Jerome Bettis Talks About Food Allergies

I had to laugh yesterday when my friend Keeley from Allergy-Friendly Lunch Boxes described her interview with Jerome Bettis as a “date.” I had a date with Jerome too, but mine was an “afternoon date.” Jerome is a former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, with a severe shellfish allergy.You can hear our conversation here:



Consistent with the sports theme, Jerome describes his action plan as a “playbook” – and just like the playbooks my kids had when playing sports, the plays lay out the steps for success. If you’d like to check out the entire fifteen minute interview, including questions from Sarah and Selena:

 

 Check out Keeley’s blog post for the questions and answers from the evening session with Jerome. Thanks to Sanofi for driving this initiative and for giving us the opportunity to talk to Jerome Bettis. Jerome, thanks for picking up the blitz and being a food allergy role model for our kids!

The Solution to Gluten-Free Hair Care?

It just might be NYR Organic.

Finally, a paraben-free, organic, shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t replace the parabens with wheat or soy proteins. Neal’s Yard Remedies, a UK company, has actually been making them since 1981, but I first ran across the brand at the Gluten-Free and Allergen-Free Expo in Chicago. I bought the Revitalizing Orange Flower shampoo and conditioner to try.

The truth is, I’m tired of organic/paraben-free/gluten-free/soy-free shampoos that leave my hair feeling like straw, and conditioners that really aren’t meant for adult hair. The NYR Organic formula that I tried really works! My hair feels clean, combs through easily, and styles well. Most importantly, I am not itchy after my shower.

Could this be the end of bad hair days? I hope so! If you’re in the mood to try some, you can find it online here.

What Your Boss Should Know about Food Allergies

Good information never gets old, but it does get outdated. In the case of food allergies, it gets outdated very quickly. Just two years ago I shared this article on Five Things Your Boss Should Know About Food Allergies at forbes.com.

In the spirit of Food Allergy Awareness Week, I wanted to share it again. While all of the conclusions and suggestions still hold, the data is no longer accurate. Here are the most recent facts:

Fifteen million Americans, including 8% of children have food allergies. (Compared to the 12 million noted in the article.)

One in every thirteen children has food allergies; on average, two children in every classroom have food allergies.

The most recent CDC study (May 2013) estimates that food allergies in children have increased 46% between 1999 and 2011. Compare that to the 18% increase reported from 1997 to 2007.

While there is no data on the number of people entering the workforce with food allergies, it’s reasonable to suggest that the numbers are increasing and will continue to increase. See the original article to learn more.

Another Choice for Allergen-Free Chocolate – Pascha

You must know by now that I love chocolate. I have to resist the urge to add chocolate to all of my baked goods. And I have been known to dip my hand into the chocolate chip jar. (Chocolate is a relatively healthy treat, right?)

At the recent Gluten-Free & Allergen-Free Expo in Chicago I really lucked out when I ran into Simon near the bloggers’ booth at the end of the expo, handing out Pascha chocolate bars to sample. I am not ashamed to admit that I begged him to let me have two. He first handed me a bar that was 70% cacao (that is some serious dark chocolate), and I grilled him:

It must be gluten-free, right?
Is it dairy-free?
Soy-lecithin free?
Made in a nut-free?

“Yes, yes, yes, yes,” he assured me, “none of the top food allergens.” And that’s when I begged him to also let me take home the 85% cacao bar he still had in his hand. I even offered to trade back the 70% bar, because I wanted the nearly pure chocolate bar so badly. Simon must have sensed my enthusiasm (desperation?) because he let me take both.

Here’s why I was so excited:

First, chocolate doesn’t need to be anything more than chocolate (some combination of cocoa powder and cocoa butter), yet because so many chocolate makers make milk chocolate (really, who decided that chocolate tastes better when milk is added?) or add nuts. And, because they want to be able to form shapes and have a longer shelf life they add soy lecithin. While many of us can deal with the soy lecithin (even with my family’s soy allergies we are okay with soy lecithin), the nuts and the milk – even traces of them – are deal breakers for most who visit here.

And a little more of a lesson on chocolate: Sugar is usually added to the cocoa powder and butter in chocolate bars. The less sugar added, the higher the “% cacao” number. Anything over 55-60% cacao is considered dark/semi-sweet/bittersweet. That means that 70% is seriously dark, and 85% is very close to pure chocolate. And that is precisely why I wanted that bar so much.

Unsweetened baking chocolate is 100% cacao – but nearly impossible to find made in a dedicated facility. I have been in search of a nearly pure chocolate bar that could be used as baking chocolate in allergen-free recipes for some time now. Are you feeling the excitement?

I had to hide the bars (from myself) until I was ready to try them with the Double Chocolate Muffin recipe in Learning to Bake Allergen-Free. In that recipe I call for unsweetened baking chocolate, but allow you to use allergen-free chocolate chips, if needed to avoid allergens. This time I used the 85% cacao Pascha chocolate in place of the baking chocolate, and broke up the 70% bar to use as added chocolate chunks.

After passing the “free from allergens” test, the next most important test is taste. Despite similarities in ingredients names, chocolate tastes very different depending on where it comes from and how it was processed. All of Pascha’s ingredients are organic, and the only things added to the chocolate are organic cane sugar and vanilla. The result is one of the finest chocolates I have ever tasted. The fact that Pascha has managed to maintain that pure chocolate taste without adding any lecithin in nothing short of miraculous!

So, to everyone who has been asking me for a source for great allergen-free chocolate, Pascha chocolates can be found at chocolate.com, and should be available in stores in the US in the next few weeks. I strongly recommend you give them a try!

What the Proposed Gluten Free Labeling Laws Might Mean for Families with Food Allergies

Back in 2006 when the FALCPA (Food Allergen Labeling Consumer Protection Act) was passed, there was a directive that rules be established for the use of the term “gluten free” on product labels by the end of 2008.

We’re still waiting, but we may be getting close.

After years of discussion and on-again/off-again work to define what is indeed “gluten free,” the FDA has proposed rules that have been sent to The Hill for possible legislation. It has taken a long time – in part because not everyone agreed on the definition.

From where things stand right now, it appears that that the FDA rule will allow a product to be defined as “gluten free” if it does not contain wheat, rye, or barley, (the three grains that contain gluten) or any hybrid of these grains; ingredients that have not been processed to remove gluten; or any item made up of more than 20 parts per million of gluten. Twenty parts per million is the level at which most doctors agree that a celiac can still safely consume the product.

This is all very good news. Progress is progress, and I support all initiatives that help us understand what is in our food. Nevertheless, the result could be confusion for families with wheat allergies.

The FALCPA ensures that the common name of the top food allergens be clearly listed as an ingredient on food labels. For example, “wheat” must be listed if the product indeed contains wheat. Unlike the FALCPA, the gluten free rule will not require “gluten” to be listed as an ingredient if the food contains gluten. Conversely, it will define when a product can use the words “gluten free” on the package. (Of course, gluten isn’t an ingredient per se, just like fat isn’t an ingredient.)

So if a product meets the rules to be labeled “gluten free,” will it then be safe for those with wheat allergies? Not necessarily. The product may still contain wheat that has been modified to have the gluten removed (such products exist in the UK). And since the rule is 20 parts per million, there could still be minute traces of wheat. What this means is that those with wheat allergies may find the gluten free designation helpful as a starting point, but will still need to read the entire list of ingredients to make sure that the product is safe for them.

A larger concern for the food allergy community could be the trend towards food that has been modified. How would you feel about cow’s milk that has had the casein proteins removed or modified? Or what about hypoallergenic soy? Of course, these don’t exist… yet. Would you embrace them if they did? I’m not sure I could get on board.

Another interesting consideration for families like ours could be the acceptance of a “parts per million” approach for top food allergens. While I wouldn’t be in favor of replacing the FALCPA (I still want to know if even a tiny amount of a food allergen was intended to be in the product), establishing measurements and thresholds for safety could be more helpful than the usually-less-than-clear optional advisory labels (e.g. processed in a facility that also processes…).

What do you think?