School
Picnic Ingredients
Here is a link to the ingredients list for food to be served at school picnic in 2007.
Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week.
May 11 through the 17th is the 6th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week and I would like to take the opportunity to provide some interesting and important information about food allergies. I am sure many of you who are reading this has either a family member or knows of someone with a food allergy. Go ahead, keep reading, I promise it gets more interesting.....
Currently there are over 2 million school age children who have food allergies. The most common foods individuals are allergic to are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, shellfish, fish, soy, wheat and eggs. Allergies to these foods cause about 90% of all allergic reactions. There are at least 160 other foods that cause the other 10% of allergic reactions to foods.
As
you can imagine, living with food allergies is like being in an obstacle course.
There are ingredients in many common foods that you would never would think
are present. For example, nuts and peanuts can be often found in pesto, chili,
ravioli (crushed walnuts), baked goods (almonds, peanut flour, pecan meal),
barbecue sauces, gourmet coffees, chicken marinates, Orange Julius, soaps
(crushed almonds are a popular ingredient in many soaps and lotions), cosmetics
and liquors, (Amaretto). Would you ever expect when you buy an Orange Julius
at the mall food court, that it would have almond flavoring in it? Or perhaps
the chili you've ordered has been thickened with peanut butter? The next time
you pick up a box of Entenmann's Devil's Food Donuts, notice that there are
crushed filberts, a tree nut, in the ingredient list. Did you know that many
brands of Worcestershire Sauce contain anchovies? Worcestershire Sauce is
added to many recipes and if you have an allergy to fish, that would be an
important ingredient to avoid. Maybe you've baked a cake and the recipe called
for a little almond extract in the batter or icing. If someone
asked you, you may say, "Don't worry, I baked it myself and there aren't
any nuts in it." Approximately four years ago when I was checking the
ingredients lists for a kindergarten class project, the gummy worms
purchased had crushed cashews in it! I never expected
to find nuts in gummy worms, and least of all such an expensive nut such as
cashews. These are just a tiny number of examples highlighting the dangers
of hidden allergens in common foods that most of us are lucky enough to not
have to think twice about.
Cure for Food Allergies?
There is no known cure for food allergies. Therefore, elimination and avoidance are absolutely necessary. Fortunately, due to strict FDA requirements, the ingredient labels of food products have improved drastically. Companies are diligent about listing all the ingredients in their products and, in addition, stating if the item is manufactured on the same equipment as other company products containing the most common allergens. In the unfortunate situation in which an allergic person comes in contact with an allergen, either by eating, touching or breathing, the body releases large amounts of histamines into the blood. A reaction can be labeled as mild, moderate or severe. This large release of histamines causes a variety of reactions in separate parts of the body. Symptoms range from a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and the throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, to death. When a reaction is potentially fatal it is called anaphylaxis.
Symptoms
Symptoms
typically appear within minutes to two hours after the person has eaten the
allergic food. Adequate warnings are not always present before a serious reaction
develops and reactions can proceed like wildfire. The use of an Epi Pen, a
syringe containing epinephrine, is the medication of choice for controlling
a reaction.
Many people think the terms food allergy and food intolerance mean the same thing, however, they do not. A food intolerance is an adverse food-induced reaction that does not involve the immune system. Lactose intolerance is one example of a food intolerance.
Nixon Students with Allergies
There are many students attending Nixon who cannot partake in the cupcakes/treats brought in for birthday celebrations due to food allergies or medical conditions. Please consider the option of "nonfood" birthday celebrations. These celebrations can take the form of small items for class distribution by the birthday child, (pencils or stickers), or perhaps a gift for the class, (a book or some markers), which can be opened in front of the class by the birthday child. This is a new way to celebrate birthdays here at school, and one that all children can take part in and no one feels left out. The fact that your child will be eating 20 or so fewer cupcakes during the year is an added bonus!! Your consideration of this new option for celebrating birthdays is appreciated. Thank you all for your understanding in dealing with food allergies at school and helping to keep all of the students safe.