News

Food Labelling Frustrations 10/6/14

Today for the second time in a year, I was faced with an ingredient change of a snack that i usually buy for the kids. Originally when I first purchased this snack, it contained no eggs. After I had been buying it for a while, a new flavouring became available, so I thought I would check it out. When I read the label, it clearly stated "contains egg".  I returned the item to the shelf and picked up the one I normally purchase. I do not know what made me read the label, however when I did it now clearly stated "contains egg". aaaarrrrrgh frustrating!!!!!

I was beside myself. I went home and discarded all of the packets I had at home, as I didn't know which batch I had, and if the product was safe for my kids. The problem being that the labelling was on the outer box and not on the individual packets. It is just so frustrating. I couldn't help but think, "why would they change the ingredients and not write on the front of the box that there had been a change". But then I put it in perspective, I was looking from the inside out and not remembering that the majority of the community are unaffected by what are considered minor changes to food ingredients. This is the flipside of my world where minor changes could be fatal. Fortunately my kids were not harmed and I learnt a very valuable lesson.   "Read the ingredients every single time, manufacturers can change ingredients with little or no warning".

Australian food labelling laws oblige manufacturers to declare if their products contain any of the major allergens ie; egg, milk, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. They must also list any additives and substances involved in food processing on their pre packaged food. Good labelling of allergens is still very much in its infancy.

Be vigilant and take car.

Staying positive 2/6/14

There's no denying that its very upsetting to be told that you or your child is going to have to live with a condition that's going to make life incredibly difficult. Yes some children do grow out of some allergies, and who knows, one day there may be a cure. But for now you are stuck with it and you need to allow yourself time to deal with this fact.

There is a grieving stage, complete with the unexpected cravings for all the foods that you cant eat. There's the "why me" stage which will re occur periodically. For me, I had a close friend you listened to me rant and rave for six years before she too was diagnosed with coeliac disease .

One of the hardest things is to accept what you cant change, but that is just the first step. Don't blame yourself for your or your child's allergy, its no-ones fault. You could be a victim of bad genes, environment or simply bad luck. Dwelling on things that cant be changed is never a good strategy, especially if they are in the past or beyond your control.

Here are a few tips to help you cope:

1. Get positive and practical.
2. put your emergency plans in place.
3. set aside time to plan for the changes that food hyper sensitivity brings with it.
4. Ask for what you need and be firm. Ask for the hamburger without the bun, ask for the ice cream scoop to be washed properly after it has been in the nut filled ice cream.
5. Be realistic about what you expect from others. They wont understand the lengths you have to go to however if you help to educate them, you will get results.
6. Be vigilant, never stop checking. Don't make assumptions. That chocolate bar you buy regularly may suddenly now be produced on a manufacturing line with nut products.

Last but not least, there is only one of you and you only have two hands. Look after yourself first to be able to help others second.

My Food Heroes 26-5-14

As soon as you stray into the aisles of ready prepared and processed foods, life becomes more complicated.

I can't begin to tell you how many hours I have wasted in supermarket aisles reading packages and labels over and over again.

I'm sure many of you can relate to this.

Having an allergy or intolerance doesn't mean doing without. These are some of my food heroes, that I use in my everyday kitchen.

• Dairy free milks - soy cream is an excellent dairy cream substitute. Soy milk is familiar, but rice, oat and nut milks are delicious too
• Dairy free cheese - are widely available and work well in many sauces and toppings
• Packaged natural egg replacer - I use this to adapt to cake and quiche recipes for rising
• Potato flour - this flour is amazing for its binding properties. It can be used with water as an egg substitute in baking also, more so to hold things together than make them rise
• Ready made gluten free flour mixes - widely available. Most are based on rice flour. I find that the more the mix of flours, gives a better balance of flavour, texture and weight
• Xanthum gum - a gluten free substitute which adds essential springiness to breads and helps hold gluten free pastry together, that would otherwise crumble and be hard to work with
• Pine nuts/coconut/sunflower/sesame seeds - These all help solve problems as a replacement for nuts in baking, toppings and sauces

Happy baking everyone

Food Allergy Week 2014 18-5-2014

A big shout out to all that were part of our quest to raise awareness for food Allergies during food Allergy Week.

We had a great time at the following places

Art of Defence Australia

JDC Dance Studios

Mortgage Choice Moonee Ponds

Lexi Interactive Learning

Osteopathy One

As well as rising awareness, we raised some much needed funds for research into Food Allergies. Thanks to all who donated.

We got to meet some very interesting people along the way and found out about there allergy stories.

Lets hope the research being done is able to help out sooner rather than later!!

Food Allergy Week 12/5/2014

During Food Allergy Week 2014, our family has begun the quest to share the load. 

Food Allergies can be life threatening, but with the support of an allergy aware community we can help minimise risks

We have all painted one of our ten fingernails, representing the 1 in 10 Aussie kids that are born with or will develop a Food Allergy.

We got lucky and have three kids with different food allergies.  I say lucky because as a result we have learnt so much about a subject that we knew little to nothing about 6 years ago. Now we are helping to raise awareness amongst our peers and the broader community about living with Allergies.

What really warmed my heart today was when I took my two youngest kids to the library, my four year old said to me, unprompted,  "Mama can we get some books on allergies to read with our friends this week".

It almost bought a tear to my eye. When my 6 year old came home from school, she saw the books and wanted to read them all tonight. Five books down she got upset when i had to stop her for dinner. 

Cant wait to hear what happens tomorrow, when my husband goes to work at his truck yard with his nail painted... It will definitely raise some eyebrows and above anything else. get people asking questions which will ultimately raise awareness

I encourage you all to do the same and help share the load

Allergies and Birthday parties 4/5/14

Well, I've done it. My Little boy turned 3 today and I was able to have an egg, nut and gluten free party.

And most importantly, an anxiety free day for me!!!!!.

It was a hit. A Successful afternoon tea, in which the other guest children had no idea that the party food was any different to the norm.

Colourful, fun, tasty treats in all shapes and sizes.

It didn't matter who touched him, or cuddled him with food covered hands, he and my two daughters were safe.

Able to behave like all little boys should. I didn't have to chase him down to wipe him or others around him.

The feeling of being at peace, calm and stress free. I wish everyday was like this.

WOW, a well deserved rest for now. Safe and tucked into his bed. I wonder what we will be in for, this week????

Allergies @ Easter 27/4/14

It has now been 12 months since the near death experience with my two youngest children that prompted me to start Alertband. What a scary and nerve racking time it has been over Easter. We have managed to get away on holiday, have a safe, homemade Easter egg hunt and survived another overwhelming hot cross bun and chocolate season.

I was surprised at how good the home made chocolates tasted. The kids devoured them, along with the guests. No-one could tell they were not shop bought chocolates. I will post the recipe up soon, try it for yourself they were delicious.

Another great idea for Easter egg hunts this year was to hide some of your child's favourite treats,(food  or non food goodies) in plastic eggs instead of the chocolate variety. Kids love something different and they are still looking for eggs with goodies inside.

The kids also enjoyed the experience of finding a ceramic egg with a D.I.Y paint kit. I'm not sure if this was my creative side or my Greek background coming out, however i think i had just as much fun painting the eggs as the kids did. This was another great way to keep them entertained for an hour or so.

For now, i hope you and your loved ones stayed safe over the Easter period. Keep me posted with any other great Easter ideas that will make sure that kids and Adults with allergied dont miss out on the fun that the other kids have at Easter. 

Send me an email:   info@alertband.com.au  or  make a comment on our Facebook page. 

Regards

Esta

First Post 22-4-2014



Each of my three children have anaphylaxis to different types of foods.

The near death experience involving my two youngest children at Easter 2013, led to many sleepless nights, and drove me to look for a way to increase allergy awareness in the community. A simple mistake such as a leading supermarket incorrectly labelling their hot cross buns, lead to two of my children having an anaphylactic reaction within five minutes. Fortunately I knew what  to do, having experienced this numerous times before. But it got me thinking, what would others do, how would they know what was wrong? 

This made me want to do something to educate my children, and the broader community, about the dangers of not only food allergies, but all types of allergies, anaphylaxis and other medical conditions.

Parties can be extremely frightening for us. I feel like my kids are missing out on being normal kids, because they can’t eat most party food. Every item of food is checked before they go anywhere near it or go near others that have consumed it. I didn't want my kids to be excluded from parties because of their allergies.

It got me thinking about how to raise awareness on a large scale. So the long list began. I needed a simple yet effective way to get through to communities, unaware of the inherent risks and potential life threatening dangers of allergies and other common medical conditions. Along came the concept that we have made a reality. Comfortable, funky, practical wristbands, designed to aid awareness for allergy sufferers and sufferers of other common medical conditions. Helping create awareness that may help people stay safe and alive.

Alertband provides many types of wristbands, creating awareness for numerous allergies and medical needs. 
  
This is just the start of our long list of ideas. My current project is an Allergy friendly family cookbook which I hope to launch soon. With my love of cooking and Ethnic background, I want to ensure that people with food allergies can enjoy, healthy, wholesome food, and not miss out on all the yummy flavours I grew up with. 
  
Your feedback and support means a lot to our network. Our products will grow with you as community needs and demands change throughout life. Please feel free to send any ideas for new wristbands through to us via the contact us section on our website or email us at info@alertband.com.au. Your idea may just help to save a life. 
 
Thanks for your support
  
Esta De Araugo
Director