It's just nuts

It's just nuts, otherwise known as yet another article about how people are overreacting to food allergies. Sigh. I guess for everything there must be a backlash.

The author, Patricia Pearson, writing in Canada's Chatelaine, raises some good points. Those include that there is probably some overdiagnosis happening; that teaching kids safe habits like hand-washing and not sharing food is probably better than trying to make schools nut-free; and that most people are not allergic to food that is airborne.

Unfortunately, her arguments are totally lost in her one-sided article, which she starts off with (warning: ANNOYING parent alert) a kvetch about her son who is SO picky he won't eat mac & cheese made with certain noodle shapes and how horrid it is he can't bring a pb sandwich to school. Yep, way to make yourself sound like an ass, Pearson. Also, she doesn't factor in to account stuff like ages -- a 13-year-old can wash hands and not share food, but can a five-year-old avoid sticking their fingers in their mouths after touching a (possibly food-contaminated) desk?

I agree that there should be more research on food allergies as well as good, clear plans for having kids with food allergies in schools so that the kids are kept safe AND the rest of the student body can eat in peace, but this was not the article to try to find a rational middle ground.

If Pearson's biggest problem is a picky eater, she should a) count herself lucky and, excuse my language here, but b) stfu.

Want to read the whole magilla? Go right ahead, here!