So growing up I wasn’t allergic to anything. Not medication, pollen, bug bites, or any kind of food. So much to my surprise a few years ago I found out I had allergies. To something I ate all the time: Nuts.

This was not expected and it actually took awhile to realize that was the specific “allergen”. Now keep in mind I ate nearly every kind of nut – (yes I am aware that not all are “technically” classified as nuts.) : Peanuts, cashews, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. I absolutely loved having them with snacks or in desserts. When first trying to find out what exactly I was allergic to – I narrowed it down to one of my favorite ice creams, which of course includes walnuts.

It was quite disappointing to have to remove walnuts from my diet but really all I ate them in was the ice cream. So life went on and soon I was having allergic reactions to pecans, peanuts, etc. It has not been made clear if I’m specifically allergic to one or all – all the “tests” came back negative. On a side note – at some point I will go and have tests taken again to determine if I am in fact allergic to these items that I suspect.

So I eliminated anything that had the advisement “may contain nuts” even though the item I know doesn’t have it. Despite that level of precautions I was still having reactions. Given steroids and taking massive amounts of benadyl to just level myself back out. I carry an Eli-pen as a precaution now as well; though thankfully my reactions have never been bad enough to need to use one.

Even with precautions I still find I have reactions every so often, most often with fried foods. Staying away from things that are fried is hard especially if you like french fries with your burgers – haha. Every day is an adventure to say the least. Even things like granola bars or snack mixes are a risk for nuts. Even chips have given me problems. What’s even worse is how many beauty items contain nuts! Shower gel, body lotion, scrubs, masks, and so many more items all contain nuts. Whether it’s the oil, extract, or scent all of them seem to have a way of effecting me.

With all my varied experiences I have found there definitey needs to be more transparency in the food and beauty industries. And more precautions for those with allergies. I definitely do not have it all figured out, and spend a lot of time reading labels carefully to make sure I don’t have a reaction. Friends and family are also very good at keeping an eye out for me when I may not be feeling well or when giving me gifts. So while I wait to do some more testing I’ll just remain as cautious as I can be.

“She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings.” – Ariana Dancu