Page 74 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

away instead of waiting until the second date. If your date isn’t willing to support you with your allergies, they’re not worth your time.
When things go right
Surprise Allergy Aware Date, by Dylan
In my second year of university, I dated a girl who was great about my allergy. I had told her before our first date about the severity of my peanut and tree nut allergies and she followed up with questions about my auto-injector! She used to have a roommate who was a camp counsellor. So she was at least familiar with allergies through her roommate’s stories. Anyway, on our first date, she wanted to go to a restaurant I had never even heard of. So I was quite hesitant to agree. But I didn’t want to spoil her excitement. She sensed my hesitation and reassured me that she had already called the restaurant manager and spoke with the chef about my allergy. Everything on the menu was safe for me to eat and my date didn’t even eat her usual peanut butter sandwich that day or the day before just in case one of us made the move for a kiss (which I did end- up doing). I couldn’t believe how careful and thorough she was. All in all that was a great date experience!
On the Same Page, by Tess
My boyfriend is really understanding and aware when it comes to my allergy. When he first met me and found out about my allergies, however, I think he was a little apprehensive and unsure of how to handle it. As time went by, he learned more and realized that it is easy to manage as long as the right questions are asked and the necessary precautions are taken. He makes a point of not eating anything I’m allergic to whenever we spend time together. On the odd occasion, when he has, he is always on the ball with telling me right away and washing his hands, etc. He is cautious about buying pre-packaged food when we are going to make food at his apartment and I think he actually checks the labels in more detail than I do! I feel that communication is a really important factor when it comes to dating with food allergies. It’s all about figuring out a system between the two of you that works and makes you as safe as possible.
Quick Tip - Having a new boyfriend or girlfriend read ingredients with you is a great way to make sure they fully get it. They’ll probably have questions for you about specific ingredients and cross- contamination. But you can impress them with your expertise!
When things go wrong