Updated 07/11/2010 04:24 PM
Smart Living: Shopping for food allergy sufferers gets easier
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
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Three million kids in the U.S. are living with a food allergy. That's an 18 percent spike within the past decade alone.
Sometimes the trickiest part of having an allergy is navigating the grocery store for foods deemed 'safe.' Now help could be an app away.
It's a technological advancement Mary Kate Mondel will consider using. Her son, Rowan, has a lot more to worry about than most other six year olds.
"I can't eat any peanuts or peanut butter," he said.
Rowan's food allergy is so severe that someone eating a peanut butter sandwich across the room could trigger a reaction.
"If somebody wanted to touch me and they just ate a peanut butter sandwich or some peanuts, and they want to touch me, they'd have to wash their hands," Rowan said.
For Mary Kate that means tediously scanning labels and checking each and every item at the grocery store.
"Oh it's so nerve wracking. It's like we're always on edge," she said.
"Many people that have food allergies that have the anaphylactic level of reaction are in danger every day. Food in general is a scary source for families and children," registered dietician Valerie Daley said.
Many foods contain allergens that are not so obvious. Those with peanut allergies should watch out for ingredients like lupin, arachide, goober peas and valencias.
People with milk allergies need to avoid caseinate, lactalbumin and whey.
"Albumin is also an egg product, but most people won't know that albumin is egg," Daley said.
A new iPhone app, NutriSleuth, is helping clear up the confusion. The phone's camera scans a barcode and based on a profile you set, tells you if that item is safe or not.
You can save 'safe' foods to a favorites list. "From there, you can email them to a family member who may need to do some grocery shopping for you. You're going to be able to email your husband to say, 'Oh, can you pick this up at the grocery store?'," Daley said.
The app also works for health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure, even those like vegetarians with specific diet preferences.
For Mary Kate, it would offer something that's priceless to every mother. "Oh, it would be such a peace of mind," she said.
There's currently no cure for food allergies. Up to 125,000 people visit the emergency room every year after having a reaction.
The NutriSleuth app costs $4.99.
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