Opinons on Food Allergies in Schools. Journalism or Narcissim?

The Reason for the Rant

I don't often rant or use this blog for that purpose. I feel that there is enough "opinion" out there. Uninformed opinion that is geared to gain attention and attract traffic. What the world needs now, is not ranting, but sound information that we can use, and that is what I strive to do.

However, there have been several opinion pieces about food allergies recently that deserve a response. The piece that spurred me to rant today was posted in the Huffington Post Blog (click link to read the article) yesterday by an author who is very upset. Her daughter can't have a birthday cake in school because of "those" kids with food allergies. The author herself has an egg white allergy, and when she was a child she knew a peanut-allergic girl who had died from eating a Twix candy bar containing traces of peanuts. She acknowleges the "skyrocketing number of food allergies and intolerances" (then proceeds to improperly diagnose), yet, she still believes that what works for her, an adult, and what worked for food allergic kids when she was growing up, should still work for kids today.

• Even though the number of people with allergies, sensitivities, and celiac disease have skyrocketed, gotten more complex, and the reactions more varied and sometimes more severe.
• Even though many kids could have damaged intestines from celiac, tummy aches, headaches, flu-like symptoms, long-term complications... and that we should care about this suffering as well.
• Even though some kids are so sensitive that having allergens in the air could cause a reaction.
• Even though kids are dying from anaphylaxis at such a rate that state governements are enacting laws for schools to allow trained personnel to use emergency autoinjectors.
• Even though the CDC just released a guide for schools to help them naviagate this complex problem.
• Even though life threatening food allergies and celiac disease are considered a disability by the American with Disabilities Act, section 504
  
• Even though 25% of emergency epinephrine injections given in schools involved kids who did not know they had an allergy at the time and that more than 15% of school-aged children with food allergies have had a reaction in school.
• Even though what worked when the author was growing up did not work very well. A little girl died.

The complete lack of compassion in this article is what spurred me to respond to the post, and also post it here, because I know that this author is not alone in her frustration. Sometimes a person can become so annoyed with day-to-day circumstances that they don't realize that they are being a real jerk. It's OK to be frustrated, it is a frustrating problem to have the basic needs and joys like food banned in schools, and we should listen to those who are frustrated. But sometimes people don't think beyond their emotion to realize that there is a lot more research to be done before drawing such an opinionated conclusion in public. I'm hoping that this is the case for this author, and I'm hoping that my passionate response to the article will help educate others who might feel the way that she does. I hope that this exchange will spur this discussion about food in schools to a much, much higher level.

A friend of this blog said it best: A school is a place of learning. This parent is missing a wonderful, teachable moment of putting others' needs first, and she is placing her convenience over the needs of a child. Another Tender Friend who has no food issues in her family offered that there are many, creative ways to celebrate a birthday, like bubbles and silly string (although these would have to be checked for allergens, too). On that wonderful creative note - what about taking silly pictures with your classmates? Writing a poem to celebrate the birthday boy or girl? These are things that can have a lasting, positive impression for everyone in class. These are activities that teach real emotional, mental and physical skills as well as celebrate the occasion. What a wonderful thing to walk away from your birthday celebration with such solid memories to keep for years to come. What joy!

Further, what a wonderful thing to think beyond ourselves, since this often spurs us to some of our most creative thinking! I personally can't stand seeing even one little kid feeling ostracized or alone because of quirks, religious orientation, race, creed, disability, family problems, or food issues - especially when just a little creative thinking and care can help grow loving and confident kids who feel like they belong.

This is a world community problem and a local community problem. It isn't about you. It isn't about me. It's about taking care of each other, caring for each other, and solving a very, very tough problem together.

So here is my rant. Feel free to rant back.

"While I empathize with the author's frustration, I think it is unwise to post an article in such a public forum based solely upon opinion, and personal experience, feelings and frustration; and without proper journalistic research. This article doesn't take into account the incredible rise in serious allergies, the rise in deaths from the same, the rise in other types of food reactions that kids are having to multiple foods. It also has no sympathy or regard for the kid that might have intestinal damage because of celiac disease, or flu like symptoms or a tummy ache because of sensitivities or slow onset allergies. It also discusses children as if they were adults, capable of making the same type of rational, spur of the moment decisions necessary to turn down that brownie. Kids don't know brownies are made w/ egg. Kids also are very physical - they kiss, hug, tumble, throw or even spit food in play. I empathize more with schools who have to figure out what is safe for their students and what is appropriate action to take so that each child is cared for, than with parents who no longer can make cupcakes. And I love cupcakes. I empathize with the parents of FA kids who put their kids into the hands of uneducated people every day. The kindest of people can make a mistake, and that is the sad part of this all. No one intends to harm with food. Food should be good for us and delicious and enjoyable. But the reality is that millions of people are having several different types of immune reactions to it. So something is wrong.

We are a community, and this is a community problem. We can't take the narcissistic position of, "I"m sick of this" and serve the solution to this growing problem appropriately."

Sincerely,

Elisabeth Veltman

The Tender Foodie

Learn more about this subject

What is a Food Allergy, Anyway?  A list of food reactions and what they mean.

The CDC Guide for Managing Food Allergies in Schools:  an excellent guide for schools and parents.

Emergency Auto-Injector Law Has Passed

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?: Interview with Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP, of www.mymunchbug.com

Be True to Your Heart, Dear Celiac: an excellent post by Brandy Wendler, RN, MSN, ACNP-BC, spokesperson for celiac disease and heart disease, and Ms. Northwest Territories Intl.

Still More ...

Should Anyone Eat Gluten? (Part 1) Interview with world-renowned researcher, Alessio Fasano, MD

How to Get Tested For Celiac Disease (Part 2) Interview with world-renowned researcher, Alessio Fasano, MD

Gluten Sensitivity, a New Food "Allergy" (Part 3) Interview with world-renowned researcher, Alessio Fasano, MD

Other Responses to This Article

Food Allergies in the Classroom: Using Science and Empathy to Drive Your Cupcake Decisions
  by Sheela Raja, PhD in the Huffington Post, Feb. 24, 2014

Released Today: The CDC Guide to Managing Food Allergies in Schools

Today,October 30, 2013, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) published “Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs." It is the first national comprehensive guidelines to help schools manage food allergies in their facilities and with their students.

This guide was created for schools, but I think every parent should download it and read it. It will help parents with food allergic kids understand what you can expect from schools, and also help parents of kids who have no food allergies understand why these regulations are in place. It might even help a parent save a kids life.

A Quick Snapshot of the Guide

The guide was created with the help of a team of experts, including federal agencies with the expertise in food allergies, consumer organizations who give advice on the clinical management of food allergies (like FARE and The American Academy of Pediatrics), organizations who represnt professional groups who work in schools, like school nurses.  They also worked with one school district, one state education agency, and two parents of food allergic kids.

The guide also takes into account the emotional needs & symptoms of food allergic kids, as well as guidelines on how to deal with bullying. Emotional needs are important, as well, since "the peanut table" can be a very lonely experience, as can be being forced to eat in the nurse's or principle's office.

The guide describes the symptoms of a classic allergic reaction, and how to recognize it as such from a clinical perspective, including mental and emotional symptoms. A child, for instance might have a sudden mood change or have a "sense of impending doom." I've certainly experienced this as part of a food allergy reaction, and I'm super glad that they included emotional symptoms in the guide.

The guide also gives examples of how a kid might describe a classic allergic reaction (one that might result in anaphylaxis). Here are a few examples:

• It feels like something is poking my tongue.
• There’s a frog in my throat; there’s something
• stuck in my throat.
• My tongue feels full (or heavy).
• My lips feel tight.
• It feels like there are bugs in there
• (to describe itchy ears).

A very important component of the guide is the strategic planning and framework section. It helps the schools set up a system for the school so they can properly and quickly respond to an emergency, and document any emergency, so they can learn from any incident that might occur. This includes guidelines on professional development and training for any staff who has frequent contact with food allergic kids.

It also sets up a system for each child to help prevent and reduce the risk of any emergency, including child/parent education. How many times have we heard that a parent didn't realize that their food allergy posed such a risk for their child? The parent didn't learn from the doctor who diagnosed the child, but learned from an emergency room visit?

There are several sections that describe how to put these guidelines into practice, including checklists and recommended practices from the cafeteria to the bus, to field trips, to outside groups who use the school. 

Finally, the guide gives a clear description on the Laws that govern food allergies:

• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504)
• the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)h
• Governing Statutes and Regulation for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs)
• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974

...and a very comprehensive list of federal resourses to help schools and individuals find and understand the laws.  These are listed at the end.

This is an incredible resource with a great deal of information, that is very well organized. 

Download it here:  Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs.

You can also read more about this, and find other resources on the FARE website.

More Than Just a Pretty Plate. Food Stylist, Laura Goble.

Food Stylist, Laura Goble; Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoEvery once in a while, I get the opportunity to step away from food allergies, and simply talk to beautiful and interesting people in the world of food. My conversation with Laura Goble is one of those inspirational moments that I'm honored to share with you.  ~Elisabeth

What is a Food Stylist?

“I’m lucky. I love my job.”

When you hear this at the beginning of an interview, you know the conversation will be fun. Food stylist Laura Goble loves food, knows how to cook, and has a creative streak and gobs of energy. Her job isn’t just to make food look pretty for the camera; it’s about balancing editorial and creative, and then integrating a strategy around that pretty food.  

Laura has worked with the United Dairy Farmers, Michigan Apples and the Horseradish Information Council as well as cookbook authors, film producers, and major brands and advertisers. She puts together budgets, creates recipes, and often art directs the shoot as well as styles the chow.  

The task board for this photo shoot. Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo.

But what exactly does a food stylist do?

Laura explains, “People have this perception that it’s magic. There are many tricks of the trade, like using Pine Sol to make melted cheese, or motor oil for pancake syrup. Glycerin is popular to make food look fresh, but it gets onto everything. I use very few additives like that.  I think that food is beautiful on its own. You just need the ability to see it, and then help the photographer catch it.”

Laura & Photographer, Brad Bruce on Set

Laura has always loved to cook, but food wasn’t always her gig. After a divorce seven years ago she was forced to drastically rethink her life. As she hung out at photo shoots with another mom who just happened to be a food stylist, she became hooked. Since food styling degrees don’t exist, this was a rare opportunity to apprentice with a veteran. After attending culinary school, including Boston College and the Culinary Institute of America, this mother of four stepped into the work of creating appetites.

Last January, photographer Jeff Hage and I had the chance to catch Laura in action at a photo shoot for author Stephanie Howard and “Kidlicious”, a cookbook full of plant-based foods for kids. The goal was to get twelve shots a day with a staff of four, which is ambitious, especially when working with natural light in a Michigan winter. But very cool to watch.

Food Stylist Toolbag, Photo, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

The two most iconic images of the day were Laura’s stylist bag and back pocket. A set of dentist tweezers that screamed, “It’s about the details, folks!” was the most talked about item. As Laura dunked cilantro into Dawn dishwashing liquid to perk it up, she uncloaked a little more of the stylist mystery. Dawn also clears grease spots from soup. Trident gum is always on the job because, “you can chew it, pop it, and it’s the right thickness to make things stick.” Sometimes she magically mixes canned frosting and powdered sugar to use in place of real ice cream because it sits pretty for long periods of time and doesn’t break a sweat.

Laura w/ the iconic tweeze. Photograph, Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

“Food styling uses a lot of intuition.  When you look at a bottle, it’s not a bottle. You see its shape, the light, the composition of the shot.”  

Thus, from her intuition and a pile of dishes, glasses, fabrics and colors emerged the perfect setting for smoothies, the right patterns for nachos, and some added color for a flawlessly placed noodle.

Laura is now highly successful, but she doesn’t forget that someone opened that door for her. She has a passion for developing new talent, and recently moved into a live / work space on Fulton Street called “Acorn Studios”.  She’s fully equipped to host shoots and fulfill her greater creative vision.  

And her pretty plate is chock full of vision.

The kitchen in Acorn Studios. Photo Jeff Hage, Green Frog Photo

Advice on Life, Work, & Becoming a Stylist

FOOD PHILOSOPHY

“Real food.  Everything about it intrigues me. I’m curious to see what and how people eat in different places. My favorite Asian market is in Cleveland – it is just fascinating to see what’s in that market, and what other cultures use for food.”

FAVE G-RAP EATS

“Brewery Vivant has really, really good food.  I’m obsessed with the kale salad at Trillium Haven, and I love Grove.”

Prepping a vegan cake on set. Photo: Jeff Hage, Green Frog PhotoFOOD TRENDS ON SET

• Clients incorporate more whole grains into recipes
• Farm to Table is hot
• Less ingredients, and those that are easy-to-find
• The use of fresh herbs, especially in compound butters
• Kale
• Cost Friendly
• People are starting to care about what they eat
• Clients aren’t as concerned with the perfect photograph, they now look for the “perfectly imperfect”

ADVICE TO BUDDING FOOD STYLISTS

“Don't be a baby.  You need stamina because you are on the go, hauling stuff, and standing a lot.  Love food. Know how to cook. Be resourceful, creative, and willing to go to many places to find just the right thing or the freshest ingredients. Clients might drive you crazy, but you can’t take it personally. It’s all about making their product look great.”

ADVICE ON FINDING A NEW PATH

“You can’t force what you aren’t ready for, and that's OK. I recommend the book by Julia Cameron called, “The Artist’s Way”.  I wrote line after line, stream of consciousness style, and got the junk out of the way. I’ve learned to always say, “yes.” It opens you up to possibilities and makes you figure out how to do it – whatever ‘it’ is. If you can’t, you can always say, ‘no’ later. But I’ve got the balls to do some crazy stuff.  Change affects me, like my kids growing up, but I don’t mind change.  It’s fun.”

 

About the Author

 Elisabeth VeltmanWriter, owner of Blue Pearl Strategies, and lover of all culinary delights, Elisabeth is a Tender Foodie. She started The Tender Palate, a website for foodies with food allergies & The Tender Foodie, its blog, where she consults with experts from every area of the Tender Foodie life. She believes that everyone should live deliciously and have a healthy seat at the table.

Ten Ways to Get Your Kid to LIKE Veggies!

BY GUEST BLOGGER & KID EXPERT, MELANIE POTOCK, MA, CCC-SLP of MyMunchBug.com

2012 is about to end (and the world too according to the Mayan calendars, but let's not worry about that now).   Are you making New Years' Resolutions?  Perhaps you are determined (or mortified) after your kids turned up their nose once again to Grandma's Thanksgiving green bean casserole  and thus, you are already muttering: "In the new year, I am going to get my kids to eat more vegetables." Hmmm...yeah, right.  Maybe you are just hoping the Mayan's are correct and you won't have to tackle vegetables in 2013.

But seriously...it could happen - kids actually eating veggies that is. As a pediatric feeding therapist who specializes in teaching kids to eat new foods, let me share with you my top ten list for getting kids to LIKE vegetables: 

• #10 Eat yours and smile.  Set the example.  That’s where to start.
• #9 Grow.  Veggies that is. Even a window box of salad greens is fun for kids to snip, wash and tear into a bowl for you.  If that’s the best your little one can do that day, then celebrate it! “Wow, this salad is filled to the brim with beautiful greens that you cut for ME! Looks DELISH and I bet it will taste that way too!  Thank you!”
• #8 Hang out with your kids in the produce isle.  Be creative as you search for the perfect veggie.  Tell your child, “I need a crown of broccoli with 8 “trees” on it.  Can you find one that size?" Hand him two bunches to examine.  Now he’s holding broccoli, counting the trees and talking about that vegetable.  
• #7 Polish up on your food jokes:   “What do garbage men eat?”  Answer: “Junk Food!”  I’m serious here folks – food should be fun!
• #6 Cook with your kids and don’t give them the boring jobs, like peeling carrots.  Learning to eat any new foods is all about exposing kids to the foods over and over and over.  It has to be more than putting veggies on their plates.   Even the littlest one can join in, especially if you use a safety tower to help them participate at the counter or the sink.
• #5 Dance in the Kitchen!  This award-winning children’s CD is filled to the brim with songs that celebrate the joy of food!  Play “On Top of Spaghetti” to signal everyone to come to the table for Pasta Night!  Or, how about a silly operetta all about peas?  Download it free here (good till December 31st, 2012).
• #4 Use “Family Style” serving plates or bowls.  Pass the serving dishes around the table and establish  the rule that everyone puts a little bit of everything on their plate.  If your kiddo protests, give him the role of “Master Server”,  allowing him to dish up everyone’s plate and thus, be exposed to the new foods several times in one meal.  Sometimes the first step to eventually eating a vegetable is just spooning it onto a plate.  Taking that first bite may be weeks away.  That’s fine.  Hang in there and proclaim him “the best at balancing Brussels sprouts on a silver spoon!”
• #3 Work your way to swallowing.  Nothing wrong (except fashionably) with a little carrot lipstick, a big fat kiss on a piece of cauliflower or seeing how long you can hold a lima bean in your front teeth before dropping it back onto your plate.  Food games help kids become more familiar with new smells, tastes, texture and temperatures of vegetables.  Chewing and swallowing are a more advanced skill and sometimes take a bit more time.
• #2  Chase it.  Make sure everyone has a water cup with a lid and a straw.  A chaser of water is a simple way to wash down a new food.  Remember your first sip of black coffee?  You probably swallowed it pretty darn fast and grimaced at the bitter aftertaste.  Now, you drive by that big green circle known as the Starbucks™ sign and suddenly, you HAVE to have a Latte.  When kids chew a new veggie for the first time, the sensations can be overwhelming.  Using a straw helps to wash down the new taste more efficiently than an open cup of water.   Don’t call a lot of attention to it, but allow your child to chase his veggies with water until he can manage to swallow small, chewed bites on his own.  And...
• The NUMBER ONE way to get your kids to eat their veggies…(drum roll please): Keep it joyful. Learning to eat new foods is a step by step process.  Take it slow…keep it fun…enjoy the journey!

ABOUT MELANIE

Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLPMelanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts from Melanie

Review:  The Magic of the BellyFull Kit (From the Hopeful Company)

The 12 Days of Christmas -- My Favorite Lunchtime Things (Part 1)

Tips to Help Your Food Allergic Child Belong During the Holidays

How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?

I Spy Blue! Using Food to Teach Your Child Colors

As a speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding, I can’t resist combining speech and language lessons with food activities.  Here’s my method of teaching colors while learning about new foods!

Blue with Blue!  Red with Red!

One of the first language concepts parents enjoy teaching their preschoolers is colors – but did you know that learning to identify “blue” begins with learning to match two blue objects? I teach children the primary colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple (add pink if your little princess identifies with that one early on!) in a hierarchical process, beginning with matching two colors.  Start with red and blue.  Keep in mind that the most common form of color blindness is difficulty distinguishing between red and green or between blue and yellow.  Save those pairings for later in this process.

While I often start with Legos™ or colored balls when learning to match colors, food works beautifully too!  If you have a child who is hesitant to try new vegetables, this is the perfect opportunity for him/her to learn to simply pick up a new food and drop it in a bowl without the pressure of having to bring it to the mouth.  Starting with two solid white or solid black bowls, place a piece of red pepper in one bowl and a blueberry in another.  Pick up another piece of pepper and hold it in front of the child, and say “Red with red,” encouraging the child to take the pepper and put it in the bowl with the other red pepper.  At first, additional cues may be needed to guide the child, such as lifting the red pepper bowl into the air just slightly, or pointing to the bowl.  Over time, fade those cues as your child learns to distinguish between the two colors.  Once two colors are mastered, add a third color and a third bowl.  Be sure to present the foods in random order so that your child has to pause, look and process which color goes in which bowl.   

Orange with Oragne & Red with Red!

Roll Blue Down a Celery Shoot!

Once six to seven colors have been mastered, move on to teaching your child to  imitate color names.  Say “blue” and pause before handing the blueberry over to the child, allowing up to 3 seconds for him/her to repeat “blue”.  Try rolling blueberries down a celery shoot after each time he/she imitates “blue”.   Finding fun and silly ways to reward your child is much more reinforcing that just saying “good job!” 

Next, children begin to label colors on their own.  The best way to teach labels is to “bombard” the child with one color all week and mix in the occasional “other” color.  “I see blue!” is a favorite game at this stage.

Finally, the child learns to discriminate and find colors:  Say “Find blue!” and the child picks up the blue object among a field of one other color, such as a piece of yellow pepper among a field of red peppers, spread out on the kitchen counter.   Simply add other colors as the child’s skill progresses.  Soon, the two of you will be playing “I spy yellow!” throughout the produce section of your local grocery store.

Colors Can Expand the Palate, Nutrient Intake, & Literacy

In the process of learning colors, children can learn to eat a rainbow!  Blue and purple foods include purple potatoes and plums; green foods include asparagus, edamame and peas; yellow foods include squash and pineapple; orange foods include orange peppers and dried mangos; and red foods include tomatoes and red beans.  Introduce other colors, such as brown or white, using the same process.  

Did you know that matching objects and colors is actually an early literacy skill?  It’s one of the first steps to learning symbols (letters) and understanding that two things go together  - they match!  And you thought you were just putting blueberries and red peppers in a bowl…

 We Did it!

About Melanie

Melanie is speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding.  Her work brings her into the homes and schools of her clients, kids, who for various reasons have difficulty with food or with eating. She works with kids and their parents to develop effective strategies that help children become “more adventurous eaters”.  At least 50% of her clients have food allergies or intolerances, and for them, “adventurous eating” takes on a special meaning.  Melanie is also the author of Happy Mealtimes with Happy Kids” and the executive producer of “Dancing in the Kitchen.”

More Posts from Melanie

Why Children with Autism are Often Picky Eaters

Review:  The Magic of the BellyFull Kit (From the Hopeful Company)

The 12 Days of Christmas -- My Favorite Lunchtime Things (Part 1)

Tips to Help Your Food Allergic Child Belong During the Holidays

How to Talk Turkey (and Food Allergies) at Thanksgiving

How Can Parents Feel Less Stress with a Food Allergic Child in School?