a lovey-dovey post

Although most of my life seems to be preoccupied with what my boyfriend can and cannot eat, the truth is that I don’t follow the same diet. Although I eat his food when we are together, when I am alone my diet is full of the unhealthy things college students are supposed to eat. In fact, as I type this I am eating one of my Mexican cookies. I made two batches, which equals four sticks of butter, eight cups of flour, two cups of confectioner’s sugar, and two teaspoons of vanilla extract which is probably made with alcohol.

Now before people start calling “hypocrite”, let me reiterate that my boyfriend’s diet is due to intolerances toward certain food products. I am not pretending to go along with a lifestyle choice and then secreting “unsafe” food behind my back. On days when I see him, I go allergen-free so that there is no risk of contamination. I don’t eat “unsafe” food around him and if by chance I have eaten any allergens or potential allergens before I see him, I brush my teeth carefully and floss to make sure that there are no food particles hiding.

There is, however, the fact that even if my boyfriend could eat gluten and all the other allergens, he would still avoid the processed foods that so many of us depend on. I would be lying if I said that at the end of an allergen-free weekend I’ve never craved fluorescent orange food. As soon as my boyfriend has said goodbye I race to the vending machines for some Cheetos and an orange Fanta. However, I feel guilty about it. I know that these foods are terrible for me and even though my boyfriend isn’t with me, they would still be harmful to him.

That is why I’m glad that I met him. I don’t have a lot of self-control when it comes to my eating habits and in the past I have always ignored the fact that most of the food I eat is bad for me. Having the food actually be harmful to someone else puts it into a new perspective. I’ve found that when I’m with my boyfriend and someone offers me a chocolate chip cookie, I can say no without batting an eye. If I was alone, however, I would rip the cookie out of their hands and then go through their pockets looking for more. Although sometimes it gets tough at the end of a weekend when all I am craving is red 40 and yellow 12, I still won’t consider eating them until my boyfriend is safely out of harm’s way. And then I buy a 3 Musketeers for being so resilient.

For everyone who is in a relationship with someone with a food allergy, take it as an opportunity to get creative with cooking. You may end up trying combinations of ingredients you would have never considered before or discovering new foods. You might even get better at coming up with recipes on the spot. Even tweaking the recipes you know to accommodate allergies can be a fun challenge. I am extremely grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to cook during college, and the fact that I get to do it with my boyfriend makes it even better.