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Jacqui MacPeake’s interest in food allergies became a particular passion when her own daughter began to struggle with multi food allergies and intolerances at the age of 14. Jacqui’s unique position as a professional caterer and a parent of someone who needs to pay particular attention to her choice of foods enables her to provide valuable advice and a personal insight into this particular field. Jacqui has also been awarded “Free From Hero Award 2018” for the work she has already undertaken to raise awareness of allergens in the University Sector.  In this episode, Jacqui shares her personal story and how business can become more allergy aware and most importantly allergy safe.

Q: Our daughter was recently diagnosed with a nut allergy. My wife and I are used to eating a lot of nuts in our diet. We of course want to keep our daughter safe but wanted to find out could we keep nuts in our home or should get rid of them all? What should we do? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Q: When you do an elimination diet is there a “delay” in your stomach getting better? It took me over a month off the foods for my joint pain to subside, but I am still getting stomach aches nearly every day, usually right after I eat. But it doesn’t seem to matter much what I eat that I can tell, it happens after every meal of a reasonable size. I’ve been totally free of intolerant foods since early September…does it just take a while for the stomach to heal or am I missing something? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Q: My son is allergic to all nuts, sesame and egg. We don’t eat “may contains” and we don’t have his allergens in the house. Is it wrong that I really miss eating eggs and nuts but I feel guilty whenever I do? Even if he is not around? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Q: Looking for some sauce ideas. I can’t have egg, dairy, gluten or high sugar. I’ve been using Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce to throw on meat but it’s too much sodium. Anything I could make or buy? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

It’s not very often I get to talk to allergy Mum’s who are coming to the end of their journey. This week I am excited to introduce you to Sarah Chapman blogger and founder of The Allergy Matters Conference (inaugural year October 19th, 2018!!).  Sarah walks me through her journey raising 2 allergy kids, one who has had their allergies since a baby and her daughter who developed allergies as a teenager. She has managed allergies including nuts, dairy, soya and Oral Allergy Syndrome.  We talk about the road of discovery, diagnosis, raising the kids, eating out, being teenagers and now how they are managing their allergies on their own.  Sarah talks about her experiences in hindsight, how to manage the anxiety, the difference between children being diagnosed in the 1990s and children being diagnosed now.  We then go on to talk about the Allergy Matters Conference that Sarah is organising taking place in Runcorn, UK on October 19th 2018. There are a number of speakers including healthcare professionals and allergy organisations who will be there and we get a sneak peak at who will be there!  To book your ticket to the Allergy Matters Conference, click here. Top 3 Tips For New Allergy Parents Know your rights – NICE guidelines If things are getting worse, call your allergist and push to get your appointment brought forward Understand what food allergies, anaphylaxis, and environmental allergies are and the different types of reactions are Resources Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (android). My new recipe book “Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens” is on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or if you would like some 1-on-1 help you might be interesting in having some coaching. If so, please send me an email for more information.

Q: My son goes to a private daycare. They had decided to make the room peanut and tree nut free for him… until… another mom complained. Because, obviously, it’s not fair to her child since she wants to send almond milk for her child as his protein. The director asked for a letter from our allergist explaining the need of being nut free. Even after receiving his letter saying my son needs to be in a nut free room, they’ve decided to allow them to send almond milk. Which, ironically, has less protein than the soy, coconut, or Lactaid milk I give my son! I’m ticked! What can I do? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

In today’s episode I talk with podcast listener allergy Mum Jessica. Jessica is a mum to two allergy kids, her 2 year old daughter (nut and egg allergy) and 5 month old son (dairy free, and who joins us on the episode). Jessica has just finished her first year of being an allergy Mum and she tells me what its been like. She shares how some things have got easier and what she is concerned about for the future. Although this wasn’t originally a coaching call, towards the end of the episode I offer an alternative ways to think about having nuts in the house, I ask Jessica to talk about why she felt guilty for eating nuts even when she is away from her daughter, and offer a way to think about planning for the future. At the end of the episode Jessica shares what our chat has made her think about and what she’s learned from our chat. Resources Listen to when I interviewed my parents on our journey living with allergies in episode 12, 13, 14 & 15. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (android). My new recipe book “Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens” is on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk   Useful links for how to teach your children about allergic reactions, and how to explain what an allergic reaction might be like to your child: https://www.foodallergy.org/life-with-food-allergies/newly-diagnosed/how-a-child-might-describe-a-reaction https://mykidsfoodallergies.com/unusual-ways-children-may-describe-allergic-reaction/ https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/hcp/what-is-anaphylaxis/signs-and-symptoms/ Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or if you would like some 1-on-1 help you might be interesting in having some coaching. If so, please send me an email for more information.

Q: I live in a small apartment complex & someone loves cooking with peanuts. I can always smell it in the hallway & it gives me some severe anxiety. I’ve never reacted to the smell before, but I’m sure you understand how it’s anxiety-inducing. Have you dealt with this? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Katy is an allergy mum (and money blogger on katykicker.com) to a toddler who they discovered has FPIES. In today’s episode, Katy tells me all about the reality of living with FPIES on a day to day basis, the lack of information GPs hold, and how they often assume that when your child is just unwell.  We also talk about managing your anxieties around your child’s allergy, when they are justified and perhaps when they are just you being a parent.  Katy also talks about the symptoms her daughter has when she is reacting and how they can vary. We talk about educating family, friends and extended family too.  What is FPIES? FPIES stands for Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome. It is a type of food allergy that affects the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. What are the symptoms of FPIES? Symptoms include but are not limited to vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration which leads to lethargy. Children can often look pale or blue. Other symptoms can include low blood pressure, and blood tests that mimic infection which can look like sepsis or lead to sepsis like shock. All children are different and can have different symptoms. For more information, please visit: http://fpiesfoundation.org Top 3 Tips Parents Dealing with FPIES Be kind to yourself – you have not caused your child’s allergies With time, it will get better – but you can do it! Empower yourself with information Resources Listen to when I interviewed my parents on our journey living with allergies in episode 12, 13, 14 & 15. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (android). My new recipe book “Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens” is on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or if you would like some 1-on-1 help you might be interesting in having some coaching. If so, please send me an email for more information.

Q: My son is 3 and attends daycare. Occasionally people will bring in store bought cupcakes. This happened today and they called to ask if he could have them since it said the bakery used peanut products there. I told them no but in saying this what do you suggest I leave at daycare for my child in events like this? Any treat ideas I could leave there for him instead? That way he doesn't get sad he can't have any. If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Rebecca is a mum to two children (and two dogs) and blogs at Glutarama - life’s a drama but gluten free doesn’t have to be. In her family life she manages multiple autoimmune diseases of type 1 diabetes and coeliac disease, and autism.  Rebecca is a woman I greatly respect for perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges and with such an amazing sense of humour.  The symptoms in both her children were occurring at the same time. There was no history of auto-immune disease in the family. In today’s episode Rebecca gives an open and honest account of what life has been like starting with noticing symptoms in both her children, getting a diagnosis, changing their family lifestyle to manage these conditions, how to parent and how she keeps herself sane. I would like to say a special thank you to Rebecca for coming on the podcast and sharing her story in such an open way about the highs, the lows, the challenges and the wins! 2 Pieces of Advice to Parents: How You Can Keep on Track to Help Your Kids Keep organised & prepared (i.e. extra snacks, calling ahead if eating out, keep a checklist for what you ave to take with you, check out ‘escape routes’ or plan B/C/Ds) Communicate with your child so you can empower your child to take ownership of their decision  Resources Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Sign up for my FREE allergy 101 tutorial series Join the Eat Allergy Safe Facebook Group My new recipe book "Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens" on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and adult allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or post in our very own Facebook Group. Subscribe to the podcast on: iTunes Stitcher Radio

Q: I had an unexpected close call this evening. We went out to dinner with a couple we just met. We all met at Denny's - as they have been awesome with us and my 16 month daughter's pn allergy. I always bring food from home for my girl just in case, and was explaining to the other couple about my girl's allergy and how severe it is, how we have to be so careful about foods prepped around peanuts and butter- you know the drill when you tell new people. Well we all go to order our food and this other lady orders PEANUT BUTTER PANCAKES. I can't even. It's got this peanut butter sauce all over it dripping everywhere. So I tell the waitress how my food needs to be cooked separately (because obviously) and was silently freaking out. I gave my husband THAT look and stared at this woman like, did she just not pay attention to what I just said? My daughter is ana to pn. I don't know how to handle these situations with people and do not have the ability to be diplomatic sometimes when I'm in freak out mode. What would you have done? (Note- to complicate- they had two young boys sharing food with mom, who were very eager to play with my girl and I wouldn't let them.)  If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Allergy Mum Helena shares her relatively new but very involved journey in today’s episode. She talks about figuring out what what was making her children ill, her experiences at the doctors, adapting to an allergy safe lifestyle and mother’s guilt.  Helena’s 3 small children (the twins are 4 years old, youngest is 2 years old) have between them environmental allergies, (potentially) asthma, and multiple food allergies (egg, dairy and soya).  The twins were premature babies so that had its complications too.  It was and still is a journey to maintain health and a full diagnosis, but Helena has grown so much. I ask Helena about how she dealt with the emotions and anxiety for her sick babies. What she looked out for, her instincts as a Mum and then how she communicated that to the doctors. 27:00 I offer some of my experiences as a grown up allergy kid on how to think differently about mother’s guilt. How, although your child has to be in and out of hospital, your child will probably have a different idea of it because their association is where they get better.  As an adult we have so much more awareness of the world and the connotations of allergy and asthma management and the worse case scenario, but children getting involved, wanting to put together their spacer or take their medication themselves is just like wanting to push the button at the pedestrian crossing. They want to be involved in their world, they want to take ownership and be grown up. That’s a good thing when they have allergies. Top 3 Tips For Food Allergy Parents 1. Keep a food and health diary to find triggers 2. “We can’t control the wind, but we can control the sales” - Tap into the resources out there 3. Trust your gut instincts Resources Listen to when I interviewed my parents on our journey living with allergies in episode 12, 13, 14 & 15. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Sign up for my FREE allergy 101 tutorial series Join the Eat Allergy Safe Facebook Group My new recipe book "Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens" on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and adult allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or post in our very own Facebook Group. If you would like some more individualised help, you can hire me as your allergy coach. Connect With Me Join the Eat Allergy Safe Community on: Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Subscribe to the podcast on: iTunes Stitcher Radio

Q: What do you do when your allergic to dairy, and pizza is for dinner at your mother in laws house? There is nothing else to eat....Just pizza If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.  

Q: So our naturopath path thinks my daughter has leaky gut causing food intolerances. He believes when we remove the foods that are bothering her and heal the gut, we will be able to re-introduce these foods eventually. Is this also true of IgE TRUE allergies? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Allergy mum Lauren has come on the podcast to talk to me all about breastfeeding and Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy (CMPA). She shares her journey breastfeeding her son and discovering that what was supposed to feed him was actually making him sick. She has since made it her mission to help other mums through her facebook group and blog Dilan & Me. In today’s episode Lauren shares her journey, navigating the doctors visits, advocating for her sick baby and adjusting her lifestyle. Top 3 Tips For Breastfeeding with CMPA Relax and try not to feel overwhelmed because you will get the hang of it Take some time to find a safe version of that one thing that you can’t live without Have a support system (i.e. family, friends, online support group) Resources Lauren's Breastfeeding with CMPA Facebook Group And out more about Allergy Coaching Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Sign up for my FREE allergy 101 tutorial series Join the Eat Allergy Safe Facebook Group Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and adult allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or post in our very own Facebook Group. Connect With Me Join the Eat Allergy Safe Community on: Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Subscribe to the podcast on: iTunes Stitcher Radio Support the Podcast: Donate on Patreon Buy my new recipe book "Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens" on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Q: Hi I have a 7 year old who can't have dairy or sugar, can you give me any advice as to substitutes or recipes. He is eating the same foods every day and a lot of fruit. He can have natural sugar in fruit but not refined sugar in chocolate or sweets etc. Thank you. If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

Q: How should we react to allergy horror stories? If you want to ask a question, send an email using the contact form here. If you are interested in having 1-on-1 coaching, find out more on my Allergy Coaching page.

A post shared by The Food Diary Company (@thefooddiaryco) on Jun 5, 2018 at 6:15am PDT Laura is the creator and found of The Food Diary Co, the only diary out there to help you track your food and symptoms with the purpose of figuring out what’s going on with your body! I found Laura on instagram and thought the diary is a fantastic idea! I knew I had to get her on the podcast to talk about how and why she created it. So that’s exactly what today’s episode is about.  Laura shares her personal food diagnosis journey, discovering her coeliac disease and some other intolerances along the way. She tells me about what she’s learned, how she adapted her lifestyle, diet and how the diary was instrumental to gaining back control. Top 3 Tips For Figuring Out What's Wrong Keep a food diary, don’t change anything and write everything down Take the diary to a GP or nutritionist and asked them to help you to figure out what’s going on Remember, it get’s easier! Resources Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes Sign up for my FREE allergy 101 tutorial series Join the Eat Allergy Safe Facebook Group Leave a Review Thank you to all of you who have sent me feedback! I love hearing your ideas and requests for new episodes or to share your story! If you have 2 minutes spare, please would you leave a review on iTunes? It helps other allergy parents and adult allergy sufferers find it because it boosts its search ability in the iTunes directory. Click here to go to iTunes>> Ask Your Questions If you have a question about your own allergy journey or from the episode, leave a comment below or post in our very own Facebook Group. Connect With Me Join the Eat Allergy Safe Community on: Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Subscribe to the podcast on: iTunes Stitcher Radio Support the Podcast: Donate on Patreon Buy my new recipe book "Chocolate Treats: Decadent delights free from the top 14 allergens" on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk