The thing is, I don't want to live in fear. Knowledge is power, and fear is sort of an anti-power. It's a weapon used against the masses, and it's getting out of hand.
Yes, I have allergies. And yes, a very small amount of allergen can make me miserable. And yes, I've had breathing issues and I've been told anaphylaxis may be an issue. But does that mean I have to live in fear?
I could. I could bury myself in my room, and never leave. I could stop eating anything that didn't come from my garden. I could let it escalate, and grow, until I was paralyzed. It would be an easy thing to do.
But you know what I do instead, even though it's hard? I go to the store, week after week, and trust companies not to change ingredients without telling me. I visit people's houses, sometimes in a mask, and hoping they don't react poorly. Trusting them not to have just popped popcorn or used cornstarch or overused cleaning supplies. Eating, in general, is hard.
But I do it. A lot of people I know do the same thing. Throwing themselves out there, trusting food. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. The more "nots" that we have, the harder it gets but we persevere.
Because what else are you going to do? You need calories, and growing them all ourselves isn't an option. It seems silly to those who have never had reason to mistrust food. But after being burned repeatedly, it takes someone strong to keep going out there and trying. That's why we need transparency in labeling. That's why we need clear food labels that tell us what we're buying, how it was grown, and clear answers about packaging (Which can be dusted with cornstarch, for those not in the know).
We can't eliminate all allergens. But we can make all allergens easier to live with.
Yes, I have allergies. And yes, a very small amount of allergen can make me miserable. And yes, I've had breathing issues and I've been told anaphylaxis may be an issue. But does that mean I have to live in fear?
I could. I could bury myself in my room, and never leave. I could stop eating anything that didn't come from my garden. I could let it escalate, and grow, until I was paralyzed. It would be an easy thing to do.
But you know what I do instead, even though it's hard? I go to the store, week after week, and trust companies not to change ingredients without telling me. I visit people's houses, sometimes in a mask, and hoping they don't react poorly. Trusting them not to have just popped popcorn or used cornstarch or overused cleaning supplies. Eating, in general, is hard.
But I do it. A lot of people I know do the same thing. Throwing themselves out there, trusting food. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. The more "nots" that we have, the harder it gets but we persevere.
Because what else are you going to do? You need calories, and growing them all ourselves isn't an option. It seems silly to those who have never had reason to mistrust food. But after being burned repeatedly, it takes someone strong to keep going out there and trying. That's why we need transparency in labeling. That's why we need clear food labels that tell us what we're buying, how it was grown, and clear answers about packaging (Which can be dusted with cornstarch, for those not in the know).
We can't eliminate all allergens. But we can make all allergens easier to live with.
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