Page 3 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

Introduction
Being a teen can be a lot of fun, a little bit confusing and awkward, and sometimes completely challenging. It’s not always easy being a teen. And having food allergies does not make it any easier.
As a teen, you are expected to take on more responsibilities, face new situations, and make important decisions. As a teen with food allergies, there is the additional challenge of taking control of your own health condition under a new set of circumstances. Luckily, there are a lot of other teens going through the same things you are!
Remember when you were a kid and things seemed so simple? Your parents and other adults around you probably did much of the work keeping you safe with your allergies while you learned some of the basic skills like carrying your epinephrine auto-injector (like EpiPen®, Allerject®/Auvi-Q®), reading food labels, and telling people what you were allergic to. Now, it’s definitely not that easy. But having allergies can also be very manageable—provided you know how to approach new situations.
Throughout your teenage years, you will face challenges such as changing schools, getting a job, dating for the first time, travelling without your parents, and planning ahead for your future. As teenagers, we often go to friends for advice when dealing with these new types of challenges. But how many of your friends have felt unsafe at a potluck because of food being shared, had trouble emotionally recovering after an allergic reaction or experienced being teased or bullied simply because of a food allergy? If you’ve had allergic reactions, or felt sheer frustration because your allergies have made you feel excluded, anxious or scared, you are not alone.
Having allergies is a part of who you are. Yet it does not have to define you. It does not have to prevent you from experiencing your teenage years just like everyone else.
We have compiled stories from teens and young adults with food allergies who offer advice and tips on handling different situations and emotions. Although you may have never met our youth contributors, it’s our hope that you can relate to their stories and gain insight and support from their experiences. Not every chapter may apply to you right now, but the information will hopefully help prepare you for handling future situations.
Although the main focus of this book is food allergies, teens with allergies to non-food related items (like medication, latex or insect stings), intolerances, sensitivities or other health conditions can appreciate the stories and tips shared throughout. Many of the key lessons are universal and we encourage you to share with your friends, family, and others who may benefit from them. Also, remember that we all have different perceptions of risk and ways to handle food allergies that work best for us. Although there are some non-negotiable things like always carrying your medication, there is no perfect script for asking a waiter about ingredients or telling a new friend about an allergy. We hope the stories within will help provide perspective as you develop your own tactics, comfort level, and style.
We titled this book a “Guidebook” because we hope it will help guide you through the challenges and situations you will face when managing allergies on your own while living a normal teenage life.