Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 8-14, 2016. Are you ready for it?To make sure you have all the resources you need, today I want to share one of my favorite food allergy materials. This printable handout is usually only available to people who get the Food Allergy Poster, but today I want to give it to you, for free!I've copied the handout text below, so you can read through it first. It's perfect for email blasts, displays, private sessions, presentations, bulletin boards, health fairs, and more! How will you use your copy?Food Allergy Awareness!Life with Food Allergies:It is vital to read food labels and contact manufacturers for clarification if you have any concerns about whether an allergen may have made its way into the item. Product ingredients are always changing. Check the label, every time, even if the person with the allergy has safely eaten that exact food before. Food labels aren’t the only ones you should read. Be sure to check labels on products like lotion, soap, and cosmetics, which can contain wheat, milk, tree nuts, or eggs.It’s also important to avoid contamination. Every tool and surface should be thoroughly cleaned with hot, soapy water before being used. If you are preparing an allergen-free meal alongside others, make the one without allergens first. Then cover it and place it well away from the rest of the foods.Meet the Allergens:According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), eight different foods are responsible for 90% of all allergic reactions that are related to food. These allergens are…

• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Milk
• Eggs
• Wheat
• Soy
• Fish
• Shellfish

Useful Tools:The only way to prevent an allergic reaction is to steer clear of the food. There is no medicine currently capable of preventing food allergies. However, there are some available to help control the symptoms of a reaction. If a doctor prescribes an EpiPen, have the person with the allergy carry it with them. If you have an allergy, consider wearing a medical alert ID.What did you think? If you liked what you saw, get your very own copy of this printable health handout!For more wonderful handouts and articles about food allergies, don't miss the members-only post Food Allergy Awareness Resources for Educators. It's chock-full of fantastic information!And of course there are lots of other food allergy awareness materials in the Nutrition Education Store![shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="food-allergy-poster" show="all"][shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="gluten-free-powerpoint-celiac-and-gluten-sensitivity" show="all"][shopify embed_type="product" shop="nutrition-education-store.myshopify.com" product_handle="exam-room-food-allergy-poster-12x18" show="all"]