Allergy Mom Superheroes
For Mother’s Day we gave “Allergy kids” an opportunity to show off their superhero moms! We asked the most “extra” thing their mom has done to keep them safe, how their mom made sure they were always included, how their mom taught them to advocate, and more! To see the best tips and advice from food allergy moms themselves, see our Mom Guide!
College Roommates and Food Allergies
Living with roommates in college requires creating a safe home away from home while managing food allergies. Spokin’s How-To College Roommate Guide provides insight of conversations to have with roommates including what to ask for, how to ask, tips on managing shared kitchens, best advice, and more from Spokin Ambassadors and friends who manage allergens across the top 9 and more. To help you navigate dorm life, apartment living, and even Greek Life, we’ve covered over 30 colleges from UC Berkeley to University of Miami, and everywhere in between!
Hidden Allergens in Restaurants
You know that moment when you ask a server about a menu item to see if it is safe and find out it contains one of your allergens? You move on to another item to order and likely forget about that first dish. There is a whole world of dishes passed over due to a hidden allergen and we’re on a mission to capture them and help to hopefully spare the next person who might forget to mention, have a server who doesn’t know, etc. From its early days, the Spokin app has had a Hidden Allergen feature that allows you to share items like a bread that contains walnuts or a chimichurri sauce that contains pistachios, to help keep the food allergy community safe. Today we are publishing the first-of-its-kind guide, featuring over 400 Spokin app-reported hidden allergens in restaurants covering 41 states and 19 countries. If you find one, please share and before you dine out, please check the Spokin app! Alabama | Arizona | Arkansas |California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts| Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | Washington D.C. | Wisconsin | Australia | Canada | China | Denmark | France | Greece | Ireland | Italy | Japan | Mexico | Portugal | Saudi Arabia | Singapore | South Africa | Spain | Switzerland | Thailand | United Kingdom
Valentine’s Day: Dating with Food Allergies
Get ready to say “awww!” We got personal and asked some of our favorite couples about dating with food allergies and celiac. We’re crushing on what they spilled, including the best ways their partner supports them, their S.O.’s best advice on dating someone with food allergies, how they met (we love a good back story!), their favorite date night spot + more! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Allergy-Friendly Cocktail Guide
Surprisingly, one of the most common questions we get at Spokin actually has nothing to do with food. In honor of National Cocktail Day, we asked Spokin Ambassadors and friends (all 21 and older) how they safely drink alcohol. Our guide shares their usual, tips on how they order, what they always avoid, and even places they’ve safely had drinks.
Allergen Component Testing: Alyssa’s Story
Alyssa Bauder scheduled what she thought was a routine appointment with an allergist but received news that changed her life. While she still had a life-threatening allergy to peanuts, she no longer was allergic to tree nuts, fish, shellfish, or chickpeas—news that seemed almost too good to be true. Learn how she tackled 13 food challenges and worked with her therapist to manage food allergy-related anxiety with a strategy that led to wins like her first Starbucks at 24 years old and a lot of fun along the way.
Alyssa is thankful for the freedom she’s gained and is glad to still be a part of the food allergy community, one that she’s passionate about and plans to continue advocating for through both her platform and career.
Disney World With Food Allergies
Food allergy mom Rachel McFall dreamed of taking her family to Disney World. With the help of travel advisor Taylor Gordon, who not only specializes in food allergy travel but also manages her own allergies, Rachel’s family managed to eat every meal out, enjoying character breakfasts, Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, and a visit to Erin McKenna’s Bakery. See her 527 reviews on the Spokin app @allergene, including 14 from her trip!
Join our Insta Live with Rachel to hear how her family dined out safely with peanut, egg, and wheat allergies, and how Taylor "did it all", planning every detail of their fairytale vacation. Tune in Wednesday, 5/18 at 12 PM CT/1 PM ET for the Insta Live and enter to win a Disney World trip of your own!
The End of Food Allergy with Dr. Kari Nadeau
The End of Food Allergy is a landmark book on preventing, diagnosing, and reversing food allergies with key findings from a premier team of trained experts.
The trailblazing research of Dr. Kari Nadeau at Stanford University reveals that food allergy can be a treatable condition, because the immune system can be retrained. Food allergies can be disrupted, slowed, and stopped. The key is a strategy called immunotherapy (IT)–the controlled, gradual reintroduction of an allergen into the body. With innovations that include state-of-the-art therapies targeting specific components of the immune system, Dr. Nadeau and her team have increased the speed and effectiveness of this treatment to a matter of months. Food allergy families will find fascinating information on the causes of food allergies, the science behind different types of food allergy testing and learn details on immunotherapy. The End of Food Allergy is a must-read for anyone interested in the science behind food allergies and the latest research that is changing the future of allergies.
Owen Osborne
Owen Osborne inspired the entire food allergy community as a competitor on Food Network's Chopped Junior. This isn’t his first time in the limelight, as this thirteen-year-old award-winning chef, model, and actor has met Michelle Obama, appeared on The Rachael Ray Show and stars in the upcoming film The Place We Hide. Owen wants to show other food allergic kids that allergies can teach important skills that can help you achieve your dreams and he is just getting started.
For the Health Webinar: A Conversation on Race & Food Allergy
Black children are 7% more likely to have food allergies compared to white children, are diagnosed less frequently, receive less medical care, and are more likely to experience anaphylaxis. The first step toward racial equality in the food allergy community starts with education and an understanding of what needs to be changed and how. Our dear friend Emily Brown of the Food Equality Initiative created a free webinar and resource for the entire food allergy community. The webinar intentionally launches today, on Juneteeth, the national holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S.
For The Health Webinar: A Conversation on Race & Food Allergy features a diverse panel of notable Black voices, aiming to promote health equity, as well as share actionable ways the food allergy community can reduce these disparities and support POC in the community. Please register to join the webinar, which is on Friday 6/19/20 at 11:00 am EST/ 10:00 am CST.
For the Health Webinar: A Conversation on Race & Food Allergy, Part 2: Industry and Community Allies
What does it mean to be an ally to POC in the food allergy community and how can you help? Join Spokin CEO and Founder Susie Hultquist and other industry and community allies for Part 2 of The Health, a free webinar and resource for the entire food allergy community created by Emily Brown of the Food Equality Initiative. The webinar will explore what it means to be an ally, what it takes to strive for equity and actionable steps for industry and community organizations dedicated to a more inclusive environment. Please register to join the webinar, which is on Friday 7/17/20 at 11:00 am EST/ 10:00 am CST.
