I am going to share some personal things today.
Today I am not going to give a recipe, a restaurant review, a product review or anything like that. I am simply going to talk about me having food allergies. I want people to understand my feelings and probably how so many other people feel about not being able to eat certain things or even choosing not to eat those things because they might not be good for you.
I’ve had lots of upsetting incidents but also experienced incredible things. Let’s start with the not so good things so we can end on a positive note.
I have had incidents with people teasing me. I am not going to mention this person’s name but I want to give you an example. So one time, during recess, I was eating my snack. It was dried mango. One of the kids in the class came over and asked “what is your snack?” I told them and they answered like this, “I hate that. You are so gross.” This is a kid who knew I had food allergies and I felt pretty sure that this was connected to that issue. Pretty close in time to when this happened I had just given a presentation to my class about some of the food I can’t or choose not to eat and he was there. I even talked about how I don’t like when people tease me about my food. But he still did it.
I was very upset by this and was feeling very emotional. It made me feel angry and sad at the same time.
Other times I see people with things that I would like to eat, but that I can’t have, like muffins or milk chocolate. I feel jealous and I feel left out. Like, one time I was at a birthday party and everybody started eating an ice cream cake and I couldn’t have it. Everyone was talking about how good it was. I went to another table by myself and started crying. This was a few years ago but I still remember it. Anyway, I bet some of you readers feel the same way sometimes.
But even with all the bad things I can still find positive experiences. One of the good things is that because I have food allergies I started my blog. If not for my allergies, I never would have gotten readers from more than 100 different countries or been on TV and in magazines. I never would have met some of the amazing people I know now. And I never would have gotten to do some of the things I have been able to do and that most people never get to do in their lifetime. But most importantly, I have helped people with allergies or people making healthier choices to find restaurants and products that they can eat and enjoy. And this makes me feel happy and proud.
Another good thing is that I have learned a lot about nutrition. I know how to read labels and all about not just gluten and dairy but also about protein and sodium and sugar. I enjoy reading that stuff. I think learning these things will help me make healthier choices in life.
It can be hard to have food allergies or eat differently like being vegetarian, especially for kids I think. It would be nice if everyone ate different food but no one teased each other.
11 Comments
nospampam
February 23, 2016 3:19 pmGood for you! Thanks for sharing your feelings! I hope this helps other people to better understand that we all have feelings – and we are all different from one another in some way. Believe it or not, I bet everyone gets teased about something during their lifetime – too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, red hair, blonde hair, too stupid, too smart etc. etc. It would be nice if everyone who reads your blog could share one experience with you. For myself, I remember being teased frequently because my sisters had curly hair and I did not. Sounds silly now but I still remember this all these years later (and that’s a lot of years!) Keep writing and keep sharing!
maxeatslife
February 24, 2016 7:24 amThanks so much for the comment. Did you want curly hair at the time?
nospampam
February 24, 2016 2:41 pmI don’t think so – I just remember the hurt – and I never understood why it was so important to have curly hair! Too bad we can’t all just accept people the way they are and for what they are.
maxeatslife
February 25, 2016 6:50 amI am sorry that happened. I wish people would accept each other too. I know what it is like to have hair that is different from the rest of the family too!
nospampam
February 25, 2016 7:16 amYes, I know – that’s why I chose that example! I love your hair!
maxeatslife
February 25, 2016 7:17 pmThanks!
veganrunnernerd
February 24, 2016 9:50 amThank you for sharing your feelings! I know just how you feel. I get teased all of the time because I eat a plant-based diet. I have some friends who tease me about not eating bacon, even though they know I don’t eat animals and that I have a special love for pigs. It really hurts my feelings when they do that. But there are always going to be people who just don’t know how to be kind or sensitive, so you just have to overlook them and ignore them and keep doing what you’re doing – spreading the word about healthy eating and food allergies in a fun, positive way!
Stephanie Larsen
February 29, 2016 11:59 amI loved this post!
I can’t relate on being teased for food allergies but I do remember being teased for my clothes when I was in elementary. My mom was a single mom, and only a waitress so providing was hard and often times I had to wear hand me down clothes or things from a near by garage sale that didn’t quite fit.
Although it’s been many years I can still remember how embarrassed and ashamed I felt when kids would ask “Why are your pants so short?” or “Are those your mom’s shoes?” and then laugh.
But, now that I’m older I realize it was these type of experiences that made me want to look out for and help others that might feel left out, lonely or sad. Because of those experiences I was a more compassionate kid and even though it wasn’t fun at the time, I’m glad I had them now. Thanks for your awesome post!
maxeatslife
February 29, 2016 7:22 pmThank you so much for sharing. It made me think of when I was in school and I had a t shirt that was way too big for me. I was worried that people were going to tease me. It was interesting to hear you say that the experiences made you more compassionate.
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