The cookies that she sells are pre-formed, frozen unbaked cookies that are free of dairy, eggs and peanuts.

We got to taste some of them at our November meeting and they are awesome. You would never know they were free of all those pesky allergens!

Details about the cost, ingredients, etc. can be found on her website.

You can contact her directly by email or by phone at 613.355.2467.

The OASG had its First Annual Food-Free Family Halloween Party on Friday, October 30th at Immaculata High School.

I wanted to organize this event because I have received so much strength from gathering with other OASG members who are going through an experience similar to mine. I really wanted the OASG children to have that same benefit, if only a few times a year.

I was amazed at the outpouring of support from national and local businesses, especially given the economic climate and the recent allergy backlash articles in the press. Those businesses who provided some really lovely Hallowe'en prizes for the children are:

• Allergic Living
• Build A Bear-Bayshore Mall
• City of Ottawa
• Dyson Canada
• East Side Mario’s
• Here We Grow Again
• LMNOP Toy Store
• Loblaws - Carlingwood
• Melon Head - Place d’Orleans
• Mrs. Tiggywinkle’s - Place d’Orleans
• Museum of Civilization
• Museum of Nature
• Ottawa Family Cinema
• Ottawa Senators
• RCMP
• Saunders Farm
• Scholar’s Choice
• Shopper’s Drug Mart
• Tiny Hoppers

I was also very grateful for the support of the administration and cleaning staff at Immaculata for allowing us to use their very well cleaned cafeteria to hold the party!

www.whyriskit.ca

Aimed at teens and young adults with a food allergy or at risk for anaphylaxis, the intent of the website is to help people manage their allergies while living normally.

The team behind this website is Anaphylaxis Canada’s Youth Advisory Panel (YAP). It consists of 15 food allergic participants from across Canada ranging from 14-24 years of age.

As the home page says...

"Get the facts, learn how to manage risks in difficult situations, like dating or dining out, and see how other teens have coped with their allergies. If you have had an allergic reaction or been in a tricky situation, you can use this site to share your experiences and help others avoid similar risks.

Sponsored by the Ottawa Anaphylaxis Support Group, this session will give participants a great opportunity to hang out with others who share similar thoughts, feelings and experiences.

Topics such as allergies with respect to dating, high school, travel, lack of understanding from others, and much more, will be moderated by Kyle Dine of Anaphylaxis Canada. Kyle has severe food allergies himself, so he knows what teens with allergies are going through. He’ll also be providing an update on allergy research that you won’t want to miss!

WHERE: Pinecrest Chapters – in the Community Room
Pinecrest Shopping Centre, 2735 Iris Street, Ottawa

WHEN: Sunday, February 8, 2009 from 2-4 pm

WHO: Anyone with allergies (anaphylaxis), aged 13-25!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT! Space is limited, so make sure you reserve a spot by contacting Karen at karen@ottawaasg.com or 819-778-2562 by Saturday, February 7.

In the recent past, there have been a number of studies carried out to see if children at risk of anaphylaxis can be helped to outgrow their food allergies, or at least be helped to tolerate trace amounts of their allergen.

Here is some info about the research:

• Dairy allergy desensitization (Reuters)

• Egg allergy desensitization (DukeHealth.org)

• Peanut allergy desensitization (MedicineNet.com)

• Peanut allergy desensitization (Allergic Living magazine)

So... would you allow your child to participate in such a study?

Finally… Food I Can Eat was published earlier this year, and has been getting a lot of very positive press. Shirley and Helen also have their own business called Delicious Alternatives.

On May 7, 2008, the Delicious Alternatives team will be presenting ideas on

• substitution cooking
• recipe conversion
• rotation and elimination diets
• organic food
• food additives and preservatives
• other helpful hints

Needing to go on a special diet plan, whether to lose weight, eat better or avoid foods due to allergies, intolerances or other health concerns, can be a difficult and frustrating task.

Delicious Alternatives specializes in menu planning, recipe creation/conversion and catering for people trying to deal with these issues. Through dietary consultations, they customize menu plans and recipes to meet an individual's needs and goals.

Their recommendations focus on healthy, natural, additive- and preservative-free cooking, customized to clients' lifestyle requirements.

Delicious Alternatives… helping you shed light on food allergies and food intolerances through healthy and creative eating.

Click here to go to the General Store Publishing House online store, where you can order "Finally… Food I Can Eat".

Click here to go to the CTV Regional Contact page, where you can find the segment about Shirley and her journey. (Scroll down to SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2008.)

For more details about Kyle and his "You Must Be Nuts!" CD for kids with food allergies, go to his website.

For more details about the Ottawa concerts, see the Proposal Letter for Principals.

The dates that Kyle is available to give concerts in the Ottawa region are:

If you think your school would be interested, please pass the following materials on to your school principal (or the appropriate party):

She told me that what is great about Appletree is that she will run the same consulting allergy & asthma practice as she does now, same testing methods, etc. but they have electronic medical records, which she feels is better.

May 03, 2007
Peter Krivel, Toronto Star, Staff reporter

Canadians who suffer from food allergies continue to wait for common-sense food-labelling laws that should have been on the books at least a year ago.

Health Canada's amendments to labelling regulations were made two years ago. All that's needed before they are put into effect is final comments from interested parties.