Her Mother Knows Best
The best advice that I have received about having food allergies was given to me by my mother. Her advice was to trust no one except for myself. This can be applied to eating at restaurants, trying new foods, eating at friends’ houses, and other situations. If people guarantee that something is safe for you to eat, but you feel uncertain and uneasy about it, you need to speak up for yourself and not take the risk. I can think of numerous instances where I’ve been at friends’ houses and they had reassured me that what they had for dinner was completely safe for me to eat, and then proceeded to grab other potentially unsafe foods with unwashed hands. It is then up to me to be wary of whatever residue was on their hands and to find an alternative food to eat. This is the best piece of advice I have ever received, because my mother is the only person in this world that completely understands my allergy.
The advice that I would give to others about food allergies would be to speak up about your allergy, no matter what. Most people who are unfamiliar with allergies are curious about them and respectful when they are informed. When more people are aware of your allergies, you have extra pairs of eyes looking out for you, and you are safer. It’s especially important to speak up about your allergy even if you think it’s going to cause a burden or be awkward to talk about. Chances are that people are going to be understanding about them and accommodate them accordingly.
