The study followed eczema and asthma symptoms of nearly 7000 infants until four years of age. The authors report that that the introduction of six of the most common allergens, cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and gluten to children before the age of six months was not associated with increased incidence of eczema or wheezing, two common reactions in childhood.

The study’s authors emphasize that childhood nutrition is very important in influencing the development of atopic or allergy related diseases. Due to the potential of early diet affecting health in such a significant way, doctors have recommended parents delay feeding babies and infants foods that may contain common allergens. However this postponed introduction has not been convincingly shown to reduce allergies, either in children considered at risk, or in those not considered to be at risk.

Parents are encouraged to teach their kids about healthy eating starting at a young age; to include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, and let kids pick what they want to have for dinner- of course limit their choices for example – to choosing a vegetable main or side dish or picking what fruit to have for a snack or dessert. In terms of allergens, it is important to speak with your child’s physician as they will have specific advice tailored to your child.

If you child does have food allergies, make sure you check out our Food Allergy Buddy & Celiac BFF very helpful for eating out or shopping with food allergies.

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), nearly 2.3 percent of Americans are allergic to seafood, including fish and shellfish. Today’s article focuses on fish specifically and salmon, tuna, and halibut are the most common kinds of fish to which people are allergic. A fish allergy is lifelong and it’s unlikely that one will “grow out of it.” Approximately forty percent of those with a fish allergy first experience the allergic reaction as an adult.

To avoid a reaction, strict avoidance of fish and most seafood products is essential. In addition, avoid touching fish, going to the fish market, and being in an area where fish is being cooked because similar to a general seafood allergy, the protein in the steam may present a risk.

Always read ingredient labels to identify fish ingredients, some unexpected sources of fish include, salad dressing, worcestershire sauce, dressings, bouillabaisse, imitation fish or shellfish, meatloaf, fish sticks, and barbecue sauce (some are made with worcestershire).

It is important to keep in mind that if you have seafood allergy, you should avoid seafood restaurants. Even if you order a non-seafood item, cross-contact with seafood is possible. Asian restaurants often use fish sauce as a flavoring base so exercise caution or avoid these restaurants.

Some interesting points FAAN highlights are: Carrageenan does not need to be avoided. It is not fish and is actually “Irish moss,” a red marine algae. It is used in a wide variety of foods, particularly dairy, as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener. It appears safe for most individuals with food allergies. In addition iodine allergy is not related to a fish or shellfish allergy. Those with a fish allergy should be mindful of the many products (milk, meal replacement bars, chocolates, yogurt, etc) that boast omega-3s, as some of the omegas do come from fish and shellfish. If you are looking to boost your omega-3 intake look for vegetarian sources of omegas like chia seeds, hemp, and flaxseeds.

Many people who are allergic to fish or shellfish are allergic to more than one kind. Get tested and have your allergies confirmed by a physician so that you know what to avoid.

If you are dining out, sending your child to school, a friend’s house, and more, you will find our Food Allergy Buddy & Celiac BFF very useful.

Since, 2006 the phenomenon colony collapse disorder (CCD) has plagued the honeybees, and SupermarketGuru wants to keep you up to date. CCD encompasses several symptoms, the most obvious being the complete absence of adult bees, little or no evidence of dead bees inside or near hives, but with adequate food stores still remaining inside. In actively collapsing colonies, where the workforce is diminishing and thus not able to maintain the brood, it is common that older colony members do not consume their feed. What’s the reason? The speculation continues, and ranges from pesticides and fungicides to radiation from cell phone signals, climate change and more.

This year on average, colonies lost 30 percent, which is similar to the past few years. Beekeepers reported losses of around thirty to 34 percent each winter going back to 2006, when the problem surfaced. USDA is optimistic about the stabilization of the losses.

The USDA is backing The Bee Informed Partnership, a five-year, 5 million dollar program, that aims to help beekeepers find best practices to keep their colonies together. The goal is to reduce honeybee losses in the U.S. by 50 percent in the next five years.

How to shop for honey? First, be sure your getting 100 percent pure honey. Read labels on honey jars, make sure the honey is actually honey and does not contain any other added ingredients – pure honey does not need added preservatives as it is naturally antimicrobial. Also be sure to purchase domestic honey, look for country of origin labeling. Not only does this support domestic bee keepers, but also ensures the little pollinators are well taken care of, and that you are getting the best product available. For the time being it may be advisable to avoid imported honey, especially from China because of problems with purity.

Honey is a great, unrefined, natural sweetener, ‘as natural as you can get’ and is also thought to help those who suffer from allergies.

What about organic honey? Organic honey is made from bees that do not / cannot travel to conventionally grown plants, this is considerably harder these days as you never know what your neighbor has on their lawn and you can not control where the bees are going to fly. With that said, there are places that produce truly organic honey, free from pesticide residues and antibiotics, and if you are looking for these products you have to do some research. It is also interesting to mention that organic honey producers have a lesser problem with CCD.

For more information on everything bees, visit The American Beekeeping Federation.

Spanning the Revolutionary War-era through the late 1900s, with documents, films, and photographs, the exhibition is arranged into four themes: farm, which explores the relationship between government and growers; factory, which looks at the history of food regulation and processing; kitchen, which includes displays of nutritional studies and government education campaigns concerning food; and table, which documents the way government has fed people from schools to military bases.

Some of the exhibitions may surprise you — there is a poster promoting cottage cheese as a protein substitute that was part of the original “Meatless Mondays” during World War I, promoted by the Food Administration under Herbert Hoover.

You can discover what was on the menu at Lyndon B. Johnson’s State Dinners; and how the “Poison Squad” was a group of government volunteers who tasted tainted food and helped scientists better understand the effects of boric acid and other additives.
You probably already know that Birds Eye got the patent for the first frozen-food processing machine; but did you know that ketchup was among the first commercial convenience foods to take off. Discover why canned meat and candy were so dangerous at the time of the Industrial Revolution and what was done about it. You can even view Upton Sinclair’s original letter to President Theodor Roosevelt about the meat packing industry.

The exhibit boasts an amazing selection of records selected from thousands of pages of material, that chronicle the story of the government’s efforts to feed Americans an ample, safe, and nutritious diet. Any hey, does the image of the poster of Uncle Sam used for this article remind you of the White House garden today?

Until such time as the FDA finds a suitable labeling structure for gluten free here’s our advice for navigating those labels.

For celiac disease sufferers: celiac is a serious business and constant unchecked outbreaks (which can be caused by ingesting microscopic, even airborne, particles of gluten), can cause long term health damage and the possibility of serious health repercussions. For these people, in our opinion the only choice is to carefully read labels and ingredients, and select products which are both gluten free and produced in a facility that does not handle gluten. If a shared facility is stated on the label it is better to avoid the product. Planning ahead and making snacks at home, and eating whole foods – fruits, nuts and vegetables should be your staple snacks – along with your tried and trusted brands, should help alleviate the temptation to impulse buy and take a risk.

For those who have a gluten or wheat allergy, intolerance or hypersensitivity: they may wish to stick to the same plan as celiacs for a time to allow their digestive system to heal and become less reactive, (an elimination or allergen avoidance diet, which should only be undertaken under the care of a health practitioner), and then research which packaged goods and ingredients they can tolerate – whether they can include products that are gluten free, but are processed in a facility that also processes wheat or gluten – whether they can eat oats without causing a reaction, or sprouted grains – are things the individual consumer has to figure out.

And for those consumers who think choosing gluten free is a healthful choice – to lose weight or otherwise – it may be wiser to choose whole grain products over gluten free, (which can often be highly caloric with wheat flour replaced by white rice flour, corn or potato flour). A healthier choice would be whole grain wheat which contains prebiotics; essential to creating a healthy environment for probiotics (friendly bacteria), and therefore maintaining a healthy intestinal tract. This last group – although possibly the largest, is also surely the most precarious as an example of a marketing fad like those we’ve seen before – ‘fat free’, ‘zero net carbs’ etc – except that in this case misleading labeling may pose a serious health risk to those seriously afflicted.

Always seek medical advice to diagnose or treat any food allergy or auto immune disorder and consult your medical practitioner before changing your diet.

Sources: familydoctor.org
celiacsymptom.com
whfoods.com

A picture – is worth a thousand words, and unlike the confusing and sometimes indecernable food pyramid logo, shoppers will now have a better idea of what their total diet and general meals should actually look like — on their plate.

MyPlate features the five food groups that are vital to a healthy diet – fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Fruits and vegetables take up half the plate and grains and protein take up the other half, the grains portion is slightly larger than the protein slice.

The brilliance of the plate is in its simplicity. The fact that the plate itself does not suggest any specific foods directly on the image helps consumers choose from a variety of foods- and not get stuck in a rut. Follow the links and click on the sections of the plate at MyPlate.gov for more in-depth information on each food group; where you are able to view actual portion sized images of a selection from each food group- thus helping to suggest new foods for a varied diet as well as customized to personal taste.

The information at MyPlate.gov is thorough, well thought out and if promoted well and used — and those are the “ifs” – will be able to clear up much of the consumer confusion surrounding what and how much to eat for health.

And more to come:
In the fall, the MyPlate.gov will launch a suite of interactive web-based tools:
Daily, personalized food plans.
Daily food plans for kids.
Daily food plans for new mothers and pregnant women.
MyFoodapedia: information on food groups, calories, and food comparisons.
Food Tracker: feedback on your food intake and physical activity
Food Planner: a tool to plan meals that will help you reach personal goals.
All with the same intention: Enjoy food, but eat less.

We can only hope that this effort succeeds.

Dr. Orly Avitzur, a board-certified neurologist and medical adviser for Consumer Reports Health says, “many people don’t realize that by making healthier lifestyle changes, they can cut their risk of stroke dramatically… only a very small fraction of people… have a handle on the major cardiovascular risk factors for stroke. Fortunately, many of those risk factors can be reduced or eliminated by controlling blood pressure, improving cholesterol levels, reining in diabetes, and quitting smoking.”

Stroke is caused by sudden loss of blood flow to the brain, or bleeding in or around the brain, either of which can cause brain cells to die. It is the number three cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the US. Dr Avitzur adds that, “hypertension is the most important and treatable risk factor for stroke, yet more than half of Americans with high blood pressure don’t have it under control.”

What are some things you can do to actively prevent stroke? First pay attention to your blood pressure; high blood pressure causes damage to arteries increasing the risk of clogging or bursting. Next, get your blood sugar in check, and if you have diabetes this definitely applies to you! High blood sugar damages vessels over time. Improve your cholesterol levels; especially focus on lowering LDL which is a fatty substance in the blood, which can build up as plaque on artery walls, causing arteries to narrow, as well as increasing risk of rupturing a plaque.

Fortunately all of the risk factors mentioned above can be greatly reduced if you maintain a varied and balanced diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables. According to Consumer Reports, diet has a strong influence on an individual’s risk of stroke. In a study that assessed people’s consumption of produce, each extra daily serving reduced stroke risk by 6 percent. Other studies have linked high-potassium diets with lower stroke risk, while sodium-heavy diets are tied to greater risk. Choose whole grains over refined grains- as whole grains are full of fiber and essential vitamins and minerals. Keep sugary beverages, highly refined foods and sweets to a minimum for optimal vessel health.

Imbibe consciously: moderate drinking, that’s 2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women, appears to reduce stroke risk. On the other hand excessive drinking is associated with a 64 percent increased risk of stroke, as well as raising blood pressure, promoting clot formation and other cardiovascular risks.

Move more, or Let’s Move, as our First Lady would say: being physically active can help strengthen the most important muscle in your body, your heart. Excess fat, especially around your abdomen, increases blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and the risk of type 2 diabetes.

The FDA was given four years… until 2008… to create a definition for gluten free products, and we’re still waiting. The rates of celiac disease diagnosis as well as gluten sensitivity are rising, and consumer still can not trust food companies labeling as their basis for gluten free products vary. Currently, at least three million Americans have celiac disease, one in 133, an autoimmune intestinal disorder, which damages the tiny hair-like projections in the small intestine. The damage inhibits proper nutrient absorption from foods, thus when people with celiac disease are repeatedly exposed to gluten, they face an increased risk of both nutritional and immune related disorders, like anemia, osteoporosis, GI cancers, and nervous system disorders. Eighteen million people are said to have gluten sensitivity, which causes temporary discomfort, i.e. headache, irritability, sleeplessness, intestinal problems and more.

The gluten free product industry in the US is estimated at $2.6 billion, clearly there is a huge need to set a proper definition for these products. Outside of the US, countries like Canada, Brazil and Australia have defined gluten-free foods as 0.0007 of an ounce of gluten for every 2.2 pounds of food. And foods are clearly labeled as gluten free.

Coinciding with National Celiac Awareness Month, today’s event will also feature the world’s largest gluten-free cake, which was prepared to symbolize the big deal that clear, accurate, reliable labeling plays in the lives of people dependent on labeling for their health.

SupermarketGuru wants to keep you shopping smart so read on to find out what items you should choose organic, and which you should skip.

According to the Environmental Working Group, choosing organics is “always the best choice” — but not everyone agrees, nor can everyone afford the organic prices. There are twelve key produce items, nicknamed the “dirty dozen”, that when available should always be purchased organic: peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, pears, spinach and potatoes.

Produce that has a thin skin or no protective layer is usually best purchased organic- this is key to keep in mind if you are shopping and you forget the “dirty dozen.” The EWG also points out fifteen items that you don’t necessarily have to purchase organic, the “clean 15”: onion, avocado, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapefruit, sweet potato and honeydew melon.

For non produce items, the regulations allow four different labeling options based on the percentage of organic ingredients contained in a product: “100 percent organic” (self explanatory!). “Organic”: contains at least 95 percent organic ingredients by weight, excluding water and salt. “Made with organic”: contains between 70 to 95 percent organic ingredients. Products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients list the organic items in the ingredient panel. The green and white USDA seal may be used on products that are “100 percent organic” or “organic,” but is entirely voluntary. The balance of ingredients used must be cleared by the USDA and listed on the National List.

What does it actually mean to be organic?

USDA Organic standards require that the land used to grow organic crops go through a three year “transition period” to make sure the crops are free of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
All organic agriculture prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, irradiation, sewage sludge, and no genetically modified organisms can be contained in anything labeled organic – however, keep in mind that there are over 100 pesticides that can be used in organic farming.

As far as food safety is concerned there is no difference between organic and conventionally produced foods – so always remember to wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and employ safe handling and storage for meat, poultry, dairy and fish.

And don’t panic – if you are concerned about pesticide residues for yourself or your children and you’re unable to buy organic, you can remove a significant amount of the residues by simple peeling fruits and vegetables and removing the outer leaves (but do be aware you will be losing fiber and some nutrients), and trimming any fat from meat and poultry as the residues tend to be more concentrated in the fat, as well as avoiding fish from contaminated areas.

Taking care of what you eat and including foods rich in certain nutrients can help you look and feel your best. Supermarket Guru has compiled a list of favorites that can be found in your local market.

Avocados, usually thought of as a vegetable are a fruit rich in monounsaturated fats that may help to reduce the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the blood. Avocados are a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that protects skin from ultraviolet light, prevents damage from free radicals and allows for efficient cell communication. Avocados are also rich in potassium which is necessary for proper nerve and muscle function as well as maintaining calcium levels and helping to lower blood pressure.

Dark leafy greens, such as collard greens, kale and spinach are all full of antioxidants. The antioxidants found in leafy greens, lutein and zeaxanthin are vital in maintaining eye health and preventing macular degeneration. Leafy greens are also rich in vitamin K which allows for normal blood clotting (keeps bruising at bay), protects against osteoporosis and prevents oxidative cell damage.

Garlic, famous for its strong smell and flavor produced by the presence of allicin, a sulfur containing compound that promotes antioxidant activity as well as acting as an antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. Scientific studies have demonstrated garlic’s blood pressure lowering capabilities and its positive effects on cholesterol levels. Garlic also contains compounds known to reduce inflammation and improve overall health.

Herbs and Spices not only pack a flavorful punch, but are also rich in ‘anti-aging’ compounds. Parsley, oregano, basil, turmeric and cinnamon are only a few of the many herbs and spices that are great sources of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other bioactive compounds that keep our bodies functioning in tip top shape. The deeper the color and fresher the herbs and spices, the better. Studies have shown that on a per gram fresh weight basis, herbs rank even higher in antioxidant activity than many fruits and vegetables.

Supermarket Guru encourages you to head to your supermarket or local farmers market for healthful, colorful and tasty fruits, vegetables, and spices- and to rid yourself of the notion that there is a fountain of youth or a one stop potion or lotion – because it all boils down to the variety of foods you eat!

As always please consult your physician before making any dietary changes, as not all foods are right for all diets.