We’ve heard hundreds of stories from parents of kids with allergies who are grateful for SunButter. We are thankful to them for sharing their stores. Patti is one of SunButter’s biggest fans, always developing creative peanut-free snacks and recipes. She grew up savoring peanut butter fudge at the holidays and peanut butter cookies after school. She loves to cook and bake, which has served her family well in their nut-free journey. And she is a daycare provider to other children. We’re impressed at Patti’s determination and creativity and we wanted to share her story in her own words. Thanks, Patti!
I love SunButter. I love the smell of it, the taste of it, cooking with it, and the smile that it produces on my children’s faces. I love the feeling of normalcy that it gives, knowing that my family can taste something very similar to a treat that we used to love. It was quite a journey to find it, but well worth it.
A little background
Before my first child, I never knew the frustration or fear of living with a severe food allergy. When my son was two months old, he had severe eczema on his face. We are talking about the kind that bleeds and crusts over. We saw several family practice doctors, and not one correctly diagnosed his problem. One physician we saw prescribed a medicated dandruff shampoo to put on his poor little face, over the wounds. Who was I to argue with a doctor?
Well, we were in the ER that evening with a spiked temperature because Scottie’s poor little face was badly infected. We switched to a pediatrician, who immediately recognized that he had an infected, poorly treated outbreak of eczema. Scottie was given oral and topical antibiotics and a steroid cream. We were told that when a child his age has such severe skin problems, it meant he would quite possibly also have food allergies and asthma. We gave him eggs at the recommended age of 18 months, and he was fine. We were told to wait until he was 2 to try the peanut butter.
First taste of peanut butter
I had my second son when Scottie was 25 months old, and soon after decided that was the time to try peanut butter. I gave him half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. After just two bites, he started coughing and wheezing, broke out into hives, got red eyes, a rash around his mouth, and started crying. After a quick dose of Benadryl and a trip to the doctor, we knew we had encountered an allergic reaction.
After much testing, we discovered he also had allergies to several other things, including grasses, molds, some animals, dust, and all tree nuts. He also has asthma.
Treats now poisons
Those first few months were heartbreaking and filled with worry. What was safe for my son to eat? What if others around him didn’t have the same level of concern for him that I did? We learned to diligently read every label, every time, whether we had eaten that item previously or not, because you never know when the processes or equipment change. Things we had previously loved were no longer treats, but poisons in our home. We removed all traces of any nuts or nut products, and the small daycare that I operate in my home became a peanut/tree nut free facility.
I love to cook and to bake. I guess that is a good thing because we learned that I would need to make many of his foods. We can’t go to Chinese restaurants now, so I make homemade Chinese food. We avoid all supermarket bakeries and usually volunteer to bring a safe snack or treat to baseball games, church functions, and family events.
First taste of SunButter
As we began our search for safe things to bake with, we discovered which brands were safe…which chocolate chips, which cake mixes, which crackers would be safe to serve in my daycare. I really wanted to make peanut butter cookies and no bake cookies, which were always a favorite in my family. We discovered several products, including pea butter and soy nut butter. My son was okay with those, but not crazy about them. I just plain didn’t care for them. And then, we discovered SunButter. It was sitting right there on the supermarket shelf. I was so excited. I read the label, and quickly noted that it was manufactured in a peanut free and tree nut free facility. I brought it home to try, figuring I had nothing to lose if we didn’t care for it.
Eating childhood favorites again
I fell in love! SunButter is so amazing. I started baking cookies, energy bars, muffins, and other goods with the taste of peanut butter. It became a fun challenge to see which recipes would work. We were eating it on apples and celery, between slices of bananas, with jelly or marshmallow fluff on sandwiches.
We now eat it on toast, between crackers, and a family favorite…on top of warm chocolate chip pancakes. Yummmmmy! I used it as a filling in homemade chocolates for my boys’ stockings at Christmastime, and I made my mother’s peanut butter fudge recipe using the SunButter as a substitute. What a treat to be able to eat those childhood favorites with my own kids. The best part of SunButter, is it is actually a healthier alternative than peanut butter. I think it actually tastes better than peanut butter, and I was ecstatic when I discovered it could be purchased in 5 lb. tubs.
‘Secret’ ingredient
My favorite thing to do is to give samples of each recipe that I make with SunButter to family members and friends for them to try. The “wow” looks on their faces when they discover how yummy it is makes me smile. I feel like I have a secret that no one else knows about. And now, we have family members without allergies who buy SunButter for baking as well.
I am so thankful to the makers of SunButter for this fantastic product and for all of the varieties that we have found. I continually find myself having conversations about it and look forward to many more baking adventures and discoveries with SunButter.
Are you a parent or caregiver of a child with allergies? What’s your story? What works for you? We’d love to hear about your journey. Comment here or on our Facebook page.
