Food Allergies For Dummies [Paperback]

Robert A. Wood MD (Author), Joe Kraynak (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2007

Are you constantly worrying about what you or your loved ones eat? Is every dining experience an episode of anxiety for you? Being allergic to different types of food not only ruins the experience of eating, it can lead to dangerous, sometimes lethal, consequences.

With Food Allergies for Dummies, you can feel safer about what you eat. This concise guide shows you how to identify and avoid food that triggers reactions. This guide covers how to care for a child with food allergies, such as getting involved with his/her school’s allergy policies, packing safe lunches, and empowering him/her to take responsibility for his allergy. You will also discover:

• The signs and symptoms of food allergies
• How to determine the severity of your allergy
• Ways to eat out and travel with allergies
• How to create your own avoidance diet
• Ways to enjoy your meal without allergic symptoms
• How to prevent food allergies from affecting your child
• The latest research being done to treat food allergies

Food Allergies for Dummies also provides an in-depth chapter on peanut allergy and how to spot traces of peanut in your food. With this book, you will feel safer and more comfortable while you eat. And, with plenty of helpful resources such as Web sites and allergy-friendly recipes, you’ll hardly have to worry about your diet!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I would thoroughly recommend this book to all serious allergy sufferers" (Women's Fitness, September 2007)

From the Back Cover

Includes over 25 allergen-free recipes!

Covers peanut allergy and the new labeling guidelines

Anxious about food allergies in your family? This no-nonsense, plain-English guide gives you expert guidance in identifying and avoiding the foods that trigger your reactions. You'll learn how to spot hidden ingredients on food labels and menu items, treat reactions effectively, and manage your diet without feeling deprived.

Discover how to:

• Eliminate problem foods

• Find a qualified food allergist

• Handle mild and severe reactions

• Manage allergies at home, school, and work

• Treat your child's allergies

• Build your own allergy emergency kit

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (April 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470095849
• ISBN-13: 978-0470095843
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.8 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Nutrition > Food Allergies

More About the Author

Joe Kraynak has authored and coauthored numerous informative and easy-to-use books, including Take the Mic, Stage a Poetry Slam, Flipping Houses For Dummies, Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies, Financing Real Estate Investments For Dummies, 52 Weeks of Sales Success, Foreclosure Investing For Dummies, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Computer Basics, and Google Simplified: Top 100 Tips & Tricks.

He specializes in teaming up with prominent specialists in various fields to present their knowledge, experience, and insight to consumers in an easily accessible format. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with experts in real estate (Ralph R. Roberts), psychiatry (Candida Fink, MD), food allergies (Robert A. Wood, MD), slam poetry (Marc Kelly Smith), mortgage lending (Chip Cummings), and mortgage fraud (Rachel Dollar).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Grateful to have found this book May 2, 2007

By S. Kuroda

Format:Paperback

If you read just 1 book about food allergies, make it this one. This book is my food allergy bible. Why?

1. It is comprehensive without being overwhelming. By this, I mean it covers a lot and it does so in an empowering way; you don't finish the book (or even a chapter) feeling paralyzed. You leave with information to make decisions about how you want to deal food allergies as they affect you, a family member, a friend, etc.

2. It is nice to see so much key information presented in one place. I tried obtaining the same information from other publications and websites. I could not find it all (I am not sure most of it exists elsewhere) - and I had to hunt all over the place to collect the golden nuggets that I could find.

3. I love that everything is presented in layman's terms - not the "medical speak" one finds in medical journals or research papers/studies (which clearly have value, but, for an "average Joe" like me, can be difficult to muddle through).

4. The authors present specific information - with details and quantitative references/benchmarks rather than generalizations. For example, they provide percentages about how likely one is to outgrow a particular food allergy, how likely one is to have a child with a food allergy (if you have an allergic disease) or another child with a food allergy (if you are a parent with one food allergic child already), etc. The information provided is also very practical; it takes into account that food allergic people do not live in a plastic bubble and talks about ways to deal with "everyday situations" (including social situations) as well as emergencies.

5. The book answers questions that you would ask if you had unlimited time with your own allergist or with Dr. Wood himself. So, do not worry if you cannot get an appointment with Dr. Wood (arguably the nation's leading authority on food allergies and asthma); in a sense, this book brings him to you. Topics cover everything you would expect, including the pros and cons associated with RAST testing and skin testing; how some allergies tend to travel together; hidden sources of allergens; promising research; challenges associated with day care and school environments (along with recommendations on how to deal with them).

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From someone who "gets it" April 29, 2007

By Gina Clowes

Format:Paperback

I have been leading an allergy support group,volunteering with non-profit organizations, writing a newsletter and raising a child with food allergies for the past six years, so I really felt like I had seen and read it all. However this book is a most welcome addition to my food allergy collection, in fact, it's on top!

If you are just starting out on this journey, you will have all of your questions answered and answers for those that you dont even know to ask.

If, like me, you've been at this for awhile, you will get more detail, all of the latest research, facts and figures and even some of the rationale behind decisions that our doctors make.

Of particular interest to me was the information on outgrowing food allergies, a whole chapter on peanuts, and one on potential cures and current research.

Best of all, in my view, are some of the personal stories from Dr Wood. When you hear the stories, of someone who has been there and also see that you can survive and thrive even with life-threatening food allergies, you cant help but finish the book with a sense of hope and confidence.

After my husband spent some time reading this yesterday said, "This book sure isnt for dummies!"

Sincerely,

Gina

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and well-written July 11, 2007

By K. Paulus

Format:Paperback

From the start of this book, I felt like I was sitting down for a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Wood. Having a severe peanut allergy himself, he offers a unique and very personal perspective not found in publications by other doctors. This book came along at the perfect time for us - with our oldest food-allergic child on the brink of entering public school, I am especially grateful for the practical information and advice in that arena.

This book is down-to-earth enough to serve as a starting point for food allergy "newbies", and well-organized enough to serve as a reference for us "veterans". I would recommend it to anyone affected by food allergies.