May is Food Allergy Awareness Month
This month, we are proud to raise awareness for food allergies during Food Allergy Awareness Month and Living Teal Food Allergy Awareness Week on May 9-15.
Recognizing Food Allergy Awareness Month in May gives us the opportunity to come together as a community to learn more about how to manage food allergies and care for our loved ones, as well as raising awareness through education and advocacy.
Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) has organized an entire week of activities on May 9-15:
- Teal Takeover Kick Off Sunday
- Menu Monday: Recipes and Cooking
- Teal-a-Thon Tuesday Food Allergy Quiz with dozens of prizes
- When’s Day: The Future of Food Allergy Keynote sessions from experts in food science, treatment and diagnosis
- Take Action Thursday: Get Involved Create an action plan for advocacy, entrepreneurship and increased involvement in the food allergy community
- T.G.I.FRI-YAY Join the teen advisory group
- Wrap Up Saturday
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) also provides myriad resources available if you are interested in participating in awareness initiatives:
- Download FAACT’s Food Allergy Awareness Week Proclamation Kit (PDF) to encourage your Mayor/Governor to proclaim May 9-15, 2021, as Food Allergy Awareness Week in your city and/or state. Visit the FAAW Proclamation page for more details.
- Access a variety of educational resources for teachers and students – including a curricula program, as well as bookmarks and posters.
- Send a press release to your local paper and/or schedule a radio interview. Download FAACT’s 2021 press release.
- Start a food allergy support group by visiting FAACT’s support group development section.
- Educate yourself to become a better advocate, see resources at the bottom of this post. You will also find a variety of messages and resources that can be used in your social media groups.
We also encourage you to join KFA’s support network (Kids with Food Allergies) and opt-in to get involved in advocacy and research, and use their resources on social media to tell your story and share information about food allergies.
In addition, you can attend and invite others to attend KFA virtual awareness events.
We also have compiled a list of myths versus facts to clarify common misperceptions about food allergy and share with others.
If you are living with food allergies or caring for someone who has food allergies, it is important to know the facts as there is a lot of inaccurate information about food allergies out there. Read the full blog post here.
If you suspect that your child might have a food allergy, you may also want to become familiar with the various types of tests that are available. Knowing what to expect with different types of food allergy testing can ease fears and help parents to feel empowered and prepared for what lies ahead. Read the full blog post here.
If your child has already been diagnosed with a food allergy, then you may want to check out our blog post on reading food labels. Being able to identify the food allergen is essential for avoiding possible allergic reactions and understanding how to read food labels for allergies can help you identify ingredients that could cause a problem for your child. You may first want to familiarize yourself with your child’s allergen and the foods where the allergen is commonly found since allergens can be included in surprising places. Read the full blog post here.
We also have shared tips on how to avoid cross contact, which is when one food comes into contact with another food and their proteins mix. Even though there may only be small amounts of proteins that mix together, people with food allergies can be affected and could experience a food allergic reaction if these proteins contain their allergen(s). You can prepare by being informed and doing what you can to prevent allergic reactions resulting from cross contact. Read the full blog post here.
It is important for children with food allergies to get complete nutrition, and you can read our full blog post on this topic here.
Finally, since managing a food allergy takes constant effort and can have a significant impact on daily activities, it is important to understand that children can outgrow their food allergies. Read the full blog post here.
How Our Formulas Can Help Children with Food Allergies
While milk allergy is often outgrown in early childhood, research suggests that food allergies may be outgrown more slowly than previously suggested. For this reason, children with food allergies may need a formula to supplement their restricted diet past the age of 1 year. EquaCare Jr. provides an affordable amino acid-based formula option for those over 1 year of age and Essential Care Jr. is an amino acid-based formula for children over 1 year of age with value-added ingredients, that may support healthy digestion. Learn more about each of these beneficial products by visiting us online today or calling 1-833-377-2773.
Sources:
https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/food-allergy-awareness-week
https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/food-allergy-awareness-week-month.aspx
