Silvia Díaz is a mother who has managed to combine her academic and professional training with the experience as the mother of a child allergic to cow's milk protein, and the knowledge acquired on this subject.
Until the birth of his son (a little over three years ago), his life was focused on a brilliant professional career: he is a journalist and also has studies in Advertising and Sales, Marketing and Community Manager. In labor, the works in television, press or agencies, were parked and were replaced by the care and upbringing of the baby.
In Peques and Más we have known a little of his current work when we present the blog My Menu without Milk: a written and face-to-face dissemination project on food allergies in childhood. It is a pleasure for us to count on Silvia to be her personally who brings us closer his vision on the social treatment of this increasingly common problem, and tell us the interesting work he develops through My Menu without Milk.
Peques and More.- Tell us what motherhood has brought you; and how your diagnosis of APLV in your child has changed your life.
Silvia Díaz.- Becoming a mother is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me. The arrival of my son was the beginning of a new life, completely full, in every way!
When they diagnosed their APLV, I initially felt a great relief because we could finally put a name and solution to what was happening. The initial changes were not significant but when we began the introduction of complementary feeding is when the problems arrived: caution against possible cross allergies, exhaustive reading of product labeling, attention to contamination or traces, awareness of those around us ... It was, and It is a hard task.
As time has progressed I have realized that food allergies in childhood are the order of the day and this made me professionally inform myself about this topic and redirect the blog to share, not only personal experiences, but my knowledge in the matter
PyM.- Rate from 1 to 10 (one: almost non-existent / ten: a lot) social awareness on the topic of allergies and tell us what are the most important obstacles that you have encountered in this short (and intense, I suppose) trajectory what are you doing
S.D.- I would value it at 5. There is very little empathy with the one next door and little awareness, but it is also true that more and more families are realizing this problem, either because they are up close (with an allergic family member) or because your child has a friend with this condition. The knowledge of food allergies is what generates the empathy and awareness that I miss so many times.
The main obstacles I have encountered in school. It sounds very hard what I am going to say, but in almost all the occasions these have not come from the children but of the adults themselves: disastrous actions by the Directorate of the center, teachers or parents of students.
PyM.- Do you think that product labeling should be improved to meet the needs of people with allergies?
S.D.- I think those tagged should be more readable and not have to leave your eyes trying to decipher them. Larger and clearer typography on a background of suitable colors, where the allergens contained in the product are well highlighted and the possible traces are indicated. I would like the message "May contain traces of ..." removed: or has traces or does not have but I hate that manufacturers wash their hands with that message regardless of how much they limit us when making the purchase.
And another thing that makes me very angry is that they advertise a product with the stamp of “100% vegetable” well marked and large, and somewhere hidden in the package find in tiny letters that contain proteins of animal origin. That is cheating and putting the health of the consumer at risk!
PyM.- From your experience advising other fathers and mothers, what are the main supports they need to successfully accompany the APLV in their children?
S.D.- Once the allergy of our children is diagnosed, parents need someone to advise us on practically everything, until we learn to "walk alone." We left the doctor's office with an important hodgepodge of information in the head, terminology that we do not understand and without guidelines to proceed in our day to day. We need to understand and assimilate what happens to our child, what exactly is the suppression in the diet of a certain food and what will be the hygiene and control procedures that we must follow from that moment.
As a general rule, these very basic but at the same time important things are not dictated in pediatric consultations.
Finding another mother or father with experience in the subject, who is going through the same thing and with whom to be able to chat in a flat way about the really important and everyday aspects, is, in my view, vital to not go crazy.
PyM.- What is your main concern about the relationship between your child's allergy and 'the outside world', which I imagine will expand as he grows up?
S.D.- Unfortunately this fact increases a lot as it grows. My concerns of two years ago are not the same as now. What scares me the most is that he never gets over his allergy and this can cause him problems in certain social situations.
When we go to a friend's birthday, I carry a backpack full of everything: from snacks, to sandwiches, cake or candy. But sometimes I wonder what will happen the day he rebels and wants to eat others' stuff?
There will come a day when he is himself, and not mom, who should be responsible for his allergy, fight against the injustices that are on the road, against the lack of empathy and education ...
PyM.- Have you felt misunderstood on occasion? and alone?
S.D.- Yes! Many times ... Misunderstood because sometimes, no matter how much I try to explain to my environment what happens to my son, people don't understand it. I don't know if they don't pay enough attention or if they banal the problem but sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a wall.
And alone especially after starting school and checking, with my own eyes, the social selfishness so great that it exists. I no longer speak only of food allergy, but in general. People go to theirs no matter what happens to the next one; But when the one next door is a child, it's when I get horrified
One thing that pisses me off a lot is that they advertise a product with the “100% vegetable” stamp that is well marked and large, and somewhere hidden in the package, find in a small print that contains animal proteins. That is cheating and putting the health of the consumer at risk!
PyM.- Tell us what will it be like to get to know 'My menu without milk' to parents of children with allergy to cow's milk proteins?
S.D.- “My menu without milk” was born almost two years ago with the initial objective of sharing my experience and my day to day with my son allergic to cow's milk protein.
As time has progressed I have realized that food allergies in childhood are the order of the day and that He made me professionally inform myself about this topic and redirect the blog to share, not only personal experiences, but my knowledge in the field.
Today, "My menu without milk" is a space that brings together personal experiences, recipes, objective information based on articles, studies or interviews with professionals, articles of interest written by professionals in the field, books in digital format with brands of suitable products, recipes, dossiers of general information, hotels for allergy sufferers, sites of interest ...
The last adventure I've embarked on is that of hold meetings between families of allergic children as well as training talks, workshops and advice.
Finding another mother or father with experience in the subject, who is going through the same thing and with whom to be able to chat in a flat way about the really important and everyday aspects, is, in my view, vital to not go crazy
PyM.- What do you ask of the future?
S.D.- Asking my son to cure himself of his allergy would be selfish because the underlying and truly important problem would still be there. So I ask that food allergies are integrated into society naturally and daily. I wish an allergic child could attend a birthday where there was also a piece of cake for him; that I could go out without fear to eat at a restaurant; that going on vacation to a hotel or catching a plane does not mean a headache; that all schools carry the same policy for the health and integration of allergic students; to improve the labeling of products, that there is more and more variety and that we should not leave half a salary in the shopping cart ...
I would ask so many things!
PyM.- And finally tell us a little more about your next projects
S.D.- I currently have two new talks underway. The first will be on May 11 at La Cocinita de Chamberí and will be aimed at parents with babies or young children newly diagnosed with a food allergy. In this talk I will offer interesting information and guidelines to take into account with the introduction of new foods.
The next talk I have going on will be May 25 from the hand of the online store of allergy products "This Yes I Can." Together we will organize a meeting guided by a nutritionist and an allergist who will take us deeper into the world of food allergies.
In the drawer of the projects that I hope you see soon, I have a meeting for families with allergic children in Barcelona, digital talks to inform people who read me and follow me in other areas of the country and the world, and something very special, original and attractive of which, at the moment, I cannot reveal more details.
After the interview, I remind you that if you want to follow Silvia and her projects, through her blog, or through the Facebook profile of My Menu without Milk.
To me personally it has given me a lot to have the opportunity to chat a little with her, although at home we do not have food allergies (however I am quite sensitized with the problem). I think she is a very brave mom who has the most clear things, and above all I am sure that her contribution will be very valuable for many families.
Thank you very much Silvia for collaborating with us! We wish you great success with your projects.
