Our family has learned, once again, never to let our guard down.
Living with multiple food allergies…vigilance is necessary at all times!
For instance, take last weekend…Easter weekend:
Saturday night, my husband barbecued the boys Pork Back Ribs, as per usual, on the right side of the barbecue with my Homemade Barbecue Sauce. Click here for the recipe. As my birthday was the next day, Easter Sunday, we had a Special Allergy Friendly Easter Dinner planned for us all to enjoy. Click here to view. As an early birthday night dinner, Andy prepared his famous Barbecued Marinated Seafood Kebabs with Peppers for the adults…my favourite dish! Due to the number of kebabs, he used the entire barbecue grill to cook them all. He left the barbecue on to burn off all the remaining bits of seafood. (my eldest son, Michael, has a seafood/fish allergy)
Sunday night, my husband barbecued a Marinated Boneless Leg of Lamb. We are not sure if Michael is allergic to lamb so I roasted a Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme for Michael and Matthew in the oven along with asparagus and potatoes. Once again, Andy ran the barbecue to burn off any residue of lamb/seafood that may be left.
Monday night, my husband barbecued Chicken Legs with Kraft Barbecue Sauce for the boys and then proceeded to barbecue Salmon Steaks for the adults. Within seconds of Michael taking a few bites of his chicken, he knew something was wrong. His mouth……..he took an antihistamine and we continued to watch him for any signs of further development of his symptoms. Luckily there were none and the tingling sensation stopped. The whole episode made him lose his appetite…that is until it was time to slice a piece of Dairy, Egg, Soy and Peanut/Tree Nut Free Carrot Cake with Dairy Free ‘Cream Cheese’ Icing! Click here for the recipe.
What could it have been? Running the barbecue to burn off leftover allergens has always worked in the past. My husband ran the barbecue twice after the seafood. He barbecued the lamb in the middle of the grill…could it have been the lamb? He barbecued the chicken legs on the right side. It couldn’t have been the Kraft Barbecue Sauce, as Michael has had that many times in the past. We were stumped!
The unsolved mystery of Michael’s allergy reaction bothered me all week!
On our way back from our Costco run this past Saturday, I broached the subject again with my husband. He felt quite positive that it could not have been any residual allergens on the barbecue…what then? The Kraft Barbecue Sauce?
Upon our arrival home, I pulled out the Kraft Barbecue Sauce from the refrigerator. The first thing I noticed was the new label. I looked over the ingredients…and there is was…mystery solved…mustard!
Michael ‘swore’ mustard was not in the older packaging of Kraft Barbecue Sauce. “That was the barbecue sauce I could have.”, he protested.
In September, Michael was skin tested positive for a mustard allergy. I had always suspected mustard, but was never 100% positive until the skin testing…this incident was the ‘proof in the pudding!’ Up until this episode, I think Michael didn’t really believe he had a mustard allergy.
Kraft Barbecue Sauce is something my husband usually buys as he loves it on his barbecued chicken. I don’t think we have barbecued anything since the summer with Kraft’s Barbecue Sauce for the boys as I usually baste all their meats with my homemade version.
You can bet my husband and I will be reading ingredient labels for all Michael’s food allergens including mustard from now on!
Luckily the outcome of this ‘accidental allergic reaction’ was positive. It was a safe reminder on how vigilant we must be about checking food ingredient labels on every purchase…manufacturer’s practices and ingredient lists can change without warning.
Be fair warned from our experience…buyer beware!
Needless to say, we stayed away from barbecuing this week! It was with great relief that the boys’ Saturday Night Rib Night could continue without any fear that the barbecue was contaminated.
Matthew even helped out with the barbecuing!
This past Sunday evening, my husband and the boys enjoyed a much safer, Mustard Free Barbecued Chicken Legs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce. Yummy!
Sometimes, even the best of us mess up. My ‘Mother of the Year’ award could be in jeapordy!
Question: Have you experienced an accidental allergic reaction? Please share your experience…I can’t possibly be the only one!
P.S. I just had to share my ‘smile of the day’: Yesterday, Matthew’s friend forgot to take home some jam and cheese strings that I bought and Matthew is not fond of…his friend, on the other hand, would be happy to bring them home…jam for his mom and cheese strings for himself. Needless to say, he forgot them. His friend came over the next day. So I reminded him, “Please remember to take home the jam and cheese today.” What does he do? He proceeds to place his baseball cap on the floor. “There”, he says. “I will look at my hat on the floor and say, why have I left my hat on the floor? Oh yah! I need to remember to bring home the jam and cheese!” Too funny! I just love the way a child’s mind works! By the way…it kinda worked! I heard Matthew remind him as he came up the basement stairs.
P.P.S. Carla @ My 1/2 Dozen Daily is having another Giveaway: Mother’s Day Tote Bag and Wallet Giveaway! They are gorgeous! Click here for more information.
The Food Allergy Chronicles 