Teens Coping with Food Allergies

Filed in archive Food Allergies , Living with Allergies on February 6, 2007

Obviously food allergies make life difficult, and when children are involved, the burden of preventing mishaps lie of the parents' shoulders. Sure, it's difficult for kids, but can you imagine how it's like for teens, who can no longer depend on mom or dad to make sure everything they eat is safe? Here's what Emily says,

A trait that separates me from most of my peers is my severe allergy to nuts. Nothing else could garner the bewildered examination of my Medic-Alert bracelet as people try to guess the identity and magnitude of the medical anomaly engraved on it, or the sophomoric chuckles at the sound of "nuts." I take the jokes in stride, but few understand the burden of living with this dietary restriction. Scrutinizing ingredient labels is irksome, while the punishment for slacking off can be fatal. I learned the hard way how imperative it is to investigate food that is not pre-packaged, since many dishes contain nuts or nut products.

Emily's article teaches us parents of allergic kids how important it is to explain their allergies to our children so that they won't succumb to peer pressure and wallow in self-pity. It nearly brought tears to my eyes as Emily ended her article with:

I may have been deprived of peanut butter and jelly throughout my lifetime, but I possess an allergy that - despite its negative aspects - has constantly reminded me to be open-minded and respectful of others' differences.

Isn't that heartwarming?