Travelling with Food Allergies
Guide to travel safe and overcome the fear of food allergy.
My name is Sergi and I was born with a defect, well with several actually, but there is one that has made a huge impact on my life, especially in my alimentation. I am allergic to a long list of food and my allergy doesn’t cause me digestive problems, upset stomach or irritable bowel syndrome. Indeed, my particular issue is a little more problematic.
In effect, I suffer anaphylaxis when I eat some kind of food, which my body doesn’t accept. I have consulted this issue with a ten of doctors and specialists. Why am I allergic? None of them have given me a convincing response. With all the medical advances and technology available for investigation, they simply attribute this issue as a matter of bad luck. Great!
Accordingly to Wikipedia, anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. It typically causes a number of symptoms including an itchy rash, throat swelling, and low blood pressure. All of this can sound awful and dangerous but when you have been living with it since a young age, it becomes part of your normal reality.
I am allergic to all kind of tree nuts, peanuts, almonds, bananas, peaches, kiwi, apple peels, grape peels and mustard. I also have a list of suspicious food that I have never eaten nor ever diagnosed by any test. In other words, list of food that I have no idea how my body can react to it. This second list but not least important is even longer, and it includes several types of fruit such as pineapple or mango, sauces like guacamole because it is made of avocado, seafood, cocktails, condiments and more.
For me, the secret to be alive today is because I have developed the habit of food analysis, which consists in recognizing the ingredients of any recipe or dish served on the dinner table. This has been key for me not only because it can affect my health (we are what we eat) but also it can put my life in jeopardy. As you may guess at this point, I’m not the kind of guy who love going out to restaurants every now and then. I wish I could, seriously.
Throughout my life I’ve suffered three severe allergic reactions, two of them almost sent me to the cemetery. Lucky for me, there has been a while since the last nightmare. Everything began at age 4, when my grandma gave me a concentrated peach juice, which caused the fatal reaction. Some years later, my neighbor and family friend, who used to pick me up to the school, gave me a piece of chocolate. Thanks God I can eat chocolate but in that case it was a sweet blend of mixed nuts drizzled in chocolate. OMG!
In both cases, my lips started swelling after eating. A few minutes later all my face and throat were affected too. I had rashes hives and skin eruption. Literally, I looked like a monster. I barely could breathe and see. I was in a critical situation. Really bad. I had to rush to the nearest hospital with a taxi driver crossing streets in red light. When I got there, they gave me a shot of epinephrine that brought me back to life.
Due to my allergies, I’ve always had a complicated relationship with food. But to be honest, though I’ve had several life-threatening experiences, I feel lucky because this is nothing compared with other health issues or diseases. I have never permitted myself to be affected by my allergies, even when some of my friends tell me that my diet must be extremely boring, eating always the same and missing amazing flavors from different cuisines. Maybe they are right but I am happy anyway.
However, there is one thing I have to confess. I’ve always thought I could never travel like other people do due to my food allergies. I would never explore other continents or visit different cities because if I wanted to I would have to eat food from different cuisines, which use strange ingredients or unknown cooking techniques. And that would be very risky. Besides, it’s not the same suffering an allergic reaction at home that you know how to get to the hospital than in the middle of Thailand or in the rural India. Would I survive I ate something, which causes me allergy? That question was my personal psychological boundary.
People with food allergies know pretty well the risk involved in eating, but once you accept your reality, then you have two options: give up or face it. You can give up, stay at home, and do nothing or face it, enjoy, and travel without fear. I chose the second and today I can say it has been one of my best successes. I’m from Barcelona and I had already travelled around Europe (Italy, England, Malta) but the day I decided to take a plane and explore Asia with nothing more than my backpack, it was when I broke that barrier. And I did it without fear, knowing and accepting the risk that my life could end eating in any restaurant of Singapore, Bali, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo or Seoul. And what is worse, being completely alone, far from my family and surrounded by people incapable of helping me because of a language barrier.
I have to say that I probably wouldn’t take such a leap without the unconditional support of my parents, even though they didn’t like much the idea of me travelling alone to the other part of the world. That support means a lot to me and knowing that they trust me in any decision I make it has given me a lot of energy to set out for adventure. I believe that we have to be brave and tackle the things that scare us the most. Failure only exists for those who do not try new things. We have to take control of the situation and find a way to make them less frightening.
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
by Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)
I talk about fear and failure because it’s what I feel having conversations with people with food allergies and I can understand them pretty well because I have gone through the same. But I can tell you that isn’t worth not doing things you love or would enjoy, like traveling and exploring new amazing locations, just by having food allergies.
When people look back their lives, they regret the things they didn’t do more than the ones they did. So, don’t let allergies paralyze your life and quit your dreams. Jump on a plane, become a tourist if that it’s what you wish right now, discover new things, and eat with caution. That’s all! But remember that whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Finally, I want to give you some travel tips and safety recommendations so that your allergies won’t become a nightmare during your trip. There I go!
Ask and make sure they got it
As soon as you put your feet on a restaurant tell to the waiter or waitress about your allergies with a complete detail and also that you would need immediate medical attention in case of allergic reaction. Speak slowly and clear. After that, ask him or her for some suggestions that suit your diet. In some countries, the level of English is very poor and they usually say “yes” by default to everything as a form to be polite. So, make sure they understand you have allergies and if there is the chance speak directly with the chef. Do not feel ashamed. If the communication is not fluent or possible, then stand up, and leave the place. There are more restaurants.
Do not take risk if you are hesitant
You have to manage some kind of uncertainty but the general rule is don’t take risk if you aren’t sure what are you about to eat. That means, for instance, if you order something in a restaurant or street food stand and having already warned the person responsible for the food, you have some doubts about the ingredients it may contain, you don’t eat. You pay and go.
Research about the local cuisine
Before to travel anywhere, it’s interesting to research the local cuisine. Look into the typical food, traditional recipes, type of oil they use, condiments, spiciness, etc. The more information you collect, the more secure you will travel and eat. Make a list of food and recipes you can eat and another with the opposite. Show this list in restaurants if needed. People who have been working in restaurants for a while or have some experience in feeding should know about the food allergy and act in a responsible manner.
Eating the same will not kill you
If you travel to countries like Thailand where they use peanut oil to cook and because of that you are allergic to almost everything (it was my damn case!) but you find out you can eat rice with chicken, then you can have a rice-with-chicken diet for some days. It’s not the best scenario but at least you can survive. By this, I mean that eating the same food day after day will not kill you. You don’t have to eat varied to survive.
Travel always with EpiPen
EpiPen is most often used for the treatment of anaphylaxis. Basically, it’s an epinephrine autoinjector, a medical device for injecting a measured dose or doses of epinephrine (adrenaline). The devices contain a spring-loaded needle that exits the tip of the device and penetrates the recipient’s skin, to deliver the medication via intramuscular injection. My advice here is carry and EpiPen always with you, in your pocket or backpack. Do not keep it in checked baggage because the extreme temperatures in a plane during a flight might affect the medical solution.
Locate the nearest hospital
Wherever you go the first thing you have to do is locate the nearest hospital from your current position and from the accommodation. If you have a smartphone you can save it in Google Maps very easily. By doing that, in case of allergic reaction you call a taxi and show the driver the place you need to go. Try to keep calm in all time and do not fall asleep because some allergic reactions can lead drowsiness.
Eat in international restaurants
Okay! They are more expensive but at least you know that they offer and this can make up for it. There were plenty of Italian restaurants in Tokyo. Pizza, pasta e birra. I found a Spanish restaurant in Shanghai, French food in Singapore, Mexican in Hong Kong and so on. In brief, you can find international restaurants in the main cities worldwide. Moreover, fast food franchises are everywhere: McDonald’s, KFC or Burger King. Yes, even a Big Mac can feed you and save your life.
Make your own food allergy cards
This was the best thing I did before departure. Literally, it saved my life in several occasions. They were my basic survival kit. Really worth it. It’s very simple; all you need is to translate your allergies into the official languages from the countries you plan to visit. I only speak English, Spanish and Catalan so I used Google Translator for this task. I know what you thing, it’s not the best translation tool but it worked. Have a look:
