Allergic Living focuses on food and environmental allergies, offering in-depth articles, the latest in medical breakthroughs, leading experts’ advice, product reviews, plus outstanding allergy-friendly recipes.

We have been provided with promotional copies and a special promo subscription rate for FAAN members! Email me for you free copy at allergypeanutmom@yahoo.com!

We plan to have our annual Red Robin night …more info will be forthcoming!!!

The next step in your magical journey is with dining reservations, 407-WDW-DINE, and notifying the agent of your special dietary restrictions.  The agent will direct you to contact Special Diets at 407-939-3463 or SpecialDiets@DinseyWorld.com to coordinate your dietary needs with your hotel chef and with the chefs at your specific reserved locations. The Special Diets department is fantastic!

Special Diets will send forms to your email address requesting a list of each of your reservations, the number in your party and the specific special dietary requirements. They will also provide you with a list of quick service restaurants available to accommodate special dietary requirements. Within a short period of time, the majority of the chefs will contact you by telephone to discuss your needs and accommodations. They will also leave their direct phone number in the event of further questions or needs up to and during your Magical stay.

It may also be reassuring to contact the chefs a couple days before each reservation to confirm your reservations and ensure there are no surprises, such as changes to menu items available on a buffet line.  An insider tip: try to make reservations early in the meal service. Restaurants can more easily accommodate during off meal times.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, notify the host/hostess of your allergies and request to speak to the chef. Typically as with any restaurant, the busier the restaurant, the longer the wait to speak to a chef. In our experience, the buffets had the longest wait for a chef and the greatest opportunity for cross contamination.  Whereas the restaurants preparing all their meals from scratch were the most accommodating and the most knowledgeable. For example, our food allergy is peanuts; some restaurants thought the Mickey Macaroni and the child’s pizza dough were unsafe, while others considered them safe. We found this disconcerting considering the typical children’s menu offerings at the majority of restaurants was Mickey Mac n’ Cheese, Personal Pizza, or Chicken Nuggets for both lunch and dinner. Over the length of your stay, you may want to present your children with some variety, which can be better accommodated at scratch restaurants. The restaurants specializing in items from scratch have the ability to prepare exciting dishes that were not on the menu, in a safe, healthy and delicious manner!  No matter where a food allergy family goes, they need to be within their own comfort level. 

Within your own hotel, get to know your dining manager. They can introduce you to the chef in your hotel’s quick service restaurant, assisting with alternatives to the typical children’s fare. Also ask for their input on substitutions to the meal plan. Most meals come with an entrée, drink and dessert – the dessert can be substituted with an additional bottle of water or to satisfy a sweet tooth, Divvies (www.divvies.com) products may be available at the venue.

For quick service dining within a park, consider dining at off times. For example, lunch service begins at 11:30. Arriving early allows for time to avoid the lines, get a manager’s attention, review the ingredient binder, order and eat by noon.  A little pre-planning is very helpful, make sure to print out the maps online and highlight the safe restaurants in order to be in the right place at meal times.

Another thing to consider within the park is that all straws are unwrapped. Disney takes great pride in cleanliness, paper and plastic wrappers cause a great deal of litter. However, straws at the hotel are probably wrapped, so grab a few of those and maybe some pre-wrapped plastic ware to carry with you through the park.  Depending upon how hot the weather is, it may become necessary to buy a slush or soda.

The most important tip of all is to have FUN!!!! Enjoy the magic that is Disney.

My boys started pre-k this year & mistakenly I thought I would have more free time! Somehow I have less.

In an effort to continue what I started, updating everyone on allergy info and maintaining a budding not for profit, I need to consolidate my efforts – Please join our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=74130557266&ref=ts to keep receiving updates from me!

If you have any questions please contact me at allergypeanutmom@yahoo.com

Thank you & best wishes as we go into this holiday season!

 WHAT:          2010 Buffalo Walk for Food Allergy

 WHERE:        17 Meadowview Place,  Delaware Park,   Buffalo, NY  14214

 WHEN:          Saturday, August 14, 2010, Registration 11:00am, Walk Time 12:00pm

 WHY:            Raise money for research and education

                      See Buster Bison kick off the walk

                      Get a balloon animal from Mr. No

                      Music and refreshments(water and fruit)

                      Meet other families with food allergies and share stories, recipes and ideas

  HOW:           Register at www.foodallergywalk.org/buffalo_NY10            (registration is free!)

 Note:            Please go to the above website if you would like to just sponsor a walker, team or the walk site

                    Questions?? Please email, buffaloallergywalk@gmail.com

 Thank you to our sponsors:  Jubilee, Wegmans, Dey, SoyNut Butter, Enjoy Life Foods, Sunbutter

I called the theatre in advance, they didn’t expect it to be crowded that evening. We had our pick of great seats & yet we were nowhere near anybody!! Eddie dressed in his Sunday best- it was so cute. I told him he needed to wear pants and long sleeves, so he took it upon himself to look handsome!

We ordered a soda, the manager washed his hands before pouring it for us – the boys looked so cute in the folding seats, sharing a soda!

They lasted the entire movie! I CANNOT WAIT for TOY STORY 3!!!

A special thank you goes out The Buffalo News and Reporter, Charity Vogel, for their (her) continued support and providing us with the ability to reach the entire community.

We are grateful for the great variety of information captured by the survey and excited to convey them to you below:  

• 133 respondents completed the survey as of April 30^th, 2010. The allergies ranked in this order: 

• 76%        Peanuts
• 65%        Tree Nuts
• 47%        Egg
• 37%        Milk
• 15%        Shellfish
• 14%        Soy
• 12%        Wheat
• 8%          Fish

• A large proportion of the families are dealing with multiple food allergies, presenting serious nutritional concerns.

• According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, “food allergies are on the rise. The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children – one in 17 among those under age 3.”  The ages, of the respondents or minors suffering from Food Allergies according to this survey, range from 15 months old to 36 years with:
  • 3%          Under 2 years of age
  • 26%        Between 2 and 3 years of age
  • 18%        Between 4 and 5 years of age
  • 34%        Between 6 and 9 years of age
  • 16%        Between 10 and 15 years of age
  • 2%          Between 16 and 21 years of age
  • 2%          Greater than 22 years of age

• The great majority of food allergic patients suffer from environmental and pet allergies

• Food allergies presented in similar ways to many families;
  • Eczema
  • Hives
  • Swelling
  • Diarrhea
  • Itching
  • Rashes
  • Vomiting

• In babies under one year of age, many families experienced additional symptoms:
  • Oozing eyes
  • Puss
  • Low weight gain
  • Colic
  • Spit up more similar to vomit
  • Blood in stool
  • Labored breathing

• An overwhelming and upsetting 34% of respondents have suffered anaphylaxis, 14% greater than once, with one respondent greater than 10 times!
  • Most often exposure to milk caused the anaphylactic reaction, with peanuts causing the second greatest amount of anaphylactic reactions in the sample
  • Further concerns have arisen as to the permanent, long term effects on the body

• On a more positive note the majority of siblings do not tend to suffer from food allergies. Of those that do, milk and peanuts are the most prevalent.

• Regarding outgrowing allergies, further research needs to be conducted. However, it seems the chance of outgrowing at least one food allergy increases if a child suffers from a number of food allergies

• On the topic of physicians;
  • Most parents reported receiving limited or no support from their allergist. Most of the concern arises from the allergist’s ability to “hand them a few sheets of paper, script for blood work and an Epi Pen and sent on my way.” Through this survey process we hope to correct this issue.
  • Pediatricians seem to lack the ability to spot the warning signs of food allergies: eczema, vomiting, hives, failure to thrive, etc. They are supportive to the families, but lack knowledge of food allergies.

• The Day Care/Pre School question has expanded to include school, based upon the overwhelming outpouring of information presented in the responses.
  • The majority of parents are concerned for their child’s safety. They also commented, schools lack the proper training to manage the allergies to the parents’ comfort level.
  • Many parents have chosen to send their children to peanut free daycares/pre-schools and are extremely concerned for Kindergarten and beyond.

• Public awareness needs significant improvement, 85% of respondents agree and 93% feel NYS and Erie County are not providing the proper support.

• If services were made available to Food Allergy Families, 93% are interested and 79% would like someone to provide assistance in their home.

• The major concerns expressed by Food Allergy Families:

1. School
2. Safety
3. Ostracism/Normal Life
4. Education/Awareness/Understanding
5. Proper Nutrition
6. Restaurants
7. Food Labeling/Safe Products
8. Definitive Answers
9. Cross-Contamination

We gathered a great deal of information from this survey. We hope you will continue to help us! Many further questions have arisen from the results!

Enjoy FA Awareness Week!

Thank you to everyone who supported us through posters, emails, articles, word of mouth, and to those of you who completed the survey!

Best wishes,

Chris Popek

Food Allergy Support Services

Food Allergy Support Services, Inc. is planning on hosting a 2nd annual Food Allergy Awareness Night at Red Robin – both locations – Orchard Park and Amherst!  Join us on Tuesday, May 11th for our 2nd Annual Awareness Night! We would like to add a new twist this year, please contact me if you are interested in donating door prizes or hanging posters!!!! allergypeanutmom@yahoo.com

Red Robin has been a champion in our struggle with food allergies. They provide food allergy specific menus to their guests. These orders are flagged in their computer system and delivered in their own  special yellow basket. Don, the Manager of the Orchard Park location and Joe, Manager of Amherst, have both done an extra special job to enhance the lives of some very special food allergy patrons!

“Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., was founded on four core values: Honor, Integrity, Continually Seeking Knowledge and Having Fun. These core values are the foundation for every Red Robin decision from creating its mouthwatering gourmet burgers to hiring energetic Team Members and even to deciding new restaurant locations. They also are the foundation for how the company treats its Team Members, Guests and communities. Red Robin’s core values can be found embroidered on the sleeve of every Team Member’s uniform, which serves as a constant reminder of what makes the company unique and special.

Red Robin also has an unparalleled and extraordinary approach to Guest service known as Unbridled Acts. There are thousands of stories of Red Robin Team Members who live the company’s values through random acts of kindness they bestow upon restaurant Guests and other Team Members. Each Unbridled Act®, regardless of size, is a true testament to Red Robin’s amazing culture and the care it takes for each and every Guest.

Red Robin’s core values and unbridled atmosphere is at the heart of the company’s energizing culture and its nearly 32,000 Team Members across North America.”  http://www.redrobin.com/aboutus/

We hope you will join us in celebrating Food Allergy Awareness Week, on Tuesday, May 11th at Red Robin! YUM!

Please remember, safety is our first concern, if you don’t feel comfortable dining with your allergic child, suggest some co-workers dine out in support of your efforts!