Checking food when you have food allergies

 

 

Who doesn't love chocolate cake? 

Well, I do have one friend who can't stand to be around it.....bad memories from morning sickness.

But, for the rest of us, chocolate cake is a slice of heaven. We were at a family party last night, and I put two different slices of cake on my plate for Hubby and I. One had nuts sprinkled on the top, the other had coconut.

I told Son #2 that they had chocolate cake for dessert, but one had nuts on the top. I told him they were in separate pans, so he could get a slice of the coconut covered cake instead. And my brilliant son said, "No thanks mom. I'm not sure if they used the same utensils to serve both cakes, so I better pass" 

This is the son that is allergic to nuts. Have I trained him well, or what?!

We're always on the look out for nuts and seafood. Son #2 has to watch for nuts, and I usually inspect the desserts first, but I have to admit I was a little lax last night. I'm glad he decided to pass on the cake.

 Usually, we'll make sure he gets the first slice of a dessert if there's another dessert nearby that has nuts, just to avoid any cross-contamination. People aren't very careful about serving spoons or spatulas, they freely pass them back and forth from one pan to another. 

Our family of 5 is unlucky because all 5 of us have seasonal allergies 

4 of us have asthma

2 of us have food allergies 

For our family, asthma is genetic. And allergies, food allergies and asthma can typically happen in the same family 

Lucky us 

So, if you have asthma, allergies and food allergies, keep a close eye out for your food allergens. 

Tree nuts are a lifelong food allergy. So we will have to keep inspecting everything we eat. 

It gets old after a while, but hey! I have this funny thing about keeping myself and my kids breathing and alive.