Gluten free play....

There is controversy regarding the need for children with allergies to wheat (gluten) or with Celiac disease to avoid skin contact with these allergens (the substance that causes the reaction). Common medical thought is often that it is okay to have playdough, lotion or shampoo with allergens as these are not eaten. Well, for those of us with kids or working with kids, we know that anything can be eaten, purposely or accidently (puradently?). We also have all seen kids develop rashes from milk-based or wheat-enhanced shampoos and lotions.

There are many shampoo and lotions WITHOUT allergens, read the labels and avoid those. What to do then when presented with play dough? Make your own.

Here is a recipe adapted from Cooks.com for cornstarch/baking soda play dough.

Hints for natural food colors are listed at the bottom and how great would it be to eat beets and then dye your play dough purple.

2 cups baking soda mixed with 1 cup cornstarch in a saucepan

1 1/2 cup warm water * (see below for scent and color)

Add water to the cornstarch/baking soda. Mix until smooth, then gradually bring to a boil over medium heat, mixing all of the time. Remove from heat and put on a board. When cool, knead smooth. Store in a covered containe

* Color and scent : Add a few drops of food coloring to the water. Want it "natural",

use dark brewed tea instead of water, add beet juice (steam up some beets and

use the water). For scent, use spices such as pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.

Try liquid extracts like peppermint, vanilla or lemon. Use unsweetened Kool Aid or

Sugar free gelatin to both color and scent.

Patricia

Easter Baskets for Special Diets

First a disclaimer.....see past blogs about sugar and behavior and sugar and heart disease... (and lets not forget tooth decay).

Sometimes, though, candy is going to be in the picture so what do you do when you need a candy that is gluten free or casein free or dye free or soy free or (fill in the blank) free?

This website, http://www.naturalcandystore.com/category/special-diets

allows you to search for candies that meet specific dietary criteria. In addition to candy they also have toppings and baking supplies (sprinkles!). After you search, you can view the ingredients before you place your order.

While filling your basket (or party bag or whatever) think about other special items to toss in OTHER than candy. Playdough, whistles, balls, a "coupon" for an outing, bubbles, seeds or little plants for spring planting (try sweet peas, for an easy veggie to grow).

Adding an orange, kiwi or little apple can even make the fruit look more appetizing (humor me!)

Enjoy the spring!

-Patricia

Buyer Beware, Part one.

A lot in the news today to remind us to take care with our food and supplement purchases.

The FDA, after a number of years of very lax enforcement, is heroically tackling mis-information on labels.

Does Beechnut DHA Plus Apple Delight, really have no added sugars as the label suggests?

Is Pom juice a food or a drug? The FDA thinks perhaps it is a drug since it is advertised as curing plague buildup in arteries, curing prostate cancer and improving erectile function!

Does Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening really contain less saturated fat then butter?

The FDA is questioning these claims, as well as others. Read all of the letters sent from the FDA to food manufacturers

http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm202859.htm

-Patricia

Allergies: It is all upside down.

Our hypothesis is that by introducing the food into the diet early on, the body will see it as normal and won't become allergic to it. We're questioning a fundamental preconception," -Graham Roberts, MD, pediatric allergist at King's College London.

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology is occurring right now and research is being presented that challenges early feeding recommendations. About two years ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics tossed out the notion that holding back on introducing specific foods will prevent allergies. Although that recommendation was made, most pediatricians are still telling parents to wait until 2-5 years of age to introduce common allergens such as nuts, fish or even eggs. But according to recent research, holding back on these foods may actually increase the risk of allergies.

What to do when your 9 month old is staring at that peanut butter Ritz Bitz? At this point, the answer seems to be pretty controversial. Ask your allergist or pediatrician what s/he thinks about this research.

-Patricia

Keeping on Top of Product Recalls

As a parent of a child with food allergies, I am so careful about label reading, calling companies and ensuring that my child's foods are safe. On almost a daily basis, I receive very helpful emails from the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network regarding products that have been recalled due to undeclared allergens. I recommend signing up for these free email alerts as they are very helpful in the management of food allergies.

Go to www.foodallergy.org and sign up for the alerts either via email or RSS feed.

Happy & Safe Eating,
Nicole

Plastics? To use or not to use.

Today as I was following my home ec background, yes my COLLEGE degree was in Home Economics, and recommending cooking double batches of food and freezing in plastic containers, I was challenged about the safety of plastics. So here goes:

1. Look at the bottom of the container it will have a number, the "good" numbers are#1 -PET or PETE and #2 (HDPE). These are the types that are used for some soft drink (okay the soft drinks are not "good"), peanut butter, salad dressing, ketchup, milk bottles, yogurt/margarine tubs, cereal box liners and water bottles. These are not known to leach out any nasty chemicals.

Those with #4 (LDPE) and #5 (PP) are not known to leach out chemicals but they do contain some nasty chemicals and are not widely recycled so skip those. These are used in bread and frozen food bags, some ketchup bottles and yogurt/margarine tubs.

Avoid those with #3 (PVC), #6 (PS) and #7 ("other" usually polycarbonate). Polycarbonates, often found in microwave ovenware, disposable utensils and baby bottles contain biphenyl A which is the chemical thought to interfere with our hormones. #6 contains benzene and used in some hard cups and #3 is the cling wrap around meats and cheeses from your deli.

2. If you use plastic, best to use #1 or #2. Best NOT to use any plastic with heat as that can raise the risk of chemical leakage (note above "known" is in italics because we often don't "know" everything). Avoid cling wraps if possible, especially in the microwave. Use "safe" plastic containers or wax paper bags for lunches (hard to find, locally in Los Angeles, Gelson's carries wax paper sandwich bags.)

Avoid plastic bottled water if possible, toss any scratched or damaged plastic containers and don't wash plastic with harsh chemicals.

3. Don't just think about your food containers but also think about toys your child may chew on and those really cute plates you bought at the 99 cent store or Toys R Us. Be an informed parent and read those little numbers on the back of the product. If there is no number, don't buy.

4. If you want to be 100% safe, save or buy glass containers and use those to store, freeze and microwave.

AND always recycle your plastic.

More info?

http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/plastics.cfm

http://www.chej.org/BESAFE/

http://healthychild.org/

-Patricia

PS and yes it is a good idea to double your recipes and you can freeze in #1 or #2 plastic, just don't heat it up in plastic.

Consensus report on Autism and Diet

A new report was published today on Autism and Diet. The lead author is Timothy Buie, MD a pediatric gastroenterologist at Harvard Medical school who runs a clinic at Massachusetts General for kids on the autism spectrum. The report, published in the January issue of Pediatrics includes the views of more than 25 experts who met in Boston in 2008 to write the consensus report after reviewing medical research. The Autism Society and other autism groups funded the report but did not contribute to the discussion.

The panel concluded that there is no rigorous evidence that digestive problems are more common in children on the autism spectrum compared to other children, or that special diets are successful. They do conclude though that digestive problems can trigger problem behavior in children with autism and these digestive problems should be treated medically.

Another point that Dr. Buie makes is that kids on the spectrum often do not get the "right" kind of attention when visiting the doctor's office as the office may not be friendly enough for the child to feel comfortable or equipped to make adjustments to provide care. In addition, he points out that many doctors are also uncomfortable addressing GI issues and autism due to many of the theories that have been discredited with newer researcher.

So what does this mean! While the panel does not support global dietary recommendations, it does support further research and addressing each child's needs. If your child is doing well on the diet they are following, keep it up. If your child does not appear to have benefited from restrictive diets, give it up. Each child is unique and the approach should be tailored to your child's individual picture.
Dr. Buie does recommend seeing a dietitian if your child has a limited diet to help expand the diet and look for any deficiencies.
To view the article, look for the January issue of Pediatrics.

Patricia