We’ve all learned a few things the hard way. What’s a tip or piece of advice about managing a food allergy, intolerance, or diet that you wish someone had told you sooner?
Share your wisdom here— it could really help someone who is newly diagnosed avoid the same headaches!
Just because it says it’s GF (gluten-free) on the menu, don’t blindly trust that. Always enquire about the food preparation procedures! Sometimes there is gluten all up in that kitchenn and not a lot can be done to prevent cross contamination.
If you’re allergic to peanuts, be cautious of cross-reactions with other legumes like peas, beans, and pulses. I’ve been caught out more than once by pea protein, locust bean gum, tamarind, and fenugreek.
These ingredients are sneaking into all sorts now, especially with more products catering to vegan and gluten-free diets. I’ve seen them in yogurt, cream cheese, minced meat—even these oven chips have pea flour! Who would’ve thought?
I like to call ahead when I go out to eat. Sometimes the whoever answers the phone doesn’t know and that’s fine. But I just ask them to have someone who does know call me back. If you get a callback you know they take it seriously
ALWAYS CHECK THE LABEL!!! My 10 year old has a sesame allergy and I thought I had a good rotation of snacks that she could safely eat. Well one day lo and behold, she had a reaction to what we thought was a safe food. The manufacturer had changed the recipe. The packaging was identical that time, so the only way to be sure is to scan the fine print on the back. It could even be different based on something like whether its sold in Canada or the US
I like to make a reservation with a note about my allergies. They seem to always appreciate the heads up and go the extra mile to accommodate. You can also get a slight read on the phone for how comfortable they are dealing with your allergies and just cancel if you don’t like the tone.