Have Food Allergies Gotten Out of Control?

It's true. Food allergies weren't all the rage when I was in grade school. There weren't rules or separate lunch areas dividing the children with the nut allergies from the corn allergies (although in hindsight, I do feel like the majority of the "super nerds" had some sort of dietary restriction or another). The point is, as a mom of a preschooler who was shocked to learn that lunch should never ever ever consist of a good ol' PB & J sandwich because little Johnnie might up and die if he touches my boy's sandwich, I too am left to wonder: Have food allergies gotten out of control?

Look, I am certainly not trivializing how serious a food allergy can be. I do have friends that have severe allergies and watching them go in to anaphylactic shock is not fun. And though I do, and did, spend a lot of time wondering how the foods I put in to my son's body affect him physically and emotionally, I am seeing that food allergies is a growing trend and topic in the parenting space. (And this doesn't include the reports and concern about the connection between wheat/glutton and autism... which I believe is real... but not. the. cure.)

In fact, the New York Times reported that many people who think they (or their children) have food allergies, actually do not. "While there is no doubt that people can be allergic to certain foods, with reproducible responses ranging from a rash to a severe life-threatening reaction, the true incidence of food allergies is only about 8 percent for children and less than 5 percent for adults, said Dr. Marc Riedl, an author of the new paper and an allergist and immunologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. Yet about 30 percent of the population believe they have food allergies. And, Dr. Riedl said, about half the patients coming to his clinic because they had been told they had a food allergy did not really have one."

Parents, tell us, where do YOU stand on the great allergy divide?

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carla.souza
1 years ago

Oh my god, thanks. I thought I was the only one who worried about it. What's going on with that. I moved here to the US two years ago and before that I had never known a kid with food allergies. Any food allergies. AT ALL. And here I know so many kids have it. To me it's not just the fact of the policy in the school (which I think is a little to radical. Making the kid eat outside, come on!) but the fact that so many kids have food allergies now. What's up with that?

sarah.ann.perrone
1 years ago

Eh, I think she does have a right to be upset about her child being made to eat her lunch outside in the rain.... I mean they could have gotten her another lunch from the caf. If a school made my child eat lunch out in the rain I would be livid. Yes, the families have to deal with it on a daily basis and it is sad... But to be frank it is their problem and because they have a problem and it causes this child to eat outside in the rain is really out of hand. I think allergies do seem to be getting worse maybe it is because we shelter our children so much. I mean we are supposed to only feed them this bland food until age 6 months then this bland food only until 12 months and so on. We are training our childrens bodies to be picky and possibly reject certain foods. We ourselves as over protective parents that nit pick about everything could be partly to blame for such a rise in allergies and 'pickiness'.

thizbea
1 years ago

I really think the panel on here is insensative. It's about finding a solution not re-iterate the problem. I think the reason for my child and so many other's allergies are GMO foods. We have become a mass product society and possible the care has been taken out of everything especially farming. Not having PB&J is "Un-American"??! Wow.

kristen.cwiklik
1 years ago

People are just ignorant! food allergies are serious! Your complaining about your daughter not being able tp eat her pb and j with her classmates some who are highly allergic to the ingredients. Think about those kids and their families, and what they have to sacrifice everyday because their bodies cannot handle certain foods...

kristen.cwiklik
1 years ago

People SHOULD take food allergies seriously. Stop complaining about your child having to eat her lunch outside or in another room, think about the child who suffers everyday because of their food allergies.. People who do not have to battle food allergies on a daily basis will never understand. There are so many ignorant people out there!

Lesley
1 years ago

I'm 45 -- I am allergic to nuts & have been since I was a kid. At 12 I became allergic to mint & had to 2x anaphylactic incidents & was RUSHED to hospital (no epi pen or 911 in those days). In high school, a girl I new died eating nuts in a muffin. The muffin was always 100% nut free, but on this day, it wasn't. My 10 year old daughter is allergic to nuts & sesame seeds. BUT -- with all this history, we are not over the top about allegies. Yes I expect my daughters class to be nut free, but I know parents may slip, and no, I don't expect the school to be nut free. I think it unreasonable to ask, & it is toally unrealistic for the school to manage & enforce. So -- I guess my comment is: 1. YES : there were kids with allergies when you went to school. But the families stuggled with it alone .. my parents didn't call a Birthday party Mom to inquire about ingredients, I had to say NO to the cake, or bring my own crappy piece of leftover cake. 2. ADHERE to the food alleries in your kids classrooms, if the school send home a list of what NOT to bring, follow it .. all year long, not just in Sept. Every school year we have to bring in a Dr's signed note & form confirming the allergies -- these are real allergies. Hope we all have a safe, fun school year. @lpurtell @shopdebtfree

Littleweloosmom
1 years ago

I don't think it should be an issue. I mean, your child has many options for packed lunch that do not include peanut butter. On the other hand, someone else's child may DIE from contact with peanut butter. I am scared about my daughter going to school because she has severe allergies to milk, even if it is the last item in the ingredients, as well as eggs. We take an Epi-Pen Jr. everywhere we go. We've had her tested several times to see if the allergy has lessened but it has not. So, I would GLADLY trade and deprive my child of peanut butter during school hours if it meant another child's safety. Think about all the foods children with allergies are "deprived" of every day.

MeMyselfandMommy
1 years ago

This past winter my husband was diagnosed with Celiac Disease (an intolerance of gluten). If he eats any gluten containing food even if it's a small amount he is sick for a week or more. When we go out to eat or he travels for work there is always a chance that he will be contaminated because gluten sneaks into so many foods and a lot of people don't understand what gluten is. We are grateful that he doesn't have life threatening reactions (it can become life threatening if were to continue to eat gluten like the rest of us) and that people are becoming more aware of this growing allergy, but it is still really frustrating for him. We are afraid that Moanna may develop this complicated allergy as well on top of inheriting mine and Steve's allergy to shellfish. Allergies are a growing problem. More people are developing allergies and more people are being diagnosed. It can be really hard to pinpoint an allergy because they manifest in people in so many different ways. When someone is finally diagnosed with an allergy (like in my husband's case) it can be both a great relief and a great frustration.

Jennifer Brandt
1 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience. I can understand how discovering an allergy can feel both relieving yet frustrating. Please continue to share your insights with us. It is very much valued. Jennifer Brandt Managing Editor, Momversation & Parents Ask

Jennifer Brandt
1 years ago

Have Food Allergies Gotten Out of Control?

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