Moving in together can be such a magical experience for couples, especially around this time of year. February means it’s time to light the candles, to sit down for a romantic meal at home with the one you love most; until disaster strikes! Suddenly, you discover your partner is living with allergies to some of your favourite foods, and you’re left reeling as you adjust to life without these dishes. For people living with allergies, this is a daily issue. Sadly, this is the reality for many couples who fail to adjust to life after discovering an allergy (1), and if you fear that this all too familiar story could become you and your partner, then it’s time to do something about it!
Understanding the basics.
Something that many couples may not consider when making the decision to live together is how each other’s allergies and intolerances may impact the types of food that both are consuming together on a daily basis. For some of the lucky ones, this may never be an issue. However, for others, it may be difficult to adjust to a new way of living without a certain type of food in the house. Especially where the most severe reactions for sufferers living with allergies could experience an anaphylactic reaction just from breathing in a particular substance, such as nuts or sesame seeds. (2) This Valentine’s Day, Lifelab Testing is committed to ensuring that you and your loved ones have the most comprehensive look at your allergies and intolerances possible, so that you can make smart and informed decisions about the food you choose to stock your shelves with to make your home an allergy-safe environment for everyone!
Living with Allergies in the 21st Century.
For some couples, adapting to a new situation such as the discovery of an allergy is a breeze, as you may not have enjoyed the foods causing reactions, or have no trouble compromising on food items for your partner’s sake. For others, though, discovering your partner has an allergy to common foods can be a difficult thing to accept. Especially if it is an item that has been incorporated into your diet for a long time, which makes early discovery absolutely essential. Adjusting to a new way of eating can take time, patience, and communication, but is vitally important for the sustainability of your relationship with your partner, especially if the allergy is potentially life-threatening.
What happens next?
Rarely, both people in the relationship will have the same trigger foods (3), which makes the elimination process far simpler and less stressful for the parties involved. In most situations, however, measures will have to be taken from a non-sufferer to protect the allergy sufferer in the relationship, but all hope is not lost! If the allergy is non-life threatening, there are a number of measures you can take in the home to keep the trigger foods away from the sufferer without losing the joy of enjoying that food yourself, such as:
- Store trigger foods separately from all other foods.
- Never cross-contaminate utensils preparing trigger foods when also preparing other foods.
- Refrain from physical contact (kissing, touching etc.) with the allergy sufferer after the trigger food is consumed by a non-sufferer.
Get tested and live happier
It is always important to consider the needs of the sufferer when making a decision on whether to continue purchasing the trigger food, as well as how possible it is to avoid cross-contamination in order to protect your loved one from the allergen. Getting a Lifelab Test kit is the quickest way to learn what your body can and can’t tolerate. Living with allergies doesn’t need to put the end to your Valentine’s Day plans, so get tested and enjoy your day.