Page 32 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

Michelle - I have eaten products that are labeled “may contain” before, but have worked on avoiding them as I know it’s not worth the risk. Lately, I find it’s a lot easier to find alternatives. Having an allergy also makes it easy to turn down desserts and treats that I shouldn’t be eating anyway.
At what age did you start to read your own ingredient lists?
Caitlin - I started to read my own ingredient labels around grade one. At this age, I could identify the words “milk, eggs, nuts, and peanuts.” Of course my parents would read them with me at this age. But they believed it was never too early to get me to start with reading ingredients and building a routine of checking the label before I ate anything.
Katelyn - From a very young age, I learned to read my own ingredient labels. Let’s just say I didn’t have the best support group present at a young age. However, due to my independence, I did learn something from it! They didn’t have the same labelling laws when I was younger. So I looked up alternative names for my allergens and made sure that there was nothing that could cause me to have an allergic reaction. By becoming familiar with these names (including ingredients in cosmetic products), I was able to determine that I had a passion for science and have started to build my career aspirations around it.
Michelle - My parents started to read labels with me as soon as I was capable of understanding what ingredient lists were in early elementary school.
Sometimes we are in situations where others read ingredient lists for us. Do you trust others doing this for you?
Caitlin - I generally trust close friends and family to read ingredient labels for me. However, I very often double-check the ingredients as well. I believe that having two sets of eyes scan the ingredients can help reduce any anxiety that I may have when trying a new food.
Katelyn - I only trust a small amount of people with reading ingredients for me. If I don’t feel comfortable with the situation, then I ask if I can double-check for myself. It also helps, during the holidays for example, if you ask the host to keep the packages that the product was contained in.
Michelle - I will trust close family and some friends to check labels. Usually these are people who I have specifically taught to check labels the way I would. If someone else is insisting on reading the label for me, I sometimes find that it’s awkward to ask to double-check. At parties and gatherings, I generally ask for the packages to be kept so I can look them over myself.
What’s the best AND worst part of reading ingredients for everything you eat?