Is there food freedom with food allergies?

People who can eat whatever they want without looking at ingredients meticulously and grilling waiters, how does it feel to be God's favorite? I'm joking... sort of. My trip to Bali has inspired this.

I’m back! Before getting into the newsletter, I wanted to say hello again. Also, here is a fun announcement: For those of you who will be in the NYC area on Tuesday, August 13th, I am having a book launch! Yes, “Live Nourished” will officially be on the shelves on that date, and I am going to have an official launch celebration hosted by Cafe con Libros and a fun talk with my good friend and fellow author and Substacker,

The Liberation Collective from Chrissy King

! Please see all the details here for tickets and location. I would love to see all of you IRL (in real life.) Okay, now on to today’s newsletter!

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“Um, everything has peanuts in it, but I can see what the chef can do.” I have many memories from my two weeks spent in Bali, and this was one of them. Bali was beautiful and amazing, and I had so many great experiences, from meeting adorable elephants to riding ATVs through a waterfall and, of course, the food. One thing I absolutely love doing is eating good food, I mean, isn’t that part of the fun of traveling? Experiencing new cultural foods? It is, but it can also wreak havoc on those of us with food allergies.

A delicious spread for lunch in Bali

I’m allergic to nuts, soy, and green peas, and it kind of sucks. Actually, it sucks quite a bit. Not to mention, there are foods I’m intolerant of that make my stomach hurt. Trust me, it feels like a betrayal, to be intolerant to avocado and pineapple as a dietitian. It’s annoying to have to constantly look at the ingredient list or be that person who is grilling the waiter about the items on the menu. You feel like you can never truly have the freedom that others do because you know the slightest mix-up can be dangerous or leave you feeling uncomfortable. I get it. So imagine this feeling in a country that uses one of the foods you’re allergic to in a good portion of their dishes.

Whenever I travel internationally, I always make sure to know the translations of the foods that will bring me pain… ahem, the foods that I’m allergic to. I’m also not afraid to whip out the Google Translate app because I want to be as clear as possible. Sometimes, I feel conflicted because the last thing I want to also be is the “ugly American” trope and not respect a culture or their cuisine. How many times have I even written about respecting cultural foods? (My latest newsletter on the topic can be found below.)

You can order tacos without a side of disrespect

But at the same time, I don’t want to end up in a hospital and sick because of a mistake or mix-up. So there I was, many times in Bali, asking politely but always double-checking that my allergies were understood. Many times I was accommodated, and the dishes were made without nuts for me, and I was fine. Not to mention, they tasted delicious. Who doesn’t love tasty noodle and rice dishes?

One of the delicious dishes that was made for me was nut-free.

I talk about building a healthy relationship with food and how we, as humans, can achieve this quite often. I also like to discuss food freedom even though I also understand the nuance of this when the social determinants of health come into play. So I imagine for those folks who are like myself, living with food allergies, feeling a bit conflicted about achieving some level of freedom when eating when your body is seemingly working against you. Trust me when I say there is nothing I would love more than to have the freedom to be carefree and try any and all food that looks interesting without thinking of the consequences. One memory I have is of my dad whenever he would go grocery shopping, looking at the different foods on the shelves and saying, “This looks interesting.” And then he would drop said item in the shopping cart without a second thought. Same thing when he went out to eat. Something looked interesting and delicious to him? So why not try it? My routine differs vastly and looks something like, “This looks interesting.” Then, I turn the package over to read the ingredients on the label. Then, I re-read them to make sure I didn’t miss anything. In any restaurant, I always take a deep breath (because it’s out of my control) and hope that we’re all on the same page when it comes to my allergy and that I can’t have that particular food in my dish.

So, how does this translate into food freedom? I mean yes, there are foods that I enjoy, and there are also foods that I cannot eat freely. This does not take away from the all-foods-can-fit mentality. If something doesn’t agree with your body, then don’t eat it. It’s actually that simple. I feel neutral when I go out to say Mexican restaurants with friends and am the only one who isn’t enjoying the guacamole because my body won’t let me. In my mind it’s an item that I can’t have. . . so I go to town with the chips and salsa instead.

I understand the frustration and annoyance of allergies. They suck, and I am 100 percent jealous of people who can throw any interesting food into their shopping cart without question or folks who can vacation in other countries and just try whatever the cultural cuisine is without really knowing the ingredients. Trying to explain to people in stores and restaurants that you can’t have certain ingredients in a language you don’t understand will humble you real quick. I also understand that there are, unfortunately, people out there who make light of allergies and don’t take them seriously. They think we’re exaggerating our symptoms or are making them up altogether. You know what? These people suck too. But despite all of this, I will always acknowledge the various food options I do have and the freedom to make the choices that I can make.

More delicious food from Bali.

Allergies and intolerances aren’t fun, and they also contribute to the hows and whys of eating. If we look into our personal food history, allergies can sometimes trigger past disordered eating thoughts. We avoid foods that are going to send us into anaphylaxis shock, but the feeling might bring back the triggers of food restriction from diet culture. Here’s what I suggest to do:

1. Reflect on these feelings.

2. Make a list of the foods that you are allergic to. Now, make a list of the foods that you avoid despite not being intolerant to them.

3. Why are you avoiding the foods in the second category? What is triggering this fear surrounding eating them?

I will say this on repeat: the only foods you have to avoid are the ones you’re allergic to or intolerant of, the ones you don’t like, and the ones that you can’t have for medical reasons (this requires so much nuance and doesn’t have to be as restrictive as some people make it). In my opinion, food freedom doesn’t mean being able to eat anything and everything you want without consequences. If that were the case, I would love to have the freedom to eat a pint of ice cream without my stomach hurting. Food freedom, to me, means that you are honoring your body with the food that nourishes you nutrition-wise but also brings you joy taste-wise. There is also freedom in knowing that there is a place for both, and there doesn’t have to be a food hierarchy.

Absolutely nothing to do with food and everything to do with the fact that this was a highlight of my trip. An elephant hug.

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Just another reminder about the book launch for “Live Nourished” on August 13th. These are the details, and tickets can be purchased now.

And, of course, my book “Live Nourished: Make Peace with Food, Banish Body Shame, and Reclaim Joy” is available for preorder now.