To kick off Food Allergy Awareness Week, the New Orleans Superdome turned teal! New Orleans has one of the best, most diverse food scenes in the world, and the Superdome is one of the largest and most well-known stadiums in the world. So what a great way to start this important week! Special thanks to Code Ana for requesting the Superdome turn teal, and special thanks to Caesar's Superdome for turning it teal!
What is Food Allergy Awareness Week, and why was the Superdome turned teal?
Food Allergy Awareness Week is a weeklong event held every May to raise awareness of food allergies. This year, it runs from May 8-14, and we kicked it off by turning the New Orleans Superdome teal! Teal is the color of allergy awareness! The goal of the week is to educate as many people as possible about food allergies and how to prevent and treat them. Food Allergy Awareness Week is part of the Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month, which is May. Some people use this entire month to focus on food allergy awareness!
What is Food Allergy?
A food allergy is an inappropriate immune response to a food. In someone with a food allergy, their body's immune system sees the food as harmful, so the immune system attacks it. In many cases, even a tiny amount of the food can trigger an allergic reaction.
There are many types of food allergy conditions. The different types can be divided into the following:
- IgE-Mediated Food Allergy
- Non-IgE-Mediated Food Allergy
- Mixed IgE- and Non-IgE-Mediated Food Allergy
Different food allergy conditions can have different triggers and different reactions. The different condition also have different therapies. If you or someone you know has a food allergy, it's important to know how to prevent and treat a reaction.
“How can I advocate for increased awareness of food allergies?”
There are a number of ways you can help advocate for increased awareness of food allergies:
- Educate yourself and others about food allergies and how to prevent and treat them.
- Show kindness and compassion to those managing these conditions, especially to parents of children with food allergy.
- Support organizations that are working to increase awareness, such as Code Ana.
- Wear teal and encourage others to wear teal to show support of food allergy awareness! And have event centers light up teal like the New Orleans Superdome turned teal!
You can play an important role in raising awareness of food allergy. Learn more about food allergies this week by following Dr. Hoyt on social media. You'll see her daily food allergy fact during Food Allergy Awareness Week!
Thanks for reading this post “The New Orleans Superdome turned teal for Food Allergy Awareness Week!” Do you have any questions about food allergies? Reach out to me! And be sure to check out my other blog posts and podcast episodes about all things food allergy. Thanks for reading!
– Dr. Hoyt
P.S. Food allergy testing can be super confusing, so I've created this awesome ebook to clarify the facts from the fiction! Get your copy today!
Are you in need of an allergist in your area? Check out these allergist finder tools:
AAAAI Allergist Finder: https://allergist.aaaai.org/find/
ACAAI Allergist Finder: https://acaai.org/locate-an-allergist
Do you have food allergy questions? Have them answered by Dr. Alice Hoyt, Pam, and guests on the podcast!
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A note from Dr. Hoyt
I have talked about a non-profit…
Pam and I volunteer with the non-profit The Teal Schoolhouse. Its primary program is Code Ana. Code Ana equips schools for medical emergencies like anaphylaxis.
Code Ana’s Online Epinephrine Training Program helps support that goal. Through this program, you will educate yourself while you support this important mission!
A medical emergency response plan is important for everyone at any school. Code Ana's program Med-E Ready is a comprehensive approach to school-focused medical preparedness. This program guides schools through the process of creating a medical emergency response plan. A response team is also developed! This is one of the most important components of a school's food allergy policy!
Does your kiddo’s school have Code Ana?
You've just read Dr. Hoyt's post “The New Orleans Superdome turned teal for Food Allergy Awareness Week!” Remember, she's an allergist, but she isn't your allergist, so talk with your allergist about what you've just learned!
