Posts Tagged ‘adapting for peanut butter allergies’

Tips for Living Well with Food Allergies

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Author Sloane Miller speaks up + book giveaway!

 

SunButter makes life just a little easier for people with food allergies. So we’re happy to share our blogger friend Sloane Miller’s new book “Allergic Girl.” The book is yet another tool to help food allergy sufferers lead safe, happy lives.

We recently interviewed Sloane, and she autographed two copies of her book for us to give away two lucky winners! How to win: Leave a comment on this post, sharing your best tip for living well with food allergies. We’ll randomly select two winners. Good luck, and thanks, Sloane!

Here’s our interview with Sloane…

Q. How did you become “Allergic Girl”?

 

A. I became “Allergic Girl,” a food allergy advocate, because I am committed to helping people with food allergies live safe, effective and joyous lives.

However, I have always been an allergic girl. I have had food allergies since birth, and I developed environmental allergies and asthma in early childhood. I am also a social worker and writer. In 2006, I became “Allergic Girl” and started the award-winning blog, Please Don’t Pass the Nuts, as a way to talk about food allergies. I wanted to share my experience and connect with other people with food allergies; talk about what I was going through dining out, traveling, dating and working and the things I learned.

My work as a food allergy advocate—“Allergic Girl”—combines my commitment to helping people with my personal experience as someone with food allergies and my professional expertise as a social worker and writer.

Q. What was your inspiration for writing the book?

A. In 2006, I started a blog—Please Don’t Pass the Nuts—to talk about living with food allergies; share my experience and connect with other people; and share what I’ve learned about dining out, traveling, dating and working with food allergies. The response to the blog has been incredible and gratifying. I was inspired to write the book “Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies” after seeing this response and realizing that there is a real need for information and support in the food allergic community. And, I wanted to talk about the practical realities of understanding and living with food allergies.

Q. Is this book only for people with food allergies?

A. Whether you have food allergies, know someone who has food allergies or just want to understand more about living with food allergies, this book is for you.

“Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies” offers practical advice and expertise about how to understand food allergies, navigate the risks, communicate your needs and lead your best life. If you have food allergies, a big part of living a safe, effective and joyous life is understanding your needs and building supportive relationships.

If you know someone with food allergies, a big part of being supportive is understanding what food allergies are and how you can help.  Allergic Girl offers insights into what it is like to have food allergies and what kinds of support you can offer.

Q. What are your top five tips for living well with food allergies?

A. It is essential to take your food allergies seriously.  What does this mean?

• See a board-certified allergist

• Fill your prescriptions and always carry them with you

• Ask a lot of questions of your doctor/allergist

• Read as much material as you can from reputable sources

• Be patient with yourself

There will be mistakes.  Start where you are right now and do your best.

Q. What do you think of SunButter?

A. I love trying new things.  And, I am allergic to tree nuts.  I really like SunButter’s commitment to being allergen-aware and allergen free.

Whenever I want to try a new food product, I follow a few basic steps.  I do as much independent research as I can, first. Then I reach out to the company, and I talk to a manager/owner about my allergies and the ingredients and manufacturing practices. I met SunButter at the Natural Products Expo East and had a very extensive talk with them. SunButter’s commitment to being allergen-aware and allergen-free is excellent. They are so committed that their trucks do not haul any nut processed foods, and their workers cannot consume a nut butter sandwich on the job! I felt satisfied with how SunButter handles allergens, so I tried it because it made sense for me.  And I’m glad I did – SunButter is yummy!

Comment here with your best tip for living well with food allergies. You could win an autographed copy of Sloane’s book!

 

Watch the book trailer:

This contest is now closed. Congratulations to winners Amanda and Lindsay! We’ll be in contact with you soon regarding your free, autographed copy of Sloane’s book. Thank you to all who participated. Fabulous tips!”

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Posted in Peanut Allergy | 11 Comments »

Chocolate SunButter? What’s your SunButter idea?

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Just as our SunButter® friends and fans are cooking and baking up delicious creations, SunButter® is always cooking up new ideas—and we’d like to hear yours.

Simply submit your idea as a comment here or on our Facebook page. At least go there to see what other savvy SunButter® lovers have suggested.

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Posted in Peanut Allergy, Recipes | No Comments »

Sleepovers with peanut allergies (and SunButter)

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Our 11-year-old daughter had a sleepover!

That’s typically not big news, especially in the summer when there’s often quite a few “extras” at our house. But this time, our 11-year-old, Katie, finally hosted a school friend, Megan, who was on her very first sleepover.

See, Megan has food allergies, including nuts, eggs and dairy. And dog allergies. Like most moms, Megan’s mom is careful about her child’s activities. Unlike other moms, she is extra vigilant to keep Megan safe. Understandably, sleepovers were out of the question.

Until now.
It was a long process, beginning four years ago. That’s when Megan moved here. Megan loves to tell the story that Katie was the first classmate to talk with her, the first to ask if she could join her at the “nut-free” lunchroom table (where our daughter often brings SunButter® and jelly sandwiches), the first to partner with her at a school field trip.

That’s when I first met her, since I chaperoned that trip. She’s a gorgeous little girl with huge blue eyes, a shy smile and quiet but wicked sense of humor. I liked her right away. I also liked her mom, who I met at a school event. Her mom told me Megan wanted Katie to come over for a play date, but it would require some preparation from me.

Nut-free play date
I made sure Katie didn’t eat peanut butter then washed and dried her clothes carefully to remove dog hair. They had a great afternoon at Megan’s house, the first of many.

Two years ago, Megan spent her first afternoon at our house. Her mom coached me on what to keep away from her and how to identify if she was having a reaction. She brought her epipen and Megan taught me how to use it. Thankfully, we didn’t have to. These get-togethers continued, too, until Katie and Megan really wanted a sleepover at our home.

I was 11 once. I know the magic of sleepovers, the whispers, wonders and looking through teen magazines. The junk food and no sleep.

SunButter® snack recipe

So I worked with Megan’s mom to make it happen. Again, she guided me through preparations. I also checked out some online resources, including:
Forum on Allergic Living
Forum on Food Allergy Support

The day Megan’s mom dropped her off, her mom admitted she was nervous. I admitted I was, too, but I was also confident and prepared. Megan arrived for dinner, and we had chicken, corn on the cob, pasta with SunButter® and market-fresh watermelon.

The girls took our dog, a hypoallergenic labradoodle, for a long walk through the woods. They had a good laugh since our Katie’s pollen allergies acted up, and Megan was the one we were all worried about with allergic reactions. They didn’t stop laughing all night. They curled up with magazines and a movie. I brought them apples, Ezekial cereal and SunButter® for Raw Crunchers, lemonade and animal crackers (I learned most don’t have eggs or milk).

SunButter breakfast
I’m not sure when they went to sleep. I do know they woke up at 6:10 a.m., still laughing about something and “so hungry, mom!” I made them berries and pancakes, made with a special recipe from Megan’s mom that includes rice milk and no eggs. They piled more SunButter® on the pancakes. The girls made an interesting coffee, SunButter® and rice milk drink in the blender. I’m pretty sure there are still drops of it on our ceiling since they neglected to put the blender cover on. More laughs…

Megan’s mom picked her up just before lunch, and I’ll forever remember what Megan whispered in my ear when I hugged her. She said: “Thanks for making me feel normal.”

Katie’s birthday is next week, and I’m already having fun planning the party sleepover for a gaggle of girls, including Megan—and of course SunButter®.

We’d love to hear about how SunButter® fits in your nut-free recipes. What works for you?

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Posted in Kids & Family, Peanut Allergy | 2 Comments »

No-bake, nut-free SunButter pie adaptations, taste review

Friday, August 13th, 2010

 

Adapting recipes is one of my hobbies. The other day, it was too hot to turn on the oven, yet I needed a cool dessert for an office potluck lunch. Enter: SunButter®, in the Frozen SunButter Pie recipe. I also wanted to gather my colleagues’ impressions of the flavors and textures.

This dessert was quick and easy to make, affordable and got rave reviews. Best of all, it was simple to adapt.

Layering the whipped topping into a graham cracker crust
Adaptations: Those sensitive to possible allergens in the graham crust could do this without the crust in a pie dish or in 6 – 8 individual dishes (great for kids, who would each get their own serving). The layers turn out pretty in a clear glass sundae dish.

Spreading on the jam
Adaptation: I used raspberry because fresh raspberries are now in season. You could use any jam or jelly that you and your family prefer. What sweet berry flavor doesn’t go with the slightly salty flavor of sunflower seeds? One colleague noticed the texture of the raspberry seeds didn’t quite jive with the sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Next time, I’ll try jelly or a fruit spread without seeds.

Blending the SunButter® and cold milk, then instant pudding mix and whipped topping
Adaptations: I used vanilla pudding mix, but was tempted by the cheesecake flavor.

Some pudding mixes and whipped toppings do contain milk, so if that’s an allergy concern, look for mixes or whipped toppings that are milk-free.

Filling the SunButter® pie
Adaptations: We did eat this frozen, so it was refreshing. It would also be good as a cream pie after an hour or so in the refrigerator. I topped it with fresh raspberries and sunflower seeds. You could drizzle on other flavored syrups as well. Careful to read the allergen labels. It would be pretty with a sprig of mint or candied cranberries, depending on the season and occasion.

Taste testing SunButter Frozen Pie

“It’s good.”

“I don’t like SunButter plain, but this is tasty.”

“Mmmmmmmm.”

“It’s very different but delicious.”

“Not too light; not too heavy.”

Affordable nut-free dessert
I spent $17.80 on ingredients for the SunButter® Frozen Pie. I still have nearly-full jars of the jam, SunButter® and sunflower seeds. (I ate the rest of the fresh raspberries while the pie chilled.) To me, that’s a fair value. And I have happy office-mates who were good sports putting up with me adapting yet another recipe.

We’d love to hear your SunButter® recipes. How do you adapt recipes? What have you created lately?

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Posted in Peanut Allergy, Recipes | 3 Comments »