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Take the FAAN Camp Survey

We all know that sending a child with food allergies to camp can be stressful.  Help yourself by participating in a study by FAAN and University of Michigan about food allergic campers.  It only takes a few minutes!

Check it out at http://www.foodallergy.org/whatsnew.html

Delectable GF Natural Foods

A few months back I was lucky enough to sit down with Joan Panepinto and Robert Hapanowicz, two of the founders of GF Natural Foods, to discuss their new line of breaded boneless chicken.  Joan is a registered dietician who became increasingly frustrated by the lack of healthy food available for her family (read her story at www.gfnaturals.com/company or ).  After teaming up with Robert and Scott Horn, GF Naturals was born.

Their website (www.gfnaturals.com) states, “GF Natural Foods was founded on the premise that food options can be great tasting, all-natural, healthy, free of common food allergens and socially responsible.”  And with that in mind they created a line of breaded boneless chicken (tenderloins, wings, filets and nuggets) that is quite honestly some of the best chicken I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. 

GF Nautral Foods is:

• Certified Gluten Free through GFCO  http://www.gfco.org
• Wheat Free
• Casein Free
• Lactose Free
• Peanut Free
• Egg Free
• Certified by the Whole Grain Council with 11g of whole grains per 100g serving  (Nearly 25% of the daily recommendation for whole grains)

“We use the finest cuts of boneless skinless chicken, add natural sea salt, a pinch of spice to enhance the flavor and coat them with the finest whole grains. The result is a wholesome crispy texture with a natural clean finish.”

This chicken has GREAT flavor is healthy and free of many major allergens.  My 6 year old son declared it, “The best chicken ever.”  Who can beat that?

So where can you find it?  Look for GF Naturals in major stores soon.  We will post stores that will carry GF Naturals as the information becomes available. 

Also, for those of you who are going to be at Hershey Park, GF Naturals is available upon request.  For further information please call 717-534-3900 or visit http://www.hersheypark.com/.

If you have questions for Joan Panepinto you can go to http://www.gfnaturals.com/certification.html and click on the Ask Joan link to send and e-mail.

 

 

Always check labels as manufacturing practices can change.  Please see our Terms of  Use for more information.

Oral Allergy Syndrome

I first learned about Oral Allergy Syndrome a few years back after consulting an allergist about an itchy, irritated mouth after eating certain foods.   After years of thinking I had a mild allergy  I was shocked to hear about OAS.  This article from Allergy & Asthma Network gives a great synopsis of OAS and how it relates to seasonal allergies. 

 

Oral Allergy Syndrome

Thanks, But No Thanks

On our journey we stopped at a great hotel in Washington D.C.  The hotel (which will remain nameless since I feel partly to blame for this) was within walking distance to the White House and was clean, neat and spacious.   I did not mention my son’s food allergies when making the reservations or upon check in – probably because I never thought the basket shown below would be in my room.  Out of all the snacks they could have offered why pick one that is deadly to so many people?

Nebo Restaurant – Boston

We received the e-mail below from Nebo Restaurant in Boston.  We have never been to Nebo so we cannot give a review but we would love to hear from people who have tried their Gluten Free Menu.  For those of you who would like more info check out their Gluten Free Menu  or go to http://neborestaurant.com/ for more information.

 

I am writing to inform you of our new Gluten free menu. About 4 yrs ago my sister Christine and I opened nebo restaurant at 90 N. Washington St. in Boston’s North End. Nebo is a traditional Italian restaurant offering dishes based on recipes that were passed down from our mother and grandmother. After being open for about a year, two of our closest friends were told they had Celiac disease. We then realized just how many people this disease has affected and the need for an alternative for their dining restrictions. Determined to serve our friends their favorites, we set upon making our menu available in a gluten free form. We are thrilled to say that we have now produced 90% of our menu with the same great taste as our regular menu. We don’t think there has been an accomplishment that has brought us more pleasure.

Camp T.A.G.

The following is an e-mail that was forwarded us by the founder of  Mommies of Food Allergic Children (MOFAC).

 

INTRODUCING CAMP T.A.G. – A Safe Place for Food-Allergic Children and Their Siblings
My name is Eleanor Garrow-Majka, President and Founder of “Camp T.A.G. – A Safe Place for Food-Allergic Children and Their Siblings!”  Camp T.A.G. was named after my two children, Thomas Andrew and Anne Garrow.  They share the “A” as they share their lives and this bonding experience of living with food allergies.  Thomas has life-threatening food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), and asthma; Anne does not. 
 
 Forming a nonprofit organization and providing a safe place for our food-allergic children and siblings to attend camp has been a dream of mine, which is now coming true!  Camp T.A.G. will be 95% FUN and 5% educational with a curriculum designed by medical, ley, and restaurant professionals who specialize in food allergies. 
 
* This 1-week camp will be a 4-hour camp for 5 days, from 8:30am-12:30pm.
* Ages to attend Camp T.A.G. are ages 3-12 (Age groups: 3-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10-12)
* Camp T.A.G. will be held at a local venue in your area, where the children may be inside, weather-permitting.
* Camp T.A.G. will be held near a hospital and ambulance service.
* A Registered Nurse will be on staff the entire week.
* Only fresh fruit and juice/water will be provided for snack.
* Educational activities, games, sports, and crafts will be age-appropriate for each group. 
* There will be a Parent Education Day PRIOR to their camp site for those interested in attending to learn the curriculum their children are learning throughout the week, FREE of charge.
* Entertainer, Kyle Dine, has committed to work with ages 8-12 on Day 4 and providing Live Music on Day 5.  Kyle Dine has life-threatening food allergies and composes/performs food allergy music for children.  Please visit his website for more information:  www.kyledine.com
 
There will be opportunities for Teen Camp Counselors at each camp site.  Teen Camp Counselors must be between ages 13-19 and must have either food allergies, EE, celiac disease, or be a non-allergic sibling.
 
This nationwide research survey will help to determine both the desire for and the need of a special camp for children with life-threatening food allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis (EE), and celiac disease along with non-allergic siblings. 
 
Camp T.A.G. will launch Summer 2011 in Illinois, Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, and Texas.  Depending on the survey results, other locations may be added to the launch.  As Camp T.A.G. grows, locations will be added every year and expand into a National Camp. 

Please take a minute to fill out this survey on Survey Monkey for Camp T.A.G.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=9m7shuRS9SQEUTlw4_2fG_2fdA_3d_3d
 
* Please insert your name, address, email address, and/or phone number in the last question if you are interested in getting on Camp T.A.G.’s email distribution list, mailing list, and receiving more information when the website becomes available.
 
Thank you very much for taking the time to complete this survey.  I look forward to meeting all of you and your children in the very near future and hope we can all benefit from Camp T.A.G.!
 
Kind Regards,

Eleanor Garrow-Majka
President and Founder, Camp T.A.G.
Founder, Parents of Children Having Allergies of Will County (POCHA)
www.pochaofwillcounty.com

Day 9 & 10 – The Christmas Farm Inn

In Jackson, NH there is an inn that has the charm and history that one would expect from an inn in New Hampshire.  The Christmas Farm Inn I last visited as a child and was excited to go back. 

Before checking in we decided to drive up nearby Mt. Washington – a precarious drive that is well worth the nail biting turns and lack of guard rails.  It was 75 degrees at the base of the mountain and by the time we got to the top the temperature was 36 with 65 mph winds.  I had seriously underestimated the temperature change and had not dressed myself or the kids properly.  So much for shorts and flip flops.  Thankfully we picked a day that was clear on top of the mountain – an event that is extremely rare.

The Christmas Farm Inn (www.christmasfarminn) is a charming place with a wide array of different types of rooms and cottages.  It is essentially a sprawling compound that has accommodations for all tastes and budgets.  Breakfast was included in our stay and I expected a typical muffin and egg buffet.  To my surprise it was a full breakfast menu with the type of hearty, Eggs Benedict/yummy pancakes with all the fixin’s that is not the usual when a hotel says “breakfast included”.  The food was phenomenal and the staff was very concerned and accommodating to my son’s peanut allergy.  As I’ve stated in previous posts my son also has mild wheat, corn , soy and egg allergies that I thankfully can overlook on occasion with no repercussions and on this day my son “really, really wanted pancakes”.  Who could blame him…they were awesome.

A rare clear (but freezing) day on top of Mt. Washington.

Day 5-8 Portsmouth

For those of you who have never been to Portsmouth, NH you are truly missing out.  The small town located on the coast of New Hampshire is loaded with charm, history and great restaurants.  You can spend your day taking a boat ride out to the historic Isle of Shoals, relaxing on nearby beaches  or browsing through the many shops and galleries. 

One of our favorite places to go for food in town is a row of restaurants known as the decks.  All the restaurants have outdoor seating on the water overlooking the Piscataqua River.  Tugboats dot the shoreline and lobster meals are plentiful. 

Not being a fan of shellfish I can’t comment on the seafood but you know it is good.  I have taken to searching for meals that can accommodate my son’s food allergies and compared to a visit a couple years ago I was pleasantly surprised.  We ate at The River House which is located along the decks and I found it very accommodating to special diets.  Our waitress was a vegan and her knowledge of  the food and preparation was outstanding.  She was able to handle my sons special dietary needs with ease. 

Portsmouth is a town loaded with artists, students, fishermen and professionals.  It’s eclectic style allows for a diverse array of food and fun for everyone…with or without food allergies.

Day 3 & 4 – Driving, Triathlon, Driving

At the end of Day 2 we were in western Maryland visiting with friends.  It was great because they have kids of similar age to mine so the kids were happy to be out of the car and running.  My husband and I got to enjoy some adult conversation with someone other than each other which was necessary for the marriage after two long days of driving. 

That evening we had a small birthday party for one of the children we were visiting, complete with cake and ice cream.  I had packed a Liberty Bakery (www.libertybakeryonline.com) cupcake for my son which he promptly gobbled up.  He is always disappointed when he can’t eat what every one else is eating but Liberty Bakery puts out such great products it is hard to be sad for too long.  Since their products are free of the big eight allergens and made in a completely dedicated facility their products are worry free. 

The kids bunked together that evening and then we were up and heading over to the Baltimore area to stay at another Hampton Inn.  My husband was doing a triathlon in Perryville, MD the following day so we stayed close by since we had to get there for 6:30 check in.

I am certainly no expert on triathlons but this one was set up in a park that was perfect for kids.  There was plenty of room for the kids to play without interfering with any of the athletes.  There was a play structure, baseball fields and tons of empty space, all over looking the Chesapeake Bay.  It was a nice day and my husband achieved his goal of successfully completing an Olympic Triathlon.  Congrats!

Upon completion of the race we hopped in the car and headed north with a destination of Portsmouth, NH.  It was a long drive and we knew we weren’t going to get there until almost midnight so we were prepared for any meltdowns that may occur.  Fortunately for us the kids were amazing and handled the drive with ease. 

In Connecticut we stopped at Bertucci’s for some dinner and were very happy with how knowledgeable the staff was with food allergies.  The waitress easily answered all my questions and informed the kitchen of our concerns.  I am finding that most restaurants have really stepped up their staff training on food allergies which makes such a big difference when eating out.  I am adding Bertucci’s to our list of favorites and since they are all over the place I know I will be stopping at another one before our trip is over.