When Nykki Remley goes grocery shopping, it takes her longer than it does most folks.
    Remley, of Syracuse, has to spend extra time reading ingredient labels before making her food selection to make sure they are safe for her 2-year-old daughter, who is severely allergic to eggs and nuts.
    Remley knows the harsh realities of what can happen if her daughter even comes close to nuts or eggs. Recently Remley's husband wiped his hand on his pants after eating a handful of nuts at work.
    Several hours later while playing with his daughter, it caused his daughter to have a severe allergic reaction to the nut oil on her father's clothes.
    An ambulance was needed to get the girl to the hospital.
    Worrying about what ingredients are in food and if any cross-contamination has occurred is a daily occurrence for families with children who have severe allergic reactions to any of the major childhood food allergies including nuts, eggs and milk.
    After leaving the doctor's office with the news of her daughter's allergies when she was only 6-months old, Remley was shocked and scared.
    "I knew I could protect her until she got mobile and then I didn't know what I was going to do," Remley said. "I have older children who were accustomed to eating whatever they wanted without thinking about it and as a family, our life was about
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to change."
    Most families are unprepared and overwhelmed when they hear the news. Additionally, most doctors do not have the time to go into details, so Kelley Lindberg and several other Utah mothers of children with food allergies decided to form a group to help support and educate families who find themselves in their shoes.
    "When parents find out their kids have food allergies, it is a whole new way of cooking, shopping, and going to parties, so our group is here to support them," Lindberg said.
    When Kymmi Amesquita of Layton recently learned her young daughter had severe food allergies, she found the Utah Food Allergy group and received needed help for an upcoming birthday party her daughter had and how to help her deal with the new food requirements.
    "A few months ago, we felt so alone and petrified," Amesquita said. "Getting in contact with other people going through the same thing as us has given me the equipment to emotionally move forward."
    Lindberg, who runs the group's Davis chapter, has dealt with her son's nut allergy for more than seven years.
    Her son, Orion, said his life is pretty good.
    "It complicates my life, but it's cool because at school, I realized that there are other kids with allergies too," he said.
    Most Davis County schools are very accommodating to children with nut allergies. At Orion's school, they have a table specifically for students allergic to nuts.
    In a way, the table has become like a club.
    "All of our friends want to sit at our table, so sometimes they will bring a safe lunch [without peanuts] so they can sit there," Orion said. "It is a minor inconvenience in my life."
    Orion's mom admits it is harder on her than it is for her son.
    "Giving up food is harder for adults at a party, but for the kids, they just want to play and have a good time," she said.
    The frequency of childhood food allergies has doubled in the past five years, Lindberg said.
    "One in 20 children on average has a food allergy," she said. "It is suddenly a much bigger problem and schools and manufacturers are now paying attention."
    Fortunately, the process of reading labels has become easier for families. Federal law has mandated companies label any food manufactured since 2006 in common terms when the food might contain any of the eight major childhood food allergens.
    Parents of children with food allergies are also excited about recent legislation now making it legal for students to carry their own epinephrine auto-injectors.
    Before, children had to sneak the pen around in their backpacks.
    It is now also legal for caregivers, teachers, and others who have children in their care to have and administer an epinephrine auto-injector.
    "We were thrilled when the law passed since there is no point in it being illegal when it comes to life or death," Lindberg said.
    Despite the difficult process of finding the right food, it is easier than ever live with a food allergy with easy access to the Internet and organic food stores.
    Even traditional food stores are now starting to carry special food offerings.