When my son was 11 months old, I gave him a smoothie that changed his life forever. Mine too. In those first 11 months I had safely introduced foods to him - but that day he reacted to flaxseed in the smoothie. I didn’t know at the time that he was having an allergic reaction; I just knew something wasn’t right. I immediately called 911. In the ambulance, the paramedic gave him epinephrine and we spent the next several hours at the ER. He had an anaphylactic reaction (read: life-threatening). Thankfully, he was ok, but the food allergies, the trauma (for him and me), and the medical visits persist.

That’s why I launched this website: I’ve learned the hard way that food allergies count. I hope you never have to experience what I have. If you do, it’s important to know you’re not alone. Food allergies are a growing problem, and the science is still emerging on how to prevent and manage. But, there are numerous ideas and resources I share here that can make our lives safer, easier, and happier (some even involve counting!). We have enough to worry about, let’s not re-invent the wheel.

After struggling as a food allergy parent in isolation for several years, I am convinced that connecting with other parents and caregivers is imperative. Every new parent needs this issue on their radar as much as breastfeeding/formula feeding or potty training (products that help with allergen introduction should probably even be on baby registries! see resources).

While I have more to learn and build on this website, I hope it continues the conversation about preventing food allergies when possible and supporting those who are impacted. We must talk more about these challenges because that is the only path forward. So please, join my family as we FACe the food allergy journey together. Because each food allergy, each person, each quality of life counts.