Food allergies, and how you get around them.

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As the title says, how do you cope with food allergies in your cooking or buying habits? I bring this up (no pun intended), because I have an allergic reaction to onions and all things related to them. It's that bad that I can't even be in the same house (or eating establishment) that they're being cooked in. It's bloody frustating!:(
When I look at the ingredients of canned stews, hamburger patties, frozen pizzas etc, 99.9% have either onion or onion powder listed as being in them. Even packet soups!
So, what measures do you take to work around your allergies?
 
I am allergic to crustaceans : lobster, crab, shrimp...
I can get around it by simply not ordering fish dishes. In restaurants, you'll never catch me ordering any kind of seafood. Cooks tend to throw a couple of shrimps or prawns over fried fish, for some unfathomable reason.
When I'm at a function where there's a fixed menu (like a wedding) I'm usually screwed out of at least one course because it features some kind of crustacean.
 
I am allergic to crustaceans : lobster, crab, shrimp...
I can get around it by simply not ordering fish dishes. In restaurants, you'll never catch me ordering any kind of seafood. Cooks tend to throw a couple of shrimps or prawns over fried fish, for some unfathomable reason.
When I'm at a function where there's a fixed menu (like a wedding) I'm usually screwed out of at least one course because it features some kind of crustacean.

And there in lies our problem. Why should we miss out because that is what they think you should have? Be it a fixed menu at a wedding, or a can of soup at a supermarket, why do we have to be subjected to food that we have an allergy to?
 
I'd argue that you are in an extreme minority by being allergic to onions. Yes, they're in almost every freekin' dish, but it's for a good reason.

I'm allergic to chickpeas, lentils, nuts (those 3 make it tough to eat Indian) peas and shellfish, altho I'm not sure how bad it is or if it's for all kinds of shellfish.

I get a tingly (unpleasant) feeling in my throat whenever I eat something with a shellfish based stock, which is a bit crap because any decent stock that has some kind of fish in it will definitely contain shellfish carcasses.
 
I'm allergic to coconut milk, almonds, and pistachios. I pretty much just avoid Thai food.
 
And there in lies our problem. Why should we miss out because that is what they think you should have? Be it a fixed menu at a wedding, or a can of soup at a supermarket, why do we have to be subjected to food that we have an allergy to?
Most people who know me do take my allergy into account. We're going to a jubilee dinner on saturday, and I know one of the courses has been changed to allow me to eat it.
Your allergy is a lot harder to escape than mine though.
 
I'm violently alergic to chocolate, immediate anaphylaxis. It is easier to avoid cocoa than it is explaining to people why I must. Have had several people tell me they would rather DIE. Really, you would seriously rather eat the chocolate and stop breathing than just give it a miss; it looks and smells like poop, why would you bother. I usually just drink my dessert and tell people I don't have a sweet tooth.
 
I am deathly allergic to all nuts, including peanuts. I also have more minor sensitivity to sesame and chickpeas, which I am thankfully outgrowing. My allergies have punctuated my life, bringing me closer to death than anything else. I've had a number of close calls, most notably on the day I moved to Israel. While I manage my allergies well, they are extremely difficult to deal with and are something I can never ignore. As I go to college next year, they'll be even more of a responsibility.
 
I'm supposedly allergic to peanuts: I got one of those skin test things in 6th grade and was positive for it among other foods like tomatoes. Ended up with the EpiPen, dramatic warnings, allergy shots, the whole lot... I spent years craving chinese food, most candy, and PB cookies, until I said fuck it and ate peanuts again. Obviously I'm still alive. Turns out those "prick tests" are so inaccurate it isn't even funny...the irony? It was done at a "allergy and asthma" specialist: wouldn't you think they'd know?

If I eat a lot of peanuts I might feel slightly scratchy at the back of my throat but that's it. Apples do the same thing.

I am deathly allergic to all nuts, including peanuts. I also have more minor sensitivity to sesame and chickpeas, which I am thankfully outgrowing. My allergies have punctuated my life, bringing me closer to death than anything else. I've had a number of close calls, most notably on the day I moved to Israel. While I manage my allergies well, they are extremely difficult to deal with and are something I can never ignore. As I go to college next year, they'll be even more of a responsibility.

Most college foodservice programs are great about working with food allergies, I'd let them know to look out for you. Of course, its still important to always be wary as stuff can still happen.
 
I am allergic to crustaceans : lobster, crab, shrimp...
I can get around it by simply not ordering fish dishes. In restaurants, you'll never catch me ordering any kind of seafood. Cooks tend to throw a couple of shrimps or prawns over fried fish, for some unfathomable reason.
When I'm at a function where there's a fixed menu (like a wedding) I'm usually screwed out of at least one course because it features some kind of crustacean.

You are lucky. I know people who can't even step foot into restaurants where shellfish are being cooked. It was all-of-a-sudden, too. One guy, never had a single problem...then one day, eating Sushi, he ballooned up, turned beet red and could barely breathe. Then he was bothered if food was cooked on the same surface...then suddenly, he can't even be in the same restaurant.

I used to have ZERO allergies. Then, and I can pinpoint the day, I started having seasonal allergies. Now, I can't eat raw apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, pears or under-ripe bananas without my throat feeling like it's closing up. Which really pisses me off, as stone fruit were, in my mind, nature's most delicious foods. :(

For my brother, it was just the skin that caused issue. I've tried peeling then, I've tried buying organic...nothing helps. Cooked, it's totally fine, though...but it's not the same. :(
 
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I am deathly allergic to all nuts, including peanuts. I also have more minor sensitivity to sesame and chickpeas, which I am thankfully outgrowing. My allergies have punctuated my life, bringing me closer to death than anything else. I've had a number of close calls, most notably on the day I moved to Israel. While I manage my allergies well, they are extremely difficult to deal with and are something I can never ignore. As I go to college next year, they'll be even more of a responsibility.

I had a MWF moment and had to reread that second sentence.
 
You are lucky. I know people who can't even step foot into restaurants where shellfish are being cooked. It was all-of-a-sudden, too. One guy, never had a single problem...then one day, eating Sushi, he ballooned up, turned beet red and could barely breathe. Then he was bothered if food was cooked on the same surface...then suddenly, he can't even be in the same restaurant.

I used to have ZERO allergies. Then, and I can pinpoint the day, I started having seasonal allergies. Now, I can't eat raw apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, pears or under-ripe bananas without my throat feeling like it's closing up. Which really pisses me off, as stone fruit were, in my mind, nature's most delicious foods. :(

For my brother, it was just the skin that caused issue. I've tried peeling then, I've tried buying organic...nothing helps. Cooked, it's totally fine, though...but it's not the same. :(

It seems pretty stable. Started quite abruptly but never got any worse. My wife loves scampi, and I always tell her I'm not kissing her after she's eaten it.
Fruit allergy. I knew a guy who was allergic to strawberries. He panicked once when he noticed there were strawberries in his sangria.
He suffered no ill effects though. Maybe you need to soak all your fruit in alcohol?
;)
 
My girlfriend hasn't has anything with FD&C ed 40 since she was about 9.Three very violent fits of vommiting in a row after eating red jell-o and kool-aid.
 
I don't have any allergies myself, but I do have a slight dairy intolerance. I can happily eat any dairy products up to a point, but if I, say, attempt to drink a glass of milk or milkshake, It absolutely has to be made with skim-milk or I'll feel like I'm going to throw up. I just avoid full-fat milk and I'm fine. However, one of my closest friends is a Coeliac. Thankfully, these days it seems that most restaurants and other eating establishments are aware of gluten intolerance and often have gluten-free menus. But not all, of course. In my town it can still be quite difficult to find gluten-free products, and those available at the supermarket or bakeries tend to be very expensive. We recently also had an episode where we were in an unnamed eating establishment together and my friend asked our waiter if the soup of the day was gluten-free. He responded with a very confused expression and a 'Huh? What free?' He went and asked someone at the bar if they knew what it was (even after I had attempted to explain what this was as well as we could), and they still appeared confused, as did the person he asked. This was a pretty upmarket place and the staff didn't appear to be young, inexperienced kids fresh out of school either. We left pretty soon after that.

I really do think that level of ignorance in a well-established, large restaurant which caters towards hundreds of people each day is just inexcusable, and perhaps is just another example of just how frustratingly backwards some people are where I live. :sigh:
 
I'm like you Zesty. I don't have any outright allergies but I'm the same with some dairy stuff. 'Cept I'm kinda t'other way round; the less milk has had done to it the more ill I get. Standard pasteurised milk makes me heave for example if I have a few too many brews with the stuff I get a horribly upset stomach. I can however tolerate UHT an' Sterilized milk. Some cheeses also give me upset stomach as well as headaches on occasions. From what I've heard I was quite bad with the milk thing as a kid so I was brought up on UHT Full-Fat milk an' Goats Milk too.

I have a friend though who's allergic to Pineapple. Not to the point where she can't be int same room as the stuff but she does have quite a bad reaction to it. Her tongue an' throat swells up if she's eaten or drank anything that's got Pineapple in it.
 
I am allergic to scallops. No other shellfish, just scallops. And my reaction is what is known as serious, not severe. I don't get anaphylaxis; just nausea and vomiting. Lucky me, right?

I get around it by simply not eating scallops. If I order the fisherman's platter at a restaurant, I ask them to hold the scallops.
 
I am allergic to scallops. No other shellfish, just scallops. And my reaction is what is known as serious, not severe. I don't get anaphylaxis; just nausea and vomiting. Lucky me, right?

I get around it by simply not eating scallops. If I order the fisherman's platter at a restaurant, I ask them to hold the scallops.

If i were a fisherman I'd be pissed if i had to stand around holding your freakin scallops all day...
 
I?m allergic to Soy at different levels (Soy-sauce is not that bad, but Soy-Milk can kill me). Wich is a pain in the arse I can tell you because Soy is in virtually everything these days especially when you eat out. Had a 6 course meal at a 1 Star restaurant last year where I told them beforehand because one dishes was with Tofu (wich I can?t eat obviously) - and when I was there the server told me that of the 6 courses, 5 contained Soy in one way or the other. And no, the dessert was one of the five. Even the dessert had fucking soy in it. So they really had a challange coming at them changing their recepies ... wich they did very well, btw.
At home it?s quite easy not using Soy when you are cooking (pre made food again contains a lot of soy), and if you want sort of asian style food I usally substitute Soy-sauce with Oyster-sauce (cheap Oytser sauce contains lots of Soy sauce, but the good stuff doesn?t). Works for eating Sushi as well. I always get funny looks when I order Oyster Sauce with Sushi, but what are you gonna do?
 
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