Food allergies continue to confound scientists because so much of the evidence is contradictory. Also, while some of the keys to allergies may lie in the environment, there’s also a strong family component. For kids with a family history of severe or life-threatening food allergies, it’s a good idea to restrict or monitor their exposure to new or untested foods. Despite parents doing everything they can, some kids are still going to develop allergies that defy explanation. Until science reveals the key to foolproof management of childhood food allergies, parents and schools can only react and try to protect kids as best they can. Some schools even forbid any child from bringing allergenic foods into the building, force allergy sufferers to eat at a specially designated table, and discourage students from sharing any food. It may seem like they’re going too far, but about 150 people die every year from anaphylactic shock from food allergies, according to the Jaffe Allergy Institute at New York’s Mount Sinai School of Medicine. When it comes to food allergies, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Updated August 25, 2010
Killer Nuts: Kids’ Allergies on the Rise
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As a paramedic I can tell you half these mothers are crazy. Most kids parents think are allergic to certain foods just plain are not. I know. I've examined hundreds and seen only two in twenty years. If they are allergic it's pretty mild and they don't need an ambulance. I think the mothers need medicating. Stop watching the news. They try to make everything so frightening. Have a test performed and enough with the hype. It isn't hard to find out.
For those of you who swear by organic, have you ever actually SEEN what organically grown fruit looks like? I mean, who wants a wormy apple or a bug chewed strawberry? I will agree that we don' t need 36 different pesticides for one strawberry patch. but realistically, organic is too expensive for the limited returns. When you get half the salable fruit for twice the effort, something has to give. As to the GM haters, most of our food was genetically modified long before it got to its current state. What do you think selective breeding is if not genetic modification?
Yet another reason why it's a good idea to let kids eat dirt or, better yet, grow up on a farm. The human body is amazingly strong - let's let our kids take advantage of their natural immune defenses.
I can't imagine my childhood without good ol' PB & J. (I can't imagine my adult life without it either, for that matter.) I think it's so strange that kids these days have so many more allergies. I can't help but wonder if it's due to GM foods, too. I've read that there's a potential link.
I agree with IndieMama about the GM foods as well. It's a sad day when it is hard to get real food that isn't tainted. I was scared to death of kindergarden to. My daughter's school LOVES to hand out candy every day!! My daughter has issues with corn syrup and so she has a sore on her mouth and constant stuffiness. I try to explain to them they don't need candy as a darn treat for every little thing they do. Hand out stickers if you want to give them something. It is so irritating. Luckily so far my daughter has not had any anaphylactic type reactions, but I do worry that she might to something. She has a range of weird symptoms so it is very very hard to explain to people like teachers and grandparents who think we should just eat whatever we want.
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