Risky Business—When to Say No to Foods

It is my personal view that having food allergies is a 24/7 responsibility. The main person responsible for your own personal safety is you.  This is in no way a negative thing; but it can pose some added challenges in different everyday situations.  When opportunities to experiment with eating foods that you are unsure of arise, and if there is ever any doubt as to the safeness of the food, I find it is best to just say no.

Now I realize ‘just saying no’ is much more easily said than done.  One of the best examples I can think of is saying no to foods that ‘may contain’ different allergens.  Personally, I have peanut, tree nut, wheat, and egg allergies. I commonly find that many different food labels will ‘may contain’ one of these allergens. And, I will admit, at times I feeling frustrated with how this can limit food choices.  It’s important to take a step back when contemplating trying these ‘may contain’ items.  One must evaluate if the risk is actually worth the severe reaction that could be brought on.  I also find it helpful to determine if there are any other safe alternatives to what food I was looking to buy or any better safe food replacements.  One way of doing this is seeking out options at health food stores which have a lot of different great food alternatives for people with dietary restrictions; however, it still is important to make sure whatever item you are looking at is still safe—many may still contain various allergens.

I personally find eating out can be another situation when it can be difficult to ‘just say no’ to different foods.  When eating out with large groups, it can be easy to find yourself in a situation where friends might want to share and sample various dishes at the table. But this can be risky if you have food allergies.  When ordering your own meal, it’s important to inform the kitchen of your allergies and the importance of avoiding cross contamination. The same precautions, however, will not be taken with any of the other meals being served to that table aside from your own. It may be tempting to try someone else’s meal. Yet I find it best to always reevaluate the risk and acknowledge how having an allergic reaction during a night out would be a lot worst than missing out on a sample of food.

I find that always comparing the risks and (for lack of a better word) inconveniences of having an allergic reaction are helpful in making the decision to say ‘no’ to risky food choices.  A specific example I have of this includes when I was travelling to Europe for the first time.  My first day was in London, England. I will admit, while I was enjoying all the sight seeing and normal joys of travelling, when it came to find a place for lunch I found myself being overly cautious picking a safe food to eat. The last thing I wanted was to have an allergic reaction on my first day of holidays in a foreign country. I also found it hard since I was travelling with friends and they were very interested in experimenting with new foods at foreign restaurants I wasn’t familiar with.  I have travelled abroad since and each time I make sure to do research ahead of time on safe food choices abroad. I also never run short of safe snacks, which I bring along, that make it easier to avoid risky foods without having to go hungry! In the end, while it may be tempting at the time to experiment with different foods, it’s also important to take a very careful look at the risks that are involved and realize it’s okay to ‘just say no’.

Caitlyn