 eggs
1/3 c honey
1 t vanilla
3/4 t cinnamon

Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix liquid ingredients and spices. Put a layer of bread in, then pour a little of wet mixture over. Keep doing layers. For variety add a layer of apple slices or berries and cream cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for ~ 40 minutes. Serve with maple syrup.

Smoothies
Plain Yogurt or Kefir(usually homemade) for all the good bacteria we need in our gut
1 cup per person
Raw Eggs for protein (from our chickens or another free range flock)
1 per person
Coconut Oil for all of its health properties
1 T per person
Vitamin C powder, buffered, again, for our health
Frozen Bananas for sweetening and because they're so healthy
Frozen Berries or Pineapple for our health and palate
Other options to add healthy properties: flax seed (put in before blending), sea vegetable powder, raw greens

Baked Oatmeal
The day before: Stir together 6 c oatmeal 2 c milk

In the morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together thoroughly
4 eggs, beaten
1 c coconut oil - if it is in its solid state, you will want to heat it a bit until liquid
1 c honey
4 t baking powder
2 t salt

Stir in the oatmeal-milk mixture.

Pour into an 11x15 pan and bake for 25 minutes. Serve with milk.

While it is cooking, do the prep work for lunch and supper. Switch the laundry loads, check the children's chores, etc. Then call the troops to breakfast and read a Psalm and Proverb to them while they eat.

The leftovers are good for a cold snack.

For the allergic kids, I substitute the milk with goat milk or water.


How to make oatmeal
The day before, sometime when you're working in the kitchen, at lunch, afternoon chore time, or supper
Put regular oats in a pot, twice as much water as oats.
Whey if you have it, I use lemon juice because of my girls with milk allergy, 2 Tablespoons per cup of oatmeal.
Let it sit on your stovetop (off) until the next morning.
Turn on your burner to medium-low and stir.
Do not stray too far from the stove and keep stirring. Burnt oatmeal is not a very good way to start the day. :-(

Some of us like it with raisins. If you put them in the pot the day before, they swell up and get juicy! Yum! Any dried fruits are yummy.

Some of us like it with chopped apples and cinnamon.

And we also add cocoa to it sometimes for chocolate oatmeal.

For more health add flax seeds or flax meal.

How much to make depends on how much your children will eat. I usually do 7 cups of oats (14 cups water) and have little for leftovers.

Dutch Puff
This is a great way to get the troops fed with protein that will last all morning long. And don't forget, eggs are brain food.

Here is the standard recipe which will feed 6 nicely.

The day before serving:

Put in a blender and blend 8 eggs 2 c fresh ground pastry flour 2 c milk or buttermilk

In the morning:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put a stick of butter in a 9x13 pan and put the pan in the oven. When the oven is hot and the butter has melted, pour the blender mixture in and bake for 20 minutes.

While it bakes, change the laundry loads, do lunch or supper prep, check up on the kids' chores, do the next thing and don't forget to set the timer for the Dutch Puff. : ) BTDT

The mixture puffs up into a gorgeous souffle type creation. The hotter your oven is when you put the dish in, the higher it puffs. If the oven is not hot enough it will take longer than 20 minutes. Take it to the table and ooh and aah over the beauty of the breakfast. As it cools it deflates. Serve on plates and pour maple syrup over it. Fresh berries are also delicious on the Dutch Puff. Another variation is to put sliced apples in the batter.

I have two girls that are allergic to cow milk so I make a half recipe with goat milk (mixing that in the blender first) and use coconut oil in the pan instead of butter.
The last year or so I have had to increase it by 1/2 and it no longer works for me to mix it in the blender. I put in a slightly bigger pan still using 1 stick of butter. Here is the adjusted recipe:

12 eggs, beat with a whisk in a large bowl 3 c milk, whisk in 3 c fresh ground pastry flour

I have seen a similar recipe putting the batter into greased muffin tins which would be really cute. But too much work for a fast breakfast.

Yummy options are to add thinly sliced apples or a handful of berries to the batter. YUM! You can also add berries as a topping after it's baked.



Basic Scones

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
6 T butter
1/2 c milk, buttermilk, yogurt, or cream (each variation adds character)
1 lightly beaten egg

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Add dairy and egg. Mix. Roll out dough and cut into pie wedges or into circles. Put onto baking sheets. Lightly beat another egg and brush the tops with it. Bake in a hot oven, 425 degrees, for ~15 minutes. With scones you can dress them up more by adding chopped dried fruit, chopped apples, chocolate chips, cinnamon, cranberries, or whatever else suits your fancy.

With scones and biscuits it's very important to not mix them too much which makes them dry and tough. The dough should be sticky. Do not mix in too much flour, this is easy to do when using fresh ground whole wheat. If you think you added too much flour and the dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. Remember, don't overmix.


Hashbrown Bake
24 oz. pkg. frozen hashbrowns OR shred a few potatoes with your food processor (greater value!)
4 T butter, melted
8 eggs
c milk
2 c Jack or Cheddar shredded
1 c cooked ham, sausage, or hamburger

Beat eggs; add milk, t salt, t pepper.
Mix in potatoes.
Add meat, chives, and cheese. Stir.
Bake until eggs are set.

Breakfast Casserole
3 c milk
6 eggs
1.2 stick butter
4 c croutons or dried breadcrumbs
2 c shredded cheddar
1 c ham cubed, or other cooked meat
t salt
1 t ground dry mustard
1 T minced onion
Dash pepper

Melt butter in bottom of dish.
Put in croutons.
Sprinkle with cheese; then ham.
Beat eggs; add spices and milk.
Pour over the top. If it looks dry then add more liquid.
Bake until eggs are set.

Similar posts: allergies

When the allergies take place sufferers body releases histamine, increased secretions and inflammation. As a result, those cause the symptoms that make the victims experience so miserable. Some drugs that can prevent histamine release and they are known as anti-histamines. They can give relief the sufferers for a while. Those allergy relief products can reduce several symptoms; however, they cannot cure the problem. The allergy products can produce some nasty side-effects like drowsiness and much more of those fatigues victims already get. Some newer anti-histamine like Claritin or Reactine is less apt causing those side-effects.
Anyone may go in process to reduce histamine release and feel quite better. One can try the approaches as those are easy to try. Here few natural supplements are given below that can help the sufferers.
Vitamin C: The vitamin is considered as anti-histamine. It can help the sufferer if they take it proper amount in right way. 1000 mg Vitamin C must be taken daily through the day (3 to 5) times with meals. Dont get the timed release variation for the purpose.
Pantothenic Acid: The acid is one kind of B complex vitamins. Take it 250 mg twice per day with meals. It is often sold as the name of Calcium Pantothenate.
Citrus Bioflavinoids: A dose of 500 mg of it have to take three times daily with sufferer meals. It tends to alleviate individual mast cells. Suffers can go also with homeopathic treatment. It remedies can be very helpful. This type of remedies has to take before Spring and Fall season starts. Some homeopathic mixture is very helpful on this regard like Pollens 30CH.
Pollens 30CH (Borion) is very effective homeopathic mixture for this type. The remedy is a mixture of pollens (Canadian) and grasses. It is available in health food shops, a number of pharmacies and several departmental stores in Canada. Generally, it serves in the market as packs of 6 doses and every dose gets in a tiny tube. Sufferers have to put the entire tube of granules underneath the tongue in order to let the dose dissolve. They have to do it once per week during the season. For better result homeopathic remedies must be taken an hour before having meals in a clean mouth. With the interference of mouthwash or toothpaste dont take the remedies because that can inactivate or reduce their effeteness.

Similar posts: allergies

Whether it’s the rude throng of last-minute Christmas shoppers, or the drunken fratboys slithering up to you at a concert, or the old man in the restaurant booth behind you who clears his decrepit throat every forty seconds, everyone finds themselves feeling a general aversion to people now and then.  For those with any level of social anxiety, there is always at least a hum of this derision in the background, sometimes a full-on shout.  Even for those without it, repeated ugly experiences can inspire a familiar distaste for people that may never completely disappear.  Unless, of course, the people do.
Sometimes the feeling is disdain for their behavior, other times it’s a fear of it.  Think of the last time you got upset.  Chances are, the actions of another person had something to do with it.  Other people seem to trigger the most unpleasant emotions in us.  Self-consciousness, intimidation, embarrassment, anger, vulnerability and humiliation tend to characterize our most painful experiences and our most unsettling memories.
When people are present, suddenly there arises a certain tension in the body and mind, however subtle.  Our senses are very keen to the spectrum of threats other human beings can present to us. This physical and emotional reaction to people could almost be described as an allergy; an involuntary reaction to the introduction of a certain element to the environment.  This offending element is humanity.

Similar posts: allergies

Flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, it's finally getting warm all of that can only mean one thing...what you ask? Spring of course and with spring comes allergy season and if there's one thing I hate more than winter colds it's allergy season!

All of my kids suffer from seasonal allergies so Spring time in my house is not always a very happy time. Sneezing, runny noses, and itchy, irritated eyes are the norm in my house this time of year so I'm always trying to find a medicine that will help relieve their symptoms but not make them tired...that in itself is a challenge! Always before my kids have been on prescription allergy medications and always before the medicine made them tired, irritable, and left them in a fog, but I think I may have found the solution to this problem!

Recently I joined a campaign with Bzz Agent for Children's Claritin Allergy (Non-Drowsy) at first I was skeptical because in the past over the counter medications have not worked, but I decided that anything was worth trying so I had used my oldest daughter (who also happens to have the most severe allergies of my children) as a guinea pig. The first day that she took the medication she seemed to have less symptoms than in the past and the medicine didn't make her tired or cranky which was a big plus! I'm happy to report that she's been taking the Children's Claritin for the past few days and I've seen a huge improvement in her symptoms.

If you'd like to try Children's Claritin Allergy (non-Drowsy) then send me an email and I would be happy to send you a $3.00 off coupon to help save some money.

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If left untreated, the skin will continue to deteriorate and develop bald spots and red skin will be easily seen.

At this point a veterinary dermatologist will need to be consulted for a comprehensive evaluation and a treatment plan selected.


Aatopic Dermatitis Diagnosis

Diagnosis for atopic dermatitis in dogs is difficult. There is no one single blood test to detect the disorder, so diagnosis is obtained through observation, the process of elimination, along with blood testing to eliminate other possible infectious causes, and sometimes a comprehensive skin test for likely allergens.

Atopic dermatitis in dogs is not to be ignored. The condition must be diagnosed, the allergen identified and if possible, eliminated from the dogs environment. Medication and treatments should be given to ease the discomfort.

Similar posts: allergies

For the second day, we are finally receiving rain! I am so grateful for it. Hopefully the thick yellow coating of pollen will be washed away to a near-manageable level. I don't know for certain if it has been particularly bad this year, or if I'm simply more aware of it since I've had to listen to DH's sniffling and snuffling and generally looking like he picked up a heroin addiction sometime around the beginning of spring. Either way, I want the icky shit gone.

Not because it bothers me, mind you, simply because the whole allergy thing with DH is akin to a mancold that never gets any better. No, I do not have allergies. After years and years as a child of hearing the doctor declare, "It's just her allergies." every freaking time I had a sniffle or a headache, I finally broke down and made an appointment with an Allergist a few years ago, despite my fear of needles.

For those that don't know of my many quirks, one of them is being touched on the underside of my forearm. It absolutely fuhreaks me out and makes me feel like I could rocket through the ceiling in attempt to escape the touch. It is that bad. And the forearm is exactly where they administer the test punctures to check for allergies. It was a horrible experience, but I was desperate for a solution to my headaches and since I'd heard over and over and over how my allergies were the true culprit, I knew I had to be tested if I were ever going to find relief.

So I was.

And I found out that I am allergic to...





Nothing.



Yep, that's right. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nothing.

I wasn't sure whom to strangle first, the nurse that administered the useless test, the allergist that ordered the test, or all of the doctors that had declared me to have allergies. Fortunately for them, I couldn't decide so I've put it off. I am a procrastinator, you know.

But their day is coming. Eventually.

Similar posts: allergies

Due to pollution and unhealthy living, the number of people who easily get allergies, colds and other common afflictions are on the rise. The wide, and oftentimes unnecessary, use of antibiotics also contributes to the growing resistance of many disease-causing microbes to many conventional medications. If you are one of the millions of people who are prone to getting sick or if you simply want to have a stronger immunity against diseases, then you have to take these necessary steps to help beat the bug. Make Some Changes In Your Diet
Everything you put inside your mouth -- whether food, drinks or medications -- contributes to your overall health. But if what you are consuming are junk and unhealthy foods, then your body will be in a poor shape and prone to many illnesses and infections. Instead of making food the reason why you are getting sick, use it as your ally to a healthy life.
Thus, you better start adding nine servings of fresh organic vegetables and fruits everyday. As you grow older, it would be better to increase the servings of raw fruits and vegetables to your diet in order to maximize the benefits of these types of food. You should also start avoiding sugar-rich foods and those that contain tons of preservatives. Lean meat and fishes are also good sources of protein. Lastly, be more selective with your choice of carbohydrates. Make sure you consume whole grains and oats, instead of processed bread and pasta.
Read Between The Lines
Before you put food in your grocery cart, you should first read its label. If the label is as long as Shakespeare's sonnets, then you should think twice before buying it. It is much better to eat food that contains simple ingredients, most of which you can understand. If the components of an item were foreign to you, then it would be better to look for an alternative. You also need to be careful with the low-fat, fat-free, and sugar-free varieties because sometimes these are loaded with ingredients that are more harmful than the ones that have been substituted.
Get Physical
Many studies have confirmed that people who do nothing but sit and watch television all day long are more listless and lethargic than people who get a dose of physical activities everyday. If you want to age gracefully and actively, then you better start moving your butt and perform regular physical activities.
You really do not have to go to a gym to have a dose of exercise. Simply walking your mutt, playing with your child or climbing the stairs are good activities that can help you break a sweat everyday. You can even vary your activities everyday so that you do not have to be bored with what you are doing.
Obtain A Juicer
If you are not fond of munching fruits and vegetables, you can always drink them. One good way of taking advantage of the many nutrients and minerals of raw fruits is by juicing them. In fact, this is a better alternative than popping a pill or taking supplements.
Load Up On Antioxidants
Free radicals are responsible for a wide variety of illnesses and conditions, including cancer and diabetes. In fact, they are also known for causing premature aging. If you do not want to look and feel 70 when you are only 40, then you better find ways to incorporate foods and supplements that are rich in antioxidants.
Do The Detox Twice A Year
Give your internal organs a break by doing two-day fasting and cleansing every two weeks. Eating the good stuff is sometimes not enough to keep you healthy and disease-free. You also need to get rid of the bad stuff. This can be done by undergoing detoxification every now and then.

Similar posts: allergies

DURHAM, NC -- A carefully administered daily dose of peanuts has been so successful as a therapy for peanut allergies that a select group of children is now off treatment and eating peanuts daily, report doctors at Duke University Medical Center and Arkansas Children's Hospital.
"It appears these children have lost their allergies," says Wesley Burks, MD, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Duke. "This gives other parents and children hope that we'll soon have a safe, effective treatment that will halt allergies to certain foods.

Similar posts: allergies

It is so frustrating to get allergic reaction from almost anything. If you dont subject yourself to allergy testing, you will never know which elements are causing you allergic reactions so you will never really know which ones to avoid and you will just be surprised that you are fine at the moment and then suddenly the sneezing and wheezing starts.
Allergy is something that can be prevented. For as long as you know which elements you are allergic to, you can do something to avoid getting any allergic reaction. Allergy can sound like normal for a lot of people but this can be a serious problem especially for kids. The allergic reactions can get pretty bad and kids may not be able to handle them. For infants, especially, a runny nose can lead to difficulty in breathing which can actually lead to death. Although the percentage of danger is low, still there is that .
Protecting Your Kids From Allergy
Allergy is quite a tricky thing to prevent especially if you dont know what causes it. This is how important allergy testing is. Through allergy testing, you will be able to identify the allergens. Allergens refer to the substances or elements that cause allergic reactions. There are different ways to test for allergy and the most common is allergy skin testing. The persons skin will be exposed to several potential allergens and will be observed for any unusual reaction. If there is a reaction, the person is allergic to that substance. A person can be tested for hundreds of allergens. You will be surprised at how the results would be. Sometimes you would know that you are actually allergic to something that you least expect you would be allergic to.
Allergy testing is safe for people of all ages. Kids can undergo allergy testing and they will not feel uncomfortable as the skin testing is a painless procedure. You can protect your kids from the dangers of allergy if you have an idea of what to let your kids avoid. If you dont know that your kids are allergic to pollen, you wouldnt tell them to avoid flowers, would you? This is how important to consider allergy testing for kids. As parents, you should spend more time making efforts to ensure the health of your kids and allergy testing is one good step. Dont let your kids live through the shadows of runny nose, red eyes, sneezing and other types of allergic reactions.

Similar posts: allergies

Food allergies candy
It can be very difficult for a person to find foods they are allowed to eat when they have food allergies. Many of our foods are based on the very products that are considered the most common food allergies. Many individuals have food allergies to eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, shellfish, and seafood. As you can imagine some of these properties are also found in candy. For instance candy bars usually have nuts, tree nuts, dairy, and some type of egg. You will also find that some of the candy can even have a wheat base depending on the type of candy bar. For many with food allergies this has meant just cutting candy out of their lives, but you will find a list below of certain food allergies candy that you can have. This is especially helpful if you have children. Children dont like to feel left out because of a food allergy, and having a candy snack around that you can give them on occasion is a very delightful prospect. Dum Dum Candy Canes are the first item on the list for food allergies candy. The Dum Dum has been created with sugar, corn syrup, citric acid, malic acid, artificial flavor, and color. This means that you will not find any diary, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, or even gluten in the snack. It provides a safe snack for whatever food allergy you may have. Even if you have multiple food allergies you will find this snack is available. Spree Candy Canes are also made with sugar, corn syrup, citric acid, sodium citrate, artificial and natural flavors, as well as color added. You will again find that this candy is free of any common food allergies ingredients and that the equipment used is kept free of such foods. Now and Later, Candy Canes, Jolly Ranchers, Wonka Chocolate candy canes, Gobstoppers, Sweet Tarts, and Hersheys chocolate mint candy canes have all been made without the most common food allergies ingredients. This means that any of the above food allergies candy is going to be safe for you or your child. You do want to keep in mind that with food allergies some individuals tend to develop multiple allergies because they have too many antibodies in their system. It is always wise to rotate even the candy you allow yourself or your child to avoid any issues with eating the same foods.

Similar posts: allergies

He caught a little cold, which promptly turned into an ear infection, for which we went through the usual course of antibiotics. And then after he was through with the antibiotics, he got a rash. Not just a little rash somewhere on his back or belly -- but a rash all over his body and alarming enough that the children's pastor at church put him in quarantine. So I took him over to the weekend kids' clinic where we waited for two hours, most of it in a cubicle with only a curtain separating Mace from all the wonderful rolling equipment with the buttons that light up. To keep him entertained, we watched all the videos I have of him and Casey stored on my camera many many times. When the doctor finally came in he ruled out Scarlet Fever (throat looked fine) and Fifth's Disease (his cheeks weren't ruddy), shrugged his shoulders and said, "Probably just something viral he picked up." I'm ready for him to drop it back off, cause the rash is lingering in spots and he still has a runny nose and a cough.

I'm starting to think (prepare yourself, this is big) that my mother might be right. My kid has allergies.

Growing up, my mother was not the chicken soup kind of mom. If I went to her and said, "Mom, I don't feel good." Her response, without fail, was, "Well did you take something?" Meaning -- had I self-medicated already? My usual response was "No, ma'am" (I was nothing if not polite as a child, even when I was sick). To which, Mom would say, "Well then, I don't feel sorry for you." (I'm pretty sure this is when I developed my pill-taking phobia -- I still can't swallow pills without chewing them first.)

Also, we never had colds as children. Not one. We had allergies. Granted, we lived in Georgia, where pollen coats the entire state yellow for at least two or three months a year, but still, to never pick up a virus? Seems unlikely.

So when my own kids are sick and my mom diagnoses them over the phone with, "It's allergies" -- it rubs me the wrong way and brings back memories of me as a six year old trying to get the child-proof cap off the Dimetapp bottle so that I could take some before I went to tell Mom I couldn't breathe and my throat felt like I'd swallowed an SA8 pad (that's steel wool for all of you who grew up in non-Amway households).

But. Mace has a clear runny nose, an unexplained rash, and a lingering cough. He is eating like a toddler (on again, off again) and doesn't have a fever.

The boy has allergies.

Similar posts: allergies

The Peanut Allergy Kid. I am very excited to share my thoughts on the film here on Food Allergy Buzz.

I am so glad that he made this film, and that I've had an opportunity to see it. It is a great primer on living with food allergies, especially for those just beginning their food allergy journey. 84 minutes in length, it gives a thorough overview of food allergies in laymen's terms, with commentary from experts and medical professionals such as Dr. Scott Sicherer of the Jaffee Food Allergy Institute, and Drs. Harvey Leo and Ben Son of Allergy Immunology Associates of Ann Arbor. There are interviews with support group members as well as food allergic children, adults and their families. It's divided into twenty-two "chapters" that break food allergies into easily digested topics, such as First Allergic Reactions, The Diagnosis, Reading Labels, and Can You Outgrow Allergies. I wish this documentary had been available when we first received the peanut allergy diagnosis! It gives all the basics in an accurate, reasonable, and reassuring way.

I recall as we left the allergist's office the day of the skin test and confirmation of the allergy diagnosis, we were handed a list of resources. I remember seeing information on how to order Vermont Nut Free Chocolate and that was about it. I hope allergists' offices will begin to include I'm Not Nuts on their lists of resources. It would also be useful for support groups to have a few copies on hand if they have a lending library. In fact, as I type these words, I am thinking I ought to look into donating a copy to our town library. I remember going to the library looking for information and finding little. This documentary would be a great addition!

Indeed, I'm Not Nuts: Living with Food Allergies would make an excellent addition to any food allergy family's library and should be required for everyone beginning the food allergy journey. If you are new to life with food allergies--as an allergic adult or as a caregiver for an allergic child--I highly recommend you see this documentary. For those of you already accustomed to life with food allergies, I'm Not Nuts may provide you with some new information and as well as confirmation of information you already possess. It also may be a helpful tool to help educate relatives and friends, making the basics of food allergies more accessible to everyone.

Similar posts: allergies

Food for allergies
When you have food allergies you must be extremely careful with what you eat. There are certain foods for allergies that have been created to make eating a little easier for those that have multiple food allergies. The fact the food for allergies exists is just half the battle. You still have to know where to find these different foods for allergies. First most food for allergies is going to have at least one ingredient if not a few missing. The most common food allergies are dairy, peanut, tree nut, wheat, shellfish, and seafood. Those who have multiple allergies can actually suffer from more than one food allergy in this list. This means that it is extremely difficult for a person to go to a restaurant or even find food in the store depending on the food allergy or allergies. For those that need special food for allergies it is often easier to go to the supermarket in order to find the appropriate foods. At the supermarket or on online specialty shops you can be guaranteed there is nothing in the food for your allergies to flare up. In other words when you go to the supermarket you are going to have to look for food for allergies. This means that you must read the entire package of ingredients. For an example lets use someone that is allergic to wheat. Many of the spaghetti or noodles, desserts, and even rice are going to be made with wheat. For this person they will have to look on the shelf for a food for allergies. This means that there may be special packaging that advertises no wheat products or they will have to stand there and read the package for the word wheat. This can get pretty tiring and it is time consuming. That is why there are a few specialty stores online as well as natural food stores that tend to carry food for allergies. One place you can find snack foods for allergies is called Divvies. Divvies offers a great range of snack food items that are completely without the common ingredients, such as wheat, nuts, dairy, and egg. Going back to our example up above you will also find that many of the products have an egg base. This can be rather difficult for someone who is allergic to even cooked eggs. The best method for finding food for allergies is still going to be reading the packages.

Similar posts: allergies

Today's Monday Review is brought to you by GoPicnic, a company specializing in ready-made snackbox meals.

In 2005, GoPicnic provided shelf-stable meals to a major US airline. Since then, they have expanded and now offer over 25 different meal and snack options for adults and kids, including vegetarian, gluten-free and kosher alternatives.

All GoPicnic snackboxes are peanut free. Their MightyMunch kids meals are tree-nut free too. Plus, if you like to avoid trans fat, high fructose corn syrup and MSG, GoPicnic doesn't add any of those either. Complete ingredient information is available on their boxes and website. Read carefully as some products are manufactured on the same line, or produced in a facility, that processes top allergens.

I really appreciate that these meals don't require heating or refrigeration. You simply open the box, use the enclosed plastic utensils, and eat. They even provide a wet-wipe for easy clean-up. What a perfect solution for a quick school lunch, a field trip day or a visit to grandma's. As you prepare to travel, how convenient it would be to order several snackboxes and have them shipped directly to your destination. No more worrying about what to feed your food allergic child when you first arrive. Wouldn't it be great if GoPicnic had a food allergy line of snackboxes? I'd love to see a few kids meals that are free of dairy and egg, as well as peanuts and tree nuts.

I tried Safari Munch, Sports Munch and Go Trek. The meals are well-balanced and I like the variety in the boxes - 5 or 6 foods for each meal.

Snackboxes are priced as low as $2.99 (most kids meals are $4.99). As a bonus to Food Allergy Assistant readers, GoPicnic will give a 25% discount for your first order. Just use coupon code "GPTHANKS".

Check out GoPicnic's complete line of products.

Check out my website for more information: www.foodallergyassistant.

Similar posts: allergies

This week was Teacher Appreciation Week at our school. There was a day where the students brought in flowers and one day where they brought in cards. The PTA did a lunch and breakfast was provided on another day. It was a nice to week to show how appreciated the teachers are and I think it meant it a lot to them. It’s a good time to also let them know how appreciative we are of all they do with our kids with allergies and asthma.

Similar posts: allergies

Bee Sting Symptoms: Bee Stings can cause a lot of symptoms, but the most common is first there will be a sharp pain and burning sensation in the area of the sting. To some people this is very painful, a lot worse than getting a shot in the doctors office. The severe pain and buring is caused by the poison in the bee or wasps venom.
Other symptoms of bee stings are a redness or swelling of the local area. I swell up like a pancake near any sting site. Some people develop a rash or hives, and yet others that are very allergic to the venom will have severe problems such as swelling of the lips or throat, swelling around the eyes, throat tightness, wheezing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, lightheadedness, or passing out due to low blood pressure. If you start developing any of the severe symptoms, get to a Hospital ER right away or call an ambulance.
Bee Sting Treatment: There are a lot of treatments for Bee and Wasp Stings, and here are just a few. To ease the pain of a sting, take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). Some people make a mixture of water and meat tenderizer and apply it onto the bite. Papain, an enzyme in meat tenderizer, breaks down the protein in bee venom responsible for the pain and itching. Dont leave this on for more than 30 minutes, or it can irritate the skin and cause a rash in some people. Apply an ice pack or bag of very cold water for 10 to 30 minutes after the sting, the cold slows down the bodys allergic response.
Bee Sting Prevention: How does one prevent bee or wasp stings ? If you are outdoors in the spring or summer months, you will encounter bees and wasps. Try your best to stay away from these flying creatures if possible. If you are mowing the grass or walking, or picking berries, you will encounter a bee or wasp in time. Do not swing or react violently towards it, to do so, may excite it, causing it to attack and sting. Just try to move out of the way, or slowly react to it in a calm movement. If you see a bee or wasp inside, kill it with a fly swatter or rolled up newspaper. Do not pick up the dead wasp or bee right after it has been killed, the bee or wasps stinger will often move for over an hour by muscle or nerve reactions, making the creature able to sting a long time after its dead.

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Snoring and daytime sleepiness are not associated with allergic rhinitis, but are associated with obstructed nasal passages, regardless of an individuals allergic status, according to an article.
One persistent symptom of allergic rhinitis, a runny nose due to allergies, is nasal obstruction.
The authors of the article point out that the resulting obstructed breathing can cause complications.
People with nasal obstruction often experience other symptoms, including headache, thirst, lack of concentration, daytime cognitive deficits, daytime sleepiness and disturbed sleep, which impair their daily and social activities, they write.
There has been growing awareness that the morbidity [illness] of allergic rhinitis in the general population is increasing and is leading to a decline in school and work performance, resulting not only in a medical economic loss but also in a large social economic loss.
In order to explore the relationship between nasal obstruction, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness with the presence or absence of allergies, Nobuaki Hiraki, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan, analyzed a survey distributed to 1,878 workers, 78% (1,459) of whom responded with sufficient information to perform the analysis.

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Dr. Boyan Hadjiev of Advanced Allergy, Asthma and Sinusitis P.C. He and his staff are experts in their field, and they’re ready to assist you in diagnosing and treating allergies, asthma, and sinus problems. They’re constantly learning new techniques and preparing treatment plans based on the newest medical breakthroughs in allergies.
What might Dr. Hadjiev diagnose you with? Below are some of the most common types of allergies that you may have and how to avoid them.
Food allergies only appear when you eat a specific type of food or seasoning. Sometimes, these allergies are very apparent and even life-threatening. Those who have a peanut allergy, for example, may actually find their throat closing up and have difficulty breathing. People who have a milk allergy, too, may immediately know the source of their allergy if they have an immediate reaction after drinking milk. However, it’s not always this obvious.
There are actually people who are, for example, allergic to parsley. Parsley is used to garnish many different meals, and people rarely even notice it on their plate. Few would think their allergies were caused by this small green decoration, but some are. If you believe your allergies are food-related, Dr. Hadjiev will help you examine your diet and the times your allergies flared up to see if there is any connection.
Asthma and allergy reactions often go hand in hand. One such connection comes from being exposed to harsh chemicals like cleaning supplies. It is possible to breathe in a dangerous amount of Lysol and other cleaners. Once you have, these chemicals can damage your lungs and cause asthma. If you breathe these chemicals in again, you may have an allergic reaction that causes breathing difficulties. However, you don’t have to be exposed to anything to have asthma. In fact, the most common type of asthma is called allergy-induced asthma and only occurs when you come into contact with something you’re allergic to. This can be anything from simple dust to pet dander to chemicals.
Some people also suffer from skin allergy. This type of allergy occurs when you touch something you’re allergic to. Once you do, you’ll notice the area of contact is red or has a rash. Sometimes, this rash extends over a large amount of your body. Common skin allergies include hives, eczema, and contact dermatitis. Some of these are caused by cosmetics or topical medication. Some skin allergies only manifest as a rash, but some are accompanied by itching. One of the most well-known forms of contact dermatitis that itches is poison ivy.
Dr. Hadjiev and his team go out of their way to stay current in the field of allergies and asthma by attending many different conferences, including international conferences, and reading the latest medical journals. This continuing education keeps them on the leading edge of their field and helps them recognize many different rashes and other skin allergies right away. If you notice any strange rash, a quick meeting with Dr. Hadjiev often ends with a prescription for an allergy medicine that will stop the itching and clear your skin up very quickly.
Another common allergy is a gluten allergy. In fact, this allergy is so common that about one in every 30 adults have it! There are many symptoms of a gluten allergy, but these symptoms are so common, it’s hard to tell if you’re experiencing an allergic reaction or if you’re experiencing something else. You may experience fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea, osteoporosis, constipation, depression, skin problems, difficulty focusing, and general irritability. There are also some more distinctive symptoms like anemia, mouth ulcers, and more, but overall, it’s hard to immediately narrow it down to a gluten allergy.
To truly discover if you are having an allergic reaction to gluten or if you have something like celiac, you need to visit an expert. Again, Dr. Hadjiev is more than qualified to perform the tests necessary and to prescribe various allergy medications and create treatment plans to help you overcome your gluten allergy.
There are many other types of allergies as well. Some are seasonal, while others may be overcome with a lifestyle change. If you’re allergic to pets, for example, you may decide that you need to give up your pet in order to live better. However, if you want to keep your dog or cat, Dr. Hadjiev can help you find ways to do that while still controlling your allergies.
In addition to continually training and keeping on top of the latest research in allergies and asthma, Dr. Hadjiev also does his best to accommodate his clients. He knows people in New York are constantly on the go and don’t have time to wait around for an appointment. He sets his schedule and his appointments so there is minimal wait time and maximum face to face time. This means you’ll be able to get in, see Dr. Hadjiev, and get back to your family or your job with little time wasted. Dr. Hadjiev is even willing to work around busy schedules and set appointments after standard business hours if that’s what it takes.
Dealing with allergies is not a pleasant experience, but there’s no need to simply live with them. If you’re in New York and want to free yourself from the sneezing, runny nose, or worse that occurs whenever you have an allergic reaction, contact Dr. Hadjiev today. He can set you on the path to living the allergy-free life you deserve.

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Bee Sting Symptoms: Bee Stings can cause a lot of symptoms, but the most common is first there will be a sharp pain and burning sensation in the area of the sting. To some people this is very painful, a lot worse than getting a shot in the doctors office. The severe pain and buring is caused by the poison in the bee or wasps venom.
Other symptoms of bee stings are a redness or swelling of the local area. I swell up like a pancake near any sting site. Some people develop a rash or hives, and yet others that are very allergic to the venom will have severe problems such as swelling of the lips or throat, swelling around the eyes, throat tightness, wheezing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, lightheadedness, or passing out due to low blood pressure. If you start developing any of the severe symptoms, get to a Hospital ER right away or call an ambulance.
Bee Sting Treatment: There are a lot of treatments for Bee and Wasp Stings, and here are just a few. To ease the pain of a sting, take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). Some people make a mixture of water and meat tenderizer and apply it onto the bite. Papain, an enzyme in meat tenderizer, breaks down the protein in bee venom responsible for the pain and itching. Dont leave this on for more than 30 minutes, or it can irritate the skin and cause a rash in some people. Apply an ice pack or bag of very cold water for 10 to 30 minutes after the sting, the cold slows down the bodys allergic response.
Bee Sting Prevention: How does one prevent bee or wasp stings ? If you are outdoors in the spring or summer months, you will encounter bees and wasps. Try your best to stay away from these flying creatures if possible. If you are mowing the grass or walking, or picking berries, you will encounter a bee or wasp in time. Do not swing or react violently towards it, to do so, may excite it, causing it to attack and sting. Just try to move out of the way, or slowly react to it in a calm movement. If you see a bee or wasp inside, kill it with a fly swatter or rolled up newspaper. Do not pick up the dead wasp or bee right after it has been killed, the bee or wasps stinger will often move for over an hour by muscle or nerve reactions, making the creature able to sting a long time after its dead.

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Despite this year's revised AAP recommendations on introducing common allergens foods to infants, many parents and pediatricians prefer to hold off on feeding newly weaned babies foods that are seen as particularly allergenic. Peanuts are among the foods parents in the United States are most apt to wait on (other common infant feeding recommendations delay citrus, eggs, shellfish, tree nuts, or eggs until one year or more).
However, a new population-based study comparing infants in the United Kingdom and Israel raises questions about whether early introduction to peanuts might not in fact have a protective effect against food allergies. Noting that cultures in which infants eat peanuts early and frequently are said to have lower rates of peanut allergy, the researchers received questionnaires from approximately 8600 schoolchildren in the two countries. Children with a reported history of peanut allergy were screened further by medical practitioners.
After controlling for history of other atopic disorders, food allergies, and social class, researchers found that British children were about ten times more likely to have a peanut allergy (about 1.85% in the UK as opposed to 0.17% in Israel). Over two-thirds of Israeli children were eating peanuts by the age of nine months, as compared to 10% of British children, and peanuts made up a much larger portion of the Israeli infants' diet.
So does this mean that, if you have a baby, you should load up that spoon with peanut butter? This is one more piece of evidence in favor of the AAP's recent shift away from delaying allergenic solids, but as with most studies, this one shouldn't be considered conclusive. Further longitudinal studies are underway to determine whether countries that recommend delaying the introduction of peanuts should keep that recommendation or change it to favor early introduction. And if your doctor recommends waiting until a certain age before giving your child certain foods, don't alter that schedule without talking to your doctor, especially if there's a history of food allergies in your family.

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