Happy meals: Steering kids through battlefield of food allergies
"Mom. I hate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
The declaration came from my 6-year-old earlier this year.
(Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times)
(Scott Stewart/Sun-Times)
To make Mock PB and Jelly Pinwheels: Spread 2 tablespoons of soynut or sunflower butter on a whole-wheat tortilla. Spread 2 tablespoons sugar-free fruit preserves or jam on top. Roll up tortilla and cut into four pinwheels.
For a fun snack mix, combine in a large bowl 2 cups Kix cereal; 2 cups whole-wheat Chex cereal; 1 cup mini-chocolate chips; 1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins or cranberries; ½ cup mini-marshmallows, and any other add-ins your child likes.
Have your kids fill snack-sized resealable plastic bags with the mix for their lunchbox.
I was mortified. How could a kid actually say the words "hate" and "PB&J" in the same sentence?
It suddenly hit me that though many of us grew up taking a sack lunch that included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to school just about every day, with the increasing incidence of food allergies among school-going children, things have changed for kids and parents alike.
"It's kind of like the end of an era," says Elena Marre, owner of the Kids' Table, a Chicago-based venture that aims to teach kids to cook and appreciate healthy foods. "It definitely makes things harder."
Earlier this year, officials in Highland Park-based North Shore School District 112 stopped short of a ban by suggesting that parents and teachers consider not bringing peanuts or nuts onto school property. (Peanuts are a legume, not a nut).
Across the country, schools are increasingly trying to find ways to accommodate children who suffer from food allergies, especially peanut and nut-tree allergies.
Although allergies to dairy products and eggs are more than twice as common among young children, allergic reactions to peanuts and nuts are more severe and can cause life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Between 1997 and 2002, peanut allergies in children doubled, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. About 3 million children in the United States have food allergies, and up to 200 food allergy-related deaths occur every year, mostly among adolescents and young adults.
Kelly Rudnicki has seen the effects firsthand. Her second child, John, was only 7 months old when she gave him his first Gerber Veggie Wheel, which she didn't realized was coated in powdered cheese. In a matter of seconds, he broke out in hives and started coughing.
John was eventually diagnosed with severe allergies to various foods, including dairy, eggs and peanut butter. Rudnicki and her family worked hard to change how they cooked and celebrated birthdays and where they ate out, but school was another issue.
John, now 7, will be in second grade at McKenzie Elementary School in Wilmette, where food allergies are handled on a class-by-class basis.
There are two nut-free tables in the cafeteria; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are no longer offered as a lunch item. Still, for John and other kids like him, this might not be enough, his mom says.
"I do have concerns about still having peanut products in the cafeteria, as it's an airborne allergen and just having nuts in the air could cause a reaction," says Rudnicki, who writes the blog, foodallergymama.com. Her first book, The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book, will be released in October.
For Chasity Santoro, it's not as simple as banning an entire food group. Her younger son, Gavin, can eat all the nuts and peanuts he wants but is allergic to eggs and dairy. Last year, he attended the British School of Chicago, a private school that maintains a peanut- and nut-free policy.
"It's a challenge when you have a child that's primarily on the vegetarian side, as almond butter is a great source of protein," Santoro says. "It's a shame schools distinguish peanut butter but then kids can still come to school with eggs and milk."
So where do you draw the line? Most experts agree that banning a particular food group is not necessarily the answer because it can create a false sense of security. There's no way to police an entire school filled with lunches and snacks. The answer, they say, should be education.
"We advocate that each child with a food allergy should have a written management program that is discussed with the parents, the school administrators and the child's allergist," says Christopher Weiss, vice president of advocacy and government relations for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network in Fairfax, Va.
Ten states already have issued food allergy guidelines for schools. Illinois passed a law this August calling for statewide guidelines, which should be released next year.
In an e-mailed response to questions, a spokesperson for the Chicago Public Schools said peanut allergies are common "and one that parents are attentive to, but at this time we have no official policy or procedure to address peanut allergies. No nut-free zones exist within CPS officially." No one from CPS was made available for a phone interview.
Peanut-based food items such as PB&Js and peanut bars are still offered on the CPS school menu. Students and parents are responsible for working with teachers to ensure that those with allergies stay away from these foods.
Regardless of what the policy is in your children's school, if you've spent any time packing their lunchboxes, you know it's not an easy task. With a few tips from the experts, you can at least make it a less painful process. And if you are sensitive to food allergies, know that there are healthy options.
Chef John Bubala, who ran the restaurant Thyme (later Timo) and now teaches at Kendall College, has three kids ages 14, 11 and 9. His own mother made lunch for him every day up to high school; he and his wife do the same for their children. He admits it's sometimes challenging.
"You've got to hit all parts of the bell curve: things they really like, things that are OK and things they don't really want to eat but are healthy," he says.
Bubala's advice: Go grocery shopping with your kids. Have them pick out their favorite foods -- healthy ones and snacks, too.
Remember that kids have a very small window when it comes to actually eating lunch. Between sitting down, getting settled and chatting with friends, it can often be as little as 20 minutes. So, send them to school with pre-peeled tangerines or diced apples, things that won't take long to open up or peel and eat.
Make lunch fun -- something they can assemble. Send flour tacos with chopped meat or olives on the side and they can put together their own wraps. Corn chips with cheese on the side can be a fun way to complete the meal.
Remember, kids can't eat healthy all the time. Don't be afraid to throw in a bag of their favorite chips.
At the Kids' Table, 2337 W. North, where, for safety reasons, recipes are all meat- and nut-free, Marre suggests talking to your children -- a lot -- about the importance of eating lunch.
Marre's two boys are 9 and 7. She sits down with them and explains why it's important to eat everything in their lunchbox: why their bodies need protein, complex carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals.
Think about using foods in a lunch box that will hold up well after hours of sitting, Marre says. Cut and core apples and then put them back together so that they don't brown too much. Applesauce and veggie sticks with dip hold up well in a lunchbox.
Marre also encourages parents to realize lunch does not need to be a sandwich. It can be a wrap, a pasta salad or Asian noodle salad.
And, though the classic PB&J might be losing its iconic lunchbox status, remember that there are great alternatives out there, including soynut and sunflower seed butters.
Anupy Singla is a former CLTV reporter/anchor and author of the blog indianasapplepie.com.