Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven
~William Shakespeare
[ The ladies are busy carefully reading the label's on their food choices. Claudia, Nikita and Danica must be especially diligent for the sake of their health as Danica is newly diagnosed with Multiple Food Allergies and as you may know from previous blog posts, Niki and Clawdie live with Asthma. Piper's helping to remind the ladies of the importance in their bread choices, as she's found a fresh baked loaf of French bread in their presence and we know that's Not Gluten Free! What's Nikita doing with Mac n Cheese? :D ]
[ Claudie can't believe what goes into food and snack items since she's learn to check label's! ]
Most of us realize the importance of reading labels these days both for body, home and especially food products. We live in the age of franken-foods, and deceptive food labeling and production. Even companies you've become familiar with over time may begin adding in ingredients you've been trying to avoid. The only one to truly rely on is you. There are so many 'loopholes' to get around without actually telling you if the offending ingredient has actually been removed, UGH!! If only we could go back in time with our food production...but, I digress. :D
[ Piper shows Clawdie the ingredients in her favorite candy bar, and she's not happy about it. Piper and Roxanne who has asthma also, explain that Dairy Milk chocolate isn't the best choice for her Asthma Health, and that she should look into Non-Dairy Milk based 'milk' chocolate or try dark chocolates. ]
[ Friends and family members can lend a hand by showing support instead of ridiculing their their loved ones who are dealing with and learning to live with food allergies, (many of which can be life threatening), and other health issues they may be dealing with, and personally speaking, sometimes the struggle is real! ]
A few tips on grocery shopping with food allergies can make all the difference in you experiences at the market. :D
*Start by doing most of your shopping in the exterior isles in the market. It's here where you'll find fresh foods that we should be eating in abundance like veggies and fruits, fresh meats, poultry and fish and Non Dairy or dairy products [if it's not a problem].
*Peruse the Ethnic Foods Isle as there you'll find whole grains and maybe one's you've yet heard of or used, sauces, whole grain pastas, and canned fish[ which are super for your health!], olives and other delicacies, but continue as always to read labels!
*Next make a beeline to the Allergen Free section of your market if you're looking for and don't want to prepare from scratch [ which is optimal, but I too take help from a few prepared foods like Simple Mills Gluten Free Cookies! :D ] a snack food. In this isle you'll find properly labeled foods like whole grain chips, crackers, cookies, and other snack foods for different allergies. Many of the foods found here are made in an allergen free environment. Yay!
*In the Frozen foods isle there are too, now allergen friendly labels so stroll down to that area for your pizza, breads, ice cream and other frozen treats indulgences!
*But remember, no matter what isle you're in again, read, read labels, and please, download and or print out the Allergen foods list on the website below. These downloads can make a world of difference for you and your loved ones!! Lastly, if you're unsure of what's in a food, don't consume it.
[ The LivingThruGrace ladies are diligently going through their snack stash to find out what should be tossed and what's safe for them.]
[ Piper shows the ingredient list of a Milk Way candy bar and a couple of 'non desirable' ingredients. Let's start with Corn Syrup, & Artificial Flavor which is listed Twice. We don't want artificial Anything in our foods! Next Danica displays one of her easy to go snacks a simple fruit bar ( Apple- Strawberry) and the ingredients are as listed above all recognizable. Lastly, Nikita over there has one of my personal favorite & and hers!), a go macro bar. These are one of the few, bars (when I want a quick and portable snack ) that meet all of my allergen requirements :D ]
[ These go macro bars also have several certifications such as Organic, Gluten-Free, Vegan, Non GMO, and Pareve, most importantly, they taste yummy! ]
In 2004 the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act [ FALCPA ] came to be. This law was to make sure labels on our food would be clearer for people with food allergies. Although FALPCA requires companies to identify the 8 major food allergens, which are Milk *Eggs * Crustacean * Fish * Wheat * Peanuts * Tree Nuts and Soybeans, within recent years allergens that get left off food labels have have been the greatest source of problems for the FDA's Reportable Food Registry.
The number of foods recalled because of Undeclared food allergens have more than doubled over the last few years in spite of the law which was created to resolve this issue. Once again, for a full and very detailed list that includes downloadable and printable cards that list EVERY single food that contains these top 8 food allergens and all of their HIDDEN names, including artificial ingredients. It's a valuable and trusted resource for anyone who lives with or cares for someone with food allergies!
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