Looking for Allergy-friendly recipes? Advice? Suggestions? Go Online!!!
Need a recipe for dairy free chocolate cake? Looking for back-to-school safety tips? Want to know which restaurants are safe for your allergic child? Go online! The internet is busting with website after website of endless information.
With the abundance of online support groups, you can find one that suits your needs. Look for a support group in your area to network with local parents. For instance, the Food Allergy Support Group of Minnesota and Food Allergy Support Group of Tampa and St. Petersburg serve their local communities with meetings, resources, articles, information on legislative efforts and current laws, and other networking opportunities. 
You can visit Kids with Food Allergies, the largest national online support group dedicated to food allergies. KFA offers food allergy information, a searchable recipe database and busy support forums (message boards) that connect parents who want to share information, tips and emotional support.
Whatever the age of your child or the number of years you’ve been dealing with food allergies, new issues always seem to arise. Now it’s easier than ever to connect with other parents who have “been there, done that.” The internet allows us to benefit from each others’ experiences, pool our resources and connect with other parents. Maybe you can give a mother tips on how to make her toddler’s preschool experience a safe one or give a dad some allergy-friendly restaurant suggestions. By sharing our stories and successes, we can create a community that is stronger, wiser and better able to protect our allergic kids…which is our ultimate goal.
Browser beware! Make sure it is a viable source. Some online information can be faulty or misleading.
-Robin Davison, MPH, JD
Founder of STAT KIDS (www.statkids.com)
July 27th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
These are great resources; I’ll have to pass them along to a friend who has several children with allergies and sensitivities to a variety of foods and ingredients in processed meals.
You’re right though - with any online resource it is vital to check how viable and reliable they really are!