I've been thinking it would be nice to have 2 new forums on the peanut allergy boards... don't know if others would agree or not, but here's my suggestions.

I'd like to have a forum devoted to "Peanut Free Recipes for Children"

As my 14 month old son gets older and is eating more foods by himself, I'm trying to find some good recipes. I found a "Yam French Fries" recipe which he LOVES (and I'll post in another message) and thought it would be great to hear what other recipes children like that don't have peanuts.

Secondly, I am very interested in all the research surrounding peanut allergies, in particular, vaccines. Perhaps we could get one of the researchers to moderate this discussion and keep us up-to-date. This group could be called "Peanut Allergy Research". We could also discuss our observations, compare notes about reactions, skin-testing vs RAST, what we learn about latest research at FAN conferences, etc.

Just some ideas. If these forums exist elswhere, please let me know. I haven't seen them, but don't always know where to look. I appreciate having these forums so much. It helps me greatly on many levels -- THANK YOU so much Peanut Allergy.Com Sponsors and Developers!

--Tracy

On Feb 21, 1999

Hi Tracy :0> That sounds like a very good idea. This way it makes it easier to compare and respond. It's great to come in and fell comfortable and have fun, just as there is a great deal of info on research that we could be over looking. Great idea stay safe Carol

------------------

On Feb 21, 1999

please excuse the spelling errors. I don't usually get to the computer until late at night , and i type very slowly and use one or two fingers. take care Carol

On Feb 22, 1999

Tracy,

I also think it is a good idea. I don't think the forums you want created are already in existence.

On Feb 22, 1999

Tracy,

Do you think a "peanut-free recipe" forum is really necessary? I hope I'm not sounding critical here--don't mean too, it's just that it is pretty easy to omit peanuts from any recipe--you just don't put them in and it usually doesn't have any effect on the recipe. In addition to having a peanut allergy, my son has an egg allergy and it is REALLY tough to find egg-free recipes that actually work (try making an egg-free cake, it's not very good). I've never had any problems making foods peanut free. I would like to see some of the already-established forums getting more use such as "restaurants" and "peanut free products". If we all used those forums based on our experiences, that would be helpful. Christine

On Feb 22, 1999

Christine,

Perhaps I should have explained what I meant better... I'd like to have some good peanut-free recipes that will be attractive to my child when he starts hanging around children that are eating peanut-butter sandwiches, peanut-butter ritz crackers, etc. The yam french fries recipe I posted earlier were a big hit with my son, so I thought I'd share them with this group.

But you're so right; it is super easy to create recipes without peanuts. However, since so much of what we talk about centers around food, I thought it would be appropriate to provide a forum where we could post recipes and good ideas for peanut snack substitutes.

--Tracy

On Feb 22, 1999

I also agree with starting to post about more ideas for our children to eat. I am a little nervous about posting to a peanut free product. Unless I got the CEO's official word that this product is 100% free of contamination and there isn't a peanut product for 3,000 miles then I would post that this product is peanut free. I would not want anyone to take my word for anything. I am more comfortable sharing experiences and what we have used not used etc. I too need more snack to go type foods for her. I went out and bought goldfish the other day because some of you wrote that you use that. I double checked all ingredients again of course. I also liked how we were chatting about Wendys, pizza etc. I think sometimes I start to go a little bonkers and not trust anything. For example do you use boxed cake mixes, prepackaged anything dessertish?, I have really started to limit her and I don't want to do that either. I am planning on making home made banana bread today. But I always don't have the luxury of time which I know a lot of us probably don't. I like to hear others stories so I can see how they came to this conclusion or that and then use my own judgement. I also have been avoiding anything with chocolate in it. Kellogs pop tart smores used to be her favorite but I don't give them to her anymore. I need someone to say I use this and this is why. Or Patti you are getting a little extreme here and this is why. I won't get offended I promise. We hopefully won't learn from others mistakes but from each others knowledge. We can't do it all by ourselves. I remember reading about cereals on the old board and that really made me nervous. How do you ever possibly know which cereal is made where and how. And do you still avoid products that manufacture other products that contain nuts. I am very curious how everyone handles this kind of stuff. And I think an informal I like this recipe or this product is a good idea. Also I forgot the other forum idea oh yeah research forum. That is the one that is going to make or break us. Without facts we have no hope. I pop into FAN every once and a while and I see that they have a public service announcemnt they want to start using, also they are looking for research on anaphylactic deaths (yuck - but necessary). I am for posting anything that the individual finds useful. P.S. I have a great garlic chicken recipe - good for immune system and easy to make. I will post it later. Keep posting. Patti

On Feb 22, 1999

Christine,

Regarding your son's allergy to eggs, have you tried the egg-free cake recipe published on the Food Allergy Network web page? (I just saw it and thought of you.) See [url="http://www.foodallergy.org/recipes.html."]http://www.foodallergy.org/recipes.html.[/url] If you've tried it, let us know if it's good or not.

--Tracy

On Feb 22, 1999

Christine,

Your comment about the egg allergy got me to thinking... many of the parents on this web site have said their children are allergic to other foods, or they're concerned they may be allergic to other foods. The Recipe forum doesn't have to be devoted to only peanut-free recipes, we could also share recipes that omit other foods that cause allergies, or substitution tips.

The Food Allergy Network newsletter provides these kind of recipes, but I don't think they offer an online forum for people to trade good recipes. (Someone please correct me if they do.) It would also be nice to have an online archive that we could refer to.

--Tracy

On Feb 22, 1999

I would like to see recipes that work! Since we are advised to avoid all baked goods other that what we make, does anyone have a great recipe for raised donuts that don't turn out so greasy? I keep trying to make these from scratch but there's too much grease for me. My son really feels left out when he can't have a donut. I can handle cookies, pies, breads, etc. And as for a cake mix....Betty Crocker cake mixes list the allergens, just like General Millls does on their boxes. That's the only mix I buy. The rest of my baking is done from scratch.

On Feb 22, 1999

My banana bread is in the oven. Anyone want to come over for coffee? Anyway as I was making this it dawned on me (I am not a big cook) I had only 7 ingredients, I left out the nuts of course. Now we all know as we read ingredients these days there are a million and one things in everything. Just maybe another plus if you can look at it that way to start eating healthier and simpler. I don't think we need all this other stuff. Now for the status of my kitchen that is another story. Why can't I make anything without flour getting everywhere!!! P.S. I am now thinking about getting a bread maker. Any recommendations. Patti

On Feb 22, 1999

I too would like to see more posts on pre-prepared foods and restaurants. I usually stick with the major brands such as Kraft and General Mills who list their highly allergic ingredients in bold on the label. I figure that they have deeper pockets, thus their chances for major lawsuits due to slip-ups are much greater. I also stick to major restaurant chains for this reason. Any comments?

On Feb 23, 1999

Hi Tracy and others--yes, I agree, a forum for "enjoyable snacks" would be good. Guess I misunderstood you Tracy when you were discussing a "peanut-free" recipe forum. Regarding the egg-free recipies posted by FAN. I've only tried a few of their recipes and most have been disasters. Recently, for Valentine's Day, I used their recipe for Valentine Heart sugar cookies. They were absolutely terrible--I had to throw them out. My son ate one and it was so dry he started choking on it. Big disappointment.

Regarding using other products: I do give my son cereal from Kellogg's, non-chocolate pop-tarts (Kellogg's only). I don't use a lot of cake mixes because of the egg thing; however, I have found a Betty Crocker Stir and Frost cake mix that contains no eggs and requires no eggs. Yeah, there is probably a slight risk of cross-contamination because I'm sure somewhere/somehow Betty Crocker uses peanuts somewhere in their plant. I am ashamed to admit that I do take these small risks. So far I've been lucky and nothing at all has happened. Basically, I try to stick with brands from large, reputable companies. I had a very wonderful discussion last year with a Kellogg's representative and I feel very good about that company. While they do have nut containing plants they do not manufacture on the same lines; however, they do admit that peanut dust in the factory "could" land on everything. They also have two nut free plants (one in Michigan and one somewhere else). The plant locations are coded on a box so you can specifically look for these boxes of cereal.

I still would like to see people post their good experiences with products. I would never take anyone's word for it, but I would like to be given the "heads up" for a certain product and then call the company myself to verify. If it weren't for people posting their experiences, I would have never found out about Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates, or known that Cambridge Candies (makers of Tootsie Rolls, Charms, Junior Mints, etc.) do not make one nut containing candy. Christine

On Feb 23, 1999

Christine - thanks for posting about Cambridge Candies. I must be too new because I don't remember seeing that before. Thats why I like all these discussions. Something may or may not have clicked the first time or it didn't seem relevant at the time and then you see it again. She loves Junior mints and I probably would never have used them. Thanks again Patti

On Feb 23, 1999

Christine,

That's good news about Kellogg's. I'm glad to hear that.

Regarding taking the small risks... at some point we all have to trust other people or else we'll go crazy. I think most people have good intentions and if they slip up, it's because they may have not understood the seriousness.

I called Nestle yesterday about a product and they were helpful. They said they list "peanut traces" on questionable items. What worries me is those generic "natural flavors" and "spices" ingredients, which this product listed. Should I be worried about those generic lables? How often do they contain peanuts? Also, my son is slightly allergic to soy, so how often do they contain soy?

Also, I have a friend who son is 5 years old and peanut-allergic. She says she feeds him anything that doesn't say peanuts on the label and he's had no problems. She's got 3 children (1 set of twins) under 5 years old and hasn't had a lot of time to worry about these things. Her son is fine. (But they had a scare recently at his school; the teacher used the peanut-butter knife to cut his apple and he had a reaction.) I know cross-contaminations occur, but the more we educate the companies, the less that will happen, hopefully.

--Tracy

On Feb 24, 1999

Patti,

The Cambridge candies were never posted on this site. Prior to knowing about Cambridge, I had given my son Tootsie Rolls because I knew from reading labels that Tootsie Rolls came from a very narrow product line that didn't appear to use peanuts. When I called Vermont Nut-Free candies to place an order, I got to talking with the other person on the phone about allergies and SHE is the one who told me about Cambridge candies. Now, please realize that Cambridge could, at any time, change their product lines. Their aim is not to be a peanut free manufacturer, they just seem to be right now!! It is important to keep calling and checking things.

Traci--regarding natural flavorings and spices I don't get wrapped up in these--maybe I should. I just think that in the U.S., if the large manufacturers are already listing "may contain peanuts" they are going to be aware that if or if not their spices and natural flavorings do contain peanuts. I don't think this is a law, but at this point, I think they would want to cover themselves. Because of this, I always try to stick with reputable manufacturers.

Regarding the woman who gives her son everything unless it says "may contain peanuts". In most cases, she will probably be safe. Each individual requires a certain amount of peanut to trigger a reaction. If a product says "may contain peanuts" but overtly does not, the chances of trace peanuts mistakenly getting into a product are rare. Even more rare is that if the peanut trace does get into the product it will be in a large enough amount to cause a reaction. All of this is very reassuring; however, as we know some people are so sensitive to peanut that this small amount will induce a reaction. This may not be the case with your child, my child, or this woman's child. But it will be the case with someone else. You are doing the right thing by taking as much care as you are able to. Christine

On Feb 25, 1999

Christine: There is an egg-free recipe for chocolate cupcakes on the back of a Hersey's cocoa box. It's good. I know the recipes change frequently on those boxes, so I could post the whole thing if you'd like.

I like the idea of a recipe board, but I like the idea of a "research" board better. It' hard to find recent articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. I'd like to know when they come out.

Also, is there a board for new members to introduce themselves? I just found this site and think it's great. I have an almost 4 1/2 year old son with peanut allergy. He also probably has a mollusk allergy (vomits after eating scallops and he's RAST tested positive for clam).

Nancy

On Feb 25, 1999

Actually, Nancy, that might not be a bad idea to have a "Newcomer" board or something to that effect where new members can introduce themselves to the community.

Noreen

On Feb 26, 1999

How about an Introduction forum or thread? Not just newcomers but each of us. We could just put a brief personal profile on there about ourselves and whoever has the peanut allergy. I often get confused, when I read someone's post, trying to remember how old their child is, what Country , state or province they live in. We would have to keep it very brief, two or three sentences...What do you think?

------------------ Colleen

On Feb 26, 1999

I lkie that idea Colleen. It could be on a voluntary basis just in case someone didn't want to share that info. Patti

On Feb 26, 1999

Hi Colleen ~

Did you know that there is a profile on each of us when we post? Look on each post where the face/? mark is. It's a profile of sorts. If you need more information on the allergies of the kids and adults, that might be a feature Chris can add from PA.com. Maybe even a comment section on the profile page.

Nicole

On Feb 26, 1999

THANKS. I didn't know that Nicole. I knew I should have put I was a model instead of homemaker. Now you all know. Oh well. I model in my spare time with Cindy Crawford. Patti

On Feb 26, 1999

Patti~

Funny girl. Put me down as a surgeon then. LOL

Nicole

On Feb 26, 1999

I want to look like Cindy Crawford, does that count for anything?

Patti, I meant to ask you how your banana bread turned out!

Signed...wishful thinking

On Feb 26, 1999

while we are wishing, could I be Christie Brinkley? And, could my son's peanutl allergy go away?

On Feb 26, 1999

Colleen wrote: "How about an Introduction forum or thread? Not just newcomers but each of us. We could just put a brief personal profile on there about ourselves and whoever has the peanut allergy."

Nice idea, Colleen. Perhaps Chris could add a text box to the profile option to allow members to introduce themselves more completely.

Noreen