Food Allergies - Enough!

[Dizlvr]

Not being able to eat a particular food item is not a disability.

I believe allergies are considered a disability under the ADA

 

[disykat]

What this thread seems to be coming down to is that the OP doesn't want to take responsibility for the fact that his friend is a pain in the butt, but instead use his dinner experience as a chance to rant against people with actual food allergies.

 

[slo]

Your friend needs to meet my DD's friend who is allergic to milk - not lactose intolerant - she's allergic to a protein in milk which means she can't have anything that has milk in it. This young lady is 12 years old, and you very rarely hear her complain. She has learned what she can and can't eat, and if she's unsure, then she'll ask, and if she can't have it, she'll rarely complain - very mature for a 12 year old. I've known this girl half her life, and she's always been a champ when it comes to her food limits.

When I hear adults whining about what they can't have I just shake my head and think of this girl, and how they could all take a lesson from her.

 

[ashley0139]

Its called oral allergy syndrome. If a person has seasonal allergies to certain trees, they can get a reaction when eating raw fruits or vegetables that have similiar proteins. The body is tricked into thinking its the allergen.
Cooking changes the proteins that is why people can eat a cooked vegetable or fruit without any reaction. I'm not sure how long it has to be cooked, I guess just long enough to change the protein so the body isn't fooled by it.
My ds has this, and its a PIA because he was such a raw fruit lover when he was younger, now he can only eat blueberries raw.

Yep, I have this only with raw apples and raw almonds (which are apparently in the same family of something or other that makes them related). It sucks because I love apples but I can't eat them raw or my mouth will be so itchy.

 

[MarcW]

Not being able to eat a particular food item is not a disability. You have other options to eat. While not allergic to ice cream it does cause a reaction in that my stomach grows. So I am disabled right?

I am not limited nor do I consider myself disabled. I served my country and suffered a minor setback. No one forced me to go overseas and I expect no one to alter their everyday life for me.

I don't expect others to alter their everyday life for me. I expect people that I am PAYING for a service to provide that service in a fashion that I can use.

As book girl said I don't go to places that state they won't accomodate my allergy. *I do expect them to do so with grace if they advertise that as part of their service.* I have quietly left places in the past that could not help me. I don't even bother going out anymore. It is too much of a hassle.


Soy or gluten is in almost all processed foods. Which is why I don't eat in chain restaurants at all. Ever. It is also in most foods that are considered portable so I have an insanely hard time traveling. Can't cook on the road, can't eat out, can't eat processed shelf stable foods, can't eat at friends or relatives homes. So it is a bit more complicated than avoiding one food item. Even chocolate has soy lecithin in it. Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions all have vitamin E or tocopherol acetate which is usually made from soy. It is also in many medications so that I have to go to a special pharmacists to have meds I need special made without it.

You are very ignorant about this topic but instead of learning you revel in your ignorance. You could start by deciding if life threatening allergies are no big deal as you state here or are such a big deal that sufferers should just never leave their homes as you seemed to state previously.

Or maybe it is none of your business if a company wants to provide a service for a price that both the diner and the restaurant agree on. Free markets! Capitalism! Heard of it? Your taxes aren't paying for my dinner. My taxes are paying for handicap ramps and I don't have a problem with that. Why do you have a problem with me?

 

[worm761]

Food allergies/intolerance are a funny thing. I grew up eating pickles. Loved them. Then one day I started getting rashes. Nasty, itchy, turned me blotchy red rashes. Just what a 20 year old wants. Turns out I developed an intolerance to pickles. I can eat cucumber. I can eat dill because I tatziki (SP?). I eat pickled jalapenos. But give me a good ole dill pickle and it's blotchy, itchy rash city. And I'm miserable until it goes away. I've never made an issue of it. I ask for no pickles and that any pickles be left off of my plate due to an allergy.

 

[Planogirl]

I personally really feel sad for those that struggle with allergies and sensitivities. It must be simply terrifying when you are talking life-threatening allergies.

However there are those individuals who feel like the whole world should bend to their needs and that's just not realistic. I would hope that every business will do what it can but I agree with those who say that it's not and never should be required in private businesses. If a restaurant can't or won't make special dishes then just don't go there. Luckily there are some that will help.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Yep, I have this only with raw apples and raw almonds (which are apparently in the same family of something or other that makes them related). It sucks because I love apples but I can't eat them raw or my mouth will be so itchy.

My son has it with strawberries and I JUST discovered that I either have this or another type of allergy to eggplant! I can't remember ever having it before(just not something I'm regularly around to try) and DH's cousin grilled some the other day. Simple salt, pepper, olive oil(so I know it wasn't any spices)...My lips were itchy, red and swollen.

 

[Jaime4004]

Its called oral allergy syndrome. If a person has seasonal allergies to certain trees, they can get a reaction when eating raw fruits or vegetables that have similiar proteins. The body is tricked into thinking its the allergen.
Cooking changes the proteins that is why people can eat a cooked vegetable or fruit without any reaction. I'm not sure how long it has to be cooked, I guess just long enough to change the protein so the body isn't fooled by it.
My ds has this, and its a PIA because he was such a raw fruit lover when he was younger, now he can only eat blueberries raw.

BTW, I was liking your explanation, not that fact that your kid can only eat blueberries. Mine has the same, it's really frustrating...

 

[Dizlvr]

BTW, I was liking your explanation, not that fact that your kid can only eat blueberries. Mine has the same, it's really frustrating...

My ds has had it for years but he's been trying to re-introduce fruit into his diet and some things don't bother him as much anymore. He ate watermelon and bananas recently and he said he didn't get itchy so we tried a few other fruits but unfortunately they bothered him. I guess there is hope that it will go away on its own.

 

[Cadiewampus]

I also have the raw onion thing. It also just started in the past few years. Ree Drumond (Pioneer Woman) is also bothered by them and she soaks them before using them and swears it helps. I have never tried it, but plan to someday. Normally I just pick them out unless they are diced and then I just stop eating what they were in.

Ok I like Ree Drumond and her show. Have used many of her receipes over the years but Pioneer women is a misnomer. I meam come on how many Pioneer Women live in a house that size and then have a "cook house" that is larger than most peoples main living spaces. Oh an not to mention those Ovens and stoves she uses. If that is being a Pioneer sign me up.

 

[Jaime4004]

My ds has had it for years but he's been trying to re-introduce fruit into his diet and some things don't bother him as much anymore. He ate watermelon and bananas recently and he said he didn't get itchy so we tried a few other fruits but unfortunately they bothered him. I guess there is hope that it will go away on its own.

Mine has had it for years too. But went the opposite way. He recently developed an anaphylactic reaction to watermelon. So now he's supposed to avoid everything he's ever had a reaction to (the list is quite long ).

 

[aristocatz]

It's a shame, the way the allergy thing seems to have blown up over the past several years. The people I hear complaining most seem to have sensitivities & not allergies, and their symptoms are not life threatening.

It's sad, because there are actually people out there with true & true dangerous food allergies, and they seem to get downplayed or ridiculed because the others have made such a big deal about their less severe ones.

I will never forget the poor little girl in the news (last year??) who had a severe peanut allergy & took a bite of something that had peanuts in it, while she was at summer camp, & passed away

 

[Dizlvr]

Mine has had it for years too. But went the opposite way. He recently developed an anaphylactic reaction to watermelon. So now he's supposed to avoid everything he's ever had a reaction to (the list is quite long ).

Oh no, that is awful and so scary.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

My 2 year old has a severe peanut allergy. She broke out in hives after her first ever peanut butter sandwich when she was 1 (don't get me started on the babysitter giving her peanut butter...). When had allergy testing done, peanuts it is! We have to carry epi pens. You better believe we check with every restaurant every time we order. Because sometimes it is in things you would never dream of.

If your friend truly had allergies, I wouldn't blame her for asking the chef. But if it bothers you, you don't have to go to.eat with her anymore.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

So, here's the issue. My daughter has a class 6 peanut allergy. You can google that to find out what it means, but in a nutshell, she is AS allergic, by blood, as you can be to peanuts. She's a 100 out of 100. We spent 12 years managing it and, let me tell you, it's not easy. Yes, we avoided some restaurants for years because they just weren't safe. Dd had to skip five guys or texas road house. It was too dangerous. She recently completed desensitization and life is a lot different for her now and we're thankful for how much easier her and our lives are.

When you start talking about food allergies, people start making the "wise" suggestion to "not go there" or "keep your kids at home" or "homeschool". They want to know how we "go to the playground" or do any normal things. The answer is, we have to do a great amount of risk assessment to decide what is worth it and what isn't. It's awful. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Ever.

It is nearly impossible to go someplace that has NO nuts at all. Dd was only allergic to peanuts (which are NOT nuts, btw) but all nuts were considered unsafe due to processing and cross contamination. We made adjustments. We asked questions. We talked to chefs and servers and managers to make sure dd was as safe as she could be. Why didn't we keep her home? Because that was no way to live and it was our job as her parents to guide her into living life as an allergic person.

Now, we never ever complained if it took longer to make sure her food was safe. That's stupid. Please, take your time. Wash things again. Double check. Be sure. Take all the time you need to help us help her. We're more than willing to wait. We understand that allergies might limit our menu. Again, that's okay. We understand. Please, double check again. Part of managing an allergy is being patient and managing risk. Please don't assume that because an allergic person dines someplace where his or her allergens are served means that they're not being safe and managing their allergy. That's just ignorant.

How old was your child when. They did the desensitization? How did it go? Dd has a peanut allergy. We haven't done a blood test, we know based on her reaction to peanut butter and the skin pick test. She was so young when she reacted that they basically just threw an epi pen at us and sent us on our way. I'm an RN so I guess they think I'm an expert :/..

I'm really interested in desensitization for our daughter. She'll be 3 in august, and I've read they like the kids to be like 5.

 

[Ismo]

I never ask for anything to be specially made for me, I usually just double check that the food I'm ordering doesn't have anything I'm allergic to in it. But one really nice experience I had with a chef was at the 50's Prime Time Cafe. We asked the waitress about one of the vegetarian meals (there's usually 2 to choose from here). It ended up that I couldn't eat either one of them so I was just going to opt for a salad, no biggie! I guess she went back and spoke to the chef because next thing I know the chef comes out to the table and asks me what I want for dinner. I politely tried telling it was fine and I really didn't mind having a salad (since I definitely overate on the trip as it was). He wouldn't have it, he said that he creates the same meals everyday and he would love to make something special off the menu. It go to the point where I was close to offending him so I said I'd like a veggie burger, thinking that would be simple and not be asking too much of him.

He ended up creating the yummiest veggie patty I've ever had. He then came out to ask me how I liked it and we had our picture taken with him. It was really a nice experience and made my day. We wrote an nice letter to Disney about him and left a very nice tip as well. So I guess it depends on the chef!

 

[Happyinwonerland]

A note on the food allergy explosion:

In the mid to late 90's it became standard practice to routinely test and treat women for group b strep. The treatment involves I antibiotics during labor, which cross the placenta and go into the amniotic fluid and dose the baby too. After birth, any baby with any symptoms whatsoever are also treated with IV antibiotics. In recent years, researchers tested those antibiotics and found they destroy the natural gut Flora that helps digest certain proteins. Treating mice with the antibiotics made a large portion of the mice allergic to peanuts. It can be inferred that the heavy use of antibiotics in group b positive women might be contributing to the rise in food allergies. Of course, not treating the Group B strep can be more devastating than a food allergy, so it's the lesser of 2 evils

 

[aprilchem]

I also wonder if at some point some of the finer restaurants just stop accommodating those with allergies. The risk seems way to high of accidently killing someone.

I guess it would also mean people have to take personal responsibility and not demand special food.

I was on a plane yesterday (US Airways) and they essentially had that statement in their seat-back information - if you have a nut allergies, we cannot accommodate you in any way. It specifically said no buffer zones, they won't ask people not to bring peanuts on the plane, and they won't stop serving nuts in their snack packs, etc. I was surprised to see that!

And I think your friend was a bit overboard, but as the wife to a man with severe food allergies I can say I've been pretty specific in my questioning of waiters from time to time. My DH has had anaphylactic reactions twice that I can remember, both times with cross-contamination of something that didn't contain any allergens for him.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Ismo- I have found the chefs at Disney to be overly accommodating to our daughter's allergy. They insist on coming out at every meal and telling us what is safe. At buffets they walk us to each dish and tell us what is and isn't safe. We don't ask for it, they just do it. And they bring out a special plate of peanut safe desserts just for her ( the first time this happened, my 7 year old niece was with us, and she was jealous! ) I love how they are so accommodating without making me feel like a nuisance.