I've come to accept that sometimes, people who are aware of my allergies still forget.  And that's okay.  But recently, it came up.  An out of the blue, "Really?  Are you serious?" from someone who knows, or should know, that I have to be careful to the point of being extreme.  I can't eat that.  I can't eat this.  I can't be in the same house as popping corn.  It wasn't a big deal.
In fact, it wasn't a big deal to the point of them making it into a big deal.  (Really, I was already on to another subject.)  But then they finally came to terms with it by shrugging and saying I was always an au natural kind of girl.
Granola mom.  Grapenuts.  Tree hugger.
It gave me a jolt.  I mean, I always recycled.  But I grew up in California and it was sort of beaten over our heads in elementary school, by the tree hugger parents and new environmental curriculum teachers.  Reduce, reuse recycle.  Trim those 6 pack soda plastic holders.
I never was crazy about neon-colored food; it still amazes me that some people are.  The rest I do because of allergies.  Don't I?  
I mean, I shave my legs.  I used to wear a little bit of makeup.  Paint my nails.
I've given some of that up.  Partly from the allergies (Do you know how expensive it is to find makeup free of my specific allergens?  I still need to track down sunscreen.)  Partly from life...it takes too much energy to worry about it.  Partly it's just me.  I don't feel a *need* to sit in front of the mirror and enhance my face.

Huh.  Maybe I am a crunchy, grapenuts, tree-hugging granola mom.
Having unique food allergies has made me much more aware of the world around me, the political side of our food supply and my personal carbon footprint.  I'm not to the extreme that some people are in, and I think it might be because I'm not inherently crunchy.
Then again, maybe I am.  I inherently want to reduce our carbon footprint and protect our food supply.  I want natural, organic, pesticide free food.  I want farm fresh, local produce.  I want my kids to see the woods, and animals roaming free, and know where food comes from.  (Not the grocery store.)
On the other hand, I like little rubber duckies, and cute paper plates for birthday parties, and a variety of not-so Earth friendly possessions.

Which came first?  Crunchy or not?
I suppose it's all about awareness.  Without awareness, I wouldn't know how to make informed decisions or how to protect the Earth.  I wouldn't make 'better' choices because I wouldn't know the impact of my "worse" choices.

Without the allergies, I wouldn't have awareness.  And while I wish I didn't know a lot of what I do know, in the end I'm better for it.  Regardless of when the change occurred, I am the Granola Mom.  (Although, I'm allergic to granola, too.)  :P