When some people hear the phrase, "trust your gut," they shake their heads and roll their eyes. Your gut. It's an inner voice that has very strong opinions, that most people ignore. Not those of us with food allergies.
Trusting our gut is our first defense. It was instilled in me from a young age and I've heard many people in the food allergy community say it over the years.
It's the thing that keeps you from having the rolls in the bread basket. Something doesn't feel right. Everyone around you is pretty confident that they are okay, but a food allergic parent knows better than to force their kid to eat something that just doesn't seem right to them.
It's just not worth it. Once your gut has spoken, I can pretty much guarantee going against it will ruin your night. Whether or not you were exposed to your allergen, you'll spend the rest of the night checking the mirror for hives and questioning if you should maybe take that Benadryl or use your Auvi-Q.
I trust myself, but some days are harder then others to tell if I'm just nervous about eating anything at all. And those days I revisit my safe foods. Things I've had a hundred times that are properly labeled and prepared in the comfort of my own kitchen.
I do trust my gut, and maybe sometimes that means I miss out on a totally safe dessert. But I'm pretty confident it has also saved me from a hospital visit or two, and weighing the two against each other I'd pass up the dessert any day.
