I’m A Whole Mood Features Crystal, Allergy Lifestyle Mom
“No one wants to be in this club, but we cannot afford to take chances or try things out,” said the wife and mother of two beautiful daughters.
For the past two years, Crystal has been building a platform rooted in all things food allergies after discovering that both of her daughters have them. (And considering that Crystal is my best friend, I have had a front row seat to her journey and evolution as Allergy Lifestyle Mom.) This “I’m a Whole Mood” feature offers a unique perspective on nutrition and how this fearless advocate is working to help others navigate through life with food allergies.
CRYSTAL “ALLERGY LIFESTYLE MOM” GOLDEN – A Whole Mood
May: Of course, I already know you, but tell the readers a little about yourself.
Crystal: I’m 35 years old and I live in Atlanta with my husband and our two daughters, Cali and Camille.
May: What influenced you to start Allergy Lifestyle Mom?
Crystal: I was influenced by my own personal experience as a mom of children with food allergies. Although I was aware of food allergies, having children with allergies was new territory for me. Throughout this process of growing and learning more about allergies, it became very clear to me that this is not something that most parents want to learn about through firsthand experience. You can’t afford to just figure things out when your child has life-threatening allergies. With this in mind, I wanted to create a platform where like-minded people could connect, discuss their personal experiences, and lean on one another as we figure this thing out together.
May: How long have you had this platform?
Crystal: I started Allergy Lifestyle Mom in November 2019. I started sharing information about food allergies online and began to connect with more people who either had symptoms of food allergies or had children with food allergy symptoms. I started to receive countless questions about what I was doing and what was working for my girls, so I began to share foods and recipes that worked for them. This also led to me being invited to do interviews and guided conversations with groups that focus on food allergies.
May: Let’s talk about your daughters’ food allergies.
Crystal: I would love to! Cali, who is five years old, is allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts, and peanuts. In the last few months, we discovered that she no longer has allergic reactions to almonds and pecans, but she is still allergic to other nuts. Camille, who is three years old, is allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts, salmon, shellfish, and strawberries.
May: Can you tell me how you discovered they had these allergies?
Crystal: A couple of weeks after Cali was born, she had a bad case of eczema. We consulted with a dermatologist. When the eczema would not go away, we were referred to an allergist. We did not go immediately, but when Cali was five months old, I tried to give her formula as a supplement to breastmilk and she reacted by projectile vomiting. After that, I made her an appointment with an allergist right away and got her tested for allergies. I was so surprised to discover that she had food allergies. This was an eye-opening experience because I discovered that allergens were being passed to her through my breastmilk and I didn’t realize it. Her eczema would subside depending on what I ate, but the allergist recommended that I continue to eat certain foods as long as the reactions did not get any worse because they were not life-threatening through the breast milk. This would allow her to build up an immunity to them. The doctors said we were fortunate to get her tested so early.
When it came to Camille, we already knew to get her tested early. The allergist had informed us that a younger sibling would often experience allergies if their older sibling did. Just like Cali, I ate foods that passed allergens in my breastmilk so Camille could build up an immunity to them. However, I noticed that whenever I ate salmon, Camille would have a strong reaction to the breastmilk. She would turn red and break out in hives. Because of the heightened awareness I had with Cali, I knew to get Camille tested for salmon allergies even though salmon is not a common food allergy (she had only been tested for the top eight most common food allergies initially). This is how we determined she was allergic to salmon. When it came to strawberries, I noticed that Camille did not like dishes prepared with them. I have learned that sometimes when babies resist certain foods, it could be a sign that it makes them feel bad. One day after giving Camille a strawberry banana smoothie, her face began to swell and I knew it had to be the strawberries. That was another “ah-ha” moment for me.
Because Camille’s reaction to my breast milk was so traumatic when eating salmon, I had to stop the consumption of salmon altogether.
In another occurrence, Camille touched an empty peanut butter jar and her eyes were swollen shut.
Fortunately, my daughters have not had to use their subscribed EpiPens; however, every person’s reaction is different. So far, in Camille’s case, she tends to swell. Cali’s symptoms have manifested through eczema and hives.
May: What impact do you strive to make through your platform? How do you believe your platform will help others?
Crystal: When something is your passion, like this is for me, it’s so easy to do it because you speak from your heart. My goal through this platform is to create a community of people who have an interest in managing food allergies. I also strive to provide every member of the community with a customized experience. You should be able to visit Allergy Lifestyle Mom’s website and get answers to your questions. You should also be able to see what I’m doing and be free to discuss things that people don’t talk about often. Many times, we don’t talk about the stress and anxiety that comes with this type of life. As parents, we already want to protect our children from regular dangers, but with allergies, we have to be extra cautious and learn to trust the caregivers, the teachers, the sitters, etc. Food allergies indirectly take over your mind because you’re always in protection mode. You know that there are no cures for food allergies; all you can do is manage them.
May: What other “ah-ha” moments have you had since starting Allergy Lifestyle Mom?
Crystal: When I first found out my kids had food allergies, I was overwhelmed. Then I got to the point where I thought, “I got this under control.” Then I started Allergy Lifestyle Mom and started joining these groups and forums and realized, “Wow, I don’t know anything.” There are no “right” answers when it comes to food allergies. Everyone’s experience is unique. Research that works for one may not work for others. You have to keep learning. You’re not alone and that’s what connects you, but you are unique in the sense that everyone’s journey with food allergies is a different journey. A good example of this is the wide range of reactions to allergies. Most people think that hives and closed throat are the only reactions people have to food allergies. But reactions range from stomach pain and gut issues to headaches. My daughters expressing these reactions have helped me understand the range of reactions.
May: How can people learn more about your platform?
Crystal: People can follow me on Instagram @allergylifestylemom and subscribe to my YouTube Channel, Allergy Lifestyle Mom. My website is also in the works at www.allergylifestylemom.com. For now, website visitors can join my mailing list to receive messages from me and be notified when the site launches.