Having a food allergy can be a lot of work. You may have to read ingredient labels on every little thing that goes into your mouth. You may worry that you might accidentally eat something you shouldn’t and have a severe allergic reaction. But you’re not alone. Roughly 12 million people in the United States have an allergy to common foods such as milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans, wheat, soy, or shellfish.

Having a food allergy can be awkward and scary

Say you have a severe allergy to peanuts. That means you shouldn’t kiss someone who has eaten anything with peanuts in it for the previous four-and-a-half hours – at least.

So much for the spontaneity of your first kiss!

But when it comes to food allergies, not being careful can be very dangerous. Allergic reactions can range from mild to severe, and may include swelling of the tongue and throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, drop in blood pressure, or loss of consciousness.

Pretty scary stuff.

The good news? If you’re careful, you can often prevent an allergic reaction from happening or manage one if it does. The medicine epinephrine can often stop a reaction in its tracks. If you have a food allergy, you typically get prescribed a self-injecting device that contains a dose of epinephrine, called an EpiPen® or a Twinject™.

Read the Labels

Make Friends:

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network has a Facebook Network that you can join.

 

Rule number one for people with food allergies is to always read food labels. Lots of products contain hidden allergens. If you’re at a restaurant, question the waiter about the ingredients of every dish you order. If the waiter doesn’t know, be assertive – ask if s/he can find out.

Perhaps it might seem that all of this checking and carefulness can be a real pain. Embarrassing, too. When you’re out with friends you probably don’t want to stand out as being different. It’s just not cool.

But remember: It would also be very uncool – and dangerous – if you had a severe allergic reaction.

Risky Business

Unfortunately, research shows that teens with food allergies tend to take potentially deadly risks – particularly when they’re out with friends.

• They may leave their medication at home when playing sports, attending a school dance, going to a friend’s house, or wearing tight clothes.
• They may taste foods to try to tell if they really contain an allergen.
• They may not tell their friends about their allergy.

If you’ve been drinking and then have an allergic reaction, epinephrine will still be effective. But if you have a food allergy, drinking too much can be dangerous. Alcohol impairs judgment, so you may take chances with what you eat if you drink too much. Your muscle coordination may be off, too, which may affect your ability to administer your medication. And you or your friends may not act as quickly as necessary to seek help if you need it, particularly if your friends don’t know about your allergy.

In general, teenagers do tend to take lots of risks. But taking risks when you have a food allergy can, unfortunately, be fatal.

It’s rare that people die from allergic reactions. But when it does happen – a severe reaction called anaphylactic shock – it mostly happens to young people. In most of those cases, experts say, the deaths could have been prevented. Always try to keep an anaphylaxis kit on hand. It includes epinephrine and an antihistamine and you can get this from your doctor.

Your best bet: don’t take any chances. And do tell your friends about your allergy. If they’re really good friends, they’ll be sympathetic and help you stay safe.

This article has been reviewed by BodiMojo expert Dr. Jessica A. Hoffman.