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Food allergy woes

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Allergies
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FunkySahara
New Member
Joined : Jun 2006
Posts : 2
Posted 6/30/2006 12:18 AM (GMT -7)

mad I have many food allergies and intolerances, but when I'm alone they're quite manageable. I find plenty of foods to eat as long as I prepare them myself. It's not the allergies themselves that make my life miserable, it's people! There is this constant, relentless pressure to EAT! When I go to a social function people can't seem to understand that I'm perfectly content to just nibble on a few vegetables or skip the food altogether and just have a drink. It often turns into a circus, with everyone running around in a futile effort to find me something to eat and me saying "No thanks, I'm fine, really," and no one listening. I know they mean well but they make me feel like a freak. I am so tired of being the center of attention at every party! I just want to forget about food and enjoy everyone's company. How can I politely tell these food fanatics to back off?

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firemt
Regular Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 108
Posted 6/30/2006 7:12 AM (GMT -7)
hey! your not alone there!!! It is the worst feeling when people won't leave you alone about not eating. Unfortantly there is no polite way to tell people that you can't eat that food for a reason. You have to tell them what your allergic too! Not only does it give them a reason to stop bothering you, but it also lets them know that you have allergies than can be deadly (if your anaphylactic).

Take care!

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FunkySahara
New Member
Joined : Jun 2006
Posts : 2
Posted 6/30/2006 4:47 PM (GMT -7)
I do tell people I have allergies, basically I can't eat any processed food or foods with high protein content. Which doesn't leave much! And then comes the horrified reactions where everyone interrogates me: "Can you eat this? And this? What about this?" Some people take it as a challenge and bend over backwards trying to find me something I can eat, even though I tell them not to. I hate being the center of attention like that! I know this sounds awful but it's kind of a comfort to me that so many people have allergies these days. When I was a kid I was the only kid in our school who had severe allergies. Many adults didn't even believe in allergies and some tried to bully me into eating foods I was allergic to in order to prove allergies didn't exist. At least now society is more informed about them. But there is still a stigma about the subject. Just think of characters on TV or in the movies who have multiple allergies or asthma. They're usually portrayed as annoying losers, even the children. For some reason the media has decided allergy victims are fair game. I've decided to start writing the producers of these shows and complaining. It's hard enough for children to speak up about their condition without worrying about being labelled as a loser. I think I'd also like to write a magazine article about the psychology of allergies.

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firemt
Regular Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 108
Posted 7/1/2006 8:23 PM (GMT -7)
Your absoutly right about how society treats people with allergies. The general public is becoming more aware, but like you said the t.v. and movies are not making this easier for us. I think it's great that you write the producers and thinkng about writing an article! I can't even imagine how children must feel. My anaphylaxis is adult onset, and still does make for a easy target. Not only can they bully us with words but there are those people who will go so far as too sneak our allergn into some kind of food. Truly sad.
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baldy64
New Member
Joined : Jul 2006
Posts : 3
Posted 7/13/2006 8:40 PM (GMT -7)
When I had problems with hives, and foods aggravated them (but they were not the cause), I took my own food if I was invited to a party or someone's house. That way I had something to eat, and they didn't have to try and fix something special or find anything for me.

I told them in advance I would be doing that, and never had a problem.
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BMTB
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2005
Posts : 422
Posted 7/20/2006 10:13 AM (GMT -7)
FunkySahara and Firemt - I am the parent of a 3 yr old with severe milk, peanut, and now soy allergies. You have both made very good points regarding society's treatment and portrayal of food allergic individuals. The biggest fear for my son is that when he starts preschool this fall and then kindergarten, he will be pressured by other children and adults to try something that isn't "legal" for him. At his current age, we as parents have pretty good control to his exposure to allergens and his diet, but when he starts to venture from my nest, I don't know what I'll do!
I pray that he won't be singled out in the classroom or playground as "different" than the other kids. I grew up "different' with Ulcerative Colitis and don't want that for him!
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SnowyLynne
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2004
Posts : 1539
Posted 7/20/2006 2:19 PM (GMT -7)
Sometimes you just have to be matter of fact & tell what can happen if he/she eats foods they are allegic to.
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firemt
Regular Member
Joined : Mar 2005
Posts : 108
Posted 7/20/2006 11:41 PM (GMT -7)
BMTB!

I am sorry your son has food allergies :(. But the biggest thing is to educate him and everyone around you, including his friends and their parents. Starting out school with a food allergy can be the scariest thing ... I have heard some stories where a child will actually tell people around him or her that they can't eat the specific food because they have an allergy.

If you would like I can post a couple links to some very good sites, that discuss this very topic!

Take care!
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