Food is part of everything we do. It's often central to how we connect with family, friends and even strangers. What do you do when food that's meant to nourish becomes a 'poison' that can harm?
Through her research at the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR), Dr. Ruchi Gupta found that approximately 1 in 13 children (~8%) in the U.S. have convincing food allergy, while the condition affects approximately 1 in 10 adults. However, the adult population that 'thinks' they have food allergies is more like 1 in 20.
When you are diagnosed with food allergies, it's never open season to freely explore new foods. New foods are approached with an abundance of caution. When you live with food allergies, even cosmetics, personal care products and pet products can be suspect. Life gets complicated; simple joys can be tinged with anxiety and the stress of being vigilant 24:7.
Humans have a strong sense of self-preservation so when they experience an adverse reaction to a food, they tend to avoid it — perhaps unnecessarily, perhaps forever.
A growing list of conditions, many with unclear causes, are often mistakenly identified as 'food allergies'.
In her new book — Food Without Fear — Dr. Gupta demystifies food allergies, intolerances, sensitivities and related conditions. She's architected a framework for understanding different conditions that can masquerade as food allergies, from symptoms to possible diagnoses, treatments and management strategies. This book will prepare you to explore your health concerns with your doctor and bring you one step closer to food freedom.
Order your copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop, Hudson Booksellers, IndieBound, Powell's, Target or Walmart.
Books started shipping August 24.
Early in the 2000's, after meeting a family with two young sons with severe food allergies, Dr. Gupta saw a pressing need for a much deeper understanding of food allergies, their prevalence and their impact on families. Food allergy guidance for families at the time was avoid-avoid-avoid, carry epinephrine, and not much more. Three years later, her one-year-old daughter had a severe allergic reaction to peanut butter. Her search for answers and solutions to the food allergy epidemic suddenly became much more than a professional passion — it became life and death personal.
Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Clinical Attending at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She has 16+ years of experience as a board-certified pediatrician and health researcher, and currently serves as the founding director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR). She is world-renowned for her groundbreaking research in the areas of food allergy and asthma epidemiology, most notably for her research on the prevalence of pediatric and adult food allergy in the U.S. Dr. Gupta has also significantly contributed to academic research in the areas of food allergy prevention, socioeconomic disparities in care, and the daily management of these conditions. She is the author of the Food Allergy Experience, has written and co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed research manuscripts, and has been featured on TV and in diverse publications.
“Together we can make anything happen.”
—Dr. Ruchi Gupta, Food Allergy Fund Summit, NYC, April 2019
About the Author: Gayle Rigione is CEO and Co-founder of Allergy Force, the food allergy app. She’s also an allergy mom. She’s lived the heart stopping moments when her son ate the wrong thing, second guessed reactions and spent the night in the ER. These experiences inspire her to create tools for people with food allergies that make life safer, easier. Whatever you do, do it with a full heart. Audentes Fortuna Iuvat
Credits: Thank you Lauren Rosenthal, Media Contact for Hachette Books, for use of the image