My Family and Food Allergies - The All You Need to Know Guide: By 2022 Free From Hero Award Winner Alexa Baracaia

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By Alexa Baracaia, winner of the 2022 Free From Hero Award The discovery that your child has a serious food allergy can be life-changing, accompanied as it often is by an emergency dash to the hospital, the acquisition of several EpiPens, and a large dose of anxiety. My Family and Food Allergies is for anyone caring for, or close to, a child with food allergies. It covers every aspect of the journey from diagnosis to helping your child on the path to independence. First and foremost, it is aimed at parents but it is also a must-read for grandparents, friends, teachers and others keen to learn more about living with food allergies. It is bursting with practical tips and expert advice on how to navigate each fresh milestone and challenge, including school care plans, understanding where the real risks are (and what is manageable) and how to handle things like school bake sales, celebratory occasions and birthday parties. It features failsafe recipes for every occasion, including the best 'free from' birthday cake recipe ever, as well as advice on travel and flying, on what to look for in accommodation and a mini-allergy-friendly guide for resorts such as Disneyland, restaurant chains, and so on. With an outline of what we can hope for the future, where the science is now, and what the experts predict will happen in the battle against severe food allergies, this really is the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to safely support and inform their child on the path to independence.

For Alexa Baracaia, Mother's Day started with a relaxing breakfast of scrambled eggs - and ended in the Emergency Department with her distressed five month-old baby. Following the acquisition of numerous EpiPens and a large dose of anxiety, she sought the help and advice of others going through the same struggles, as she took to social media and began a blog charting her family's food allergy journey. Ten years on, she is co-founder of the hugely popular Twitter support forum @allergyhour, and is a food allergy speaker, campaigner, writer and consultant for organisations including the School Food Plan team, the Institute of Hospitality, the Food Standards Agency, Leon restaurants and more. She is also a judge for the annual 'Free From' Food Awards. With her non-allergy hat she is a freelance journalist and former newspaper arts editor. This is the book she wishes she had to hand when her son was diagnosed.

Alexa gives you instant confidence. Her research is exceptional, and the organisation of the material... is flawless. Despite the volume (300-odd pages) it never feels overwhelming, thanks to Alexa's readable, clear style, which blends well-explained science and medicine, gem after gem of useful information on everything an allergy family might need. * Alex Gazzola, 'Allergy Insight' * A must-read for anyone living with a food allergy... the author's own experiences shine light on a positive future living with allergy, after a daunting diagnosis. * Nutfreeliving.co.uk * [I] endorse this new book, it covers many topics that will be of great use to allergy families and does so in a very accessible way, well done. * George du Toit, Professor of Paediatric Allergy, Kings College London, Evelina London, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust *