Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Brunch can be difficult when catering to a variety of food allergies including eggs, gluten, nuts and dairy.
I’m having a brunch party this weekend and my friends’ daughter has an egg allergy. It’s hard to find breakfast or brunch recipes without eggs, but I don’t want her to be excluded. Do you have any advice? —Cindy, College Park MD Cindy, You’re absolutely right. Many breakfast foods do contain eggs in the recipe, but as with most food allergy challenges, if you plan ahead, think creatively and substitute ingredients, you’ll have an amazingly diverse brunch that your guests will appreciate. I know about this specific scenario first-hand, as I recently planned a large brunch in my home. I got a few emails from guests mentioning specific allergies. The first was an egg allergy. The second was a nut allergy. The third was a dairy allergy. You…
Monday, October 29, 2012
How to keep your kids safe from their food allergies when they trick-or-treat.
Q: My 5-year-old daughter, Grace, is allergic to everything under the sun – including peanuts, strawberries and apples. I'm nervous about taking her trick-or-treating this Halloween, but she's really looking forward to it! How do I keep her safe when going door-to-door? -Mercedes Severn, MD A: Dear Mercedes, The only things that should scare you this Halloween are the haunts, not trick-or-treating with your child with food allergies. Rest assured, there are many ways parents can plan and be creative to guarantee that you are an anxiety-free mummy and that your pumpkin is safe and has a lot of fun this Halloween. If you think your child is up for it, you may want to simply plan an alternative activity, such as having your own party where …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Patch interviewed a local allergist for Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 13-19.
This week is National Food Allergy Awareness Week, so Patch asked Dr. Naba Sharif, an Allergist practicing in Upper Marlboro, a few common questions about food allergies. Upper Marlboro Patch: At what age are most food allergies diagnosed? Dr. Naba Sharif: Food allergies are most commonly diagnosed in infancy and childhood, but can present at any age. Patch: Can a person "grow out" of a food allergy? Sharif: Yes, particularly food allergies to milk, eggs, wheat or soy can be outgrown by five years of age, though it seems they are taking longer to outgrow than in the past, with about half not resolving until teenage years. Patch: Can a person develop food allergies as an adult? Is this common? Sharif: Yes, allergies to foods can …
Naba Sharif, M.D.
1:59 pm on Tuesday, January 29, 2013
The article was limited in terms of word-count, but my thoughts on being gluten-free aside from solely Celiac disease and wheat allergy: I know there are many following this diet for a variety of reasons that may not inform others and simply look for the obviously gluten-free foods. For my recent brunch, once I informed the group that there would also be gluten-free foods, I received a number of … more ›