Allergic to Eggs? Eggcellent Ways to Celebrate Easter & Passover

Easter and Passover traditions often include eggs, either as part of a fun holiday activity or a recipe. For people with life-threatening egg allergies, the key to staying safe is to be aware and prepared for an unexpected exposure.

Approximately 1.5 percent of young children have life-threatening egg allergies. Creating Easter and Passover traditions without the threat of egg exposure is easy to do. A little planning and creative thinking is what's required to have a fun and tasty celebration.

Kids with egg allergies can participate in Easter games and Passover activities. Consider the following ideas:

- Coloring eggs is a safe activity, as long as the person with egg allergies does

not eat the eggs. Touching the hard shell poses no threat.

- Instead of placing a hard-boiled egg on a Seder plate, consider using a flower

or a plastic egg.

- Use plastic eggs for your Easter egg hunt and fill them with toys, money,

stickers, or candy. Just be sure to read candy labels first! You can also

use plastic eggs instead of real ones when playing the "egg in a

spoon" race.

Getting together with family for the holiday? Be sure to include egg-free recipes when cooking meals and ask about ingredients in recipes made by others. For each egg required in a recipe, substitute one of these mixtures:

- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons water, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil and

1 teaspoon of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon vinegar

- 1 teaspoon apricot puree

- 1 packet of plain gelatin mixed with 2 tablespoons of warm water.

Source: Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX

Easter and Passover celebrations should be fun and inclusive. But, everyone with life-threatening food allergies should be prepared for the unexpected accidental exposure. Preparation includes always carrying two doses of your prescribed epinephrine auto-injector and knowing what the signs and symptoms are of an anaphylactic reaction.

About ACEs

The Anaphylaxis Community Experts (ACEs) program is developed by Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), sponsored by Mylan Specialty, LP. The ACEs program goal is to save lives through showing parents, teachers, school nurses, emergency responders, and others how to recognize and respond immediately to anaphylaxis symptoms. To request an ACE team presentation, contact Dr. Khiani at 704-817-2022.

About AANMA

Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) is the leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to ending needless death and suffering due to asthma, allergies and related conditions. AANMA specializes in sharing family-friendly, medically accurate information through its award-winning publications Allergy & Asthma Today magazine and The MA Report newsletter, its web site at www.aanma.org and numerous community outreach programs. Follow AANMA on Facebook at facebook.com/AANMA and on Twitter at twitter.com/AANMA.

About ACAAI

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is a professional association of allergists/immunologists and allied health professionals dedicated to promoting excellence in the practice of allergy and immunology. www.acaai.org