The Rise of the Nut Milk – like we don’t have enough to worry about!
As a mother to a child with a nut allergy, I feel the same way about the rise of ISIS as I do about the rise of NUT MILKS. It seems like one day I had never heard of them and then suddenly the next day, they were everywhere and posing a HUGE, imminent threat to my son who has a nut allergy!
Okay maybe I’m being a tad bit dramatic…but actually, maybe I’m not. The fact is that milk (as in the real dairy kind that comes from a cow) is decreasing in popularity, most likely due to the increased awareness regarding many people’s intolerance to it. Thanks to these intolerances, milk alternatives are booming in popularity and unfortunately for my nut allergy parent peers…. nut milks are on the rise! And yes, I believe these new “milks” are pretty much more of a direct threat to my nut allergic son than a Middle Eastern terrorist group. It seems like one day, I could shop the dairy section without fear or concern, and now supermarkets are dedicating significant shelf space to this new commodity. Every time I am in the dairy section, I shudder when I see multiple variations of almond and cashew milks sitting right next to dairy milks and I clutch my son’s allergy medication a little tighter! It blows my mind that there are already as many variations of nut milks as dairy milks!
So yes, just another thing to add to my list of worries regarding my 12 year old son with a nut allergy who by the way, has discovered an affinity to coffee and on occasions requests a sip of mine! These nut milks have made me nutty! I constantly worry that my son will ask for a sip of coffee from someone who has sweetened it with a tad of nut milk and will be in need of allergy medication when I’m not around.
So, I ask parents with kids with food allergies to please put a good strategy in place – just like we do with our international terrorist threats. Here’s a plan to get you started:
1. – Discuss this latest enemy of ours to your age appropriate nut allergic kids. Teach them to never ever take a sip of someone else’s coffee or drink without knowing with 100% certainty what’s inside. The rules are definitely changing. It’s no longer enough to pay attention to what your kids with food allergies are eating, but now we have to worry about what they drink, too!
2. The rise of the nut milks serves as another reminder that it’s important now more than ever before to carry allergy medication with you for your kids with food allergies and to also have them wear a medical alert bracelet or accessory. Allergy bracelets are a great way to alert caretakers of your kid’s special dietary needs when you’re not around. Plus, the AllerMates allergy bracelets are bright and colorful, so they’re an instant hit with kids of all ages!
For the record, I am all in favor of milk alternatives and realize that nut milks and other are lifesavers to many families who suffer from dairy allergies and dairy intolerance. I am not suggesting that they be removed from the marketplace but simply bringing awareness to families whose children have tree nut allergies. My personal favorite dairy milk substitute is oat milk (soy is getting just as bad of a rap these days as dairy is). Although oat milks aren’t as easy to find, they are the best tasting substitute for sure, so it’s worth the search!
xo
Iris