Food Allergy Resource Center

Living with food allergies isn't easy, but you are certainly not alone. It's estimated that up to 5 million children in the US have a food allergy. While it certainly presents a challenge, by learning the facts and finding resources for tips and recipes, life can become much more manageable. One of our favorite websites is http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org. If you are looking for information on food allergy basics, emotional and social issues, safe label reading, food preparation techniques or school planning, you can find what you need here.

Another great site is www.allergicchild.com. This site offers great information for the newly diagnosed, children’s books on allergies, book and magazine recommendations, legislation, products, dealing with school and parties as well as a great monthly newsletter.

If you like your “daily dose” of information, check out the Food Allergy Assistant blog http://foodallergyassistant.blogspot.com/ Here you’ll find resources, recipes, FAQs and an Advocacy section as well as the blog. A parent who knows first hand the difficulties of raising a child with food allergies started the blog. She says,“As parents, we bear the ultimate responsibility for the safety of our food allergic child. We are using what we have learned to educate others about food allergy. We want to assist others who typically don't have time to think about reading every label or planning every party, trip and meal to the smallest detail”

Do you have a favorite website, book or blog that has helped you cope with food allergies and sensitivities? Let us know!

Getting the Right Vitamins for Your Kids

Adequate vitamins and minerals are essential for our children’s growing minds and bodies. Here are the supplements that we suggest you consider for your kids:

· Fish oil: There is a lot of buzz about fish oil these days and how it helps heart disease. But it is also very good for a developing nervous, heart and circulatory system as well as for digestion. It is also important for improving sleep patterns and reducing behavior problems.

· Probiotics: This is a “good bacteria” complex that is supposed to live in our gastro-intestinal tract. However, when kids come in contact with foreign bacteria or yeast, their digestive balance gets thrown off and they can have symptoms like constipation and diarrhea. Keeping a healthy gut helps boost their little immune systems as well.

· Vitamin D: This vitamin is deficient in most American kids and adults. As we protect of our skin with sunscreen and turn to indoor activities like video games and television, our children miss out on the sun’s rays that create vitamin D. This vitamin is a very powerful immune booster and is especially helpful when starting pre-school or day care.

· Multi-Vitamins: Most parents don’t have the time to be the cooks they want to be much less know how to construct a perfectly well balanced meal. Giving your child an essential blend of vitamins and minerals helps take some of the stress off so you know they are getting what they need to develop strong and healthy minds and bodies.

The dosages are not provided above since this depends on the age and weight of your child. Please call our office if you need assistance with this. Also, we recommend getting the highest quality Fish Oil and Probiotics. Unfortunately many companies are guilty of producing contaminated fish oil and probiotics with a high level of useless filler. We are always happy to recommend reputable companies to you that are in line with your budget.