Like most of you, I’ve been checking food packaging for hidden allergens for so long that I think I got it down pat. Lately I have relied more on the FDA allergen labeling on food, the ones that say Contains: Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts. I am usually further comforted by the additional label of “Produced in a dedicated gluten free, wheat free, peanut free and tree nut free facility.” After an allergic reaction this morning, however, I won’t ever take those words to heart again. In fact, I know better. Read EVERY SINGLE INGREDIENT.
99 percent of the time, I still take the time to read every single ingredient. But for some reason I let my guard down when I bought a new donut in the frozen section at Whole Foods by Kinnikinnick Foods. The package says these chocolate dipped donuts are “Gluten Free, Wheat Free, Dairy Free and Soy Free” in addition to the above disclaimer that it was made in a dedicated facility. I remember thinking at the store before I bought them that I hit the gold mine…finally I can make donuts for all the kids quickly without having to make my own.
Fast forward to a few days ago. I heated the donuts in the microwave, served them to my kids (including John), patted myself on the back for finding an allergen free donut, and called it a day. After eating it, John said his throat itched. I panicked. I checked the package and saw nothing that would alarm me. I gave him a Benydryl just to be safe, and he felt better.
Then this morning, the kids asked for another one of those yummy donuts and in a weak moment, I obliged. Once again, John complained of an itchy throat. This time I read the entire package line item by line item, and finally saw that it contained pea protein and pea starch. Bingo – John WAS having an allergic reaction to the donut because he is allergic to peas and legumes too (5 percent of those with peanut allergies also are allergic to peas and legumes because they are all part of the legume family). I started to panic, but John said it wasn’t that bad, just scratchy. I game him Benydryl and watched him like a hawk for the next several minutes, epi pen in one hand and phone in the other. The reaction subsided, thankfully, without further intervention. We dodged a bullet. And I felt like a failure.
How could I be so naive? I know better, and usually am very diligent about ingredient checking. I don’t know, perhaps it is the craziness of my full household that causes me to be more distracted than usual lately. Never again, I learned my lesson, and feel so darn lucky that nothing more serious happened.
Here’s something else I learned; if your child has a peanut allergy, and is among those 5 percent of people who also have a legume/pea allergy, be wary of labels that say “gluten free or wheat free”. Oftentimes pea or fava bean flour is substituted for wheat flour in recipes (like those new cookies at Starbucks…John can’t have because they are made with fava bean flour).
I apologized to John, and we talked about how “moms make mistakes too”. And that we should never, ever let our guard down when it comes to food allergies. I must admit though, it’s days like today that I wish more than anything, that a cure can be found for our children’s life threatening food allergies. Because that feeling of panic and terror I felt this morning is something I would never wish on any parent.
You are so not lazy. That happens to all of us. I grew up with food allergies and my parents didn’t really understand that that was my problem until I was 14 years old. I just recently found out I have a peanut allergy (mild, but still a reaction). You are doing the best you can and you’re right we make mistakes. But I think you’re doing a great job!
I’m so glad he’s okay. And you are clearly a very vigilant and careful mom. No one is perfect. And now you’ve been able to give a helpful reminder to all your readers! It’s easy for me to get complacent, too…and then, if I realize I haven’t been as careful as I should, to feel horribly guilty. I think we have to remember that even though we must commit to being super-vigilant, the whole world does not rest on our shoulders. Your son is ok. What a blessing!
p.s. I had no idea about the pea/legume thing. I wonder if I should take that out of my diet, too, as I’m nursing a baby who is clearly allergic but we haven’t been able to eliminate her eczema yet…I’m glad you mentioned that!
Glad he’s ok! It’s amazing how pea protein or pea starch is hidden in so many things you’d never expect, even full-wheat items! My peanut (plus much more) allergic son is also allergic to peas.
Don’t beat yourself up about this – we’re all human and doing our absolute best to keep our kids safe. I recently was shopping for salad dressing and almost bought my usual brand without even looking at the label. As an afterthought I picked it up from the cart and discovered they changed the ingredients and it was no longer safe for my son. I know this isn’t quite the same, but I felt so “lazy” that I hadn’t even read the label and wondered how many other times I had done this thinking “I know this product is safe”.
On another note, my son is one of the 5% peanut/legume allergy sufferers and I wanted to THANK YOU for sharing the information about gluten free products. I recently found some gluten free cookies my son could have, but now I need to recheck those labels too – thank you for the tip!
Thank you for sharing your human-ness. I empathize with the pain you must have felt. We do so much to ensure the safety of our kids and yet things happen. I also have to watch for pea/legume flours with our peanut allergic son. It does make it so difficult to exclude those too from his diet. When my son was an infant and I fed him pea baby food it would make him very irritable and I asked a nurse about it and she just “shrugged” her shoulder to me. This was before we knew he had allergies. Thank you again for the re-reminder of always double, no triple checking ingredients. I appreciate your sharing of this and here is a big, warm, you are doing a beautiful job raising your children HUG!!!
you’re a great mama! don’t let this one small incident let you think otherwise.
I can certainly understand you feeling bad about this but don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes and although they feel awful when they happen, they help us learn and grow. You are doing a great job and are such a stong advocate for your kids…and mine!
It was a human mistake, please don’t be so hard on yourself. Just as a heads up for those with pea allergy there’s a new vegan shredded cheddar cheese product called Daiya (maybe you’ve already heard of it) that our family loves, but I noticed that pea protein was in the ingredients.
We’re all human and everyone makes mistakes, of course I’m sure it’s hard not to be upset with yourself when you know what’s at stake. My son had a favorite bagel chip snack that he loves (he has peanut, dairy and egg allergies). I was waiting for my deli meat order and happened to notice that they had new packaging, it just looked different. I picked it up while I was waiting and re-read the ingredients. Now processed in a facility with dairy! UGH. Of course I freaked, thinking the ones I had at home and both sets of his grandparents had at their homes could be these. My son was with me at the time, but I called them both right away to look at the labels on their bags. I emailed the company and they had just changed the process and no one in my family had happened to purchase ‘new’ ones, but it’s so scary. You have to be vigilant all the time and what is safe one time may not be the next. I’m in total agreement, I wish there was a cure. At least to the extent where food allergies weren’t life threatening. I don’t need my son to be able to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I just want it so if he did ingest something by accident, it wouldn’t threaten his life.
Oh, I feel your guilt. Been there, done that- phone in hand, epi in the other. All was fine in our case too, but I have a few more gray hairs to show for it.
So, we’ll all just keep doing our best and supporting one another along this journey. Thank you for sharing your stories and helping so many with food allergies.
I have done the same thing, too. Several years ago I bought a package of fruit snacks for the kids–a brand I’d bought many times before. I left them with my mom when she was watching the girls. She handed out the snacks, casually reading the label while they snacked–until she got to “wheat starch” on the label! She panicked, Sophie got scared and started crying. She threw up a few minutes later (although we think it was from crying, not from the fruit snacks) and then she was completely fine. Like you said, we dodged a bullet and got a strong reminder to read every label, every time.
Wow, what an eye opener. My daughter sits here with me(she is peanut/legume allergic) and we are both so grateful for this information. I am always reading labels with an entire family of food allergic kids(my 1 son is allergic to chicken, turkey, tuna, nuts, peanuts, milk and egg and my other is allergic to milk eggs and pineapple)reading labels has just become a way of life. I never would have thought that peas could be used this way!
You have certainly saved me and my daughter from an allergic reaction just waiting to happen, thank you
Thank you for sharing that, it’s so validating. Ithink we’ve all done something similar at some point.
(((((hugs))))) I’m sure you felt pretty awful, but like many have said, you are human and you most certainly did not want that to happen. With the wheat free stuff I buy I have to double check the labels all the time because they are constantly changing them. I can’t trust them. Mostly I feel like it’s not even worth buying processed foods. I’m so sorry that happened. Glad he only had a mild reaction.
[...] Food Allergy Mama » Blog Archive » Note to self: Don't get lazy … Here’s something else I learned; if your child has a peanut allergy, and is among those 5 percent of people who also have a legume/pea allergy, be wary of labels that say “gluten free or wheat free”. Oftentimes pea or fava bean flour is … http://www.foodallergymama.com/ — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:04:03 -0700 Filed Under: Features Tagged With: allergens, Dairy Free, fda, Gluten Free, labels, package, peanuts, Soy Free, tree nuts, Wheat Free [...]
Kelly, thanks for the reminder to read the entire label every time! There is nothing I can say to help you feel better. I know. I have been there too. I somehow gave my milk-allergic son a glass of cow’s milk! (His baby sister has no allergies and was drinking the milk for calcium. Everyone in the house now drinks soy milk!). Thankfully, there was no allergic reaction which required emergency treatment. Only lots and lots and lots of guilt! Poor little guy apoligized to ME for drinking it! (that really added to my guilt!). Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
Another legume to watch out for is lupine. It is in some of those new whole wheat pastas that are “enriched” . It is really common in Europe, apparently, and up to 50% of those allergic to peanut will react to this bean.
I have been in your shoes twice. We are all human. And when all the kids are around its so hard to be vigilant. I always buy my son the same flavor ice cream at the ice cream store. I always check it. The other week the one time I didnt because we were in a hurry, they mistakenly gave me a flavor with almonds. He realized as soon as it went in his mouth spit it out and I immediately gave him Benadryl and paced the floor with the epipen. Dodged the bullet too.
In a happy note, to give everyone hope, my sons blood work came back low enough to do an egg challenge this week! It has been nine years. Wish us luck.
I almost bought those donuts, too, for my celiac, peanut-allergic kid. (We eat a lot of other Kinnickinnick products!) I was so excited to see them, because I have yet to find a donut he can eat. Alas, I’m still searching: they also contain egg whites, another food that is off-limits for my son. We’re OK with peas and fava, but not the eggs.
I still feel awful about the time I accidentally fed my son pancakes made with wheat. I grabbed the wrong box of Cherrybrook Kitchen pancake mix from my pantry– used the regular one instead of the gluten-free one. I cried and cried when I figured out what I had done!
All we can do is the best we can do…
Thank God for “minor” crises like these. In no way am I minimizing the seriousness or fear of the situation, but it’s only in hindsight that we can acknowledge that we did, indeed just dodge a bullet–but now our radar is back up.
Something I learned at the KidsWithFoodAllergies forum is the Rule of 3:
1.Check ingredients in the store
2.Check ingredients when putting product away
3.Check ingredients when serving
I just stumbled across your site and this first post really hit home. I am in the 5% with the peanut AND legume (pea) allergy. I got lazy in college and didn’t read a granola bar label and had a severe reaction Thank goodness my brother lived in the same town and was able to take me to the hospital. Ever since then, I’ve been crazy paranoid about checking labels. Now I have two small daughters & watch every bite that goes into their mouths — my allergist said not to give them legumes/any nuts/shellfish until they are older & we can test them. I am so glad to have found your site! Thank you for this great source for allergy moms like me!
What a great site! We just began the public school battle with a girl who is about to start public kindergarten in the fall – and a school with a nasty attitude unwilling to discuss how we’re going to keep her safe before the first day of school. People don’t understand how much it takes to manage a kids life who has food allergies – and how much anxiety mothers have worrying about every event, field trip, birthday party. Yes, there’s the safety but there’s also that how can we help our kid feel included? Did I think I’d always be baking egg free cupcakes for every single birthday party – no. Am I happy if that is all I have to do to help her live a normal and happy life – yes.
Thanks so much for being out there and helping people realize we’re not just crazy hysterical neurotic mothers – but people with legitimate concerns. Plus, we love your recipes! It’s always a pleasure to find allergy-friendly recipes – they’re so hard to find that it’s like finding a present when you get a great one! Our 5 year old has learned to love baking and knows we can mimic almost anything with egg replacer and has developed a good hobby out of it.
Keep it up!
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS look at EVERY single ingredient. Your child’s life depends on it. I had to learn that the hard way too!
I’m overwhelmed AND very humbled by ALL of you. I am so grateful for all the amazing support I receive from so many of you, people I’ve never even met! Just feeling so blessed and so lucky. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for letting me know it’s all OK. xoxoxo
Kelly, I am so sorry for the trauma of the situation. I know how it feels, and I am thankful with you and for you that everything turned out just fine for your precious boy! I was intrigued by the donut, because I have yet to find a donut that is safe for my boys. My boys aren’t allergic to legumes, but they are egg-allergic (as well as soy, nut, and dairy). The donuts would be perfect for them, but I couldn’t find one on their website that was egg-free. I think you have mentioned before that John is also egg-allergic. Could you pass along the specific kind of donut that you bought? I would love to try them for my boys, but don’t want to waste a trip to Whole Foods (30 min away) without checking to see if they carry the particular donut from Kinnikinnick Foods that you tried with your gang. Thanks!
Hi! Just found your blog but not happy about your post. So sorry to hear. Ya know food labels are so confusing it’s a constant battle. You are not a bad momma!!! You have to remember so many things with food labels. Like this one “processed with alkai” Well what’s alkai? Its an annatto nut! But the label never says may contain nuts…. I wish there was an easier way, we just keep trucking along. ((HUGS))
Kelly
k-tribe.blogspot.com
I’ve done it, too. In my case it was pasta with a milk facility warning that I missed. Hives and vomit and guilt ensued. Don’t be hard on yourself! {hugs}
oh libby that’s terrible! thanks so much for your support!
You’re not lazy, you’re just human. If you want to have a good laugh and see how we handle label reading at our house, check out Read the Label, Damn It ! at http://foodallergiestogo.com/blog/category/food-allergy-labels/. It can be very exhausting when we feel like we are responsible for the details of someone else’s life for years on end. Food allergies are alot of work and it sounds to me like you’re a great mom. Keep up the good work.
Ann@FoodAllergiesToGo.com
thanks so much ann! you are so sweet! xo
Glad he was OK! I would love to know the specific product name too. Your donut recipe is great, but the frying always makes me sooo nervous. These would be so convenient. My little guy adores your donut recipe.
Jennifer, Kinninnick (sp??) found in the freezer section at Whole Foods. So glad your guy loves the donuts as much as we do here!
Kelly,
I’m so glad that John is okay! Thank you so much for that very important reminder about looking for peas and for the warning about gluten free foods. It is very tempting to look only at the allergen statement, which I have also done. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I’m sure that you are a very caring mother, which is evident by this wonderful blog.
Scary! When our son was just starting solids, it was amazing how any time he had peas, he would projectile vomit and be puffy around the eyes. I kept telling anyone (including our ped) that I thought he must be allergic to peas and everyone shrugged me off. Fast forward to the 1 year full allergy test, and I was no longer the “over protective” or “paranoid” mom when it was confirmed that our little guy is severely allergic to peanuts (and peas, but not snap peas for some reason), dairy, soy and eggs. Your blog is an amazing resource for all of us struggling to keep our kids safe and well fed. Thank you!
Hi,
I may not know you personally, I came across this blog as I was searching for parents having children with food allergies.
I am from India, My son HAD very severe milk allergy. He was ok with mothers milk but could not tolerate even a touch of cows milk.
he is CURED now.
My son was cured by Ayurvedic medicines.
My son was severely allergic until January 2010. After treatment , from June onwards he is drinking 1 glass full of milk daily
As my son is cured, I wish the same for your children.
I have posted my experience on the doctors website
http://www.girijasanjeevani.com/dhruv%20-%20article.doc
I have not come across food allergic children in India. My son was the only exception. But I know that there are many in other countries who are affected. This is my effort to reach out and talk to them that there are options here in India to explore.
It becomes my duty to pass on the news of this treatment to as many parents of allergic children as possible. Please reply if you can support on this.
Thanks,
Prachi Solomon
prachi dot solomon at gmail dot com