You've come a long way, Baby!

For me, a huge piece of managing food allergies has been about managing anxiety. If I had the food allergies, my anxiety level would have been much lower; I am me, and I can trust myself to not eat something if I don't know what's in it. This is simply not the case with kids; when Sophie was really small I wasn't sure if she understood her allergies well enough to protect her if I wasn't around for some reason. Now that she's older, well, I still wonder about that.

When Sophie was first diagnosed, my food allergy anxiety (shall we just call it FAA for short?) was all based on three possible enemies:
1. Sophie
2. Other People
3. Me.
My FAA that Sophie would accidentally feed herself something that would hurt her led me to do a few really drastic things. When she was crawling, I swept or vacuumed the floor at least 12 times every day. I remember at one point my husband called from work at about 10:00am. When he asked me how I was doing I started crying and said, "I've already swept the kitchen floor 6 times!" During those early years, we completely eliminated a number of foods from our home, such as peanut butter, crackers, and most breads. As she's grown older (she is now 8 years old) some of these foods have made their way back into our lives, with no detrimental effects. We've come a long way, Baby!

I found the Epi-Pen to be my greatest ally in resolving my FAA that Other People (grandparents, siblings, friends, aunts, uncles, etc.) would feed Sophie something harmful. Whenever I absolutely had to leave Sophie with someone other than my dear husband, I taught the babysitter how to use the Epi-Pen. After doing this a few times, I realized that people were terrified of it! Teaching someone to use the Epi-Pen practically ensured that they would take no risks, since they didn't want to have to use it! Pretty soon, I started showing it to anyone who was even around Sophie, because something about needles really brings home the severity of food allergies.

Alas, I was most anxious about myself. With all of the terms to learn and information to assimilate in a critically brief period of time, how could I be sure that I wouldn't miss some ingredient on a label? Indeed, I did miss ingredients a few times--only to catch my error seconds before Sophie ingested the offending food. In one instance, I didn't catch it in time, and poor Sophie paid the price in vomiting. But it's been a long time--maybe even years--since I have made such an error. And as I have been more accurate, my FAA has decreased. I no longer wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmare in which I have temporarily forgotten Sophie's allergy to eggs and witnessed her poor body swollen and sick. I have a new nightmare: Sophie is now reading her own labels. She still lets me double-check her work, but for how long? When the time comes, will I be prepared to hand over the responsibility of keeping her safe? Will I be able to trust my precious child with her own safety? Will I be able to say, Sophie, you've come a long way, Baby!"

I'm no doctor, but...

I'm not a doctor, but let's just say that I've learned a thing or two about allergies over the years. The things I have learned lead me to believe that allergies are essentially a massive immune system malfunction. Allergic response occurs when the body determines that a usually benign substance (like milk) is hazardous. The immune system builds up antibodies to the benign substance, and on the next exposure, the body responds. Whether the response is minor (a few hives) or dramatic (anaphylaxis) isn't relevant for the purposes of this discussion, the point is that the immune system (which is supposed to fight infections) is waging the wrong war.

So if allergies are essentially an auto-immune system disorder, how do they relate to other auto-immune disorders? Are people with allergies more likely to develop things like rheumatoid arthritis, Graves' disease, PANDAS, etc.? If so, how much more likely? Is it likely enough that people with allergies ought to be educated about other auto-immune disorders so that symptoms will be noticed and early diagnosis is more probable?

It's commonly believed that asthma, eczema and allergies are genetically linked, meaning that if the parents each have at least one of those conditions, then the children are likely to also have at least one of those conditions. Furthermore, children won't necessarily have the same condition as the parents. Does this mean that anyone with asthma or eczema is also more like to develop other auto-immune disorders?

And think about this: aren't most people allergic to something these days? So if most people have an allergy of some kind, does that mean that most of us are walking around waiting for the next auto-immune disaster to strike?

If the majority of people have an increased susceptibility to auto-immune disorders, then that's the new normal. Or maybe this is how we've always been. Maybe humans were never meant to eat such a wide variety of foods, travel to such a wide variety of places, and be exposed to so many potential allergens over a lifetime. Maybe we haven't yet adapted to our new mobility. But maybe we still can.

Granola

I have had a couple of requests for a granola recipe. I have used this one for ages. The original idea for it came from a cookbook by Kathleen Daelemans called Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen, but I have made a few of my own modifications.

10 cups oats or 8 cups oats and 2 cups puffed cereals (such as rice or corn)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to about 325.

Place 10 cups of cereal (oats or a mixture of oats and puffed cereal) in a very large bowl. Add the cinnamon and stir to combine well.

Put the brown sugar and water in a bowl and cook in the microwave for 5 minutes, or until it gains a syrupy texture. You will want a bowl that holds several cups of liquid since the mixture will bubble up while cooking.

As soon as the syrup is finished cooking, add the vanilla and salt and stir until the salt dissolves. When as much salt as possible has dissolved, pour the syrup over the oat mixture. Do not scrape out the syrup bowl--it is likely that a little salt will cling to the edges and it won't taste so great in your granola!

Stir the syrup into the oats mixture. When it is well combined, spread it onto 2 large, greased baking sheets (or baking sheets that are lined with a Silpat or parchment paper) and pop them in the oven. Bake for a total of 40 to 50 minutes, until you can just barely see the oats beginning to brown. Allow the granola to cool and then store it in airtight containers. I imagine you could probably store it for a couple of weeks at room temperature, although with 4 kids, this granola has never lasted much more than a day at my house.

If you like to have dried fruit in your granola, I suggest adding it after baking (otherwise the fruit will scorch). There are lots of great possible variations. A couple that my family likes include:
Add 1 tsp. powdered ginger with the oats and mix with 1+ cup dried cranberries after baking.
Add a mixture of raisins and dates after baking.

Other things you could try would be to add coconut or sunflower seeds to the oat mixture--remember keep your total at 10 cups--and/or try other spices and dried fruits.

Life is about...

Sometimes I feel like life might just be about driving the kids to the places they need to go. Most days I suspect that life is really about figuring out what to cook for dinner next. Ever since I started working on the Sophie Safe Food Guide, I thought that life should be about working on that. Whenever something new comes up with my health or my kids' health, I'm certain that life is really about managing health--allergies, endocrine system, strep throat, sinus infections, asthma, etc. But in the end I always realize that life is about balance.

I struggle to balance the needs of our 6 person household with my desire to have a successful business. Most days this struggle results in one of two things: either I work on the couch using my laptop while there are children snuggled in as close as they can get with me still being able to type, or I work late into the night, past the kids' bedtime, and mine as well.

I wrestle with managing the day to day requirements of the house while keeping up with my business goals: every day at 5:00 I feel panic surge through me as I realize that I must, once again, make dinner.

I wonder if I'm doing the right thing when I give Sophie an extra treat because she couldn't have what everyone else had at a party or event. Is it enough? Is there a better way to compensate for what she misses? Is it unfair to the other children?

And at school, with friends, at church, I debate about taking care of Sophie's allergies completely by myself, or asking others to make accommodations. I feel the constant need to balance her (and my) need for acceptance and friendship with the desire not to burden others. Do I ask her to "just make do" too often? Have my requests for others to adjust been too demanding? When it's an issue of safety, the question is easy--I won't put my child in danger for anyone's convenience. But often it's an issue of desire, not safety. Yet how often can a child's simple wants be denied before there is emotional damage?

I hope that I am balancing things in a way that will teach my children that through prioritization, they can accomplish great things. I hope that I am managing Sophie's allergies in a way that will help her understand how to accommodate others and be compassionate. I know that she feels the compassion of others as our friends frequently pack her a special little bag of treats for Halloween, or go to multiple stores to find cookies that she can have, or offer to make something Sophie Safe for the class Christmas party, or keep their pantries stocked with a handful of Sophie-Safe snacks for when she comes to play. I hope I can teach her to focus on the blessings of love and kindness that have come into her life because of her food allergies. I hope I can set that example.

Grief

Today after playing with her cousins, Sophie cried in the car because while she was there they made non-safe brownies, and everyone had some--except, of course, Sophie! Over the past few weeks, she has angrily asked, "Why do I have to have food allergies, anyway?" She will mournfully say, "I wish I could have some of that." Her feelings regarding food have clearly shifted from reluctant acceptance to sadness and anger, even grief.

After nearly 8 years of living with food allergies, is she just now grieving her loss? Does it take a child 8 years to realize the mark of food allergies? To see the separation and limitations caused by this, dare I say, disability?

And is it possible that everything I've done for her is not enough? The research, experimentation, recipes...doctor's visits, eliminating pets, foods? Is it truly possible that my years of depression about food were not enough to save Sophie from her own grief?

Sophie Safe Food Guide

In the early days of our journey with food allergies, I would wait until late in the evening to go grocery shopping. My husband stayed home with the kids and I went alone, standing for hours in a single aisle in the grocery store, reading label after label after label. When I was emotionally exhausted, I would take my meager findings to the checkout and pay, bring no more than a bag or two home. After a few weeks passed, having rested and regrouped, I would set out again to seek battle with the grocery store.

Many times in those days I wished that someone had built a database, a website where I could research ingredients in the comfort of my own home, at my own leisure, and be prepared when I went to the grocery store. And now we have built one--Sophie Safe Food Guide is now available for anyone to register and find foods that work for them. When you create an account with the Sophie Safe Food Guide, you can set up profiles detailing the dietary needs of members of your household. You choose the items that each person need to exclude from their diet, and when you search, the database will return items that are free from the things you're avoiding. For example, if you are allergic to tree nuts, salmon, and you don't want to eat things with saccharin in them, then the database will give you lists of items with no nuts, no salmon, and no saccharin.

Our Basic account includes 1 profile with unlimited allergens. Don't forget to check out the grocery list--mark the things you want to purchase and print out your list for the next grocery shopping trip. Check it out at www.sophiesafefoodguide.com.

Slow Cooking = Easy Cooking

I received an email today from Christina, author of www.ourducksinarow.com, asking about slow cooker recipes. She has used the pork roast recipe from Sophie Safe Cooking multiple times and asked what other things she can cook in her slow cooker. Here is a basic slow cooker meal recipe that can be modified for what you have and what you like to eat.

Slow Cooker Casserole

1 1/2 C uncooked rice
OR
3 C starchy vegetables (potatoes, carrots, etc.)
2-3 pounds of meat (use a roast, a whole chicken, several chicken breasts, or pork chops, etc.)
seasonings that you like (use 1-2 teaspoons of a seasoning blend, or see below for suggestions)
1 C water if using starchy vegetables
OR
3 C water if using rice

Put your rice or starchy veggies on the bottom, put the meat on top. Pour in your water and then sprinkle the seasonings all over the meat and down into the starchy vegetables. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours (always cook on low if you have a tougher cut of meat--the low temperature over time will make for a much more tender meal).

If you prefer, you can cook just your meat in the slow cooker. It will not require any liquid in most cases. With chicken, you will want to reduce the cooking time and keep an eye on things to make sure it doesn't burn or dry out. The seasoning suggestions will work for meat alone or meat with a starch. For example, today I am cooking a beef roast in the slow cooker with garlic powder, salt and pepper. We will be eating it with some veggies and mashed potatoes that I will cook separately just before dinner time.

Seasoning Suggestions:

Onions or Garlic: Most people like to add onions or garlic or both to almost any dinner recipe. My family prefers garlic, so we usually add a couple of cloves of fresh garlic, or 1/2 to 1 tsp. of granulated garlic to a meal like this. If you're adding onions, I would try about 1/2 onion, diced finely, to start. You can experiment and find the right amount for you and your family as you go along.

Salt: 1 tsp. of salt is usually plenty for this amount of food. You can use less depending on your other seasonings, or none if you are using a seasoning mix, especially if it contains salt.

Pepper: 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of black pepper, and/or use chili powder or red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

Italian Style Seasoning: use a mix of oregano, basil, and parsley with garlic and onions, or just use the spices out of this list that you have already on hand.

Mexican Style Seasoning: 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. garlic, 1 tsp. Mexican oregano; you can also add a small can of chopped jalapeno peppers or green chilies. With green chilies, I sometimes omit or decrease the chili powder.

Seasoning for Pork: For pork I love to use a combination of garlic (1/2 tsp.), sage (1/2 to 1 tsp.), sea salt (1/2 to 1 tsp.) and fresh ground black pepper (1/2 tsp.). Replacing part of the water with apple juice or apple cider is also a great touch.

Seasoning for Beef: One of the many options for beef is barbecue style. To achieve this, add a can of tomato sauce to your meal. Season it with 1/2 tsp. ground mustard, 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar, and your garlic or onions or both.

Seasoning for Chicken: Chicken is so versatile--there are a million ways to season it. Some of the things I love with chicken are 1/2 C diced celery or 1 tsp. celery salt, a bay leaf, oregano and parsley.

For this kind of cooking, you should go with your nose--if it smells like it would go well in your dish, then it probably will. You can also reference other recipes that you like and use the spices they recommend. Good luck, and happy cooking!