Page 101 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

A few minutes later the waiter came back. He said that he had confirmed with the kitchen that
everything would be safe and that they made the bread in house. As the waiter was placing the
bruschetta in front of me, I had a flash. I quickly remembered that many gluten-free breads have pea
flour in them (I am allergic to peas). I immediately asked him whether there was pea flour in the bread.
He took the bruschetta back to the kitchen to find out. When I saw him walking back, he was shaking his
head and informed me there actually was pea flour in it. Phew! Had I not clued in on the pea flour, I
would have been administering my epinephrine and on my way to the hospital. It was a close call.
I was not focused enough when I was ordering because I felt this restaurant compared to other
restaurants would be safer. And I thought that they would be more aware than other restaurants. I let
down my guard and almost paid the price for it. Stay focused when speaking to the serving or kitchen
staff. Distractions can cause mistakes. I learned in that moment that, every time I order, I need to be
100% focused and ‘on my game’.
Not all Carrot Cakes are Created Equal, by Nick
Around the time that I was finishing elementary school, and moving on to high school, I started to assert
my independence and started making decisions on my own. This included decisions surrounding my
allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. One day my grade eight teacher was nice enough to bring some
carrot cake. I figured that, because I ate my mother’s carrot cake all the time, this cake would be safe.
This was not quite the case. It was full of walnuts! After an injection, and a trip to the ER, I learned a
great lesson: Always double-check and don’t make assumptions.
Revisiting an Old Snack, by Jazmin
I have always been extremely responsible with my allergies and made sure to keep a close eye on ingredients. But, in grade 11, I decided to get a snack for my lunch that I hadn’t had in a couple years. It was something that I always used to eat and was safe at the time. I was sitting in chemistry class eating my snack when, all of the sudden, my throat started to close off. I went to tell my teacher that I thought I was having an anaphylactic reaction and, as soon as I did, I lost consciousness. It was a very scary life or death situation and one that could have been avoided. I felt very embarrassed and responsible for the traumatic situation my class and my teachers had to endure. Although the ambulance came, and I was in the hospital for a while, one of my peers had read the ingredients of the snack I had been eating and, sure enough, there had been milk added to the ingredients list. That situation taught me to read every label even if I am used to eating it. Things change without warning and, lately, I have saved myself from many dangerous situations just by being tedious and extremely careful.
Quick Tip - Reading ingredient lists on your own is a great way to prove that you’re responsible. Better yet, call a manufacturer and inquire about the risks for cross-contamination for a product you are interested in. Simply explain that you are unsure about it.