Allergy-Free Valentine’s Candy Roundup

By Kelley Lindberg

Although Halloween and Easter get all the attention, Valentine’s Day is another food-landmine holiday for people with food allergies. So I decided to look for some allergy-friendly candy for those unavoidable classroom parties. In addition to the usual Starbursts and Skittles, I found some happy discoveries. However, I didn’t find any nut-safe Conversation Hearts, except possibly for a tin of candy hearts at Target. But I couldn't see into the tin, so I don't know if they have words printed on them (see the photo to the right). Hopefully this list will help you have a sweet Valentine’s Day!

At Target, I found:

• A small tin of candy hearts with a dog on the front saying “I Ruff You.” It contains dextrose and maltodextrin (although it doesn’t list corn specifically), and it has a milk and soy factory warning.
• Lollipop bouquet (Galerie). It’s a bouquet of red heart-shaped lollipops. contains corn, but free from all other Big 8 allergens. I found the same candy at Smith’s, but with the Kroger brand instead of the Galerie brand on the packaging.
• Jolly Rancher heart-shaped lollipops. Contains corn syrup but free from the Big 8.
• Classroom Valentine Hearts with Candy. Dora the Explorer plastic heart-shaped boxes with hard candy inside them. Contains dried glucose syrup. Free from the Big 8.
• Wonka Fun Dip Valentine Card Pouches. Contains dextrose and maltodextrin. Free from the Big 8.
• Non-candy treats, like heart-shaped foam stickers, notepads, etc.

At Dollar Tree, I found:

• Valentine’s pencils, erasers, etc.
• A package of 10 plastic heart-shaped boxes with traditional “conversation” sayings on them that you can fill with your own candy (like Skittles, for example). Cute idea.
• Gummy rings. Contains corn, but free from the Big 8.
• Scooby-Doo bubble gum balls. Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8
• Bobble-head hearts on a tube of hard candy. Contains corn syrup but free from the Big 8.
• Cherry Jelly Hearts. Heart-shaped gumdrops. Contains corn syrup, but free from Big 8.
• Marshmallow Rose. Super-cute. Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Valentine Heart Lollipops. Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Cupid’s Heart Candy. Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Starlight Mints (Coastal Bay). Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Cinnamon Hard Candy (Coastal Bay). Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Disney Princess Lollipops. Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.
• Bob’s Sweet Stripes. Soft peppermint sticks. These are free from corn, as well as free from the Big 8. They just contain sugar, peppermint oil, Red 40 and Red 40 Lake. I also found these at Cracker Barrel.

At Smith’s I found:

• Lollipop bouquet (Kroger brand). These look exactly like the lollipop bouquet at Target, just with Kroger branding. Contains corn, but free from all other Big 8 allergens.
• Strawberry Swirl Pops (heart-shaped lollipops). Contains corn syrup, but free from the Big 8.

Valentine’s Day Pop Quiz: Fact or Myth

By Kelley Lindberg

[Thank you to everyone who sent me kind messages about the passing of my father, who taught me how to live life with integrity, strength, and a healthy sense of humor. Because I’m a little swamped right now, I’m letting Mylan, the manufacturer of EpiPens, provide my blog content this week. Thanks, Mylan.]

The marketers and distributers of EpiPen^® (epinephrine) Auto-Injector did some research on the trends for Valentine’s Day, and they found some statistics that might surprise you. Pop quiz! See if you can guess whether the following statements are myth or fact.

·         Myth or Fact: Valentine’s Day is the most popular occasion for sending greeting cards

Myth! According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 145 million greeting cards will be bought for Valentine's Day, making it the second most-popular card-sending occasion in the U.S. Christmas is the most popular.

·         Myth or Fact: Everyone loves to get a box of chocolates

Myth! For people who have potentially life-threatening (severe) allergies, getting a box of chocolate might not be a welcome gift. Many chocolates may contain some of the most common food allergens like cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts.

·         Myth or Fact: The average adult spends more than $100 to celebrate Valentine’s Day

Fact! The average adult celebrating the holiday will shell out $126.03, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions survey.

·         Myth or Fact: More than half of people purchased flowers or plants as gifts for Valentine's Day 2013

Myth! Twenty-five percent of adults purchased flowers or plants as gifts for Valentine's Day 2013; of those, 64% were men and 36% were women, according to AboutFlowers.com.

·         Myth or Fact: You can experience a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) from a kiss

Fact! It is possible to experience a life-threatening allergic reaction if you kiss someone who has eaten something to which you are allergic. Your best bet is to ask your loved one to stay away from your allergens before you pucker up.

For more information about EpiPens and anaphylaxis, visit www.epipen.com or www.anaphylaxisrevealed.com.

Zoe’s Silver Award Girl Scout Project

By Kelley Lindberg

After taking off a few weeks for the holidays, it’s time to jump back in to my blog. Today I’m excited to welcome a special guest blogger, Zoe, who has just completed a wonderful project for her Girl Scout Silver Award. Thanks, Zoe!

Hi, I am Zoe, and I am a 13-year-old Girl Scout. In Girl Scouts there is a project that Cadettes do called a Silver Award. For my Silver Award I wanted to spread awareness about food allergies and anaphylactic shock, because my 7-year-old sister has a peanut allergy, and not many people know what that is or what to do if she ever eats a peanut. So if you do not know what anaphylaxis is, it is a life-threatening food allergy reaction that happens when you eat your allergen.

To start spreading awareness I came up with the idea to do an information booth. I have done them at schools and booth events. So far I have done 6 booths and they have all gone very well. At those booths I wanted to see what the general public knows about food allergies, so I found a little survey. Here are the results.

I found this survey at the AllergyHome website, http://www.allergyhome.org/testyourknowledge, and used it for my questions.

1. True or False? You will experience anaphylaxis if the food that you are allergic to touches your skin.

7/16 said true

8/16 said false

1 said half/half

The answer is it really depends. Studies suggest that skin contact alone seldom causes anaphylactic reactions, unless the allergen is somehow transferred to the mouth, eyes, or nose. In addition, reactions can change drastically with each exposure, so don’t assume you won’t have an anaphylactic reaction next time just because your last reaction was mild.

2. True or False? Using hand-sanitizing gels (like Purell) is a good way to clean your hands of food allergens?

2/16 said true

14/16 said false

The answer is no, hand sanitizers just spread the allergens around but do not kill them. Studies show soap and water is the best way to remove food allergens. If soap and water are not available, a wet wipe is the second-best choice.

3. True or False? The smell of peanut butter will cause an allergic reaction in people with peanut allergies.

11/16 said true

4/16 said false

1/16 said it depends

The answer is it does depend how allergic they are to it. The smell alone does not contain the proteins that cause reactions. However, if peanut dust or powder is floating in the room (or airplane, for example), that dust or powder may contain the protein and can cause a reaction in sensitive people.

4. True or False? You can have an allergic reaction if you share your friend’s water bottle.

12/16 said true

4/16 said false

The answer is yes you can and most likely will have an allergic reaction. Sharing anything that could transfer saliva (forks, cups, bites of each other’s food, etc.) is a bad idea.

5. True or False? Washing a table with a Clorox wipe can be enough to clean a food allergen from the table?

9/16 said true

7/16 said false

The answer is True. Common household cleaners are effective at removing allergens if they are used carefully and thoroughly on the table.

6. True or False? If someone eats a food you are allergic to and then kisses you on the cheek, you will have a serious (i.e., anaphylactic) reaction.

5/16 said true

11/16 said false

The answer is it depends. In most cases, reactions to a kiss on the cheek are mild, such as a rash. But anaphylactic reactions have been reported, and kisses on the lips are more likely to cause serious reactions because of the possibility of ingesting the allergen after the kiss.

7. True or False? If you have ordered food at a restaurant and didn’t have a reaction in the past, will you be safe if you order the same food again?

2/16 said true

14/16 said false

The answer is False because of the possibility of cross contamination. Always tell your server about your allergies and ask them to double-check ingredients and verify the food handling for your meal.

8. True or False? Benadryl should be given first for a serious allergic reaction?

8/16 said true

8/16 said false

The answer is False. An EpiPen or other epinephrine autoinjector always comes first.

9. True or False? The needle in the Epipen or Twinject is long?

2/16 said true

14/16 said false

The answer is False. Needles in epinephrine autoinjectors are only about a half-inch long.

For my overall experience it was very good. I met many interesting and nice people. I learned a lot of things that I did not know before. And I had a lot of fun doing it! And a special thanks to everyone that helped me with the surveys.

                                                                                                            - Zoe

(And special thanks to Dr. John Lee at www.AllergyHome.org for giving us permission to reprint their survey here.)

Allergy-Free Gingerbread Houses and Cookies

By Kelley Lindberg

My niece's creation from a Christmas past.

It’s that time of year when gingerbread houses and gingerbread men (and their assorted wives, children, neighbors, dogs, and lawn furnishings) make their appearance. Traditional gingerbread recipes are full of common allergens, so I updated my list from last year of allergy-safe recipes for those days when you have entirely way too much creative energy and time on your hands. (Yeah, right. We can all hope.)

 

If you’re in the mood to bake up some festive architecture or the ginger-folk that live there, here are a few places to jumpstart your allergy-free baking frenzy:

• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies from Kids with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies from Eating with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• Gluten-free Gingerbread House Frosting from Kids with Food Allergies (free from the Big 8)
• You can order a baking mix for Jules Gluten-Free Graham Cracker-Gingersnap baking mix (free from the Big 8). You can also order a Gingerbread House Making Kit from Jules, which includes the baking mix, cookie cutters, and cardboard base, and instructions.
• Don’t need to be gluten-free? Here’s a recipe for StorybookGingerbread Men using regular flour, but free from the other Big 7, from allrecipes.com. 

If you don’t have time for baking, but still feel compelled to glue candy to a house (and who doesn’t?), here are a couple of fantastic no-bake options:

• The Candy Cottage snap-together plastic gingerbread house lets you add your favorite icing and candy without the time-consuming baking. Nice! You can even wash off the decorations and use it again next year. Many thanks to Michelle Fogg (UFAN’s fearless president) for finding this one last year.
• Sensitive Sweets' Allergy-free Gingerbread House Kit uses pre-baked gingerbread pieces, and you can order it with or without allergy-free candy from Surf Sweets. The kit is free from nuts, gluten, soy, egg, and dairy. Cool, hunh? 

Looking for safe candy to use for decorations? Depending on your allergens (check all labels for ingredients), try Necco wafers, Chex cereal or Frosted mini-wheats for roofing, Smarties (I like to stack them, wrappers and all, to look like firewood or logs on a gingerbread train car), Dum-Dums, Spangler’s candy canes, Bob’s Sweet Stripes Soft Mint Candies (red & white peppermints), Bakers & Chefs Starlight Mints, Skittles, Starburst, your favorite safe fruit snacks and fruit roll-ups, Haribo gummy bears, Jolly Ranchers, Hot Tamales, Mike & Ikes, Dots, Life Savers, rock candy, candy sticks (those swirly candy sticks that they used to sell in general stores – maybe the ones at Cracker Barrel are safe?), or sticks of safe chewing gum.

Enjoy your new Home Sweet Gingerbread Home!