Packing Food Allergies for College

AllergyHealth for Allergenis  

The college years are a wonderful period of time that every graduate yearns for and many food allergy parents dread. This period of time certainly presents new challenges as teens and young adults manage food allergies on their own for the first time. But preparing for this new phase of food allergy life can be manageable. Once parents and students get a few details in place, watching your student with food allergies mature and blossom into adulthood will be a joy. 

First, contact the school and discuss your food allergy. You’ll want to speak to several offices to get the full picture of how they handle food allergies. In addition to dining services (where you might discuss dining staff training and the dining hall’s offerings), begin by talking to the Disability Services office at your college or university. They can talk to you about and help coordinate reasonable accommodations such as housing where a student can store or cook their own food and setting up allergy-free common areas. You may also wish to reach out to Student Health or Health Management Services to learn about how the school handles emergencies. 

Speaking of emergencies, consider having your student with food allergies sign a HIPAA form as well as a Medical Power of Attorney. These forms allow parents and other designated individuals access to information about medical care and treatment of your child (now a legal adult) as well as give you (or other designated individuals) the ability to make decisions about medical care if your child should be incapacitated. 

Next, review the signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis. Even if your child has had a food allergy for a long time, it is a good idea to go over the various symptoms as well as how and when to use an epinephrine auto-injector (the earlier, the better). 

It is critically important to find the style (or styles) of epinephrine auto-injector that your student will carry. Have them think about their activities and even fashion choices so the epinephrine auto-injectors they choose fit their lifestyle – this will help them to carry it comfortably. Remind them that the epinephrine needs to be used at the start of a reaction and cannot help them if it’s not with them. That means, they’ll need to find an acceptable way to carry them to sporting events, bars, parties, on dates, and elsewhere. 

Finally, it’s time to talk honestly about alcohol. Collegiate social life is sometimes synonymous with drinking. But drinking with food allergies can be complicated. What some people with food allergies don’t realize is that the requirements for allergen labeling allergens in food is different than those for labeling allergens in alcohol. This can make it harder to clearly understand what’s in beer, liquor, wine and other alcoholic products without a call to the manufacturer. Alcohol also impairs judgement, increasing the possibility of risky behavior with food. Further complicating things, alcohol is a co-factor that can accelerate a reaction. 

It’s important to note that many young adults feel self-conscious about their food allergies – particularly as they adjust to a new environment like college. If your child is feeling socially stymied or isolated because of their peanut allergy, you may wish to consider taking the Allergenis Peanut Diagnostic test which gives students threshold level information. This test will tell you how allergic you are to peanuts and a range of how much peanut protein you may be able to tolerate. This helps people with peanut allergies - alongside their healthcare providers – assess realistic risk and develop a reasonable lifestyle plan that keeps them safe from reaction.