Allergies in Adolescence

Many children are diagnosed with food allergies even before they are old enough to remember having a reaction. They grow up with the understanding that they need to avoid certain foods in order to avert dangerous exposure. There are those of us, however, who develop our food allergies later in childhood, suddenly having a reaction to a food that we had been enjoying for years. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, food allergy prevalence in children increases from 4.4% before the age of 6 to 7.7% before the age of 18.

When I was 9, I was eating some pistachios as a snack when I realized I had a tingling sensation in my mouth. I didn’t think much of it, but the same thing happened the next time I ate them the following week. Because my brother is allergic to peanuts, I knew there were some telltale signs of food allergies. I let my parents know, and my mom made an appointment with a food allergist in our area. After a blood test and a skin test, the doctor diagnosed me with four tree nut allergies. I was a bit in shock. How could I become allergic to foods I had no problem eating just a few months ago?

Adjusting to a food allergy when you are older takes a bit of time. Suddenly, I was alerting servers and school cafeterias about my new allergy. I was carrying Benadryl and learning how to administer an Epi-Pen in the event of anaphylaxis. I started looking at ingredients on boxes to make sure they were free of cashews, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans.  You get used to it, but it’s certainly not something you were expecting (or hoping for).

Because food allergies can (and do) develop after early childhood, it’s essential for older children, teens, and adults to recognize symptoms, not just in others but in themselves. It’s why I spend time educating kids about food allergies and how to identify symptoms. By helping others understand that food allergies don’t just occur in babies and young children, we can make the world a little safer for everyone suffering from food allergies.