Kids Alergies and Peanut Butter

If there is one thing I am incredibly grateful for when it comes to my kid, it is that she is not allergic to anything. I know there are a ton of other things that I could be grateful for with her, and don't get me wrong, I am very grateful. However, it is alarming the rate at which kids are diagnosed with allergies every year.

Apparently the numbers are quite significant. Nearly three million kids were diagnosed this year with food or digestive allergies. That is up eighteen percent from last year. The numbers continue to rise and don't seem to slow down.

Every once and a while I get the feeling that these diagnoses are wrong. That is must be something else. I don't know how I would've made it through my childhood if I couldn't eat peanut butter. It is mind blowing to me the number of kids who have peanut allergies now and still it is highly debated where it is coming from.

I have heard the stories about vaccinations but how different are they from when we were kids? If that was the case, wouldn't so many more kids have the allergy? I don't know, I'm the furthest thing from an allergist but that peanut butter was part of a regular diet of mine for years as a kid. It would be like the next crop of kids suddenly developing allergies to grilled cheese.

Could you imagine telling a kid today they can't have peanut butter and jam or grilled cheese sandwiches? That would be crazy. Both are little kid staples. I know many of you are thinking that the kids should be eating many other healthy things. I agree and I try to push the good food as often as possible. However, as most parents out there know, there are times when only the classics are what the kids want to eat and you can only deny them dinner so many times.

Anyway if anybody has news about the cause of this or if they know about it being overcome, that would be fascinating to hear about. I will be on the lookout to find and flavor and substitute for peanut butter. That smell was always around in kindergarten. Hard to believe it is gone. It would be great to find out what is causing the reactions in kids and how to get rid of it. The PB and J sandwich would be great to deliver back to a new generation.