For my next installment of a series I have decided to dub “food for thought”, I brought in a very special guest. I started this blog as a way to raise awareness for people living with chronic illness, not just one person living with chronic illness. As much as I would love to sit here and talk to you about myself, I also want to give my readers access to a wider, more diverse experience of the “fun and exciting” world of chronic illness.
Margaret is many things-- a loyal friend, a devoted follower of Christ, an equestrian, a future nurse and she lives with chronic illness. For this series “food for thought” I wanted to educate my readers on dietary restrictions. Last time, I compiled a list of tips and tricks for cooking with those who have dietary restrictions. This time, I am offering a glimpse into the experience of someone with chronic illness that greatly affects what she can eat. The purpose of this story is for my readers to leave with a greater sense of empathy and understanding that they can take with them in their future experiences.
Me: How does your diet affect your plans? For example, do you have to frequently cancel on trips, nights out, parties, etc. because of your restrictive diet?
Margaret: My diet affects my plans. Whenever my group of friends or my team and I are trying to do something, it always seems like I miss out on things or make different plans because a lot of the time having fun or getting together involves food. There aren’t any restaurants that I can eat at. Even if I am able to eat a salad or something like that contamination is a huge factor and I can’t trust any restaurant. So, I just miss out on things. In general, my diet affects my future and affects the things that I want to do like studying abroad, working at certain places, service trips or going on vacation. There are so many times that I can think of where I had the opportunity to do something fun or travel with friends and I said no because I didn’t know how I was going to eat there or how people were going to be able to accommodate my dietary restrictions.That’s something I have always struggled with-- just thinking of how I am going to be a burden to people or how hard it is to accommodate my diet. So, I will just say no and miss out on things.
Me: How does it feel when you go somewhere and they don’t have food for you?
Margaret: I have been living with dietary restrictions for almost my whole life, so this is definitely something I have dealt with for a long time. It’s not that I get hungry or am jealous of the food that other people get to eat. It’s more that it can make me feel excluded. A lot of the time food brings people together. When I’m invited out to eat, I either stay home or just sit at the table watching everyone else eat.
Me: How does it feel when someone puts care into preparing food for you that you can eat?
Margaret: It can be hard, challenging or overwhelming to try to prepare something that is safe for me. If someone takes the time to do that, I appreciate that a lot. It feels really good, actually ---it feels amazing. I know how hard it can be. Afterall, my family has been doing it for me for years. When someone takes the time to learn about my dietary restrictions, it’s actually not that hard. Usually a go to is something simple like plain chicken, white rice or applesauce. When I tell people about my restrictions, I often tell them what I can eat, rather than what I can’t. When someone takes the time to make food for me, it helps me feel included and less awkward when I go somewhere and they take the time to make something for me.
Me: Do you find it hard to stick up for your dietary needs?
Margaret: What I struggle with the most with dietary restrictions is people not understanding how serious it is or not respecting me when I say that I cannot eat gluten, dairy, soy, etc. Maybe that is because people are not educated enough about chronic illness or dietary restrictions. A lot of times I get told that I could eat it if I really wanted to or that I am a picky eater. This makes it seem like it is my choice. In reality, my restricted diet is the reason that I can stay out of the hospital-- it keeps me as healthy as possible. That is something that I struggle with a lot. It shouldn’t be that I have to explain to people that my diet is keeping me out of hospital for them to respect me. It should just be that I can say “I have allergies” or “I have dietary restrictions” and people will respect me with that. Something I would like to do in the future is educate people more on what it is like to experience chronic illness.
I hope this insight helped you build greater understanding for those with chronic illness. Understanding leads to empathy which helps make the world a little easier for those living with chronic illness.
Best,
Sabrina
(and a very special thank you to this week's guest, Margaret!)
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