Peanut butter bans
Last year, my son had a classmate with a peanut allergy. In consideration for this child, parents were asked not to send in treats for the class that contained peanuts. But there was no school-wide ban on peanuts or peanut butter. Kids were still welcome to bring the old PB&J standby in their lunch boxes. Many schools, however, are choosing to make school-wide peanut bans to protect kids with allergies.I'm not allergic to peanuts, but I am allergic to tree nuts. As an adult, it's difficult to know exactly what foods contain nuts that I may be allergic to. So, as a safety measure, I just don't eat anything that I'm not sure of. I can imagine that this type of self-monitoring is even harder for school-age children. And seeing how kids trade things in their lunch boxes so frequently, I can see where a peanut ban could be wise. (Imagine a kid bringing in a chocolate chip cookie that has some peanut butter in the batter. If that was given to a kid who has allergies, the child may not guess that there are peanuts in there, and then have an allergic reaction.)
So I wouldn't mind if there were a ban on peanut-based products altogether at my son's school. But some parents disagree and feel that the needs of a few shouldn't dictate what the majority does.
The other day, while hosting over a dozen of my children's playgroup friends here at my house for some outdoor fun....I created a frozen treat guaranteed to fill their little tummies up in a completely nutritious and fun way. Bapaloneo (a weird word my three and five year old children made up) Pops served the purpose I had intended and energized the group for several hours of insanity. Try them this summer. .jpg)
Peanut allergies may soon be a thing of the past, says Dr. Wesley Burks, a food allergy expert at
I like peanut butter. I like it on crackers, on celery, on apples, anything that takes just a dab of the stuff that I know isn't entirely healthy for me.
Several years ago a friend of mine moved down to the Atlanta area. I flew down for a visit before they even had their boxes unpacked. As we were driving along a road we saw a big stand advertising boiled peanuts. Being from the north we were both a bit puzzled and had never heard of such a thing. Curiosity got the better of us and we pulled over to try it out. My first impression wasn't too great as boiled peanuts don't smell all that great. But the flavor was good -- soft and a bit salty. It turns out that roadside treat had some health value as well.
For people with potentially fatal food allergies, every day brings with it a challenge to watch what they eat (or come in contact with). More kids seem to developing peanut allergies for example. In the past half-decade, cases of this nut reaction have risen 35 percent. But there's hope that these allergies can be lessened through
Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other!
An interesting study at Purdue University may make you want to add peanuts to your diet.
If you're one of the six million Americans who've never gone to a ballgame and enjoyed peanuts because you're allergic, you may soon be able to sing the "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack" line and actually mean it.
I like a little peanut butter now and then, especially smeared on a few multi-grain crackers. My kids like peanut butter too, and a banana with a light coating of peanut butter is a common snack in our household. Is this creamy treat good for us, though, considering a serving contains about 14 grams of fat? Here are a few thinking points, compliments of
I don't know what it is that makes some people crave one kind of food and others another but it seems like the most common craving culprits are anything salty or anything sweet. I know lots of people who will ruin their diet for potato chip, popcorn and cheezies, while I've always had to battle my love for all things sugary including the two main groups -- foods with frosting and foods with chocolate.
Fingers are crossed in North Carolina, where researcher Mohamed Ahmedna is tentatively thinking he may have discovered a way to
Being a parent is tough enough without having the additional worry of dealing with a kid (or kids) with serious allergies. Moms and dads whose children have the kind of allergies that could potentially be deadly know that seemingly harmless situations could be very dangerous to their child.
My kids are on a mission to try to out-do Mommy in the neat recipe contest, and I think they're winning. Almost every time I put a meal down on the table, they ask to change it up in some way or add something else to it. Often, my first thought is Eww!, but I never say that. As long as their requests are healthy I say "sure, let's give it a try!" Then...after they've done the taste test first and have given their approval I give a try myself. I've loved it all. 








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