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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Allergic to Lunch?

Spanish Translation

On March 14, all eyes in Mrs. Dwyer's second-grade class were on Eliza Rader. The seventh grader was visiting Westorchard Elementary, in Chappaqua, New York. She was there to talk about food allergies. "I want to make kids feel more safe," she told TFK.

The body has an immune (im-yoon) system that helps to protect it. When people have food allergies, this system makes a mistake. It sees some foods as being harmful. So it attacks. It releases chemicals that cause an allergic reaction.

Eliza had an allergic reaction to peanut butter the first time she tasted it. She broke out in hives, her tongue swelled and she had trouble breathing.

Attacking Allergies

About 3 million American kids have food allergies. A study found that from 1997 to 2002, the number of kids allergic to peanuts doubled. Experts say more and more kids have allergies to common foods. They are trying to find out why.

Many schools have found ways to fight the growing problem. Westorchard does not sell peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. School workers are trained to treat allergic reactions. Several states have laws that help schools deal with food allergies. The U.S. government is now working on a law that all states would follow.

Kids are learning to cope. For Daniel, 11, of Illinois, this means avoiding milk and other problem foods. "You have to learn to live with your allergies," he says. Part of that, says Eliza, is helping others to understand that "having a food allergy is just part of what makes you who you are."

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