Peanuts & Citrus

I am a high school student who has struggled with anxiety for a lot of my life, which has also manifested in food. From when I was little, I was quite unlucky and had many cases of food poisoning, which caused me to be hyperaware of the ingredients and foods and anything that could trigger a reaction.

It gave me a sense of comfort that my peanut allergy was caught so early, so I didn't have to face that uninformed as well. However, I did experience an allergic reaction after eating a muffin that unknowingly contained peanuts at a birthday party. That incident greatly spiked my anxiety and made it difficult for me to trust homemade food from others for a long time. Since then, bringing food from home and carefully reading labels has become second nature to me. Although this routine can feel tedious, it has long felt like something I “have” to do to stay safe, even as I continue working on finding a balance.

I additionally have a minor citrus allergy, to things like oranges and lemons; though they do not cause an outright reaction, they make my throat feel scratchy and dry. This also caused me a lot of panic because I thought it was the beginning of anaphylaxis, a fatal allergic reaction. These two allergies combined limited my food options quite a bit, which meant I mostly found comfort in nut-free baked goods made at home. Baking with those around me, I feel like I've learned to form a better relationship with food.