I am a food allergy (FA) mom, that means I an expert at reading food labels, calling companies asking if their products shares a line with an allergen since their ingredient list wasn’t sufficient evidence for me, I am also the mom that brings her kids food to a birthday party cos I don’t want to inconvenience the host. I am sure you get my drift.
May is food allergy awareness month. Food allergy is a very serious condition, and if care is not taken sometimes it can lead to death. My son is allergic to eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. FA is a club no one wants to be a member of, but this life chose me. If you are interested in finding out I became a member of this club, you can read all about it here
A lot of people are not aware of food allergy. I remember someone telling me to feed my son his allergen that way he can overcome it. I don’t think the person has ever seen someone go into an anaphylactic shock before. Anaphylaxis is a severe, potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Symptoms can affect several areas of the body, including breathing and blood circulation.
This post is to create awareness and educate people on the seriousness of food allergy and how they can support people living with food allergy.
Ask questions: Asking about their allergies shows that you want to know about it and have a better understanding. By asking you can find out the severity of their allergy. For example. Some people with an egg allergy can eat baked goods while others can’t, some are so severe that they cannot breathe in air when you are frying an egg.
Educate yourself: Even if you don’t know someone with FA educating yourself about it can save someone’s life. The bad thing about FA is that most times you don’t know you have an allergy until you get a reaction from something you ate.
Include and make provision when you can: It is easy to exclude people with FA from events in the bid to protect them but that shouldn’t be the case. Next time you are having a party ask you guests if they have any allergies and try to make alternative provision for them. I have a friend who called me to ask if my son can eat a certain food at her daughter’s party and when I told her it wasn’t safe for him, she went out of her way to order what he can eat. That was very kind of her.
Some of my favorite FA brands and Instagram accounts
If you are new to food allergy take it one day at a time. It can get overwhelming, but with education and preparation it is doable. A lot of kids will outgrow their allergies, and I am praying with expectation that one day my son will outgrow his but until that day, this mama will keep advocating for her child every single day.
This is a picture of my Son and I at the airport. We don't go anywhere with out his back pack because it contains his epi pen (This is used incase of a severe allergy reaction) Benadryl and safe snacks/food for him to eat if he gets hungry while we are out.
Being a FA mom means you have to be your kids advocate every time. I remember when he was going to daycare, I will always tell his teachers daily about his allergy that way they don't forget; I became a broken record.....lol
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or need any resources concerning food allergy. I will be glad to point you in the right direction.
Until next time, remember, you can do all thins through Christ who strengthens you.
xoxo
