My son and I follow a gluten, dairy, and soy-free diet, and I have some additional dietary restrictions. I feel a bit hesitant to share the list because of the reactions I receive. Some people react with dramatic disbelief, saying things like, “If I had to eat that way, I would die/kill myself..” Others respond more empathetically, expressing an understanding of the seriousness of food allergies. I usually reply to the dramatic reactions by explaining that this diet improved my health. I can now tolerate crowds, my undiagnosed ADD is much more manageable, and I feel like living.  While the empathetic response is less common, it is becoming more prevalent as people become more familiar with food intolerances.

My complete list of intolerances includes

•  gluten, dairy, soy, oats, rye, kamut ( all wheat-related grains), 
• dairy (not eggs, eggs are okay) 
• soy also includes  edamame, soybeans, soy oil
• nightshades (tomatoes, chili sweet and or spicy, potatoes, paprika and cayenne)
• chicken
• beef 
• cod 
• watermelon 

This list is my hard no’s, and I struggle with some of them, like  no salsa. Sometimes, it feels like I can get away with a little bit, depending on the situation, but my face will break out with an itchy rash, and if I keep eating the nightshade, my joints will hurt. This behavior means a couple of things: I’m human and want to belong, and that cultural bit of putting others first, even at my own expense, is something I am working to overcome; then there is the learning curve of internalizing and understanding what is going on in my body.   

My journey with food intolerances is not without its challenges, but it’s a path I’ve learned to navigate. I don’t have an anaphylactic allergy; I have a neuro-chemical reaction to gluten and soy, a reaction that involves both the nervous system and chemical processes in the body.  Nightshades are not a histamine reaction. Chicken, beef, and cod cause digestive distress, and chicken also causes insomnia. 

My son and I  have what is now known as Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, along with some other food intolerances. I recently read Another Person’s Poison: A History of Food Allergy by Matthew Smith. The book introduced me to the origins of the word allergy; it combines two Greek words: allos, meaning other or different, and ergia, meaning energy or action. Clemens von Pirquet invented the word to explain a phenomenon of the immune system. He noticed that the immune system had reactions other than the protective reaction they understood in the early 1900s.

So, when people say they have an allergy to x, it does not always mean it’s always anaphylactic. It can mean a different reaction, like a rash, or digestive issues.. We now know that the immune system can be overprotective like a parent and cause an adverse reaction by not knowing when to stop. This learning process, though challenging, has been incredibly inspiring and has motivated me to share my journey in the hope that it can inspire others in their journey of managing food intolerances.

Having a food issue can make eating out very challenging, and I have discovered that talking about it helps to demystify it for my community and me. These one-on-one conversations have shown me that there are people who can empathize with me for different reasons. This process also opens me up to having more connections with people while helping to create that feeling of belonging. Communication is the key to navigating eating with friends and family and going out to eat. By openly discussing my dietary restrictions, I’ve found that it helps others understand and empowers me to take control of my dining experiences.  I’ve used business cards printed in the language of the country I visit to eat more safely.  Understanding your body and respecting yourself while communicating your needs with others is the key to navigating food intolerances.