Hachette India

My Family and Food Allergies

Alexa Baracaia

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.

Alexa Baracaia

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.