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I found this recipe for chocolate muffins and tried it. Besides being soy free, it also has a glycemic rating of medium, so it’s better for your blood sugar too. The kids loved it.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin tins (makes 18 standard sized muffins).

Cream together (beat with a mixer for 1-2 minutes):

1/2 C margarine or butter
3/4 C sugar

Add to this mixture:

2 eggs
1/2 C cocoa power (spend the money on good cocoa, it makes a big difference)

Beat with the mixer. Then fold in the following:

1-1/2 C applesauce

In a separate bowl, combine:

1-3/4 unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

GENTLY, add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Combine enough to absorb the flour, but do not overmix. Mixture will be very fluffy.

Spoon the mixture into the greased muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool a little before removing muffins from the pans.

Give them a try and send in your feedback. We love ideas, so if you experiment and come up with a great variation, please share it with us!!!

Eating Out With Food Allergies Is a Challenge, But Everyone Can Do Their Part

FAIRFAX, Va., August 25, 2008 – With one in 25 Americans reporting a food allergy, restaurants are increasingly likely to have customers who require a special meal. Welcoming Guests With Food Allergies provides tools to train restaurant staff to safely prepare and serve food to guests with food allergies.

“The updated and revised Welcoming Guests guide is an absolute must-have for restaurants and consumers. It manages to be comprehensive while staying user-friendly,” said Ming Tsai, chef and owner of Blue Ginger. “Everyone in the food service industry should read this guide – it could save a life.”

Available free for download from www.foodallergy.org, this comprehensive program is an updated and revised version of an earlier training program published by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). This 60-page guide includes case studies, best practices, up-to-date research, food labeling information, and practical strategies for avoiding cross-contact, as well as suggested procedures for keeping guests safe and steps to prepare for an allergic emergency. Restaurants can use this guide as a basis for their food allergy management programs.

“Studies show that reactions in restaurants are often caused by lack of staff education about food allergy. In a number of situations, the guests did not inform the staff of their allergy. Serving guests with food allergies requires staff education and clear communication between guests and staff,” said Anne Muñoz-Furlong, Founder and CEO of FAAN. “This training program helps staff achieve those goals so everyone can have an enjoyable and safe restaurant meal.”

FAAN originally developed the program in cooperation with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and its members. According to the NRA, nearly half of the money Americans spend on food is spent in restaurants.

“The National Restaurant Association – and the restaurant industry as a whole – recognizes that food allergies are an important issue and that educating staff is crucial to ensuring proper attention to guests with food allergies,” said Sheila Weiss, R.D., director of nutrition policy for the NRA. “We strongly encourage consumers to communicate their food allergies to restaurant staff and discuss concerns and alternatives. Being in the hospitality industry, we want every guest to have a safe and enjoyable experience.”

For more information on food allergies or to download Welcoming Guests With Food Allergies, visit www.foodallergy.org. A training video for restaurant and food service staff is also available for purchase in English and Spanish.

September is National Food Safety Education Month, presented by National Restaurant Association. This month-long campaign is held every September and focuses on the importance of food safety education for the restaurant and food service industry, while raising public awareness of the industry’s commitment to food safety. This year’s theme is “Take Action to Prevent an Allergic Reaction.” For more information, visit www.servsafe.com/nfsem.

ABOUT FAAN
Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially fatal condition that afflicts about 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has 30,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 62 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. For more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org, www.faankids.org, and www.faanteen.org.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION
The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 945,000 restaurant and food service outlets and a work force of 13.1 million employees – making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities, and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate, and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our website at www.restaurant.org.

An Initiative to Help the 12 Million Americans with Food Allergy

FAIRFAX, Va. (May 13, 2008) – In honor of the 11th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 11-17, The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) unveiled its new advocacy initiative “Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy” at an educational briefing on Capitol Hill today.

This initiative addresses the challenges of food allergy and is aimed at improving the lives of the more than 12 million Americans who suffer from food allergies. “These five steps will be a great leap forward for the millions of American children and adults who live each day wondering if they are going to have an allergic reaction to a food. With the help of Congress, the NIH, the CDC, and the FDA we will make America a much safer place for those with food allergies,” said FAAN CEO and Founder Anne Munoz-Furlong.

The “Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy” initiative calls for:

1. School Guidelines: The development of guidelines for assuring the safety of food-allergic children in school is necessary to keep the 2.2-million school-age children with food allergies safe. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act (S. 1232/H.R. 2063) calls for these guidelines to be developed, and the House of Representatives has already passed this legislation. Therefore, the Senate should move swiftly to pass the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act.

2. Food Allergy Information: There is a critical need for enhanced public information on food allergy, such as an information clearinghouse to provide guidance to the public and health care professionals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should create a National Information Center on Food Allergies.

3. Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergies: Currently, there is no consistent agreement on how to identify and treat food allergy reactions. Too often, patients go from physician to physician seeking a diagnosis and receive incomplete information and guidance on allergen avoidance, the severity of the disease, and the need to carry epinephrine at all times. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases should move forward with the development of food allergy diagnosis and management guidelines and work with private-sector organizations to assure broad distribution to health care professionals.

4. Research: Expanded research on food allergy and anaphylaxis is necessary to understand why the prevalence of food allergy is increasing, as well as how to prevent and treat food allergies. Congress should increase funding for food allergy research by $50 million over the next five years. Annual increases of $10 million each year for five years should be invested in basic and clinical research on food allergy and anaphylaxis, as recommended by the NIH Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research.

5. Improved Allergen Labeling: Since strict avoidance of food allergens is the only way to prevent a reaction, food-allergic consumers are heavily reliant on the information presented to them on food labels. The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 improved some facets of allergen labeling, but the new law did not regulate the use of precautionary allergen statements, ranging from “May Contain” to “Processed in a Facility” to “Made on Shared Equipment.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should move to regulate the wording, use, and definition of precautionary allergen statements to further improve allergen labeling.

To read the complete “Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy” and see a list of supporters, visit FAAN’s website, www.foodallergy.org. The website also has information on Food Allergy Awareness Week, food allergy legislation, and food allergy in general.

ABOUT FAAN

Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially fatal condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has 30,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 62 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. For more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org, www.faankids.org, and
www.faanteen.org.

###

FAIRFAX, Va. (March 24, 2008) – The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) will hold its 15th annual Food Allergy Conference in Baltimore, Md., on March 29, 2008. Many families struggle with how best to manage food allergies in their lives. Whether attendees have been living with food allergies for years or are dealing with a new diagnosis, this conference will help.

Conference attendees will learn tips and strategies for living better while managing food allergies. Topics will include causes and symptoms of food-allergic reactions, how food allergies should be diagnosed, strategies for avoiding reactions, how and when to use epinephrine, tips for managing food allergies in schools, ways to prepare a child to manage food allergies, and the latest news on food allergy research.

“There is no cure for food allergy today,” said Anne Muñoz-Furlong, FAAN Founder and CEO. “Until there is a cure, education is the key to avoiding a reaction. This unique conference brings together hundreds of individuals for a full day of the latest information on living with food allergies.”

Anyone who has a food allergy or takes care of someone with a food allergy will benefit from attending. In particular, parents, grandparents, and relatives of children with food allergies, as well as health professionals, registered dietitians, caregivers, child care providers, and school staff, will find the sessions informative.

The Baltimore conference will feature Robert A. Wood, M.D. He is a professor of pediatrics and international health and the director of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as the author of Food Allergies For Dummies.

There are even special sessions for teens (ages 11 and up) and nurses at the conference. The teen lunch session will include discussion topics such as school, dating, traveling, and dining out. A concurrent session for parents of teens will enable them to share their experiences, challenges, and strategies for success. Clinical and school-based nurses will meet to discuss topics of professional interest such as schools, elimination diets, and food challenges with leading nurses in food allergy education and research.

During the conference, the winners of the 12th annual Mariel C. Furlong Awards for Making a Difference will be recognized. These awards were established by FAAN to acknowledge leaders in the food industry, health professions, and communities across the country who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to making a difference in the lives of people with food allergies. With the prevalence of food allergy on the rise, promoting public awareness and education is more important than ever.

FAAN’s conferences offer insight on the most recent research findings about food allergy as well as enhanced discussion and networking among medical leaders in the field, caregivers, teachers, child care providers, families, and school staff. The Baltimore conference will be held at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, 300 S. Charles Street, Baltimore, Md.

ABOUT FAAN

Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information about food allergy, a potentially fatal condition that afflicts approximately 12 million Americans, or one out of every 25. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN has 30,000 members in the U.S., Canada, and 62 other countries. It is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. For
more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org, www.faankids.org, and
www.faanteen.org.

Divvies

This company sells products that are peanut free, tree nut free, egg free & dairy free! Now, that’s impressive. We love families that reach out to make the lives of others better. Great job, Sandler family!

http://www.divvies.com/

I have new-found respect for Cadbury Chocolate. They have a wonderful tool for people with food allergies. Visit cadbury.com and click on “Kitchen and Lifestyle". A page entitled “Cadbury Product Nutrition Information” appears. It’s divided into two columns. The column on the right has a picture of common food allergens. Underneath it says:

To find products that suit your dietary needs, select your dietary requirements from the list below.
Read about Halal products
Read about Kosher products

Hold the CTRL key to select multiple requirements.

I tried this neat tool, by selecting “Nut Absent", “Peanut Absent” and “Soya Absent” and was pleasantly surprised by the results… 44 matching products! The search results turned up a lot of fruit snacks and surprisingly even Halls cough drops. But it also included a few chocolate products (Yay!).

I’ve got to tell ya, I actually enjoyed finding safe foods this way. It’s way better than the alternative - having to read the food label of every product in the candy aisle - YAWN!
Of course, I’ll still double check the food labels and check for product recalls, but at least this gives me a place to start.

Go Cadbury!

Ghirardelli has a page dedicated to providing allergy information on their products. Since so many of their products contain soy, milk, eggs or nuts/tree nuts, it’s just easier to give you the URL so you can check it out for yourself.

http://www.ghirardelli.com/about/faq_products_allergy.aspx

I just wish they had a page that listed their allergy safe chocolates. That would be much easier than crossing off all of the products that we (with food allergies) can’t eat!

With the mention of restaurants and how to handle food allergies, I thought it would be helpful to post a couple of resources for restaurants. These restaurant posters were created by FAAN (The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network).

This is a food allergy poster for restaurants.

Here is the same restaurant poster, but in Spanish.

This is FAAN’s food allergy and cross contact poster.

And here is that same poster in Spanish.

I like bringing my family to T-Bones, because the menu has a symbol to mark food choices that contain allergens like soy and peanuts. And I’ve found their staff really friendly and cooperative when giving them instructions about my child’s food allergies. Many restaurants wait staff are not very knowledgeable about food allergies. So, when you find properly trained staff, it’s very encouraging.

70 g brown rice flour
45 g tapioca flour
45 g potato flour
1¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp unflavoured vegetarian gelatine
30 g sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp grated lemon peel
1 dessert apple, cooked with 1 tbsp water and mashed to a puree
1 large egg, beaten
4 tsp light olive oil or flavourless oil
6½ tbsp milk
¼ tsp vanilla extract
125 g fresh blueberries
6 paper muffin cases

Preheat oven: 400°F

1. Mix together the rice, tapioca and potato flours, gelatine, xanthan gum, baking powder, sugar, salt and lemon peel.

2. Mix the apple puree with the egg, oil, milk and vanilla. Mix this into the dry ingredients so that you get a lumpy batter.

3. Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture, then divide equally into the 6 muffin cases in a muffin tray. Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool on a baking tray.

Serve hot or cold. They will keep in an airtight tin for a couple of days.
Makes 6 muffins

An ARS recipe using rice flour for making bread has been newly adapted to home breadbaking machines. ARS scientists developed a recipe some 20 years ago for people with celiac disease, a wheat allergy. Now the researchers have revised the recipe to give the home baker a new choice among rice breads they can make with the countertop appliance. The machine automatically mixes, kneads and bakes the rice-flour dough, but must be assisted after the kneading cycle. The recipe calls for methyl cellulose, a food processing ingredient. Methyl cellulose traps bubbles given off by yeast, making the dough rise and giving the bread its light texture. The recipe also requires short- or medium-grain white or brown rice, sold at health food stores and Asian grocery markets. Home bakers can modify the flavor by substituting honey or brown sugar for table sugar, or by adding small amounts of spices, fruits or nuts. The recipe was developed by Maura Bean at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, Calif.

For copies of the recipe, write to Marcia Wood, USDA-ARS Information Staff, 800 Buchanan Street, Room 3014, Albany, CA.

Last modified: February 2007
January 1995
US Department of Agriculture

We went to Fire + Ice in Harvard Square recently.

This restaurant is a bit different than most. You grab a plate and load it with your choice of raw meats & veggies. You go to the sauce station to pour your choice of sauce into a separate bowl. Then you go to the cooking station where the restaurant’s chefs cook the food right in front of you.

You’d think that having your food cooked right next to someone else’s - with different sauces and ingredients - would prevent people with food allergies from eating here. But wait! They will take your food out back and cook it in a separate area just for people with food allergies.

The only nuts on the menu are in a couple of desserts - everything else is nut free.

This place is pricey - understandable for an all you can eat buffet filled with steak, shrimp, chicken and seafood. But it’s a wonderful treat.

If you’re not allergic to it (my peanut, tree nut, soy allergy kid dug into this one), try the “Best Chocolate Cake Ever.” It’s very rich and dense. Wow!

http://www.fire-ice.com/about/about.html