What the Nut?
My tips and tricks to avoid using my epipens!
Allergen Alert Card
During the summer before my junior year in college I was diagnosed with three more food allergens. Up until this point I just had to avoid tree nuts, sesame, and poppy seeds. Typically I would avoid bagels and sandwich buns; plus most foods indicated whether or not they had tree nuts in them. My newer allergens, however, were somewhat naked to the eye. How was I supposed to look at a menu and determine if a dish was cooked in canola oil?
My dietitian at the time recommended that I make a custom allergen card. This way I could hand the card to my server and save myself the time and energy it takes to list out and clarify my allergens. I am still in awe of how such a simple tool has helped me so much. The trick is to laminate the card, otherwise it is not always handed back to me (sometimes people have written on it too). When I am placing an order (at a counter or seated at a restaurant) I will hand my server the card and reiterate that these are life threatening food allergens. If the server doesn’t ask on their own, I will also suggest they bring the card with them when they place my food order with their chef. 90% of the time the server will return my card; the other 10% is why I carry extra!
My card isn’t perfect, in fact it looks kind of funky. Honestly - life can be kind of funky when you have food allergens. This is an accurate representation of what my card looks like on a day to day basis. I keep one in my wallet, I try to keep one in every bag/purse, and I always have a picture on my phone incase I can’t find it.
FIG
Fig which stands for Food Is Good, is an app that was made to make finding food easier when you live with food sensitivities, food allergies, or need to follow a diet. I found Fig shortly after I was diagnosed with my most difficult to avoid food allergen, Canola Oil.
FIG's focus is to make sure it feels like there are fewer restrictions and more options for anyone shopping at the grocery store. I went from full on breakdowns in the grocery store isle to calmly sourcing which foods I can safely eat. It may seem like a simple task, but it can become very overwhelming to constantly read food labels. More so, labels of your favorite foods constantly change. Thankfully, Fig’s database is always updating. If you are looking for a tool to use when you go grocery shopping or even eating at popular chain restaurants.