Shopping with food allergies: Tag along with one food allergy mom
Do you have food allergies? Do you have a child or children with food allergies? If you answered yes to either of these questions you know how difficult shopping can be and you also know how expensive it can be. I joke with my husband that Whole Foods is actually Whole Paycheck. But no matter how much I joke, I am so thankful to have a store like Whole Foods that caters to specials diets.
I've been posting videos about a boy named Brett that is involved in a milk desensitization trial at Children's Hospital in Boston. This weeks video follows Brett's mom as she shops for her food allergic children at Whole Foods. I thought I had it rough with six food allergies. Brett is allergic to 15 foods and his brother is allergic to 16 foods and they have a sister with no food allergies. You can view the video here. If you shop for food allergies, this video lets you know that you are not alone. You are not the only one spending large amounts of money on food. You are not the only one reading and rereading labels. You are not the only one shopping to keep someone you love safe. Thank you Robyn for letting us follow you on your grocery trip. Shopping for food allergies is not an easy task.
I missed posting last weeks video and it was such a good one!! This video shows Brett getting his first (small) taste of milk. As the parent of a food allergic child I know that anytime we give my son one of his allergens during a food challenge, both he and I are scared to death! Both Brett and his mom seem so calm in this video but I'm sure they had to be nervous. They start off with a very small amount and then gradually increase the amount to see how much Brett can handle without having a severe reaction. His mom then explains how the desensitization works. This video reminded me a lot of my sons peanut challenge. I can't wait to see more!
For more of Brett and the trial at Childrens Hospital in Boston:
Video #1 - Meet Brett.
Video #2 - Dr. Lynda Schneider of Children's Hospital in Boston dis...
I've been posting videos about a boy named Brett that is involved in a milk desensitization trial at Children's Hospital in Boston. This weeks video follows Brett's mom as she shops for her food allergic children at Whole Foods. I thought I had it rough with six food allergies. Brett is allergic to 15 foods and his brother is allergic to 16 foods and they have a sister with no food allergies. You can view the video here. If you shop for food allergies, this video lets you know that you are not alone. You are not the only one spending large amounts of money on food. You are not the only one reading and rereading labels. You are not the only one shopping to keep someone you love safe. Thank you Robyn for letting us follow you on your grocery trip. Shopping for food allergies is not an easy task.
I missed posting last weeks video and it was such a good one!! This video shows Brett getting his first (small) taste of milk. As the parent of a food allergic child I know that anytime we give my son one of his allergens during a food challenge, both he and I are scared to death! Both Brett and his mom seem so calm in this video but I'm sure they had to be nervous. They start off with a very small amount and then gradually increase the amount to see how much Brett can handle without having a severe reaction. His mom then explains how the desensitization works. This video reminded me a lot of my sons peanut challenge. I can't wait to see more!
For more of Brett and the trial at Childrens Hospital in Boston:
Video #1 - Meet Brett.
Video #2 - Dr. Lynda Schneider of Children's Hospital in Boston dis...
Views: 5
Tags: Brett, Children's Hospital Boston, desensitization, food allergies, food allergy, food trials, milk allergy
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Comment by Sarah on September 15, 2009 at 11:18pm -
I'm not huge into food allergies, but I love watching these videos just in case one day I need to be super-aware of the process. Thanks for sharing this, Janeen!
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Comment by Janeen on September 16, 2009 at 8:46am -
Sarah, As someone who shops this way every week, I found this weeks video particularly interesting. Watching Robyn shop and seeing how much she spends let me see that I'm not doing anything wrong. I kept thinking "My food bills are too high and it's because I just don't know how to shop properly". I don't usually spend $350.00, although on weeks I need to stock up on more allergy friendly foods I most certainly do! It's reassuring that I'm not alone and that I'm not "challenged" when it comes to trying shop for my family with food allergies safely while trying not to break the bank. And her reminder to check labels every time, even on products you use every week is priceless. Manufacturing processes change all the time and you never know when they will sneak an allergen into a product that was previously safe.
And the second video when Brett drank the milk brought tears to my eyes. It reminds me of my sons food challenges. It's just amazing to be able to see your child tolerate the allergen that you've been terrified of, but the stress level that you are both feeling is enormous. I can't wait to see what happens next.
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Comment by Sarah on September 16, 2009 at 11:36am
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It makes me feel weird to say this, but I never really thought about the fact that grocery shopping would be so much more expensive for those with food allergies. I don't know why this didn't come to mind but it makes PERFECT sense now that I think about it. Grocery shopping with children in the house is expensive enough (why is it that "kid-friendly" foods are more expensive, anyway?) and then adding on the particulars of being allergic to major food products can't help.
The reminder to check food labels every single time is also something that I wasn't aware of really before I watched Robyn's video. I didn't think about the fact that food manufacturers *do* change their processes and can include allergens in previously safe foods.
Do you mind me asking you how long it takes you to do an average grocery shopping trip?
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