How to Be a Conscious Eater

So, my message to you is this: Don’t be like I was and dis-

miss allergy-tailored menus as merely catering to fad dieters.

It’s the choice between one diner’s inconvenience and another

person’s life. And, of course, the people dealing with allergies

don’t like it either. They’d rather eat birthday cake and PB&Js

and not carry an EpiPen around in their pocket. You’re a con-

scious eater, so cut them some slack and help keep them safe.

ALLERGY FYIs

Whether you’re food allergic, the parent of someone who’s

allergic, or the person picking a restaurant on behalf of a

group, check ahead of time to see who in your party might

have any food allergies. That way you can avoid a bad expe-

rience once you arrive. (For example, if you learn that one

person has a peanut allergy, you might not pick the Thai

restaurant.) For a nationwide list of restaurants that are

particularly friendly to food-allergic diners, consult the

AllergyEats guide online: allergyeats.com.

If you or a family member has a serious food allergy, you

probably already know that sometimes restaurateurs fail to

disclose all the correct information. Follow your intuition

if things seem sketchy, and keep medication on you at all

times. For gluten and peanut allergies, you might also con-

sider investing in a portable sensor like Nima, which can

detect small amounts of gluten and peanut.

If you don’t have a food allergy but have another type of

allergy, be aware of “oral allergy syndrome.” This is when

a non-food allergy leads to an allergic reaction to certain

foods. For example, people allergic to birch tree pollen

may react to similar proteins found in fruits like peaches,

apples, and cherries.

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