 What feels like a food allergy, looks like a food allergy, but is NOT actually an allergy? The answer for me was mast cell activation syndrome, or MCAS. Two years ago, I marched myself to the doctor, convinced that I had an undiagnosed food allergy. I explained my symptoms—chronic hives and itching, intense facial flushing, gastrointestinal upset, headaches, and difficulty breathing out of my nose, especially after eating. After much discussion about my symptoms and medical history, my amazing allergist realized my symptoms for what they were—a mast cell disorder. I was diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome; a newly recognized immune system disorder that normally takes an average of 10 years to accurately diagnose. Although MCAS is currently quite rare, experts estimate that it is actually very common, with many cases going undiagnosed.
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 When we hear about childhood obesity, a few main factors get the majority of our attention: quality and quantity of food eaten, levels of physical activity obtained and total screen time consumed, to name a few. While these factors undoubtedly influence the development of childhood obesity, there are other variables that might also play a role. If we are thinking about how the quality and quantity of food a child consumes might lead to obesity, we should also consider how parents affect how a child approaches food. Evidence suggests that there is an association between restrictive feeding practices by parents and both overeating and weight gain in children.
 Previous literature has shown varying associations between food establishments and childhood obesity, so we sought to examine these associations in a very large sample of nearly 50,000 pediatric patients ages 4-18 years. The results were recently published in the journal Childhood Obesity. Our aim was to determine if the distance from a patient’s home to six types of food establishments was associated with their body mass index (BMI) or weight status.
 As evidenced by our previous blog posts on food allergies, it is clear that allergic diseases, which include food allergies as well as atopic dermatitis (eczema) and allergic rhinitis (hay fever), are on the rise – especially in developed countries. Given the improvements in health care and sanitation in recent decades, why would this be?
 I recently found myself involved in a discussion of Soylent, a shake-like “food product” described on the product website as “a full day of balanced nutrition made in 3 minutes for $3/meal.” Created by a Silicon Valley software engineer, Soylent is designed to provide “maximum nutrition with minimum effort” by allowing consumers to drink a pre-prepared liquid instead of eating actual food at all or some of their meals. Several bloggers have tried it and written about their experiences. (Fortunately, I have a solid excuse for forgoing this exercise, as Soylent is not recommended for nursing women.) In scanning posts and comments on Soylent, it’s obvious that there’s a broad spectrum of opinions, particularly in regards to the health benefits vs. dangers of the product. I could probably write forever on that topic, but instead started thinking about this from another angle – could food-replacement products contribute to a healthier American food culture?
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