He feel likes a piece of sandpaper, but he isn’t complaining of any itchiness. His skin is red and irritated though. So Detective Mommy is on the job again, keeping watch on anything familiar that may be making him flare up. He started complaining of stuffiness and has that allergic cough again too! I just hope i can find what is causing this before it gets too much worse.

He has been pretty miserable lately too in terms of behavior. He can barely focus and seems to be bouncing more often than not. After long-term MAJOR exposure he gets this way with dairy, but i don’t know if anything else would do it. I would hardly call my Parmesan cheese accident “long term, MAJOR exposure”, right?

So, this is what I am up to and the reason I have not posted recently. I do have some more reviews for everyone, but I am really trying to get a handle on this allergy first!

My husband went into the hospital Thursday night with what we thought was a heart attack. It wasn’t, but he does need to watch his cholesterol. So I have been adjusting my cooking to accommodate his new diet. He and Damian really enjoy catfish but they usually like it fried. Since fried foods aren’t even close to healthy, I decided to bake it.

I breaded it first with a mixture of bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, basil, black pepper and Parmesan cheese. Yes. I said Parmesan cheese. I don’t know where my head was! The worst part about this? I didn’t even recognize my mistake until Damian had eaten half of his tainted food.

Ten minutes later the hives appeared and he began to itch. Then came the BM problems which have by now gone away, leaving a nasty case of eczema in it’s wake. And I feel terrible!I can’t believe I messed up like that! Parmesan cheese is one of the few dairy products I keep in the house. Of course it is because I cannot survive without my parm cheese but suddenly I feel like having it here is a mistake. I still can’t belive i screwed up like that!

BTW, I did actually get my mixer! Not on account of your responses, but because I simply didn’t want anything else! I will post a pictures soon!

A spokesperson at Enjoy Life says this is due to an innocent mistake made by a parent whose child had an anaphylactic reaction when misinterpreting the label stating “allergy free”. The company is also urging those with allergies to read labels vigilantly. They recognize that while many experienced food allergic families read everything, food allergies are becoming much more common and inexperienced families may find terms such as “Allergy Free” to be enough. They are hoping to encourage everyone to read the ingredient statements before assuming a product to be safe.

Enjoy Life Foods has also partnered with Allergymoms.com and FAAN for Food Allergy Awareness Week which is May 11- May 17.

Gina Clowes, founder of the popular Allergymoms.com blog offers the following advice to families dealing with food allergies.

• Have an unbreakable rule: no label = no thank you. Never eat a food that does not have a label.

• Always carefully read ingredient statements. Different versions of the same food can have different ingredients (for example, chewy Spree candy contains egg white while original Spree does not).

• Know that different sizes of the same foods can contain different ingredients. (For example, some “mini” versions of Laffy Taffy do not contain egg, but the large size does contain egg.)

• Don’t rely on common sense to determine if foods are safe. Tuna and flavored water can contain dairy, egg rolls and chili can contain peanut butter, licorice and soy sauce can contain wheat, and the list goes on.

• Take all precautionary warnings seriously. Manufacturers use different statements to warn consumers like “may contain” or “processed in a facility with.” However, the language used does not indicate the level of risk.

• Know that precautionary warnings are voluntary. If a product does not have a warning, it does not mean that the product is free of cross contamination. When in doubt, call the company to find out where and how the product was processed.

• Don’t play ingredient roulette. Even if you or your child once ate a product with a warning, that does not mean the next batch will be safe.

• Beware of hidden allergens. Potent allergens like sesame and mustard can hide behind the words “natural flavors” or “spices.”

• Know where the food is made. Seek out products that say they are made in a “dedicated peanut-free, nut-free, soy-free or allergy-free facility,” depending on your diet restriction. This provides even further assurance of the food’s safety.

I hope everyone will stop by and show their support for a one of a kind store that will make the lives of food allergic families through out Hampton Roads easier! Hope to see ya there!

I contacted the company a few weeks ago to learn more about them and obtain samples for the purpose of this review. I was impressed with Enjoy Life’s willingness to talk with me and answer any questions that I had and the information they mailed to me was very helpful. They even sent me a brochure about food allergies and common ingredients to avoid! Enjoy Life and their employees truly know about each product, how it is manufactured, and what we, as consumers need from them in order to feel safe eating their foods. They are happy to answer questions and it does not take 2 hours and 6 people to answer what questions you may have!

I was able to sample their Mountain Mambo Not Nuts Trail Mix, Beach Bash Not Nuts Trail Mix, Sunbutter Crunch Snack Bar, Cocoa Loco Snack Bars and their chocolate chips. Out of these products, the most impressive and most popular at my house was the trail mix! I have rated the items on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the worst, 10 being the best, and 5 being average.

**10** Mountain Mambo Not Nuts Trail Mix – I have to give this mix a scaled 10! This mix is made without nuts, dairy, soy or gluten. It is a mix of sunflower kernels, pumpkin seeds, raisins, apples, chocolate chips and cranberries. The very best thing about it? The fruits are soft and tasty, the pumpkin seeds and sunflower kernels aren’t chewy or grainy and the chocolate chips add a sweet flavor that brings this mix together very nicely! It is better than any trail mix I have ever tasted and I did not miss the nuts! My six year old doesn’t even like trail mix but he loved this stuff! We went through an entire 6 ounce package in one day! I had several people with nut allergies and without taste this as well, and it has always gotten a scaled 10! It isn’t hard to eat, it tastes great and it’s healthy! The MSRP on this is $3.49.

**10** Beach Bash Not Nuts Trail Mix – Again, this gets a scaled 10 from us! Another great trail mix that definitely doesn’t need nuts to taste good! This mix contains sunflower kernels, pineapple, pumpkin seeds, cranberries, and apricots. I am partial to pineapple and apricots in trail mix, so out of the two different trail mixes, this is my hands down favorite! Even without chocolate chips, this makes a great snack. The package is great too because it zips closed when you are done snacking! Great for sporting event snacks and all day outings! The MSRP on these is $3.79 for a 6 ounce bag.

**10** Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips – We are rating these at a scaled 10 because at $3.49 MSRP for a 10 ounce bag, they run a lower in price than many other dairy free chip manufacturers and they taste great! They do not have any after taste, and they work well as Ice cream toppings, trail mix addition, among other things. They bake into breads and cookies wonderfully as well! They are gluten, dairy and soy free, making them a great, budget friendly alternative for food allergic families!

**9** Cocoa Loco Snack Bars – These get a scaled 9! They are very good with a chocolaty taste that my six year old loved and a lot of people thought was delicious! However, I did get some comments about a grainy texture that turned a few people away from these snack bars. It was described as a dry oatmeal texture that made some just not want to eat it. That does not take the rating down much however because for an MSRP of 4.29 for a box of 5 bars, these are priced fairly and healthy. My six year old ate these and loved them, and these passed the picky eater test with him!

**8** Sunbutter Crunch Snack Bar – These get a scaled 8 in my house! I am unfamiliar with the taste of sunbutter, as are the rest of the people in my house so I cannot judge the flavor. My six year old ate them and seemed to like them, but did not ask for them once they were gone. Based on that fact, along with the common “grainy texture” they were rated with an 8. However, this is supposed to be a crunchy bar, and without that texture, I am not so sure “crunch” could be in the product name, and there are many who love this particular bar! I would say you should try it yourself to determine your own preference for sunbutter!

So, that about wraps up my review this week! Enjoy Life Food’s have impressed me with in so many ways! They treat their customers with respect and understanding, their food is terrific, and their prices are budget friendly! It has truly been wonderful to speak with them and I look forward to trying newer products in the future!

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