Ep. 19: The questions that arise after a food allergy diagnosis: Part 2 - Lifestyle changes
You get home after receiving a food allergy diagnosis, look into your fridge, where do you even start?
In the second part of answering questions on what new food allergy suffers should know, we tackle the lifestyle side of a food allergy diagnosis
Dr. G and Kortney are joined by Stefanie Lowe to discuss grocery shopping, navigating labels, how to approach friends and family about your needs, how to find your comfort level and introduce new foods to your child.
Stephanie is a food allergy advocate, and community thought leader, she is a mother to three children, the oldest of which has multiple food allergies, FPIES, asthma, Celiac disease as well as all three managing environmental allergies. If you have ever seen a building light-up teal for food allergy awareness, this is because of Stephanie. She is the founder of Turn It Teal, a global project committed to raising food allergy awareness by lighting buildings, monuments and bridges, predominately during Food Allergy Awareness Week.
The questions we answer in this episode
What are the first things you should do after receiving your food allergy diagnosis? What should you prioritize?
What do you do at home, with friends, family?
Should you remove all allergens from the house?
How do you figure out what the best plan of action is for you?
How do you seek support from your family when they don't understand the diagnosis and that it is something that comes with a lifestyle change?
How do you find a food allergy community?
What resources are available to me?
Will this impact us financially because of special foods?
How do you go about navigating labelling and reading packages?
When is the best time to introduce new foods?
Big Takeaways
Every family does things differently.
Always have epinephrine auto-injectors and an action plan.
Learning day by day - your allergy journey is made from building blocks of each with a more defined level of comfort.
Life with food allergies requires you to be aware and hypervigilant, it's best not to make it what you are all about.
Resources
Stefanie's website and blog: Turn It Teal
Facebook groups:
No Nuts Moms Group Support Group and Forum- All Food Allergies Welcome
Kortney's group: Allergy Travels
Episodes you may find helpful:
Ep. 17: Interview with Lisa Rosenberg - food allergy anxiety
Ep. 15: Interview with Dr Ruchi Gupta - Prevalence of food allergies & teens with food allergies
