Gatorade – Allergy Alert
I learned recently that some flavors of Gatorade contain brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is used to keep citrus flavor oils evenly distributed in the drink (they would naturally rise to the surface). BVO is also used in citrus-flavored soft drinks such as Mountain Dew, Powerade, Pineapple and Orange Fanta, Sun Drop, Squirt, and Fresca. […]
Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent – NUT ALLERGY ALERT
I was recently alerted to the fact that some types of Seventh Generation laundry detergent now have sweet almond oil in them. Specifically, the Natural 2x Concentrated Laundry Liquid in Wildflowers & Fresh Citrus scent contains almond oil, as you’ll see from this ingredients list: Aqua (water), sodium lauryl sulfate (plant-derived cleaning agent), laureth-6 (plant-based cleaning […]
Minute Maid Heart Wise Orange Juice – ALLERGY ALERT
I came across Minute Maid Heart Wise® orange juice at my grocery store. It contains plant sterols to reduce cholesterol, and the label clearly states that the plant sterols are derived from highly refined oils like soybean and peanut. I just looked at the Minute Maid website for the U.S, and unfortunately that information is […]
ELISA/ACT Blood Test For Delayed Allergic Reactions
I have heard many parents of children suffering from delayed allergic reactions refer to the ELISA/ACT blood test. I wanted to find out more about the test, and since I’ve felt odd after eating the past few months, I decided I would get tested. The symptoms, an upset stomach that became worse as the week […]
Rice Dream – NUT, SOY, OAT/GLUTEN ALLERGY ALERT
Recently, a fan of the Onespot Allergy Facebook page wrote in that starting six months ago, her son who is allergic to peanuts/tree nuts/ dairy/soy/peas has been having random itching mouth reactions to Rice Dream® . She brought the milk to the allergist to do a skin test and her son reacted, even more so to […]
How do we know when peanut and tree nut allergies have resolved?
I subscribe to Allergy Notes, an excellent allergy and asthma blog written and updated daily by Dr. Ves Dimov, an Allergist/Immunologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. I received this article from Allergy Notes today, which is reprinted with permission: Peanut (PN) and tree nut (TN) allergies cause 50% of all deaths from […]
Decadent & Delicious Nut-Free Dark Chocolate Ganache
One of the best things I’ve done for myself lately was to buy my husband Jamie Oliver’s cookbooks as a Father’s Day gift. My husband cooks dinner for our family every night, and Jamie’s Meals In Minutes and Jamie’s Food Revolution have really inspired him. What inspired me to write about this is that tonight, […]
Better Peanut Allergy Tests Available!
I attended an allergy medical conference in the Spring, where there was a lecture about molecular allergy diagnostic testing for peanut allergy, also called component resolved testing. Automatic analyzers perform these tests, and the brand that caught my eye was the ImmunoCAP by Phadia. Peanut has now been separated into 13 allergenic components, and using […]
Notes From Allergy Update 2011
I attend the annual medical conference presented by the Allergy Asthma and Immunology Society of Ontario. It’s always an incredibly informative event. Here are my notes from the 2011 conference: Mention was made of a black box warning for Xolair. The FDA reported anaphylactic reactions, which were sometimes delayed. I believe its primary use is […]
