Do Your Children Have Food Allergies? Webinar with Holly Robinson Peete!
Monday, January 31, 2011 Posted by Felicia
I immediately looked on the label and found the list of all of the artificial colorings that were in this one tiny package. My mind went back to a time when my mom was describing how I acted when introduced to red dye #40 and I felt like I was living her life! I picked up the phone and started describing Graham and she said, "take away the food dyes!". We noticed an almost immediate difference the next day as I cut out any and all things with red dye #40. To this day we can tell when he has consumed any red dye.
Now, I realize that his food allergy is not as severe as many other children's and I am so thankful for that. I know of children who are deathly allergic to certain types of foods. What I want to know is how the parents of these children manage? It is hard enough for me to find foods without artificial coloring (it is everywhere)! I can only imagine if he was allergic to something like wheat or dairy.
The lovely ladies at The Motherhood have asked me to participate in a webinar with Holly Robinson Peete and you are invited as well! This should go along well with Super Bowl Sunday right around the corner. Here's the run down:
Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year after Thanksgiving, and according to a recent Nielsen survey, nine out of 10 people say they will be attending a Super Bowl viewing party this year. Since severe allergic reactions to food send 90,000 people to the emergency room annually, it’s important to arm yourself with knowledge on how to handle potential food allergy dangers! Join TV personality Holly Robinson Peete of CBS's The Talk (who is married to former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete and has four kids with food allergies) for a live video webinar about managing food allergies at gatherings like Super Bowl parties.Webinar Info:
When: Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT)
Where: Click this link to get to the webinar, where you will be able to watch Holly via live video feed: http://agencyroad.na4.acrobat.com/allergyfriendlysuperbowl/
If you click the link, it will go to a page where you can type in your name and enter the webinar as a “guest.” (You don’t need to provide an email address or have an existing login/password.)
If you enter the webinar before the specified date/time (Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. ET), you will be taken to a page that says, “The meeting has not yet started. You will be able to access the meeting once the host arrives. Please wait.” When the host (Holly) arrives tomorrow at 5, the webinar will go live.
I also have the opportunity to talk with Holly after the Webinar so make sure to leave any questions you may have for her here so I can ask! I would also like to know how you manage your child's allergies.
Subscribe to Go Graham Go! by Email as well as follow us on Twitter!
January 31, 2011 3:34 PM
I knew somebody who's child was a totally different person after meals. He was diagnosed with all kinds of issues from ADHD to autism and the doctors wanted to put him on meds. His mom felt there was something more to it. She started to give him one food at a time and see what his reaction was afterward. After TONS of time and "research" it turns out the child has intollerances to basically any type of preservative, grain, etc. His diet is very limited but he's a completely different child, without the needs for meds. It's amazing how when we think about food allergies we got to hives, rashes, epi-pens, but behavior is a huge part of it. Children on the autism spectrum usually benefit from the DAN diet. There's more of a link between eating and behavior than people realize! Good job recognizing it in Graham!
January 31, 2011 10:58 PM
Thousands of parents follow the Feingold Program, the elimination of artificial dyes (such as Red #40), artificial flavorings (such as vanillin), BHA, BHT, TBHQ, Aspartame to help their childen with food sensitivitiess. They have the help of the Feingold Assocition, the parent group formed in 1977. The website is great: www.feingold.org or www.ADHDdiet.org I hope it is mentioned on the Webinar.
January 31, 2011 11:41 PM
The reaction was probably due to a sensitivity, not an allergy. Food dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5, etc. are made from petroleum, and most of them start out in petroleum refineries in China. What's more, they are allowed to contain contaminants like lead, mercury and arsenic...they just aren't supposed to have too much of them!
An allergy is a reaction to a normal substance, but there's nothing normal about eating petroleum. If you drank gasoline and either got sick or behaved badly, it would not be an allergic reaction.
Like Marcia, my family received help from the nonprofit Feingold Association of the US -- a parent organization that researches brand name foods and publishes books listing thousands of products that are free of the worst of the additives.
The good news is that once you understand what to look for, you will be able to find the foods you enjoy, but in a better version. Many companies make two different version of virtually the same product: cheese snacks with artificial chemicals and cheese snacks made with real cheese, chocolate cake mix made with artificial flavors and chocolate cake mix made with natural ingredients, mac & cheese mix made with neon orange dye and mac & cheese mix with natural ingredients.
It is well-understood today that what we eat has a direct effect on our health, but few people understand that what you choose to put in that shopping cart will also have a direct effect on how your child behaves.
Not everyone has a change in behavior; some people get an asthmatic attack from eating dyes; others break out in hives or get headaches. Still others do not appear to be affected, but the research has shown that these potent chemicals damage the nervous system, the reproductive system, the immune system, and can lead to cancer.
Last year the European Union mandated that most of the artificial food dyes must have a warning label on the package that the additives have been shown to affect attention and behavior in children. Rather than have to warn consumers about their products, the food companies have switched to natural dyes like annatto, carotene, beet juice, etc. Many of these companies are multi-nationals (McDonald's, Kellogg, General Mills, Kraft, etc.) and they provide natural foods in Europe, but here in the US they continue to use these harmful chemicals.
Happily, US consumers don't need to eat this chemical stew. There are lots of alternatives. See www.feingold.org.
February 1, 2011 12:28 AM
Thank you guys for all of this information! Graham definitely breaks out when that neon orange macaroni touches the skin on his face! No wonder!
February 10, 2011 3:33 PM
I really appreciated reading this article. My son was recently diagnosed with a food allergy and I can definitely relate to this situation.