Birdymum wrote:

Instead of it being a nuscience like it would have been a few years ago, I find it very useful when the kids bring home friends that can tell me what they are intolerant of and/or allergic to. These days with so many people suffering from intolerances and allergies it isn't difficult to find alternatives in the supermarkets so that everyone can be catered for and most people from a young age now know what they can and can't have.

For example one daughter wanted a pizza party and was able to tell me that one friend was celiac and two were lactose intolerant. That made a trip to the supermarket armed with a list of no-go ingredients much easier than it used to be a few years ago. I think as people start making their needs made more public that manufacturers are now responding with new products.

So true.  It is rare to have a party for kids where I am not made aware of food allergies or intolerances.  In fact, it's always the first question I ask when we have playdates, etc. 

"Is there anything I need to know about what he/she can eat or drink?"

It's very common now.

They have definitely become more common place. It was a rare thing 5years ago to hear of many people with a gluten intolerance or even go to a restaurant that made gluten free meals. Now, the amount of people with senstivities has increased 10-fold!

PLUS. I think it has also had a boost from the super health conscious that believe by eating gluten free they are becoming healthier. Trust me -it's a high GI diet if you aren't careful and that is never good for one's internal workings! A balanced diet is quite often the best thing ie. Eating a variety of fresh fruit & vegetables, dairy, meat, chicken and fish.

That's just my views though....

15 years ago I thought there was a lot of "Scaremongering" regards allergies....

...then at the age of 40/41 I had my first experience of Anyphlaxis..(SP)..

.....not a pleasant experience, I blame the peanuts...

I get the impression that in the past, people were just branded as 'sickly', and resigned themselves to a lifetime of illness, and doctors gave up on them after a while. Now medical science has improved, we can isolate the causes of what's making people ill.

My older sisters allergic to many things, eggs, all dairy products, peanuts, bananas, strawberries, raspberries, tomatoes and wheat.

Though not all her allergies are sever, she can eat like one egg and thats it, any more then her throat itches, peanuts, bananas, strawberries and raspberries however, her throat swells up.

Cooking for her is a nightmare so many things include some of the products listed, I usually end up doing a chicken salad, and for me ceasar dressing, for her sweet and sour.

Makes a change from her usual of hummus with various sticks of vegetables