gale

Yes we are. Since your kids have LTFA I'm sure you read all food labels. Since we got a walmart supercenter, I've noticed that some of the oddest Great Value brand items have nut warnings. Koolaid mix, mac & cheese, green beans, and more. I can't imagine having to avoid dairy and egg too. That must be really tough.

Do you know about http://www.peanutfreeplanet.com ? They have all kinds of nut free goodies (peanut and tree nut) and as far as I know, other allergens are either not present or well labeled, including for cross contamination.

sew cornie

Yes, I've been to that website. Very helpful. We have a Whole Foods nearby which is helpful in finding specialty items, but their generic store brand (365 Organic) is one that has the unexpected cross-contamination issue - like ketchup. Who would have thought? You also have to watch out for Costco's Kirkland Signature brand on seemingly innocent things like juice boxes.

We love the Enjoy Life foods. They have great snack bars, cereal, trail mixes, chocolate chips, and cookies (although we generally make our own cookies at home). A bit spendy so we kind of ration the servings, but completely allergy safe.

The past two summers we've participated in our local FAAN Walk which was a great way to get the kids involved in a positive activity helping raise funds for food allergy research. Unfortunately FAAN isn't doing a walk in our area this summer. But we approach the allergies with a proactive attitude, not a victim mentality. It just becomes part of your life, but you can't let it take over your life, right?

gale

That is so true and it's good to instill that attitude. We try to be thankful for what we can have, and not dwell on what we can't. I don't buy any food that my daughter can't have and the others don't seem to mind. So when someone talks about how we can't have this food I remind them of all we do have. We get plenty of treats (too many sometimes) and have a few places we can go to eat out.