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Showing results for tags 'Food Allergies'.
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I don't have any (known) food allergies, but I have this "condition" - I guess you'd have to call it a physical defect - where, if I have a mouthful of liquid, and turn my head to the right (only to the right) before swallowing, part of the liquid will go down my air pipe. I just figured this out about five years ago, wondering why, seemingly randomly, I would occasionally (like, once a month) inhale some liquid when I swallowed it - turns out it wasn't random; it only happens when I look to my right, and then swallow, and it happens every time - just a couple of drops, but enough to make me cough for about thirty seconds (it's more annoying than anything). I have no idea if this is related (I'm just now thinking about it for the first time), but I have a *huge* Torus palatinus. I was in my 20s or 30s before finding out from my dentist that not everyone has these - I always thought it was just the normal human shape, but mine is apparently large enough to make dentists take notice (it's like half a ping-pong ball). Well, at least I have something in common with Patrick Stewart, but why did it have to be a bony protrusion instead of acting ability? This is all harmless *except* when you do it with honeycomb. About two years ago, at an Ethiopian market, I bought a package of honey that included the honeycomb, took a bite, unwittingly turned my head to the right, swallowed, and I had the worst coughing fit of my life (my friend was considering calling 911). After most of the offending agent was coughed up (or at least I guess it was), I continued to cough, on and off (sorry for the rhyme) for several *days* - honeycomb just does not break down very easily. Ironically, I had dinner last night at Meaza, and considered buying some honeycomb at their market next door for the first time since.
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Greetings, DR friends! The last time most of you heard from me I was a big, happy pregnant lady. Well, it has been a while. In addition to the craziness of having a newborn, the other big reason that I've been completely off the radar is because I feel like I can't really eat anything anymore so reading about or talking about food is not much fun. Despite specifically ordering an easy, unfussy baby, I got quite the opposite. My poor son, now 5 months old, is a major sweetie pie but has a number of issues that keep us on our toes. The reason I started this post is that my biggest challenge is that he has food allergies (which they call sensitivities at his age). The long and short of it is that if I eat anything with even a trace of dairy or soy my sweet baby screams in pain for hours on end. So where does that leave us? Well, I dropped the pregnancy weight and then some. And not to start a pity party but I miss eating. It is incredibly difficult for me to eat out. Really, I could write a book. When the pediatrician suggested eliminating dairy and soy I thought it would be hard, but I had no idea. It turns out that soy is in EVERYTHING. Just for fun, look at the Au Bon Pain allergen chart on their website. There are around 3 safe items. Soybean oil, soy flour, and soy lecithin are hidden in tons of things you would never expect. The purpose of this post is to try to generate ideas for safe places to eat (and to compliment restaurants who have made my life a little bit easier). I've had very mixed experiences. I know I am not alone in having food restrictions, as there are many people with issues far more severe or challenging than mine. Please share if you know places where food allergies are taken seriously and patrons are not made to feel like fussy crybabies. Thus far, I've had a few positive experiences where restaurants took my concerns seriously and/or prepared things differently for me: Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church "“ Obviously, pizza is out. Well, cheese pizza at least. Thanks to the wonderful Chef Will, I had a great meal here. Chef (and the manager, Sarah) were awesome about helping me find food I could eat. It was the first good meal I had had in a LONG time and I was so grateful. 2941 Restaurant "“ I had a very positive experience when I was invited to an event here where I was to be the guest at a friend's company dinner. I called ahead and told them about my restrictions. They went over the menu with me on the phone and we arranged to have my selections prepared without dairy or soy. They also notified my server ahead of time and when I arrived I identified myself to her. They allowed me to avoid making a big to-do over my restrictions. Ceiba"“ I went here for an office lunch recently. I was so impressed with how accommodating they were. The two waiters I spoke to over the phone and in person seemed extremely knowledgeable about food allergies and were able to immediately tell me which items contained dairy and soy. They were fabulous and I enjoyed a nice meal. The Hamilton "“ I'm heading here this week for a work function so I called ahead to discuss my options. A chef named Brian was wonderful. He spent time with me going over different options, and went to the trouble of pulling out packages to read ingredient lists. It was clear to me that he was sincere when he said the restaurant takes food allergies very seriously. Finally, ordinarily I avoid most chains, but these days they can be my best option. Most chains have allergen information on their websites.- 49 replies
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- Food Allergies
- Food Sensitivies
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