Food Allergies We Manage
I’m a food allergy mom to a homeschooling, traveling, Disneyland loving, foodie family. Caring for a son with anaphylactic food allergies to peanut and shellfish since he was a baby, and most recently diagnosed in 2022 with 7 new allergens to add to the list: pecan, walnut, shellfish, oat, garlic, sweet potato, watermelon, and pear. In 2023, we were thrown a new direction once again, after additional testing opened the door for reintroduction of oat, walnut, watermelon and pear. We are still waiting to in-office challenge sweet potato.
My second oldest child is dairy intolerant, and while this is not the same as a food allergy or anaphylaxis as her oldest sibling deals with, it is a change to lifestyle and dietary restriction.
My second to youngest of 5 kiddo’s is gluten intolerant, and we are in the process of testing to determine if it is in fact Celiac disease. In the meantime, we are learning to cook and bake gluten free as well as what packaged foods and candies she can have. It is a huge learning curve!
I also help my husband manage fibromyalgia along with his food allergies: pea, mushroom, avocado, mustard, sesame, onion and lima bean.
To say that mealtime is tricky would be an understatement. I hope to share our journey so that while it may look different from one person to another, we can all learn through sharing our stories with you.
Allergy Finds, Reviews, Recipes, Tips, Tricks & Lifestyle
Reading labels and asking questions to uncover food allergy friendly finds is my mission. Don’t hesitate. Investigate! Swing by to see the food allergy finds, reviews, recipes, tips & tricks, I’ve got to share.
Living a Full Life with Food Allergies
I’ve got 5 children ages 16 and under. Living a full life with food allergies doesn’t end with the food we eat. I cover all aspects of food allergy management and lifestyle for my child with food allergies, and as a family unit living day to day. Whether covering the food we eat, or the video games we play, I’ve got the low down on the food allergy situation.
You can read a piece that Allergic Living did on me back in 2015, here.
Before Kids I was an On-Air Radio D.J., Traffic Reporter and News Anchor
I wasn’t always a homeschooling food allergy momma. Who was I prior to having a basketball team starting lineup’s worth of children? I earned a Bachelors of Science in Business Marketing, and worked as an On-Air Radio Personality (AKA a D.J.), Traffic Reporter, News Anchor and Reporter. I’ve also worked as a freelance writer for several local publications.
I began my broadcasting career in promotions for KOOL 94.5, 95.5 KYOT and 101.5 The Zone (Metro Phoenix). I then moved to 98KUPD, before making the switch to Mix 96.9. It was at Mix that I began on-air as a DJ, and then later was on-air at 104.7 KISSFM as well. Radio people tend to do a lot of station hopping. Because there were a cluster of 8 stations owned by the company I worked for at the time (Clear Channel), I was also able to dabble part-time for Total Traffic which was a hub for traffic reports on 8 different stations in Phoenix (KFYI, KISSFM, KZON, KNIX, KYOT, etc.), as well as 5 in Tucson and 3 in Yuma. That was a ton of fun, although I’m sure it would have been even more fun had I been able to fly in a helicopter old school style for my reports! It was while I was in traffic that I learned about an opening at AM 550 KFYI as a news reporter and anchor. I made the move and enjoyed that position best of all! I love being a mother and staying home with my children, but if I ever went back to work it would be in news. I love news!
Below are pictures from when I covered Election Night at McCain Headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona in 2008, and when I met Robin Thicke when he swung by the studios at KISSFM in Phoenix (I’m on the far right and super tan haha!).
Arizona
My family lives in Arizona and we share our time between the Valley (San Tan Valley), and the White Mountains (Show Low & Pinetop-Lakeside). While I myself am a transplant to Arizona, my husband’s family goes back about 7 generations and helped to settle much of the area. Horne Road in Mesa, Arizona is named after his family and used to run out to his Great Grandfather’s dairy farm. My children’s Great Great Grandfather founded a well-known accounting firm here in the Valley known as Henry & Horne, he finally retired in 2018 at the age of 96! My children’s grandfather is quite the pioneer in our family when it comes to building a chain of family owned car dealerships. We own car dealerships all across Arizona in Nogales, Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa, Safford, Apache Junction, Globe, Avondale, Yuma, and Show Low. We love Arizona and our own family having suffered various medical issues we love to support locally and donated to Phoenix Childrens Hospital where my niece was treated for T1D and my own middle child was in the NICU for a congenital heart defect, and later had corrective heart surgery.
Education, Awareness, Support & Advocacy
My hope is to bring education and awareness emphasizing label reading and communication with manufacturers, distributors, and establishments. Sharing what I find to help others confidently navigate food allergies, as well as encourage proactive food allergy safety.
Part of the problem with labeling in the Unites States is that manufacturers put millions of lives at risk by not being transparent in the ingredients of their foods. They get away with this by noting them under “natural flavor”, “seasoning”, and “spices”. For those of us, my family being one of them, anaphylactic to foods that often are hidden in those terms (sweet potato, watermelon, pear, garlic, mustard, onion and more), it is playing Russian Roulette with our food and lives.
I have signed this petition to change the label laws for transparency for ALL ingredients, and ALL allergens. I invite you to as well: https://www.change.org/p/strengthen-the-food-labeling-modernization-act-to-protect-the-allergic-community
First Anaphylactic Reaction
My history in the food allergy world goes back to 2008 when my first and oldest child reacted mildly to a “Scotcharoo”, and later in 2009 he had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut, by way of a popular brand frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was traumatic for him, but it was also extremely traumatic for myself and my husband.
Creating a Support Group Turned Non-Profit
I searched out a support group of like-minded people, and not finding what I was looking for, I created a local non-profit that became Nationally known and recognized. Unfortunately, after several years of trying to keep the organization running it became financially and logistically unfeasible to continue to keep our doors open.
Stock Epinephrine in Arizona Schools for All Children
My most notable achievement in that adventure is passing into law our local statewide “stock epinephrine” bill, to help save the lives of children in Arizona schools. While it was sad to see that door close, it is with happiness I look back on all our wonderful achievements and strides made in the food allergy community.
Pictured below left to right: FARE Walk that I chaired before founding AFAA – myself (Lisa Horne), Kyle Dine, Andrea Garza; Allergic Living article – my husband, my son and myself; Stock Epinephrine Law being signed Anna Blue Aguirre, Anna’s mother Karen, myself, my son, Senator Linda Lopez, Raquel Scharf-Anderson and children; FARE Walk with myself, my husband and City of Mesa Councilmember Dave Richins.
Blogging and Creating Community
Two years later I was able to find a way to share my love, for and to, the food allergy community again, by way of Food Allergy P.I.
The Everything® Nut Allergy Cookbook
Fast forward to 2022 and I have authored, The Everything® Nut Allergy Cookbook, available wherever books are sold. Go completely nut-free with 200 accessible, beginner-friendly recipes designed to keep anyone with nut allergies safe—while still enjoying delicious foods. Learn more: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Everything-Nut-Allergy-Cookbook/Lisa-Horne/Everything/9781507218266
The Food Allergy Talk Podcast
Additionally in 2022, I launched, The Food Allergy Talk Podcast available on all podcast hosting forums (subscribe at iTunes, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, Pandora, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, Pocket Casts, Deezer, Listen Notes, Player FM, Podcast Index, and Reason FM.), or listen anytime online right here on this website: https://foodallergypi.com/the-food-allergy-talk-podcast/
Certified Holistic Nutritionist
There are many “negatives” to living a life with or caring for someone that has life-threatening food allergies. However, there is also a silver lining. One of them for our family is the gained knowledge of our food supply, food manufacturing, and what we as a society of done to our food chain and subsequently our health or lack thereof.
This led me to a path in studying holistic nutrition to benefit my family in living cleaner, more naturally, and gaining health in each option we face whether by what we are putting in us, on us, or around us. Body, mind and spirit.
FAACT National Non-Profit, Director of Marketing
In 2022, I was offered a position as Director of Marketing for the National Non-Profit, Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT).
“FAACT’s mission is to educate, advocate, and raise awareness for all individuals and families affected by food allergies and life-threatening anaphylaxis. Whether it’s keeping children safe at school, responding to food allergy bullying, traveling, preparing for college, dealing with workplace issues, or simply taking the family out for dinner, FAACT has the facts you need to manage food allergies and stay healthy. FAACT is your voice for food allergy awareness.”
To learn more visit FAACT: https://www.foodallergyawareness.org
WebMD Patient Blogs on Food Allergies | Contributing Writer
In 2023, I was invited to join WebMD as a Contributing Writer to share my journey and knowledge related to parenting kids with food allergies. While I will continue to blog here at Food Allergy P.I., you can also find exclusive content on my WebMD blog posts! I am honored and grateful to have this opportunity with WebMD, to help bring factual resource based information, education, awareness and support to our community and others.
Medical Disclaimer
Food Allergy P.I. is made available for information purposes only, and not for use as medical related advice. By using Food Allergy P.I. you understand that there is no relationship between you and Food Allergy P.I. Additionally, Food Allergy P.I. should not be a substitute for medical advice from a licensed certified professional.
The information shared through Food Allergy P.I. has been found to be safe for our family and our individual situation. Every individual and their related food allergies or intolerances are unique, including what they are allergic to, how sensitive they are, the severity of their allergic reactions, and how they’ve been advised to care for their allergy as well as treat any related reactions. What is safe for us, may not be safe for someone else, always consult a medical professional for your own guidelines.
Never rely upon Food Allergy P.I. as a sole resource for protecting someone with food allergies. Always read the label before purchasing a product because manufacturers may change their ingredients and processes at any time. What was safe one time, may not be the next time. Additionally, always communicate with any manufacturers, kitchen staff or establishments for your own benefit as processes change and individual experiences may differ.
