One of the fruits most loved by toddlers are strawberries. It's like candy to them! Whip up an all-natural strawberry chia pudding — chia is a great source of omega-3 and a great alternative for kids who don't like to eat fish — as dessert or as a special breakfast, and we're sure it'll get a rave review! Even if your tot doesn't follow a vegan diet, this is a must-try recipe! It's quick, easy, and altogether yummy.
Source: Love Raw
Celebs are known to go on fad diets to get red carpet ready in an instant — Dukan diet anyone? But these days, it's their kids who are following the unusual eating habits. More than just picky eaters, these lil ones are removing wheat, nuts, and meat from their menus due to allergies and health. Take a look at seven Tinseltown tots moving beyond the children's menu and eating differently than other children in the cafeteria.
From peanuts to shellfish to wheat gluten to dairy, the list of foods that cause people problems seems to get longer every year. But while some people actually suffer from food allergies, others are just dealing with food intolerance.
Do you know the ins and outs of these potentially dangerous foods? Text your knowledge with my quiz.
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Peanut allergies have become surprisingly more common recently, and it's scary to think that taking an innocent bite of an energy bar fortified with peanut flour could end with fatal results. Scientists have been trying to figure out the cause of this life-threatening condition, but it looks like now they may have found a way to cure peanut allergies.
A recent study at Duke University Medical Center helped five children, who previously suffered from severe peanut allergies, to eat peanuts with no reaction. Over several years, scientists gave the children small amounts of peanuts, and with time, their bodies learned to tolerate the allergen. Using oral immunotherapy, the kids started eating minuscule amounts of peanut flour equal to one thousandth of a peanut, and worked their way up to the equivalent of 15 peanuts. The results from this pilot study seem promising to the more than 3.3 million people who suffer from peanut allergies, but the scientists still need to track the children for a few more years to make sure the treatment cured them permanently.
The season of ragweed is upon us. Are your allergies causing some post nasal drip issues? When your nose creates mucus to trap allergens and germs, a thin film of this stream of goo travels down the back of your throat. 
Your body then disposes of these microorganisms through your digestive system (that grosses me out a bit even though I know it is perfectly natural).
Under normal circumstances, when ragweed is not spreading its billions of pollen spores about, you swallow the mucus unknowingly. When you're producing more mucus than usual, you may feel the postnasal drip accumulating in the back of your throat, or at least irritating it.
Here are a few ways the Mayo Clinic suggests you deal with the drip!
A few weeks ago, Yum and I were discussing peanut allergies. The allergy - which leaves many unable to consume the childhood staple of peanut butter & jelly sandwiches - affects thousands of schools, children, and families . Even the smallest amount of peanut oil can cause severe reactions. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a magical way to cure peanut allergies? He's no magician, but Mohamed Ahmedna, a food science professor may have discovered an enzyme that will reduce the effect of peanut allergies. The enzyme locates the peanut allergies in the body and deactivates them before any shock reactions can form.
If additional research confirms Ahmedna's findings, more people, many of them young children, will be able to eat peanuts and peanut-containing products safely. Food processors will be able to use peanuts more freely. New peanut-based products could be created.
While there is very positive hope that the peanut-allergy fighting enzymes will be mass marketed and produced, Ahmedna's findings have yet to be reviewed by the scientific community. Once the enzyme has been patented, the studies will be released.
Do you know anyone with a peanut allergy? Pass the positive news along!
Source: New's Record
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About 1% of the U.S. population has a peanut allergy. The percentage may seem small, but since reactions can be fatal, finding a way to prevent it is becoming increasingly important. Many schools even ban peanut butter from children's bagged lunches.
That's why this news is so promising. Progress has been made in desensitizing children with peanut allergies using a form of immunotherapy - a common form is allergy shots.
For years, allergists have injected patients with tiny amounts of the allergens that bother them, be it bee stings or pollen, and their bodies have built up a tolerance for them. So when they come in contact with something they are allergic to in the future, their bodies recognize it, and their reaction is next to nothing.
Dr. Scott David Nash from Duke University conducted a study with his team. They decided to try Oral Peanut Immunotherapy. They gave 8 children with known peanut allergies, increasing doses of peanut protein in the form of a flour mixed with applesauce.
The entire test took about 2 years, beginning with trace amounts of peanuts, and working up to eating the equivalent of 1 peanut a day for the last 18 months.
At the end of the study, the 7 children (1 dropped out) who completed it were given a "food challenge" involving 8g of peanut flour, or about 13 peanuts. 5 of the 7 children passed the challenge. This study showed that their immune systems developed a growing tolerance to peanuts.
This is incredible news for people with peanut allergies. The fear they live with, worrying everyday whether or not they'll accidentally touch or eat something containing peanuts is way too agonizing. This gives them some much needed hope.
