You walk into a store, you see a gorgeous box of chocolate chip cookies sitting on the counter, waiting to be sold. You reach for it, only to see....Contains Walnuts. And you can't eat walnuts. (And honestly, what's the appeal of walnuts in chocolate chip cookies? I don't get it...but anyway)
Story of my life.
As someone with food allergies to tree nuts and coconut, the struggle to avoid my allergens in daily life can be a struggle. Especially around people who don't know me, in places I don't know, and in small bakeries. (Small bakeries are usually family owned and made with family recipes. Recipes that more often than not, contain nuts)
Anyone with a food allergy will have felt this pain, whether it is peanuts, dairy, fruit, etc.
As a kid, one of my favorite cereals was Honey Nut Cheerios. But then we found out I was allergic to tree nuts. Of which, includes almonds. Almonds are the nut in Honey "Nut" Cheerios. I had to give it up to protect my health. That was hard.
It's tough to sit and watch everyone eat whatever they wanted. It's tough to go to people's house and have to ask, "are there nuts in it?" It's awkward, especially with anxiety issues. It's also awkward to stand in a store, holding a box at an skewed angle as you try and read the poorly placed ingredients. Can we get ingredient lists in a better place than the bottom? Seriously now.
The most annoying thing people can say to someone with a food allergy is "you don't know what you're missing." Yes. Yes, I do know. You are drooling over that coconut cream pie, you are drooling over that jar of Nutella, you are drooling over everything I can't have. I realize these things are delicious that's why you are eating them.
I have learned to adapt to these things. When people say "you don't know what you're missing" I shrug and usually reply "I may not like it anyway, so who cares." (Which often gets people angry because I just insulted their favorite food.) I've learned to accept some weird looks in the grocery store as I'm checking packages. I have learned to trust my gut and not touch food items that I may think have nuts in it. I have learned to ask "is there nuts in this?" And I have learned that not everyone will remember I have a nut allergy.
Having a food allergy really, REALLY sucks, but you learn to live with it.
