I was chatting with a friend and former co-worker on Facebook and found out that he has celiac disease, which I had never known before. He let me in on a few good articles and sites:

At glutenfree.com you can sign up for an online newsletter that has Q&As about restaurants, cooking, consumer products, etc.

And here is a good (local!) article about living with celiac and a Q&A on navigating the gluten-free diet.

Again, back on the topic of teaching young kids about their allergies. Here's an adorable video of one mom's approach.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has a service set up that sends out text messages to subscribers when allergens are found to be labeled incorrectly.

Pretty cool, I must say.

Also pretty darn awesome is how Ireland goes beyond labeling for just the eight most common allergens:

Manufacturers are legally required to declare the presence of specified allergens, when they are used in the manufacture or preparation of pre-packaged food. There are currently 14 categories of ingredients according to EU legislation, namely: cereals containing gluten; crustaceans; eggs; fish, soybeans; milk; celery and celeriac; mustard; sesame seeds; sulphur dioxide and sulphites; peanuts; tree nuts; molluscs; and lupins.

I was talking a few posts ago about how to help kids deal with their own food allergies.

Well author Linda Marienhoff Coss (How to Manage your Child's Life-threatening Food Allergies) says we should start when our kids are toddlers.

Here's a quick synopsis of her tips:

Only Eat Food Approved by Parents: Parents should teach their toddlers that if they eat certain food, they can get very sick. "Explain to your child that you're counting on him to help you by not eating anything unless you have checked the ingredients and say the food is safe," stresses Coss.
No Food from Strangers: I think this is common sense even for kids without food allergies.
Avoid Touching any Food: Some children have extremely severe allergies that even slight skin contact with the offending food can trigger very bad reactions.
When the Feeling isn't Right: Teach the toddler to quickly spit out any food that is making him sick. A toddler who has already started talking will be able to say if he is itchy, dizzy, having difficulty breathing or just frightened.

I found a fun blog post about gluten-free eating. The author writes down her gluten-free rules that she tries to live by.
Most rules have a positive spirit behind them that is refreshing to read. And they can be expanded beyond gluten-free.

Here are a few of them here:

• 6. If I feel horrible after eating something ... don't eat it anymore! Wait 2 weeks and try again but if I feel bad ... again ... end the relationship with that food! Find a new love !!! (the author talks about coconut milk ice cream, which I've written about before)
  
• 8. Be open to new foods from around the world. I might actually like something and connect with a culture via the food that I never knew about. My grandmother told me you learn something new every day!


• 9. Honor the food that I am about to eat with a moment to take in the palette of colors, aroma and the presentation of the meal. Thank the chef, (even if it is me)


• 10. Most of all ... Celebrate the foods that I can eat!

I ran across this post on Emily's Ramblings.

The author relates a story about her daughter coming home from a playdate with her cousins where they made non-safe brownies and she, because of allergies, couldn't have any. Long story short, her daughter was crying, upset, etc.

I've often thought about how I would be able to help Ava deal with the exact same emotions. And while I'm still not sure I have the answers, I have always tried to focus on the things she can have, not what she can't. Most of the time when I make treats, I only make things she can have - there's no separate batch for my son and for her. He eats what she eats.

Whenever we go out, I always make sure she has treats and snacks.

But what about when she gets to school? If her allergies haven't subsided by then, I doubt she'll be buying her lunch much. As my 8-year-old son tells me now: "I'll be embarrassed to pack, Mom." Well, Ava might only have that option.

Sigh. At least I have a few years to figure that one out.

Any readers have any tips?

So after some hemming and hawing and worrying by me, I decided to take Ava to the playroom at my gym. Really, it's the only way I can continue to hit the treadmill on a regular basis.

I lucked out the first day because my son had off from school. This was beneficial two ways:

• 1. She'll follow him anywhere, so there was no worry about peeling her off my leg.


• 2. For an 8-year-old, Brendan is pretty in tune with Ava's allergies.

OK, so the child wouldn't eat the delicious, marshmellow-infused Rice Krispies, BUT she had three helpings of chickpeas at lunch today.

I am a fan of the little garbanzo bean, but if faced with the choice, I have to go for the sweet treat.

Just look at them:
CHICKPEAS

OR
RICE KRISPIES


I mean, really, which would you go for?

Right? I mean they are 95 percent sugar based. What's not to love?

Well, Ava, for whatever reason, doesn't like the Krispies I made her. I just used her butter, Rice Krispies and marshmallows - all things she likes as a singular unit.

I even added little sprinkles on top.

But, nah. She took a bite and handed it back to me. What a letdown.
Can anybody suggest some good - and easy! - dessert recipes that they go back to time and time again?

If you're an old pro at baking allergen-free cookies, then you still have time to enter FAAN's FAANtastic Divvies Cookie Contest.

The submission period ends Feb. 15, and you can submit a recipe right online.

Here's a description of the grand prize:

The Grand Prize winner of the contest will receive a two nights' stay and waterpark passes for up to four individuals at a Great Wolf Lodge Resort in the United States and up to four round-trip airline tickets to travel to their chosen Great Wolf Lodge location if it is greater than 150 miles from their home.