Review of “What's Eating Our Kids?” by Julie A. Wendt, MD

Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)

Did you know that about 26 million Americans have been diagnosed with a food allergy?

Did you know that, in the USA, there are 200,000 emergency room visits due to food allergies each year?

Did you know that 7.6% of children have food allergies, and these allergies are responsible for around 60-200 deaths per year, often due to accidental ingestion or cross-contamination?

What's Eating Our Kids? by Dr. Julie Wendt dives deeply into the complex world of children's food allergies, intolerances, and toxicities. It provides a comprehensive yet accessible guide for parents, especially those who need help understanding or managing their children's health issues related to food. Dr. Wendt combines medical insights as a board-certified allergist-immunologist with personal experiences as a mother of allergic children. The book covers a wide range of topics, from the basics of food allergies to specific medical conditions, testing methods, and practical management strategies. It also offers guidance on different types of allergic and non-allergic reactions, emphasizing safety and vigilance for children with severe allergies.

This book would be a valuable choice for parents, food business owners, and those who suffer from allergies as it balances scientific detail with relatable stories and actionable advice, helping readers to grasp both the technical and emotional aspects of identifying and managing food allergies.

Dr. Julie Wendt is a board-certified allergist-immunologist, having over two decades of experience in the field. Her extensive career includes diagnosing and treating patients with allergies, asthma, and immune-related conditions, as well as conducting research and studying advanced treatment methods for food allergies, intolerances, and toxicities.

If we read this correctly (we're not perfect, we get details mixed sometimes), Wendt's sister, Laura, has a severe fish allergy, which led to a frightening anaphylactic reaction. Additionally, Dr. Wendt’s daughter has had asthma and allergies since she was young, and her son experienced eczema triggered by soy and milk. These personal experiences with family members' allergies influenced Dr. Wendt's career path and perspective on treating food allergies.

Wendt names a specific incident in which a restaurant customer with a fish allergy was recklessly and negligently given a dish containing the allergen after repeatedly telling the waiter and being reassured that the dish contained no fish. This resulted in the sudden and tragic death of the restaurant customer.

This story points out both the potential severity of allergies and how a lack of knowledge and understanding by folks (like the restaurant staff, in this example) can have serious consequences.

The author tells us that: “It is safest to assume that restaurant workers and food preparers do not understand allergies or severe allergic reactions. Multiple studies have demonstrated that most restaurant workers did not understand the general principles of causes of food allergy like cross-contamination. Many restaurant workers surveyed had the mistaken belief that if they removed the visible allergenic food by hand, the allergic person would be safe. Unfortunately, even though the allergic person cannot see the allergic food, the body can detect even microscopic amounts that are enough to potentially harm or cause death.”

And did you know that just physically removing the allergenic food from the dish doesn't fix the problem? Cross-contamination and cross-reactivity are highly emphasized in this book.

The book covers many of the different tests for identifying food allergies:

Skin Prick Tests

Blood Tests (Specific IgE)

Oral Food Challenge

The Oral Food Challenge (OFC) is given great props as the “gold standard” of these tests.

Even for readers without major allergies, this can be a really interesting read. For example, if you're into medicine and science, you might really love this. In fact, even if you're into the history of some of this stuff, you might find it interesting. Did you know that the first example of food allergy therapy occurred. In 1908, the concept of food oral immunotherapy (FOIT) was first attempted by Dr. Alfred Schofield, who successfully desensitized a 13-year-old boy with an egg allergy. This was also the same year the term "allergy" was coined. Schofield’s early experiment laid the groundwork for modern approaches to desensitizing food allergies through controlled exposure. We didn't know that!

The book also talks about more than food allergies. For example, there are huge sections of this book that discuss environmental allergies like from plants, pollen, trees, mold, and pet/animal dander.

It even discusses many of the allergenic causes of IBS, especially via a method called a “low-FODMAP diet” with FODMAPs being fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

Check it out on Amazon!