Hello, My name is Jonathan Schwartz. I’m 39, nowhere near 40, and live in the Boston area. I grew up with a peanut allergy and to be honest it didn’t have a large impact on my life. Fast forward to the present in which I’m happily married with two wonderful children. Food allergies now play a major role in almost every aspect of every day of my life.
Our daughter is allergic to dairy, egg, sesame, mustard, some tree nuts, poppy and pumpkin seeds. Life got harder. As we awaited the birth of our son I candidly mentioned to my wife; “if he has allergies, may they be the same”. Our son is allergic to wheat, barley, rye, and egg. No such luck.
Food allergies are a disability. They can make a child feel ostracized, jealous, sad, anxious, and frustrated. As time goes by, more and more families are being educated on what life is like with these restrictions. When we encounter people that are willing to cook for our family, or friends that carefully choose shareable snacks to bring to a play date, we are finally able to ease that intense worry we carry every day.
Kids are picky eaters. Period. “The availability of safe, dare I say tasty, food that checks all the boxes of safe ingredients and manufacturing processes is growing. Our job is to keep searching for these products and continue advocating for our children the best we can” - Jonathan
To follow Jonathan check him out on Twitter @kidswithallergy for more insight into the life of parents with allergic children.
Want to share your Ohh! Moment with us? We would LOVE to hear from you! Send us an email at Marketing@OhhFoods.com!
