Each time I sit down to eat a meal during a day of shopping with my friends or to celebrate a family member’s birthday, rather than feeling excited, I’m filled with anxiety. Even with the most vast menu I’m unlikely to find a single entree I’m able to eat as the rest of my table carelessly orders all my old favorite foods — pizza, ice cream or french fries.
Mentally, I prepare myself for a slew of convoluted customizations for the waiter and a warning that they can’t promise there won’t be cross-contamination.
As a self-acclaimed foodie, when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in January, the first thing I thought of was the dreaded dietary restrictions that were sure to come with it. Somehow I still underestimated them — no dairy, gluten, sugar or processed foods.
Suddenly, spending an hour preparing myself something to eat at home seems more enjoyable than quick trips to Spin Pizza or the Chick-fil-A drive-through — a statement I never would have made a year ago. What’s worse: sitting with an empty stomach surrounded by foods I could eat only a few months ago, or cave and spend my night laying flat on my stomach to quell the inevitable stomach ache?
It’s a lose-lose situation, made worse by the fact that the most frequent thing my friends and I like to do when we hang out is gossip over a good meal. No matter the setting — a hotdog at a baseball game or a Starbucks run at lunch — my self control is repeatedly tested, tempted by even the smallest snacks people consume around me.
I don’t yet have a linear solution for how these situations can be made more enjoyable for me. Even when I do remember to pack carrot sticks or a Ziploc full of raw almonds, I feel isolated — like I’m missing out. But there is something I think could be done collectively, as a society, for people like me riddled with dietary restrictions.
If there’s a greater awareness surrounding common food allergies and dietary restrictions — beyond voluntary practices like being a vegan or vegetarian — then people can apply this knowledge to help guide what buzzwords to check for on menus and ingredients listed on food packaging to benefit individuals dealing with these diets.
It would also help to make people more conscious of what to say around individuals like myself, without feeling like anyone is tiptoeing around any elephants in the room. If it’s all out there and everyone involved feels comfortable asking questions and sharing patient answers, then stressful and tedious meals can go back to being fun.
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