Shaheen Marie (on behalf of Jacob, 2yrs old) 
Occupation: VP Marketing & Entrepreneur
Home city: Toronto, Canada
Allergies or intolerances: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Egg, Dairy, Legumes, Mustard, Oats & Barley

Tell us a bit about yourself; your interests and hobbies: We are an active family, spending time between our home, vacation property and family cottage. Our kids enjoy being involved in organized programs involving music, sports and arts.

“The entire family has adapted to Jacob’s specialty diet, and his meals are enjoyed by everyone at the table. “

How do food allergies or intolerances influence your grocery shopping? An average shop takes me
at least 2 hours, reading the label of each item that enters the cart – including our usuals, in case
ingredients have changed since our last purchase. We look for specialty and organic retailers for
regular stock ups and to explore new items not available at our local grocer.

How many times do you visit restaurants, fast food chains, or café’s per week? As a family, very
seldom given Jacob’s long list of prohibited items. Until only recently wheat and soy also topped this
list, making it virtually impossible to eat anywhere outside the home.

How do food allergies or intolerances influence where or how often you dine out? South Burger is our go-to spot for a weekly fast-food fix; it is the only chain restaurant we trust based on our
experience and their ingredient use (organic beef and sunflower oil). We make sure to pack lunch
and dinner options whenever we leave the house, unless we know we will be in the proximity of
South Street.
What is your favorite meal to cook and why? The entire family has adapted to Jacob’s specialty diet, and his meals are enjoyed by everyone at the table. We made simple substitutions to our usual fare, which took some time to get used to but is now natural for everyone. My daughter does miss the peanut butter sandwiches and mac & cheese dishes which she ate, sometimes exclusively, prior to her brothers birth. Since she’s still a kid with child-like preferences, we sometimes treat her to pizza night and ensure we have an allergen-free version in the freezer so Jacob doesn’t feel left out.

What snacks do you take on the go? Packaged item staples are in my purse anytime we leave the house as a back-up plan in case Jacob becomes fussy or hungry on the go. Commonly they are Lays regular chips, Yummy Earth Organics gummies, Enjoy Life brownies, and organic raisins. He also enjoys Fruit Source fruit bars, though we restrict those to emergency sugar instances only given the cavity risk with their sticky texture.

Have you ever said no to a social event due to food restrictions? Yes, often! We stay away from
most children’s holiday outings (Hallowe’en, Easter, Christmas) where we know treats and
chocolates will be served. While Jacob knows he is different and he has allergies, we try to limit his
exposure to environments where he would feel singled out as a result.

Have you ever experienced bullying or social intolerance regarding your dietary restrictions? We often encounter people who don’t understand the gravity of Jacob’s allergies. They either don’t truly believe he is allergic or provide us with unsolicited medical advice. I have been told it must be my fault because of something I did or didn’t do while I was pregnant or breast-feeding, or that I should just feed him the things he is allergic to so he can build a tolerance and reverse the condition. We have experienced hurt feelings and created the perception that we are “too clean” or “too good” to give home-cooked items prepared outside our kitchen to our son. The social intolerances stem from a fundamental ignorance to allergies and the impact it has on lifestyle, and it has been a challenge. We don’t blame or take personal these occurrences as we understand that if you are not allergic or know someone who is the nuances can be tricky to comprehend.

Have you ever had an anaphylactic reaction and if so, what happened? Luckily not. We identified Jacob’s allergies somewhere between 4 and 6 months old before solids were even introduced. We have been able to largely shield his exposure by having him cared for by a nanny in the home, and preparing all of his meals according to a rigid set of approved ingredients (marked by children’s stickers in our cupboards!) and food handling standards.

Do you have any allergy-related tips to share? Yes, we have developed many “allergy hacks” that have made life easier to manage:
1. We trained both children to eat only from their plates to avoid the risk of Jacob eating something inintended for him. While most meals are prepared similarly for both children, there are times when our daughter will be served a piece of cheese or glass of milk that would mean trouble for Jacob. We ensure we only use the dishes and cutlery intended for each child (Jacob’s are green & blue) when we serve their meals. If their dishes are dirty, we wash them rather than default to using something else in the cupboard.

2. We have a separate “Jake fridge” where contents are restricted to “Jake-friendly” only. When babysitters or family are watching the children, it makes meal prep fool-proof. For further clarity, we record “OK for Jake” or “NOT for Jake” on all freezer items in both fridges to avoid mix up.

3. We prepare many meals on a weekend, then freeze them for weekday use. A big batch of allergen-friendly pancakes provides both kids a quick and healthy breakfast during busy weekday mornings. For meals on the go, we freeze single-servings of things that easily defrost or reheat, making meal packing easy.

4. We leverage aluminum water canisters that double as “formula-fillers” and “meal reheaters” on the go – simply drop a frozen ground-beef meatball and some noodles in a bowl then cover with hot water for a quick allergy friendly lunch. Banana bread thaws well by lunch time and is a great treat as well.

5. We carry pre-filled bottles of Neocate, an amino-acid based hypoallergenic formula for babies with food allergies and two aluminum water canisters – one hot and one not – whenever we leave the house. It continues to serve as an emergency back-up plan in times of picky eating or scenarios when toddler feeding accidents land meals on the floor.