Category: Food Allergies

Food Allergies

Food Allergies and Me

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In my search to find more resources and to support my son as he started school, I came upon this book called, “Food Allergies and Me”, by Juniper Skinner.

I volunteered at my son’s school and read this aloud in class in the beginning of the school year. I think it gives a glimpse into the life of a kid with food allergies, so he/she doesn’t feel so bad about having food allergies. It helps kids understand and be more compassionate.

I recommend this book if you haven’t already checked it out.

Below is a description of the book:

“Food Allergies and Me is a children’s book that provides an engaging and relatable experience for children who are beginning to learn about and cope with food allergies. Explore the life of a food allergic child as you follow Jack through a day of school, an allergist appointment, and the playground. Young children will begin to understand the importance of identifying allergens, asking for help when unsure, and alerting an adult immediately should they experience symptoms of an allergic reaction. Jack’s confidence demonstrates to the reader that having a food allergy is not a stigma or shame. Rather, it is a safety issue made simple with the ability to self advocate. Whether a child has allergies or has a friend who does, they will benefit from social lessons such as not sharing food, washing hands, and embracing one another’s differences. This book equips children with social and safety knowledge, as well as the tools needed to confidently navigate life with food allergies.” – from Amazon.

Food Allergies
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Stop the altering the DNA of our food, plants & animals! Yes on 37!

Right now a major battle for the future of our food and our democracy is playing out in California. At this very moment, everyday Californians are fighting to help pass Prop 37 to label genetically engineered foods. In the past 18 months, a powerful grassroots movement of mothers, grandmothers, farmers, activists and small companies have stood up to the most powerful multinational pesticide and biotech companies on the planet.

Created by artist Favianna Rodriguez to support this important fight, particulary as it affects communities of color.

Stop the Consolidation of our Food System! Demand the labeling of GMO Products!

Please share.

 

Our Families have a Right to Know – Yes on Prop. 37
Eczema Remedies, Food Allergies

7 Tips to Help Relieve a Baby that Scratches!

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Its the middle of the night, your baby is crying and scratching uncontrollably. You hold her arms. You sing a lullaby to soothe her. You’re up most of the night..and she falls back asleep eventually…..

I woke up one morning and saw that my daughter had scratched the sides of her face so much that I could see raw red skin on both sides of her face. When I looked closer, it wasn’t just her face, it was around the earlobes, her wrists, her ankles and all over the back of her legs. I remember when she was a baby, this was the norm.

Although, she has outgrown most of the eczema, my son, who is 19 months old, has food allergies and also eczema, so we still experience the heartache of seeing him scratching uncontrollably. I write this to help other parents or caregivers who have children that also scratch a lot. These are a few tips to help find some relief for your baby:

  1. Cut their nails – Nails grow incredibly fast, so it is important to stay on top of cutting your baby’s nails every few days, to ensure that they don’t easily hurt themselves with long nails. Try to keep a nail cutter handy, even when you’re out.
  1. Use Aquaphor -Lubricate your baby’s skin 3-4 times a day, especially in areas that your baby scratches a lot. This helps soothe the dry areas. I’ve tried almost all the brands that claim to help babies with eczema, and have found Aquaphor to work the best. We have a big container of Aquaphor in almost every room. (p.s. I am not sponsored by Aquaphor, but wish I was) We use it so much!
  1. Bathe baby in a bleach bath – It was extremely surprising to me when I first heard about this, but putting a little bleach in your baby’s bath water, actually kills off the top layer that causes eczema. I put it in my baby’s bath water about twice a week, or whenever the itchiness is severe. Think swimming pools…
  1. Keep babies hands and feet covered at night – Baby’s will most likely scratch the most at night, when you can’t be there to hold your baby’s hand, while they are scratching. Keeping them covered will help. We used to put socks on the hands, and stockings on the legs, and use a swaddle blanket. Today, my son wears GCT clothing almost 24/7.
  1. Be mindful of what your baby is wearing – Sometimes the fabrics (clothes, blankets, etc) play a huge part on whether your baby scratches. Try to have organic fabrics that are soft and hypo-allergenic on your baby. Support brands that offer green, eco-friendly fabrics and clothing.
  1. Be mindful of what your baby is eating.- There are more and more babies and people with foods allergies today. My son was tested for food allergies when he was about 1 year old, and we found out that he was allergic to wheat, soy and dairy. Find out from your pediatrician if there are any foods that your baby is allergic to. It’s quite common these days.
  1. Be mindful of the temperature – Is it too hot? Is it too cold? What climate you live in can greatly impact your baby’s comfort level. We live in the Bay Area, but when we took a trip to Hawaii last year, my baby’s eczema completely disappeared. I had never experienced such smooth skin on my baby, ever! That was a surprise. Maybe we need to move to Hawaii.

As a mom who has first hand experience with 2 babies that scratched a lot, I offer these 7 tips to help other parents or caregivers to improve your baby’s comfort level. Although my son still scratches to this day, probably because of his food allergies, and not as much his eczema, we still find that every little bit we do counts!

I started an eco-friendly clothing line, Golden Curly Tail, as a result of my kids having eczema. Check us out here!

Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. I am a mom. Both my children have eczema. My daughter has outgrown most of her eczema, but my son, still scratches all the time. These are some of the things I do to help find some relief for him.

Eczema Remedies, Food Allergies

Allergic to Wheat, Soy, Dairy and Egg Whites? What?

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Before my son was born, I did not really think much about what I could or could not eat, since I did not have any food allergies, but a few months into his newborn life here on earth, we got him tested for food allergies, and found that he was allergic to wheat, soy, dairy and egg whites. Since I was still breastfeeding  him, I slowly had to cut out these foods from my diet. I must say, it was not easy. I had to start reading labels when I when grocery shopping. I had to really look closely at the menu when we went out to restaurants and food places. I had to make special requests when dining out or visiting friends places for dinner. It was a very meticulous and detailed process. Although, I really tried to cut out these foods from my diet, it was not 100% out of my diet. And I would see him suffering, after I fed him. He would scratch and scratch, and cry and cry. It was very hard to watch.

About a month ago, I stopped breastfeeding him completely. Not surprisingly, his skin has been about 90% better. For some reason, he still scratches, and we are scratching our heads, trying to figure out why…. because he has pretty much not been fed any of the foods that he is supposedly allergic to.

In the past month, my focus has been on educating myself on food allergies, learning about genetically modified foods in our food system and eventually learning how to cook foods that we normally eat, but now it has to be gluten-free, dairy free and soy free.

I read the book… The Unhealthy Truth, by Robin O’Brien

It was an eye opener, because it was written by a mom who,  because her daughter had an allergic reaction to eggs, has taken it upon herself to help expose the evils of Monsanto and the connection with the FDA and EPA and those in Washington.

I also watched the documentary The Future of Food by Deborah Koons Garcia, the widow of Jerry Garcia. It was so informative and also made me really conscious of the idea of how much of our foods is genetically modified. It really motivated me to make daily changes to better what I consume.

Since I’ve become more aware of food allergies, as a result of my son’s allergies to wheat, soy, dairy and egg whites, I have also been meeting more and more people who, either themselves have food allergies or knows of someone with a food allergy…. strange….

there’s something going on…..