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How to handle celebrations when your child has allergies – Jackie Nevard
How to handle celebrations when your child has allergies- Jackie Nevard
December is a busy time with Christmas parties, family get-togethers, endless food being given out, change in family routines and instead of being enjoyable can feel overwhelming and can often be a high-risk time if not managed well.
In my session I will cover :
- How to handle celebrations at childcare, especially Christmas and Easter.
- How to manage school celebrations, Christmas parties, sports day, and graduation.
- How to make sure your child is included in school functions all year long.
- How to manage family celebrations when your family doesn’t get it.
- I’ll be sharing our own story of when things went wrong on Christmas Day
Why it’s important to share the load this holiday season
I understand the challenges of bringing up a child with life-threatening allergies and my session offers practical tips and tricks to make celebrations inclusive and enjoyable for everyone, including YOU!
Jackie Nevard
Founded in 2012 Jackie Nevard is the founder and creator behind My Food Allergy Friends. Jackie is the author of the children’s allergy book series featuring Thai & Rabbie. Her son Thai has multiple food allergies, and after realising the need for allergy education
when her son was diagnosed with 7 food allergies, Jackie launched My Food Allergy Friends. She has produced six books in her educational allergy series, a string of educational resources for parents, schools, and childcare centres, and runs the
Food Allergy Smart program in childcare centres and schools as well as her popular allergy awareness sessions in Australia.
Jackie also Co-Founded Allergy Masterclass with Simone Albert providing allergy education for families focusing on practical tips for home life, kindy, and school and addressing the mental health aspect of allergies that are often overlooked. Allergy Masterclass is passionate about educating everyone, so families can work together in providing safe and a fun-filled life for their children. Bringing grandparents, mums, dads, aunts, uncles, and children together to empower them to live an amazing life with allergies.
Free From + Allergy Community
Welcome to the Free From + Allergy Community
As Australians are prioritising their health and wellbeing, they are turning to new products to suit their changing needs. This is having a profound influence on their daily life choices as they start to make conscious decisions that will better their life.
Discovering new intolerances, allergies and dietary requirements can be overwhelming and scary. Obtaining the right information can be time consuming as you search through the misleading information and try find what is right for you. Australians were longing for a community where they could connect with like-minded people to share, engage, inspire and learn about all things free from and allergy related.
We decided to create a digital platform for our community to come together and support one another on their health journeys. This is a one stop shop where you can go to connect and source information to help you on your journey and remove the isolation that you may be experiencing.
Introducing the Free From + Allergy Community!
This platform was created to bring together like-minded people together to share, engage, inspire and learn about all things free from and allergy related. We believe that by building a strong community, it will offer support and guidance to people who may be experiencing similar challenges in everyday life.
The Free From + Allergy Community Facebook group brings together industry professionals and everyday people that will share their knowledge and experience about allergies and intolerance’s. We encourage our community to ask questions and be active to help one another overcome food challenges that may make them feel isolated or alone.
Are you ready to join the community? We are ready to welcome you!
Everyone is welcomed, even if you’re not from Australia 😉
Join the community here and be apart of a supportive community.
Free From + Allergy Shows
Due to the significant impact corona has had within various industries, the Free From + Allergy team have had to postpone this show until 2021. We welcome you to join us for our virtual show on the 25/26 September.
Check out the content library where you can learn about various allergies and intolerances from health experts.
FODMAP Friendly Snack Ideas
Feeling Peckish? I’ve Got You Covered! – FODMAP Friendly Snack Ideas
Following a low FODMAP diet is not always an easy task. We have daily commitments, activities and overall, our lives can be quite busy. The good news for us is that are FODMAP friendly snacks on the market that are nutritious, filling and most importantly, taste great! What more could you want?
If you haven’t got a great amount of time on your hands and wanting convenient, on-the-go, easy to prepare snacks, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few that I highly recommend you try.
1. Banana smoothie
You can’t go wrong with an easy to whip up smoothie. You simply add an unripe, firm banana, your choice of low FODMAP milk, some oats and if you have a sweet tooth, some maple syrup! Such a quick an easy, minimal ingredient snack option. (Full recipe can be found on the Monash University FODMAP Diet App).
2. Trail mix
Simply start with peanuts and add 10 walnuts or 15g of cranberries or pepitas (these all become high fructan, so you need to pick only one), then add 10 almonds and some shredded coconut. There you have it, a quick and easy on-the-go snack option. Nuts are an energy-dense, nutrient-rich snack, and also help us feel fuller for longer, so win-win!
3. Energy balls
These are super easy to whip up the night before a busy day as you only need a few ingredients. These include oats, cranberries, peanut butter, some maple syrup, quinoa and some dark chocolate chips! The easy part is – all of the ingredients are simply processed together and all you have to do is roll them into bite sized balls! (Full recipe can be found on the Monash University FODMAP Diet App).
4. Cheese & crackers
YES, you can still have your cheese and crackers! Gluten free crisp-breads made from rice/corn paired with some cheddar cheese makes a great on-the-go snack! Just be sure to read your labels with the crisp-breads. Look out for sneaky high FODMAP ingredients like inulin.
5. Low FODMAP snack bars
For my friends in Australia, let me introduce you to Fodbods. They are delicious gut-friendly snack bars made in Australia that are FODMAP friendly! They are also vegan, gluten and dairy free. They come in a range of flavours including choc mint, peanut choc chunk and lemon coconut, just to name a few.
Bottom line
Following a low FODMAP diet may be challenging at times, although there is absolutely no need to go hungry! I hope these snack ideas have inspired you and have allowed you to recognise that there are some quick and easy snacks that you can create/purchase, and that following this kind of diet doesn’t have to be difficult. It is essential that we nourish our bodies to keep our energy levels up, and productivity high, so ensuring that you have some low FODMAP snack ideas up your sleeve, will be of great benefit in the long run.
Reference List:
1. Fodbods-au. (2021). Fodbods – FODMAP Friendly Bars – Natural | Vegan | Gluten Free. https://www.fodbods.com/
2. Monashfodmap.com. (2021). Oat, Cranberry & Choc Chip Energy Balls. https://www.monashfodmap.com/recipe/oat-cranberry-choc-chip-energy-balls/.
3. Monash University. (2012). Monash University FODMAP Diet App.
4. M, L., & L, L. (2016). Nuts and Body Weight – An Overview. Journal Of Nutrition And Health Sciences, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.15744/2393-9060.3.104
Chelsea McCallum
Chelsea is an online dietitian based in Brisbane, Australia. She specialises in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and the low FODMAP diet. She provides professional online video consultations and programs enabling clients from across Australia and around the world to access her specialised services.
Why it is important to be tested and diagnosed with coeliac disease – Georgia Hexter
Why it is important to be tested and diagnosed with coeliac disease.
Georgia Hexter @oftengood
Georgia Hexter @oftengood
You’re experiencing a lot of symptoms that sound (and feel!) like coeliac disease, and you usually feel your best when you’re avoiding gluten-containing foods, so it must be celiac disease, right?
It is common that people confuse symptoms in response to fructan malabsorption for coeliac disease, and vice versa! Fructans are a carbohydrate structure made up of chains of fructose, that are poorly digested and absorbed by some people, particularly those with IBS. Fructans are found in rye, barley, oats and wheat, and which are also gluten-containing foods.
Symptoms of fructan malabsorption include increased flatulence, bloating, and diarrhea, similar symptoms to that of coeliac disease. It is common for people to cut out gluten, and begin to feel better as the fructan load of their diet has reduced, and therefore come to the conclusion that is must be coeliac disease..
Part of the low FODMAP diet often includes choosing gluten free breads, biscuits and pasta, but it is important that your GP has tested for coeliac disease before your commence a low FODMAP diet in order to ensure we aren’t confusing coeliac disease of IBS.
When testing for coeliac disease your gastroenterologist will be looking for the damage caused to your body when you are eating a gluten including diet. If you have stopped eating gluten containing foods your body may begin to heal, resulting in unreliable, and falsely negative results. This might mean you continue to include small amounts of gluten, or not consider cross contamination, and therefore have improvements in symptoms but still be exposed to gluten, and still be damaging your gastrointestinal tract.
If you have begun a gluten free diet before testing it isn’t the end of the world! It just means that a normal, gluten containing diet much be resumed for at least 6 weeks before your tests. This usually includes a gluten challenge, in which a minimum equivalent of four slices of wheat-based breads should be consumed each day. Speaking to a dietitian to receive support and guidance on your gluten challenge can be really helpful!
A clear diagnosis is important! If it is IBS then cross contamination with gluten containing products, and inclusion of small amounts of wheat-containing products is typically ok. Fructans are part of the FODMAP family, and management of fructan malabsorption often involved a low FODMAP diet and structured reintroduction in order to understand what other foods may trigger symptoms, and how much of each of the FODMAP groups, and the overall FODMAP load you can tolerate.
On the other hand, a strict gluten free diet must be adhered to if coeliac disease is the reason behind the symptoms and discomfort. Either way, the help and support of an accredited practicing dietitian can be incredibly helpful!
Georgia Hexter
Georgia is a Melbourne based private practice dietitian, nutritionist and recipe creator, and the face behind @oftengood on Instagram!
She is passionate about making healthy eating fun, accessible and achievable for all people. Georgia follows an ‘all foods fit’ approach to nutrition, and promotes mindfulness, intuitive eating and joyful movement.
Georgia is committed to empowering and inspiring her clients to improve their health and wellbeing through sustainable nutrition and lifestyle changes. She specialises in Eating Disorders, Disordered Eating, and improving food and body relationships, and follows a non-diet approach.
Georgia also assists clients in managing gut issues including Coeliac disease and IBS, and Chronic Disease Management. Georgia is committed to providing evidence based, collaborative, nurturing and client-centred care, and her skills lie in building client confidence and capacity to take charge of their health.
What Do You Mean I Can’t Have Gluten!?
What Do You Mean I Can’t Have Gluten!?
Goodbye pizza. Goodbye pasta. Goodbye bread. Goodbye life. Am I right? Absolutely NOT!
Initially, when one finds out they are coeliac or gluten intolerant it can be daunting. It may feel like you cannot eat anything because everything has traces of gluten in it. We are here to shed some light on this for you. Welcome to the new age of health. The new age of wealth. The new age of brands listening to the many voices of society and producing alternative options to accommodate to a wider market.
It is amazing to see the various types of gluten-free flours that are now stocked across the shelves. Coles now has a gluten-free range and the aisle now takes up two sides in some supermarkets. Gone are the days where gluten-free made a blink-an-you-miss-it appearance on your favourite supermarket’s shelves. If you are interested in recommendations for Coles gluten-free products, the Aussie coeliac has a great review page for all the products she has tried.
If you were wanting to get away from store-bought flours and start to experiment with less processed alternatives, we have crafted a list below of gluten-free alternatives you can make at home. They are simple, quick and easy (something we all seem to love.)
Nut Flours
- Almond meal
- Cashew flour
- Hazelnut meal
- Macadamia flour
To make, simply blend the whole nuts until it represents a fine and even texture. It is also a great way to use up broken or crushed nuts. Alternatively, if you have leftover nut pulp from making homemade nut milk (we recently posted a recipe on this which you can find here) you can dehydrate the pulp in a dehydrator or oven then blend it together
Seed flours
- Flax meal (made from flaxseeds/linseeds- they are the same thing)
- Sunflower meal
- Chia seed flour
To make, blend the whole seeds until they are crushed finely.
Combination
- LSA- Linseeds, sunflower seeds, almonds
To make this mixture, combine equal amounts of all ingredients into a blender until it is finely crushed.
Other
- Coconut flour
Blitz dried coconut flakes together. Alternatively, if you have coconut pulp that is left over from making coconut milk (we will provide a recipe later for this) you can dehydrate the pulp in a dehydrator or oven then blend it together
- Oat flour
Blitz together rolled oats until it resembles a powder.
- Quinoa flour
This one requires a bit more work but is still not too complex!
1- Start with the whole raw seed (anywhere from 1/4 – 1 cup).
2- This step can be skipped but adding it creates a nice flavour to the flour. Add the raw quinoa to a dry skillet and toast the quinoa until it begins to brown and pop. It will have a distinctly nutty smell. NOTE: quinoa can burn quickly, so keep a close eye on it!
3- Once toasted and cooled, transfer the quinoa to a blender and blitz on high for 1 minute until it becomes a fine powder.
4- Place a fine mesh strainer or put mix into a sifter and sift to remove excess large chunks of quinoa.
**Hot tip- The large chunks remaining makes a yummy warm porridge when cooked on a stove with water, or milk of your choice.
6- Store in an airtight container (if it is still warm from being toasted, allow to cool before you transfer it.)
So, stop feeling sorry for yourself and give these alternative flours a go! Get the kids in the kitchen and start creating some magic! Another little hot tip (can you tell we love tips? We share loads of Tips our FFACOMMUNITY which you can become a part of here)… you can use cauliflower as another flour replacement and make cauliflower pizzas! All you need is a cauliflower, food processor, almond meal and an egg (or egg substitute of choice). But don’t worry we will be posting a recipe for a cauliflower pizza base soon!
Allergy Introduction and Prevention – Dea
Allergy Introduction and Prevention
This video provides advice on solid introduction and allergy prevention. While we cannot predict food allergies, there are a few things we can do to reduce the risk. Dea touches on how and when to introduce allergenic foods to your baby, knowing different allergy reactions (mild to moderate and severe reactions), and what to do with her top tips you can do right-away!
Dea | Allergy Dietician
Hello! I’m Dea.
I’m a dietitian and a mother of a 2 year-old daughter.
I have worked with mothers and infants with food allergies and intolerances in the last 8 years.
I am passionate in helping mothers gain confidence in navigating (what can be) a challenging world of food allergies and intolerance.
I find it highly rewarding to see my allergy babies thrive and eat confidently without their parents worrying about incidental reactions, eczema, abnormal stools and irritability/fussiness.
I would love to help you one way or another!