Food allergies are becoming increasingly common - but what happens when that list is extensive and the consequences can be life-threatening? Rebecca Malcolm talks to a mother who deals with allergies daily.
Rebecca Moore admits she probably looks like an over-paranoid mum at times.
If she sees cream spilled on the floor at a birthday party she's quick to clean it up. But this Rotorua mother isn't a clean-freak - for her daughter Ella, touching dairy products can be a matter of life and death.
The 4-year-old is one of a growing number of New Zealander's suffering from food allergies. But wee Ella has a few more to deal with than most.
While her most serious allergy is around milk products - one that can send her into anaphylactic shock - she also has a huge list of other foods she has to avoid.
"It's quite an extensive list," says Rebecca as she begins to recount the foods Ella can't have.
"Wheat, egg, soy, nuts, pork, lamb, beef, fish, coconut, banana ..." There's others, she says, but those are the main ones to avoid. She also has a non-food allergy to dust mites.
While milk is the only food allergy she knows will certainly send Ella into anaphylactic shock, they don't take chances with the other foods on the no-go list.
Meals consist of a lot of rice and rice products as well as fresh produce.
Even avoiding high-risk foods Ella suffers from "extremely bad eczema".
She's on a high dose medication which helps - but because of the side effects she has to have monthly blood tests to make sure the medication isn't damaging her kidneys.
At night she is wet-wrapped - slathered in a layer of eczema cream, layered with wet bandages then wrapped in a dry bandage "basically from the neck right down". She also wears gloves and socks to stop her scratching.
The food allergies are a huge part of her daily life. She's never been out of her parent's care, so Rebecca admits that her upcoming fifth birthday and seeing her start school is quite daunting.
The severity of her allergies means she'll have a teacher aide by her side - not for learning but to make sure she doesn't come into contact with anything which could spark a reaction.
Rebecca says while the school has been great, because Ella has such a massive list of allergies there's no way they can stop kids bringing potentially harmful foods to school.
The teacher aide will keep an eye on what she eats, wipe down the desks after other children eat, vacuum and make sure Ella and a friend have a special mat to sit on.
Teachers have also been trained in using an EpiPen - something which Rebecca never leaves the house without.
Rebecca says Ella has taken her allergies in her stride.
"She's so amazing. She never gets angry."
Ella knows to only take food from mum and dad, and always checks she's allowed to eat things if she's not sure.
"She's so, so good. She's knows [if she eats something she's not meant to] she has to have a needle in her leg and she understands that."
While Ella's older sister had allergies, Rebecca says they weren't nearly as bad as her younger daughters.
The first signs came when she was about 2 months old and had terrible head-to-toe eczema. A few months later she was referred to a paediatrician who diagnosed allergies to wheat and egg.
It wasn't until she started to be weaned on to a special formula that she had her first major reaction, which resulted in her going into anaphylactic shock. She started swelling, coughing and couldn't breathe - and ended up in Starship Hospital.
That's when doctors discovered her severe reaction to milk.
The allergy is so dangerous that Ella once went into anaphylactic shock after touching a trolley at The Warehouse.
"Another kid must have touched it after having an icecream or something".
Again, it was off to hospital for Ella. Rebecca's advice to other parents who have children with food allergies is for them to join a support group.
A support group was set up in Rotorua in 2010, and aims at raising awareness as well as providing support.
Allergies in New Zealand
Over one-third of New Zealanders suffer from an allergy-related health issue.
At least one in 10 babies born in New Zealand today will develop an allergy.
Food allergies are increasing worldwide in complexity and severity, especially in children.
One in 100 will have a life threatening allergy known as anaphylaxis.
Where to go
If you want to find out more or get support for allergies, contact the Rotorua Allergy Awareness and Support Group's regional co-ordinator Eugene Berryman-Kamp on 027 840 2390