Page 71 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

that they always wash their hands thoroughly before they come home. We have never run into any problems with this before.
Talia – My only rule for my roommate was to open a window if she was making fish. I’m allergic to fish and know that the aerosolized proteins can be problematic for me.
Do you have many safe options with your meal plan?
Karen - The hospitality services at my school are super supportive of everybody’s dietary restrictions and
will work with you to find something that you can eat on campus.
Lindsay - I have a lot of safe options with my meal plan at school. My university does not serve any products containing nuts, except for a few baked goods. Hospitality services are extremely helpful for those with any dietary restrictions at my school. They post ingredient lists for any of their “homemade- type” meals and are more than willing to answer any questions you have. If you are having any issues, they will accommodate whatever your needs are.
Talia - I live off campus. So I’m responsible for my own meals. Of course, I only bring food into my apartment that I’m not allergic to. So I always feel safe.
Did you find it really hard to adjust managing your allergies more independently without your parents?
Karen - I didn’t find it too hard because my parents gave me more independence during high school to manage my allergies. I was able to just bring that with me to university. I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of people who understand the importance of anaphylaxis. But there are also people who are ignorant about it. But that’s just life. I can tell you that I am more cautious because my parents are not around. Yet I am also more creative because university gives me the opportunity to try new things.
Lindsay - I didn’t find it too difficult to adjust my allergy management when going to university. I think that a big part of having allergies as a child is that they kind of force you to become independent at a young age. While I was growing up, my parents really put an emphasis on me being able to manage my allergies on my own. They knew that, one day, I would be moving away from them. Therefore, I felt very prepared when I left for school. I haven’t had any problems adjusting.
Talia - I think that, compared to high school, university has a lot more social events that involve eating (dinners, cocktail hours, etc.). Having to face all of those situations on my own has helped me learn how to effectively communicate my allergies to others. This was something my parents used to do for me when I was younger.