Weekly Topic: October 2008 Archives

Written by guest author Debbie Yocum:

My older sister Teri was (and is) allergic to green onions. Every Thanksgiving we would gather around the table and my sister would eat everything on the menu only to get so sick that she would turn as green as the onions in my grandmother's salad.

Debbie Yocum
Guest Author

When we figured out that it was the green onions making her sick my oldest sister and I would threaten to put them in her food if she was doing something we did not like. My grandmother would tell Teri that she would outgrow her allergy but she never did and she still has to ask if onions are in the foods that she orders.

Peanuts are also a big concern with children. Even the Costco muffins and cupcakes have the notice on the side of the box that although the food product does not contain peanuts they warn that the muffins or cupcakes may have been processed with other foods that did contain peanuts or peanut oil.

It is a scary thought that you have to worry about your kids that have food allergies when they attend school related events. You really have to trust their teachers to watch out for them in your absence, especially when they are little.

I think that it is a good idea for schools to never accept any food made with nuts just to be on the safe side. With food allergies increasing it will only become a bigger problem in the future.

My kids are not allergic to any foods that I know of yet but I am sure that my daughter will probably end up being allergic to green onions since she takes after my sister in every other way.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results today of the first federal study on childhood food allergies.

Some of the key findings were:

• An 18 percent increase of reported food allergy from 1997 to 2007 among children under age 18.
• Approximately 3 million children were reported to have a food or digestive allergy over the past 12 months.
• Children who have food allergies are two to four times more likely to have related conditions such as asthma or other allergies.

What it came down to is this: Four out of every 100 children have a food allergy.

The most common types of foods that account for 90 percent of allergic reactions are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat according to the CDC.

The reason for this increase seems to be a bit of a mystery. Are there environmental or genetic factors that should be considered? New diet trends? Or simply an increase of reporting?

We've got a mother of five that might just be our next Vice President and I'd like to hear what other mom's think.

Gov. Sarah Palin has been center stage since Sen. John McCain's official announcement and the rumor mill has been smoking. Her close-knit family includes a five month old son, Trig, with Down's syndrome and a 17-year old daughter, Bristol, who is pregnant.

Despite pleas from both parties to leave families out of the political spotlight, all members of Palin's family have undergone deep scrutiny.

Tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment below.