Magazine_Summer2021_RND1_07.14.21.indd

Reading food labels can be cumbersome and time consuming. It can make a simple trip to the grocery store turn into an anxiety filled hide and seek game searching for potential hidden allergens. Going out to eat can also have its challenges when the restaurant staff doesn’t take the food allergy seriously. Regrettably, this prevents many people with food allergies from enjoying the restaurant experience out of fear they may have a reaction. On a more positive note, someone with food allergies could have exceptional cooking skills as they learn to adapt their favorite recipes to fit their lifestyle. Cooking for yourself when you have a food allergy can give peace of mind, knowing all the ingredients you select to go into the recipe are safe. Surely you have heard about baseball parks going peanut free or having a peanut free section. Elementary schools started foregoing birthday parties with cupcakes or other treats in efforts to keep students with food allergies safe, as well as help them feel included. Halloween brings the Teal Pumpkin Project to light to raise awareness of food allergies. Houses with Teal Pumpkins offer allergen friendly, spooktacular treats for the little ghosts, goblins, superheroes and princesses that may have food allergies. 2 I’m sure we’ve all asked the question at some point: Are we going too far with food allergies? Maybe, maybe not? You have to put yourself in their shoes to understand. If you are reading this and have a food allergy, the most important thing to do for yourself is to advocate. Communication is the most important thing for food allergies. Insist on talking to a chef, ask questions, and convey your needs to the restaurant staff or your friends. If you don’t educate them on your needs, they won’t know to take the proper precautions to keep you safe. Continued on next page. Ask anyone with a food allergy – it's not an easy lifestyle. ANAPHYLAXIS – The body’s immune system response to a food allergen that can cause low blood pressure and closure of the person’s airway. EPINEPHRINE – A drug that is delivered through an Epi-Pen for those in anaphylactic shock that helps slow down the allergic response in the body by increasing the blood pressure, decreasing swelling, and constricting blood vessels CROSS CONTAMINATION – The unintentional transfer of one food product/allergen or bacteria to another surface. An example would be sprinkling nuts in a salad with your hands and then not washing your hands before moving onto a different task such as cutting chicken. FOOD INTOLERANCE – Another term that comes up when talking about food allergies is food intolerances. They are not life threatening and the person may be able to tolerate small amounts of that particular food. The immune system is not involved with a food intolerance. It is often a result of a missing enzyme in the digestion process. Two common examples of a food intolerance are lactose or gluten intolerances. A food allergy is not the same thing as food intolerance. 6 Nutrition Quarterly · 2021 – Volume 3 What We’re Reading