Do your friends know you have a food allergy? There are many reasons why they should.
Firstly, it makes it easier when deciding where to eat – if they know you are allergic to wheat for example, they’ll understand why you don’t want to go to a sandwich bar. Read more
They can sometimes support you if someone is trying to get you to try a food you’re not sure about. If they know you have a food allergy, they will understand why you don’t want to try a food when you don’t know the ingredients – they can help tip that conversation on its head!
Keeping friends in the dark about our food allergy does not help them, or us, when something goes wrong. They can get help if you think you are having an allergic reaction to a food. They should know if you have an EpiPen® or Anapen® and you should show them how and even when to use it. But, at the very least, they will know that you need help. Visit ‘Signs and symptoms’ page and the ‘Using your EpiPen® or Anapen®’ webpage to share animation videos with your friends.
Letting your trusted friends know about your allergy means you can freely ask questions about food content/read a label when they’re around. You don’t need to manage your food allergy all by yourself – good friends can be a great support. Your food allergy is still your responsibility but having friends that know about it can help sometimes. That’s what friends are for!!
Talking about it with people close to you will help you to develop the confidence to tell people you don’t know about your food allergy – for example when eating out.
The Allergy 250K website allows you to share information with your friends. You can create an avatar character and share your information with as few or many people as you like through Facebook or you can just share the information.
To create an avatar, click here https://allergy250kteens.org.au/create-your-own-avatar/