Anxiety and Allergies

There’s one thing that’s really getting on my nerves of late. I tweeted about it a couple of weeks ago, but it’s always been a niggle of mine. The latest incident started with a throwaway comment said by a shop assistant, but it actually just goes to show the lack of understanding surrounding food allergies.

I personally suffer really badly with food allergies – fresh fruits such as apples and pears cause me to react  basically have a minor anaphylactic episode. Yet, I can have tinned pears or cooked apples, without an issue. I initially thought it was in the skins, so I attempted to have them peeled. Still no difference. I can eat them cooked/tinned, so why not fresh? Apparently it’s the breakdown of the enzymes.

The worst thing for me are salad peppers, which are in listed in EVERYTHING! One of my goals this year is to eat more healthily Trying to diet, when you can’t eat these is very difficult!
If these darling little vegetables are cut, cooked or eaten next to me I start to react. My throat closes, my eyes start to stream and I can’t breathe.

But, I find ways around it, I always cook fresh where I can. If I see something I like the look of which has peppers in, I’ll prepare my own minus the peppers.

What is annoying though is the fact because I can’t eat certain foods people think I’m being fussy. I was in a supermarket the other week, and we were looking through and discussing various foods – PRIVATELY between myself and my grandmother. When this shop assistant turns round and says – ‘oooh she knows what she wants, she’s very fussy isn’t she?!’ then preceded to talk about teenagers (which I’m not) and junk food.

Exhibit number one of what not to say to an allergy sufferer! (Especially when you don’t know anything else about them)

Due to the never-ending list of health issues I have, I am very, very sensitive about my weight and eating anyway. But for someone to saying I’m ‘fussing’ is absolutely disgusting. She doesn’t know me, she doesn’t know the damage that, that comment could have caused me.
Do they actually know how difficult it is? to go out, and order a meal that doesn’t consist of an allergen for me. This sometimes means, my family and friends need to change their choice so I don’t react to what they’re eating too. I’m lucky that my closest friends and my boyfriend understand.

That still doesn’t change the fact I constantly feel like people are judging me with what I’m eating. Or better yet, comment on what I’m eating. I’ve heard it all – “why you eating that”? “Oh my! You’re actually eating something that’s healthy”?,  “are you not allergic to that too”?
Honestly, I’m really tempted to start questioning their meal choices next time. If they’re prepared to try and embarrass me, then maybe I should embarrass them? I’ll just have to start questioning their meal choices too.

But my highlight, which I’m going to close this post on is  – “you’re not going to lose weight by eating this rubbish”. I know I’m overweight, and I want to change that. But when pretty much everything throws up an allergen, it’s very mentally tiring and easy to give in. There is very little education surrounding whatever allergy I’m suffering from. Looking at healthy recipies they all include allergy triggers. I could find something to replace these things with but it then wouldn’t have the same effect that the dish was designed to do.

Do you suffer from any allergies that make food / toiletry shopping difficult?
How do you cope?