The Shame of Cheating With Food Allergies

If your food allergy is not life-threatening, and you happen to enjoy the very food you are allergic to, it is inevitable that at times you may want to indulge in that food. Isn’t it the worst feeling?  The idea that you are feeding your body something that will harm it? Oh, but when the craving hits hard, you just want to eat, enjoy, and feel normal again despite knowing a bad reaction is to come.

You aren't alone

Don’t worry, you aren’t alone if you can relate. I have done this before and figured being transparent and sharing is better than not. It’s always comforting to know you aren’t alone in this plight.

For me personally, wheat is a huge culprit for me. My food allergy to wheat onset later in life in my 20s. Prior to that, I used to eat wheat every day. Toast for breakfast. Sandwiches for lunch. Dinner rolls, pasta for evening meals. Wheat was a huge food group in my diet growing up. Suddenly when this food allergy came on I was devastated that I had to stay away from it.

To indulge or not to indulge

My reaction to wheat is not life-threatening. The more wheat I have in one sitting does determine the severity of my reaction though. For example, I can get away with a bite or two without repercussions, but if I indulge, I will be regretting it later. My symptoms include, itching, chills, sweats, intense abdominal cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, and even fever sometimes. But do I still get cravings and want to play with fire by having wheat every now and then? Yes. So horrible to admit it. But I am just being honest.

It is so ironic that one of the foods I love to eat the most is now the one I can no longer have. It takes major discipline to stay away from it. Some substitutes that I go for are Simple Mills crackers. I can also tolerate corn chips. And when it comes to bread, I just try to have gluten-free wraps to help with my sandwich fix. I don’t really like gluten-free bread and haven’t found a brand that doesn’t taste like I am eating cardboard. I will add though, I can tolerate small amounts of a high-quality sourdough bread.

Give yourself grace

Overall, it is just part of human nature to want the very thing you can’t have. Rules are meant to be broken, right? The moment someone says you can’t eat something, that something becomes the only thing you want to eat.

So give yourself grace. Do your best. Don’t beat yourself down if you cheat every now and then. I know you can feel so stupid and ashamed, but know you aren’t alone. We all have done it and the important thing is to pick yourself back up and try your best not to repeat the undesired behavior. Also, keep trying to find a substitute that will help get you through a craving or moment of weakness. There are new food substitutes coming out every day, so keep searching.

Do you ever find yourself playing with fire when it comes to cheating with food allergies? Share your experience below, we love to hear from you.