I've come to the conclusion that having allergies really isn't that big of a deal. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to keep Taryn from ever turning 5 and going to kindergarten, ever wanting to go to a friends' house or birthday party, and ever being babysat. Any suggestions? I'm totally kidding, but I have found that living life without eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts in our home is quite simple. I haven't had to remove anything from our diet besides peanut butter sandwiches, with carrots, on ice cream, in granola bars, and with cereal. Other than that, I haven't yet come across something I will be remiss to not have in our diet. As for eggs, the substitute we've been using has been great. We did learn this morning, however, that it doesn't work great for Dutch Baby Pancakes, though it was really yummy, just without the puff.
We did have an interesting experience last Friday when I was cleaning out our pantry. We have these great crackers that have no hydrogenated oil in them. They're the only ones we can find that are delicious and cheap! So we've been eating them for a long time. Well, I had a bunch in the pantry, but no box to check the labels. While I went into the other pantry to get out a box to read the allergen warning, Taryn grabbed the bag of crackers, opened it, and shoved as many as she could in her mouth. Wouldn't you know that these crackers, though void of hydrog, have this on the label: "Contains milk, wheat, soybeans. Manufactured in a facility that processes eggs, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts" Great, pretty much histamine in a box. And yet, no reaction. Taryn has reacted before to things manufactured with eggs (like pasta), but not to these crackers. Then, we went to Braden's indoor soccer game that night and she immediately found the only peanut on the floor and shoved it in her mouth. Again, no reaction. But fun to go thru and she thinks its all a game.
Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about allergies. Why do we have such an influx of allergies in this and the last generation? 40 years ago, 1 kid in 100 had food allergies. Today, it's 5 in 20. That's a ton. Here's what I've realized. In our home, the only thing I am having a hard time providing for Taryn are snacks. If we've run out of fruits, veggies, eggless yogurt, cheese, saltine crackers, cottage cheese, apple sauce, or bread, there is nothing else I can just give her. These allergies are only difficult at snack time. And that brings me to my hypothesis about child allergies. It's this: I believe that the things kids are allergic to nowadays have always been things our bodies are sensitive to. Whereas, in the past we were exposed to these things slowly and in low doses until our bodies had time to develop strong enough immune systems to handle them well, today kids are bombarded with these allergens from the time they are tiny.
How's that, you ask? Well, look at what we give our kids. Snacks, processed foods, convenience foods. Things that are manufactured in facilities that manufacture other products so there is cross-contamination. How many of you have given your babies crackers? Animal crackers? Pretzels? Yogurt? Pasta? And at what age? Pretty much when they are old enough to gum them, right? Or what about store bought baby food? So from the time our babies are introduced to foods, they are being introduced to eggs, wheat, milk, soy, peanuts, and tree nuts. I think people innocently assume that just because they haven't served their baby scrambled eggs or peanut butter means their child hasn't been exposed to eggs and peanuts. Not so. Unless they have only eaten fruits, veggies, meat, rice, and potatoes that are all homemade, all children have been exposed to many of the top 10 allergens by the time they are a year old. And not just a little, but a lot.
So my theory is this. Forty years ago when allergies were so uncommon, what were the babies eating? Was mac'n'cheese the thing to feed your kids? Were the shelves lined with as many packaged foods as they are today? No. Most of what babies ate were prepared at home. And if they were given eggs or peanuts or cow's milk or wheat, it was in specific items, like eggs, peanut butter, and a glass of milk, instead of so many random items like crackers, pasta, and popcorn. So, what we have now are babies whose immune systems may be prone to allergies or are otherwise weak who are being overexposed to allergens from the time they get nourishment from something besides their mommy. And those weak immune systems are never given a chance to grow and strengthen because they just keep getting exposed over and over again. Those who are genetically more prone to allergies end up allergic to so many different things.
I really believe this. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but as I've been figuring out how to keep eggs, peanuts, and treenuts out of my house, I've realized that everything I make homemade is not a problem for Taryn. As I call it, the God-made foods (fruits/veggies, meats, grains, dairy, etc.) are great and non-contaminated. The man-made foods, which are wonderful for making our lives easier, faster, and less involved are chock full of the things that harm my baby and many thousands of babies around the world. Someday, in the very distant future, all factories will be uncontaminated, where things without nuts can be processed where no nuts are processed and kids can return to being healthy. But for now, as long as I steer away from convenience, I think we'll make it.
1 comment:
I have a friend here who has two boys who are allergic to everything. She found out the hard way with her first child and had to rush him to the emergency room when he was starting to eat solids. They had him tested and found he is allergic to soy, milk, peanuts, eggs, wheat, and so much more. They had to feed him a special prescription formula milk that was the only form of "milk" he wasn't allergic to.
Now they have their second son, who they had hoped would be fine with food. But now that he is starting to eat solids, they find he is allergic to all the same things. They have Epipens. And the mom has to pretty much cook everything all natural. And try new foods with each child for at least a week to make sure no reactions occur.
I look up to those moms who have to deal with allergies because so much can happen when other people don't know about it.
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