The Struggle of Living with Food Allergies

Did you know that 32 million Americans are living with life-threatening food allergies, and that every three minutes an allergic reaction sends someone to the emergency room?

A food allergy happens when your immune system overreacts to a harmless food protein, also known as an allergen. Food allergy reactions vary from person to person. Some people only react when they eat the foods that they’re allergic to, while some react to just being around those foods.

Being a college student with food allergies can be challenging. For me, everything is a question mark. I never really know how my body will react to being in an environment or the people around me. I could have a reaction from just being around my allergies. This can make going to classes a struggle and going to any event where food could be present.

I haven’t always lived with food allergies. I didn’t develop my first food allergy until I was 17. It started with salmon, and since then I have gradually added more to my list. Fish, shellfish, cinnamon, mushrooms, peanuts, tree nuts, and honey, just to name a few.

Adjusting my life to live with my allergies has been a struggle. Shrimp was my favorite food, and pasta with shrimp was always my go to. I used to drink cinnamon apple spice tea about every day. One day I was making a strawberry pie that called for cinnamon. It was when I opened the container of cinnamon that I realized I was allergic. Having to stop eating these at first was challenging, but when you have food allergies it’s best if you can avoid them.

According to foodallergy.org, avoiding allergens is the only way to prevent a reaction. Epinephrine auto injector is the only medicine to stop a severe reaction called anaphylaxis, and currently there is not a cure for food allergies.

Food allergies can make the necessities like grocery shopping a nightmare. Trying to find allergy-friendly products isn’t always the easiest. While most products will say if they contain or might contain an allergen, this is only required for the top eight allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish, and shellfish. This makes living with a spice allergy difficult since most products will say they contain spices or flavorings, but will not say specifically what spice it contains.

Fall is my least favorite time of year when there is pumpkin-spiced everything, including desserts, lotions and candles. I check the ingredients before I buy anything. It’s not just my spice allergy that makes grocery shopping difficult. My fish and shellfish allergies make walking into a store, like Walmart, a struggle since I react to just being around them. This also means I can’t go in or order from any restaurants or fast food places that serve fish or shellfish.

My food allergies have had a huge impact on my life. I’ve had to make a lot of changes. In a way, my allergies brought me to Bluefield College. I had originally planned to be a baker or chef after graduating form high school. I soon realized that with my food allergies it wouldn’t be possible. After two years of struggling to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I decided to go to college and major in theatre. Four years later, I’m a double majoring in theatre and communication. So while my food allergies have been challenging at times, they have also made me a stronger person.

For more information on food allergies, visit foodallergy.org.