Posted by OCFoodallergy on Sep 13, 2014 in Support Group | 0 comments

Recently a great article appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Allergy Cards for birthdays, events, coaches, etc.  It is a quick way to spread the word about a food allergy, while giving all of the relevant and essential contact information for your child.

I can definitely see the benefit to having these in your wallet, a purse, a car or briefcase.  Having these can quickly tell the story about your child’s food allergies as well as the response that should be taken in the event of an exposure to an unwanted allergen.

Allergy cards are increasingly popping up on back-to-school shopping lists as parents seek a more efficient and thorough way to inform a new batch of teachers, coaches, sitters and friends about their children’s allergies.

The handout, usually the size of a business card, details a child’s allergies and includes instructions on how to handle a reaction, sometimes with a reminder to dial 911 before the parents’ phone numbers, which usually are also listed.

Here is a link to the full article:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203523204580113782034925648.html

Here is a link to several sites to check out for cards:

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Apr 20, 2013 in Support Group | 0 comments

During our April 16, 2013, Dr. Kendra Klassen visited our Food Allergy Support Group to share some great information on the topic of anxiety.  Here is some of the importance information she was able to share with the group.

Understanding the Problem

In times of stress, the body will become either over or under aroused. When our body is over aroused (hyper-arousal), we experience many forms of anxiety, such as panic attacks, racing thoughts, or an unexplainable sense of dread.

Help children gain a sense of control by educating them about how the brain and body work.

• Visit www.worrywisekids.org for examples of scripts to use when explaining anxiety to your children.
• Teach kids to recognize the signs of a stressed out body: increased heart rate, sweaty palms, tense muscles and thoughts like, “I need daddy,” or, “I can’t do it!”
• Distinguish between “tricks” and “truth.”

Many things can stress our bodies, all of which have the potential to lead to anxiety (e.g., toxins, allergies, over-stimulation, emotional trauma, etc.). For help finding the source of the problem, consider seeing a counselor or holistic healthcare practitioner.

Put On Your Own Oxygen Mask First

To help our children with their anxiety, we must learn to manage your own.

• Do the following tips and tools along with your children, and use them for yourself. Remember, a calm brain is a flexible brain.
• Remain calm and confident in the heat of the moment to provide your child a secure base. For help, check out the “Calm Authority for Mothers” CD at www.marcyaxness.com.

When you are relaxed, you can more easily soothe your child with eye contact, gentle touch, and soft, reassuring words.

Breathing

The fastest, surest way to decrease anxiety is to take slow, deep breaths. A rhythmic flow of air going in and out helps calm the body.

• Place your hands over each other’s hearts and breathe slowly.
• Use a pinwheel or bubbles to teach your child how to blow gently, keeping it going for as long as possible before taking the next breath.
• Or imagine blowing a feather far out into the distance.

For deep breathing to work, we must practice regularly. Just minutes a day will profoundly influence your ability to stay regulated during a normally stressful situation.

Mind Control

Controlling our thought life is essential in winning the war against anxiety. Practice squashing the “worry bug” with the following techniques:

• Memorize anti-anxiety scriptures as a family
  • 2 Tim 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
  • Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense he has become my salvation.
  • Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
  • Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
  • Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
  • Psalm 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid…”
• Have a plan. Explore and practice ways to calm down before the anxiety hits (such as breathing, walking, asking for help, etc.). Ask them what they need to manage difficult situations and rehearse.
• Teach your child to talk back to the fear. Externalize the problem using puppets, figures, etc. to role-play fear and its “boss” (or “superhero,” etc.). Being playful and silly helps make hyper-arousal less scary!

As adults, we can help our children overcome anxiety! Never give up. Be patient, empathize with their struggle, encourage them to overcome, and reward their progress!

Additional Resources

Dr. Kendra Klassen is a licensed psychologist who received her doctorate in clinical psychology from Rosemead School of Psychology in La Mirada, California.  She has been in practice for over 10 years, specializing in attachment work with children, individuals and families throughout Orange County, and helping people develop more fulfilling and meaningful lives.

With two young children of her own, Dr. Klassen’s passion is to help parents, children and their families have healthy relationships with one another.  Dr. Kendra Klassen has been working in the field of attachment and bonding since the early 90’s.  Her experience includes time with orphans in Romania, specialized training under both local and internationally renowned experts in the field, and work with numerous adopted and foster children in both clinical and group home settings.

Dr. Klassen is also trained in Healing Prayer and Neuro-Emotional Technique (www.netmindbody.com), and has experience with natural and alternative healthcare. This makes her a truly holistic practitioner, committed to the healing of the whole person.  She has presented for a number of organizations and to general audiences, speaking on the topics of attachment, marriage, parenting, and spirituality.  She is a caring mom and proven professional, committed to the advancement of God’s redeeming work in the restoration of families.  Call now to learn more.

www.FamilyRestorations.com Kendra Klassen, Psy.D. ph. 949-303-8933

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Apr 20, 2013 in Support Group | 0 comments

For Kelly Rudnicki, busy mother of five young children, feeding her family got even more complicated when one of her sons was diagnosed with severe food allergies. Launching the Food Allergy Mama website, she struck a chord with parents and home cooks in similar situations and made it her mission to prove that allergen–free meals can be easy and flavorful. Showcasing the very best of Rudnicki’s repertoire, The Food Allergy Mama’s Easy, Fast Family Meals makes it simple to please a hungry crowd. Recipes include:

• Morning Glory Muffins
• Breakfast Burritos
• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Hearty Pasta Featuring Grandma Jeanne’s Bolognese Sauce
• Oatmeal Fudge Bars

All recipes are made without milk, butter, cheese, eggs, or nuts. She also includes time–saving tips, and ideas for inexpensive ingredient substitutions, including tofu and applesauce. Menu ideas and holiday celebrations make this book the most comprehensive guide of its kind—a one–stop resource for allergen–free, worry–free home cooking every day of the week.

To find out more about her book, please visit here at: http://www.foodallergymama.com/easy-fast-family-meals/

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Jan 1, 2012 in Support Group | 0 comments

Is it just me or has the Costco shopping excursion become a staple of the weekend family ritual?  From this parent’s perspective, the love of Costco centers first aroiund savings, secondly around the amazing free food cart samples inticing you at every aisle and lastly knowing that the Costco “return policy” is on part with Norstrom’s.  All of these things combined insure that we come back over and over again….the lure of $1.50 hot dogs, inexpensive movie tickets, 20 pound bags of tortilla chips and filling up on the lowest gas in the city.

However, on the dark side of any store that serves free food samples, especially from the perspective of a parent of kids with food allergies….Costco can be a very challenging experience.  Most of the time, the “sample” food carts are seldom serving “safe” foods…so attempting to keep Child 1 and Child 2 content while shopping can be a challenge.  Can I have that?  Can I eat that?  Every corner is filled with no’s and more no’s.  For a while I have known about the “safety” of the Costco Fruit Smoothie…which I typically can easily feed 2 to 3 kids and provide a safe food treat while I shop through paradise.  As with any food item, I check the ingredients on every visit…but ultimately, it does help get me through the store easier than having to say “no” every 22 feet.

Today while at my local Costco, I was able to get a copy of the “Costco Food Court” Nutrional and Allergen Data (Dated 3/16/2011).  This sheet contained a detailed list of the food allergens found in food items at Costco; namely, Wheat, Milk, Egg, Anchovy, Tree Nut, Almonds and Soy.  The contents has been summarized in to the table below.

As always with all things relating to food allergies, it is always advised that you should ALWAYS request for the current food ingredients for the items that you are ordering.  Food recipes can change at any time and a food that may have been safe in the past…may not be safe now.  In other words, please do not ASSUME that the information above is correct or accurate.

The allergen information in the table above is to merely help “guide” you to discover new “options” on food items offererd at Costco that may give you new options when shopping with your children on your next visit.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Nov 25, 2011 in Support Group | 2 comments

Last Saturday we decided to take a trip up to Sierra Madre to visit the family.  Instead of going to one of the old stand-by’s (like Subway, Chiles, etc)  we went with more of a local establishment.  The situation in the restuarant will be familair for those of us who get to deal with food allergies on a daily basis.  Being in a new and unknown restaurant can make for an incredibly stressful and uneasy situation.  In these situations, you have a few options.  You could have prepared food for the meal ahead of time (which is always the best choice).  You can run out and get one of the meals from fast-food restaurants that are predictably safe.  Or you can hopefully explain your food allergy situation to someone new and hope that they understand the gravity and severity of it.  On this rainy day in November…we chose the last choice.

The waitress comes to the table.  After she takes the initialy drink order, you kindly explain the food allergy situation with her.  She appears to understand and you examin the menu for what would appear to be the best choice knowing common ingredients that might be troublesome.  The waitress takes the order of everyone at the table and then you carefully ask question regarding a potentially allergy-free item on the menu.

The waitress explains that the dish is free of (you can insert your allergy or allergies here).  She runs off with your order and disappears into the kitchen to speak with the staff and now the trust begins.

After about 20 minutes, food is delivered to the table.  Everyone begins to eat.  A plate of innocent looking spaghetti is placed in front of our daughter along with a bowl of cut up fruit.  We ask the waitress again about the existence of “milk” or “cheese” or anything else that might be milk-related.  Again, she assures us that everything is fine.  Again…we trust.

Our daughter jumps into the bowl of fruit and it is demolished within minutes.  Over the next minutes our daughter slows her pace and just looks at her plate of food.  She has not taken a bit and we sense that she is hesitant.  She is seven and well aware of the negative consequences of eating the wrong thing.  She too has heard all of the conversation up until this point…but is still not ready to try the plate of food.  My wife leans over and asks our oldest if she would like to ask the waitress another time if the spaghetti is fine.  She says she does and after several more minutes, we hail the waitress back over to our table.  

Again we ask the waitress about the whether or not the food is safe and she kindly says she would check again and then disappears back into the kitchen.  After several minutes, she appears again and insures us that there is absolutely no dairy in the spaghetti.  Our daughter finally is able to trust and is able to eat some of the spaghetti.

At this point, I am not going to end this story with some horiffic situation of how we had to rush our daughter to the hospital after that lunch.  We had no issues or problems during that meal.  No hives.  No reactions.  No EpiPen.  No trip to the hospital (alhtough secretly I knew there was a hospital exactly one mile down the street).  Everything was fine….but there is definitely a huge element of trust.  Trust for my wife and for me.  And especially trust for my daughter.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

For most situations, parents are going to feel the most at ease when they have personally prepared a meal and make 100% sure that their child’s food is safe.  However…there are going to be those unavoidable situations where you may have to extend a level of “trust” to someone else.  In those situations, just make sure that you look to Lord for your protection and safety.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Jan 1, 2012 in Support Group | 0 comments

Is it just me or has the Costco shopping excursion become a staple of the weekend family ritual?  From this parent’s perspective, the love of Costco centers first aroiund savings, secondly around the amazing free food cart samples inticing you at every aisle and lastly knowing that the Costco “return policy” is on part with Norstrom’s.  All of these things combined insure that we come back over and over again….the lure of $1.50 hot dogs, inexpensive movie tickets, 20 pound bags of tortilla chips and filling up on the lowest gas in the city.

However, on the dark side of any store that serves free food samples, especially from the perspective of a parent of kids with food allergies….Costco can be a very challenging experience.  Most of the time, the “sample” food carts are seldom serving “safe” foods…so attempting to keep Child 1 and Child 2 content while shopping can be a challenge.  Can I have that?  Can I eat that?  Every corner is filled with no’s and more no’s.  For a while I have known about the “safety” of the Costco Fruit Smoothie…which I typically can easily feed 2 to 3 kids and provide a safe food treat while I shop through paradise.  As with any food item, I check the ingredients on every visit…but ultimately, it does help get me through the store easier than having to say “no” every 22 feet.

Today while at my local Costco, I was able to get a copy of the “Costco Food Court” Nutrional and Allergen Data (Dated 3/16/2011).  This sheet contained a detailed list of the food allergens found in food items at Costco; namely, Wheat, Milk, Egg, Anchovy, Tree Nut, Almonds and Soy.  The contents has been summarized in to the table below.

As always with all things relating to food allergies, it is always advised that you should ALWAYS request for the current food ingredients for the items that you are ordering.  Food recipes can change at any time and a food that may have been safe in the past…may not be safe now.  In other words, please do not ASSUME that the information above is correct or accurate.

The allergen information in the table above is to merely help “guide” you to discover new “options” on food items offererd at Costco that may give you new options when shopping with your children on your next visit.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on May 22, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

I know what you are thinking.  There is a headline typo for this story.  Allergy-free Bakery.  Really?

When you visit Sensitive Sweets for the first time, you will realize that there is a definitely a passion for kids with food allergies that exists within.  Owner Melanie, mother of 2 boys, has been living the life of a mother of a child with food allergies for several years now…thus the reason and her motivation for opening the allergy-free bakery.  You can tell that Melanie is pastionate about her product.  Just .talking with her for a few minutes will unveil her touching story and the too common tale of a parent’s struggle with a child that battles food allergies.

Within her store, which is conveniently located about a 1/4 off Freeway at Brookhurst and the 405 Freeway, this North Orange County bakery is the only bakery in Orange County that is truly allergy-free.  You will not find any regular products in this story.  Her store has been open about a month now (although she has been doing the business for several years) and the traffic is beginning to pick up.  We were able to visit her on a Saturday with our two kids in tow.  With the exception of an item or two, everything in the store is allergy-free:  wheat (gluten) free, dairy (casein) free, egg free, soy free and nut free….however, it is better to call ahead and make sure that your child’s particular allergy is not an issue.

And just wait until you hop over to her website and start to look at the “what is possible” selection of allergy-free cakes that they can produce.  I can safely say that our next birthday party will have some form of treat creation from Sensitive Sweets.  Having looked through some of the cakes they have created, Sensitive Sweets is definitely the Ace of Allergy-Free Cakes for Orange County.  I think even Duff Goldman would be proud.

As we left the store today, the words written below on a large chalboard rang true with us….”Everyone deserves a treat.”  When your kids have food allergies…these are definitely special words to ready.  Take a second and read about Melanie’s story.  If you or your kids suffer from food allergies, make sure you give yourself a treat and head up to their store in Fountain Valley.  Keep in mind that the store is not open Sundays/Mondays. But speaking from my experience (and the happy smiles on my kids as we walked out with enough sweets to last the week), you will not be disappointed.  Make sure that you tell Melanie that you read about it on the OCFoodallergy.com website too.

One last note.  OCmenus also wrote a good story on Melanie that you can read about too.

Posted by OCFoodallergy on May 14, 2011 in Support Group | Comments Off

Please come join us for the Orange County Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group Meeting meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 in Room 407 at Saddleback Church at 6:30 PM. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is a non-medical support group designed for parents of kids who are impacted by food allergies. The group meets to provide:

• Emotion support for one another
• A safe place to share concerns, successes and strategies to manage your kids food allergies
• Learning about new resources and tools

At Wednesday’s meeting, we would like to focus the discussion on School types issues. There are so many different types of issues that we deal with at school. Come learn and share different ways to cope with these often difficult environments for kids with food allergies.

Saddleback Church is located at: 1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92660

Posted by cland on Nov 25, 2011 in Support Group | 3 comments Last Saturday we decided to take a trip up to Sierra Madre to visit the family.  Instead of going to one of the old stand-by’s (like Subway, Chiles, etc)  we went with more of a local establishment.  The situation in the restuarant will be familair for those of us who get to deal with food… Posted by cland on Jul 16, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments Please come join us for the Orange County Parents of Kids with Food Allergies Support Group Meeting meeting on Tuesday, July 19, 2011 in Room 407 at Saddleback Church at 6:30 PM. The Better Parents of Children with Food Allergies support group is a non-medical support group designed… Posted by cland on Jun 20, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments For those parents whose children suffer from food allergies, we probably do not go to many places without our homemade meals, Kirkland wipres and package with medicines and EpiPens.  However, when was the last time that you (or the people that care for your kids) go through a refresher course on using… Posted by cland on Jun 19, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments Hi Friends, I am so looking forward to connecting with everyone our new night, Tuesday. I was able to attend the FAAN conference in Anaheim last week. I learned a lot, got some good resources, and met a lot of wonderful people that deal with what we deal with on a daily basis. It was a day of emotions and a… Posted by cland on Jun 19, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments The feedback from everyone that responded to our recent survey overwhelmingly helped us to decide to move the Support Group meetings to a new evening. The third Tuesday of every month will now be the new meeting time which goes into effect immediately. The June meeting will now be Tuesday, June 21st. The… Posted by cland on Jun 19, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments I would like respond to a Parenting article that I just read titled “The Truth About Food Allergies.”   You can read it here.  I would definitely agree that the author is correct to highlight some of the amazing advances that are occurring in the area of food allergies.  However,… Posted by cland on May 22, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments I know what you are thinking.  There is a headline typo for this story.  Allergy-free Bakery.  Really? When you visit Sensitive Sweets for the first time, you will realize that there is a definitely a passion for kids with food allergies that exists within.  Owner Melanie, mother of 2… Posted by cland on Apr 22, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments The past few weeks have been quite disturbing news stories on the topic of food allergies.   In one story, a man is on trial for lying to customers about the ingredients in his bread.  Many of his customers had become ill after digesting what they thought was a glutten-free product.  In…

Posted by OCFoodallergy on Nov 17, 2011 in Support Group | 0 comments

The Saddleback Church Parents of Children with Food Allergies Support Group is excited to announce that we have been officially added to the FAAN website on their California Support Group page.  We are always excited to be able to spread the word that Orange County has a safe place for parents whose children have food allergies to come and discuss the challenges they are currently facing.

We appreciate the FAAN organization and the education that they provide to parents regarding food allergies.  If you are not a member, we encourage you to become a member by signing up here.