My Story
At the age of only a few months old, I was diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies to milk, beef, pork, and egg. Life with food allergies has been my reality as far back as I can remember, and it has been no easy feat. My parents bore the responsibilities of changing my diet, avoiding foods with my allergens, and searching for allergen friendly brands once I received my diagnosis. Allergist appointments became an annual activity for me and my mother. And although I was only 5 years old, I still remember my first anaphylactic reaction, from which I was hospitalized and given an epinephrine injection.
Once I got older, I started to feel a separation from my classmates. I always had special ice pops kept in my school freezer just in case a classmate brought food to share with the class for their birthday. I always packed a bag with snacks and dinner when I went to a party or sleepover. I never ate school lunch and even received some nasty comments from other kids about the homemade food I ate instead. Upon reaching middle school, it was necessary for me to think about how my allergies fit into new social situations. There were many instances where I felt high levels of anxiety and stress, afraid that my friends would view me as a nuisance for constantly needing accommodations at restaurants or for refusing food at a party.
I still carry a lot of that anxiety with me today. I do not know that it will ever dissipate entirely. Nevertheless, I have chosen to accept my food allergies. They are a part of who I am and that will never change. I plan to use this blog as a small platform to discuss the various aspects of life with food allergies and to hopefully teach someone a thing or two about this disability.
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO FOOD ALLERGIES
To have a food allergy is to experience some sort of unpleasant or dangerous immune system reaction after certain food is eaten. Reactions can vary in severity depending on the individual and their allergies. Symptoms of a mild reaction may include hives, an itchy mouth, or swelling of the lips. A severe reaction could result in life-threatening symptoms, often referred to as anaphylaxis, in which an individual could experience fatal respiratory problems and shock.
The current top 9 most common food allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, soy, and sesame, with sesame being the most recent addition to the list. By order of the FDA, all food manufacturing companies must list the ingredients of their products and indicate which, if any, of the top 9 allergens are present in their products on the bottom of the nutrition label.
Penn State currently has a system in place at all dining halls that indicate which top 9 allergens are present in their dishes. Each allergen has an icon. If a certain icon is present on the meal description card, that means the dish contains that allergen. So next time you stop by one of the campus dining halls, take a look at the meal cards and see if you can identify one of the allergen icons on a meal description card!