Alex De Sousa's relationship with food is difficult since he's allergic to 28 different foods. This has made the Glasgow, Scotland man's life "increasingly difficult" as it makes eating out and even deciding his own meals a chore.
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SWNS reported how the issue that started with averse reactions to baby formula has evolved to some life-threatening allergies. The 28-year-old discovered over time that his most severe reactions can be from peanuts and legumes. No beans, peas, or lentils are allowed.
Man Avoids 30 Different Foods Due To Allergies
During his teenage years, De Sousa learned to cook food for himself, a good life skill for anyone to have. This allowed him to learn how to make meals with safe ingredients with the knowledge that nothing in his meal was bad for him.
But what can he eat? Currently, De Sousa admitted that the "easiest cuisine" for him to make and eat "is Italian food." Since Italian dishes don't have "a lot of ingredients" that pose dangers to him, it's an easy meal to cook up.
You can imagine how tiring it is for De Sousa to plan his next meals, especially when he's not alone. "You're going out to eat and you're not just the one person who gets affected by that," he said. "Everyone at the dinner party is affected by the decision of where it is we are going to eat, based on one person's food allergies."
Luckily, his friends and family have adjusted to his eating habits. If he goes out to eat with others, De Sousa said it's typically a safe place for him to eat as well. While he was growing up, his parents had to change their household meals to keep him safe from triggers.
When it comes to buying his own groceries, it's not only about avoiding the obvious foods he's allergic to. De Sousa has become an expert at reading food package labels. "You get pretty good at reading them after a long time," he continued.
In response to his long list of severe allergies, De Sousa created What is Edible, a meanu builder to help restaurants display allergens more easily. Hopefully, this is something that can help others like him, since he has met others with allergies who suffer similarly.
