Indoor Treehouse Bed

On most days, I would prefer not to think about food allergies. So I'm going to start sharing more of the design-y stuff that I love. Check out this amazing indoor treehouse bed! I first saw this post on ohdeedoh a few days ago and had to go back to check it out again. I would love to sleep in something like this, even as an adult.

Juli of The Slow Life designed and built this treehouse bed not for the backyard but for her daughter's room. For more photos and details, check out Juli's blog.

How Stressed Are You? Food Allergies and Quality of Life

Mothers of food allergic children report extremely high levels of stress and a new study sponsored by the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) shows that their quality of life can be significantly affected as well.

Data were collected from 1,126 caregivers. The impact of food allergy on caregiver quality of life varied widely with 1 exception: caregivers consistently reported being troubled by social limitations resulting from their child's food allergy. Poor quality of life was significantly more likely on a number of survey items among caregivers more knowledgeable about food allergy and among caregivers whose children had been to the emergency department for food allergy in the past year, had multiple food allergies, or were allergic to specific foods.

Here is a great interview with Dr. Ruchi Gupta, discussing this research.

Factors that increased stress and lowered quality of life:
1. Families who had been in the ER in the past year
2. Those who had kids with multiple food allergies
3. Those who were allergic to milk, wheat and/or egg
4. The more knowledgeable caregivers had a lower quality of life

Unfortunately, all four of the above affect us. (Number 4, because I constantly research and try to gather as much information as I can. Acquiring knowledge is my coping mechanism) It's something I'm always thinking about, especially in new situations. I'm really stressed about Rowan attending preschool in the fall. I have to give up all control during those days and trust the school to keep her safe. Kindergarten has been easy with Rylie (no snacks), but next year she'll be in first grade, eating lunch in the cafeteria and having snacks in the classroom. Social situations are always tricky too - family gatherings, birthday parties, play dates. I also worry that in raising awareness and trying to keep my kids safe, I'll be viewed as a crazy over-protective food-allergy parent.

Strawberry Cake Recipe (Dairy-free)

A friend of mine emailed me yesterday and asked if I had any dairy-free cake recipes. Her neice is turning one and is allergic to milk. Most of the recipes I use are a little more extreme: free of dairy, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts - because Rowan has to avoid all of these foods.

I happened to have a recipe for strawberry cake, that is dairy free. (I think I found this in the recipes section on Whole Foods website.) It sounds delicious, but I haven't tried making it yet because Rylie would be able to eat it, but Rowan would not.

Dairy-Free Strawberry Cake
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached flour *
1 cup natural cane sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup puréed strawberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1/2 cup soy milk or almond milk

Icing
1 box powdered sugar
4 tablespoons non-hydrogenated dairy-free margarine, softened
4–6 tablespoons puréed fresh or frozen strawberries
Fresh strawberries for decoration

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter (or spray) and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13-inch cake pan. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients together. Add to dry, beating with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared cake pans. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until done when tested with a toothpick.

To make the frosting, sift powdered sugar into softened margarine. Add strawberry purée to spreading consistency. Frost the cake and decorate the top of the cake with fresh strawberries just before serving.

*If desired, you may substitute part of the unbleached flour with whole wheat pastry flour or white wheat flour.

7 Foods the Experts Won't Eat

Seven experts in fields pertaining to both food and the environment answered one simple question: "What foods do you avoid?" Their answers, published in an article entitled 7 Foods the Experts Won't Eat on Yahoo! Shine, will make you re-think food. When it comes to food and its affect on your health and the health of this planet, this is what they answered:

1. Canned Tomatoes
2. Corn-Fed Beef
3. Microwave Popcorn
4. Nonorganic Potatoes
5. Farmed Salmon
6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
7. Conventional Apples

Read the article to see their explanations.

Teddy Grahams - safe for peanut allergies

I don't usually buy Teddy Grahams, but I bought them this week for Rylie as a special treat. I read the ingredients (Mini Teddy Grahams Snak Sak, Honey) and they seemed safe for her to eat, but I noticed that Kraft/Nabisco also make Nutter Butter bites, in the same size resealable bag.

This made me a little nervous, because cross-contamination warnings are not mandatory in the US. I called Kraft today to ask if Teddy Grahams and Nutter Butter Bites are made in the same plant or on shared equipment. The woman told me that it is Kraft's policy to put a statement on the package when products are made on shared equipment or in a plant that processes peanuts, and the Teddy Grahams bag does not have this statement.

For some reason I still don't fully trust the answers I get when I call these food companies. I feel like they don't quite understand the risk of cross contamination and are reading from a script of answers to common questions.

At this point I feel like I've done all I can do - I read the ingredients and called the company about cross contamination. I feel pretty confident that the Teddy Grahams in the Snak Sak are safe for kids with peanut allergies.

This doesn't mean that all sizes or varieties are safe, because the manufacturing process might differ. Please read ingredients and manufacturing statements on all packages, every time.

10 Home Remedies for Itching

Our girls have eczema and never stop scratching. We put olive oil in their bath water and don't use soap. We also slather them in Vanicream and put prescription creams on certain stubborn areas. We give them Zyrtec or Benadryl before bed. And they're still itchy.

I found some great home remedies on Discovery Health. I knew about baking soda and oatmeal, but I may give some of the others a try. Let me know if you have tried any of these remedies, and if they worked.

Read Labels Carefully: Five Recent Label Changes

Recently, several food labels have changed, so this is a great reminder to read labels every time you purchase a product. Ingredients or manufacturing processes can change at any time. Please keep in mind that cross-contamination warnings (such as "may contain..." or "made on the same equipment that processes...") are voluntary and not required to be disclosed on labels.

1. Silk Soymilk labels now state, "May contain almonds or coconut," because the soymilk may be manufactured on equipment that is used by products that contain almond or coconut. Not all containers have this warning yet.

2. Clabber Girl Baking Powder labels now state, "Manufactured on equipment that also processes wheat, soy, milk and egg." The front of the can states they are still producing in a peanut-free facility. Old cans claimed, "Gluten Free".

3. Wheaties cereal states, "May contain almonds." Wheaties Fuel cereal states, "May contain almonds or peanuts."

4. Hostess Cupcakes are labeled with a "May contain walnuts" warning. Some Hostess Donettes are now labeled as "May contain walnuts and pecans."

5. According to the Spangler candy website, Dum Dum Gum Pops and Dum Dum Chewy Pops made in the USA are free of peanuts, tree nuts, egg, gluten, and milk. But be aware that Dum Dum Gum Pops and Dum Dum Chewy Pops made in Brazil are manufactured in a facility where peanuts and milk are used in the manufacturing of other products. Please check the back panel of the item you are purchasing for country of origin. This information is only on the original bag, not on the individual wrappers.

I need to contact Silk about their soymilk. Rylie drinks soymilk because she is allergic to cow's milk, but she is also allergic to tree nuts. I need to find out more about possible cross-contamination with almond ingredients.

Label change info from Kids with Food Allergies