I'm Not Picky, I Would Love To Eat ANYTHING On The Menu

When you can eat whatever you want without suffering consequences, you should be thankful and not raise and eyebrow in disbelief when someone you know can't do the same. Food allergies and sensitivities are real and they impact the lives of people who suffer with them greatly. The last thing people who have had to modify their food consumption need or want is for someone else to either make light of their plight, or insinuate that it's akin to hypochondria.

It's not about being a picky eater; when food causing pain, discomfort and fatigue it affects the quality of life you live. Socially you withdraw, you lose the energy or drive to be active. It's too much work to go out with friends or loved ones to bond over dinner somewhere because every outing is the same — you have to divulge your issues to the waitstaff and bit your lip waiting to find out if there's even anything on the menu you can eat. All the while you feel as though everyone is exasperated by you and your food issues. And holiday gatherings or potlucks? Ha! You'd sooner eat before going somewhere then have to ask everyone what is in their dish.

I would love nothing more than to go to a restaurant and have the only thought that crosses my mind when I'm looking over the menu, is what I want and not what can I possibly have or what looks safe. I'd love to go to a gathering where there's lots of food and just pick up a plate and go for it. It would be great to not have to explain my food issues to every new person I meet, giving the impression I'm high-maintenance. Yeah, I'd love to go back to the days when I could eat anything and never feel bloated, tired, nauseous or in excruciating pain.

The bitch of it is that when you develop food allergies and sensitivities when you're older, you tend to develop more than one. It's, at least in my experience, something that just seems to multiply. After years of dealing with it, I don't worry so much about how it may seem to others, but I do bristle when someone says 'what aren't you allergic to' or 'what can you eat'. It's just insensitive. Frankly, I wish more people could take a moment to comprehend the impact of their words. Not just with this issue, but everything.

I'm not going to suck it up and eat what I know will cause me grief and a week's worth of hell just to avoid someone else's irritation when I explain that I can't eat xyz. I suppose that part of having to watch what I eat is having to tolerate a lack of understanding from some people. I am thankful that most of the people in my life aren't quick to judge me and take my dietary limitations seriously — never making me feel bad about it. I just hope that someday, when we finally realize that our food has been tampered with to the point that it is causing all these allergies and sensitivities and do something about it. We will stop trying to make those people who can't eat whatever is set in front of them feel awkward or envious. Maybe one day we will even be able to reverse the damage that has been done and people will be able to enjoy foods that they haven't been able to eat without fear of pain or discomfort. I'm hopeful that day may come.