There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a family; this is how I feel about our food allergy community. I am grateful to have watched as our family has grown leaps and bounds over the past sixteen years (NutriSon's age) and I never cease to be amazed at how we simply continue to unite with each other. Let's take a moment and travel back into mommy time with me (I will try not to get all sobby and teary-eyed). I know there were many sleepless nights... months. I know there was a lot of tummy aches and projectile vomiting. I know that so many people tried to tell me that my son was just "a normal baby. Babies cry." But I knew, even as a brand new mother and all of you knew too. And we all remember that there were sleepless nights and worry and fears that kept us awake. But it's funny how so much of the the bad memories have faded and been replaced with better memories, more positive memories. Don't get me wrong- I clearly remember how exhausted I was from not sleeping because my son never slept and cried instead. I absolutely remember watching him as I unknowingly fed him baby yogurt and didn't realize until after a few times what hives were. And I positively remember when I fed him a baby food with egg in it and the immediate return call from the pediatrician's office asking "Is he breathing ok?" All of this feels so very long ago....
It's 2018 and most of my memories now are about all of the amazing products that my son can eat safely. My head is filled with product names and ingredients and flashes of new recipes that I have come up with to make sure that my family and yours feel more at ease. And the people that I have met along the way, both in person and simply online- so many wonderful, supportive people that just feel like they truly are your family. And they are, to me. So when a company that I have known since NutriSon's food allergy diagnosis has also been with our family, holding our hand and telling us that they promise to keep us safe and they do, I can't help but get that same mommy moment feeling, knowing that they are one of our rocks. So what is one of the easiest ways to let a person with food allergies know that they have your back? Pick the one thing that they rely on it and use it to make their life easier- visuals.
We have been ingrained to automatically look for ingredients and read labels and look for the color teal for unity and comfort. This year, Enjoy Life Foods announced that they were embracing their food allergy family by repacking their products with the color teal. Why? Because they are a part of our village and are helping us place the bricks to support our village. How often have you been just so tired or had a really trying day and you are paranoid that one of those days might end up in a bad memory of a product that you thought you had checked the label? With the new teal packages, Enjoy Life Foods has taken the guess work out of it. It's like they knew we would have an occasional bad day, put their arm around us, covered us with a teal blanket and silently said "We have you." Do I sound corny right now? Maybe a little but this is my inner food allergy mom peeking out and I am ok with that.What should you be looking for?
- This may take you a moment because we are creatures of habit. Look for their logo and groups of teal boxes. After all, this is not a typical color on the grocery shelves.
- Check out their social media pages*- they posted a chance to win a free product coupon when you share on Instagram (oooh, I want one!)
- Sign up for their newsletter for a $3 off your next Enjoy Life Foods treat
- Watch for giveaways and Twitter parties (fuzzy socks recommended but not required)
- Ask your local stores when they will have the new teal packaging. Maybe they don't know about it or maybe they haven't stocked Enjoy Life Foods before (gasp!!)
- If you see someone who has a new teal Enjoy Life Foods product, ask them where they got it!
MOST importantly watch out for those family members that find your Enjoy Life Foods items before you do! Often, they will try to get their hands on everything and act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. As a mom, I have always taught my children that sharing is not ok but there are a few exceptions and Enjoy Life Foods is one of them.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you! Your comment is awaiting moderation