Spotlight Interview: Sloane Miller (Allergic Girl) author of Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies

Spotlight Interview: Sloane Miller, author ( Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies), blogger, advocate, founder of Worry Free Dinners

 

(copyright John Wiley & Sons)

 

1.  Congratulations on your new book!  Where did the idea for this book come from?

Thank you. It’s very exciting! In 2006, I started a blog—Please Don’t Pass the Nuts—to talk about living with food allergies; share my experience and connect with other people; and share what I’ve learned about dining out, traveling, dating and working with food allergies.  The response to blog has been incredible and gratifying.  I was inspired to write Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies, after seeing this response and realizing that there is a real need for information and support in the food allergic community. And, I wanted to talk about the practical realities of understanding and living with food allergies.

2.  As a food-allergic person, how important is it to have a support network? 

 

Supportive, positive relationships are key to living safely, effectively and joyfully with food allergies. In my book, Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies, I explore creating positive relationships with three essential people.  First, I discuss how to create a positive relationship with a board-certified medical allergist. Understanding your diagnosis will help you communicate your needs to those a round you in a confident way. Second, I explore how to communicate those needs to your family, friends and loved ones: how to get them on board and help them help you.  And third, I explore how we all need to create a healthy and positive relationship with food. For anyone with food allergies, our relationship to food is as important as our relationship to friends and loved ones.

 

3.  What is the number one thing you'd tell someone who is newly diagnosed with food allergies?
 

My first piece of advice is to take your food allergies seriously.  What does this mean?

•See a board-certified allergist: know your diagnosis and create an emergency plan

•Fill your prescriptions and always carry them with you

•Be patient with yourself. Start where you are right now and do your best.

 

4.  You have such a positive outlook and approach to living this life with food allergies.  Is this something that came naturally to you or is this something that you had to work up to?

As I was born with food allergies, I’ve always accepted them as part of who I am, like having brown hair. However, I know that living with food allergies can be challenging—even scary for millions of us.  It can and should also be joyful.  Reliable, clear information and support make the difference. Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies, offers advice and experience designed to help people with food allergies overcome their challenges. Living with food allergies is an on-going process.  Be patient.  Do your best.  There will be mistakes but there will also be successes.

 

5.  What do you want people to know about the book?

Allergic Girl  is a book for the whole food allergic community. Whether you have food allergies, know someone who has food allergies or just want to understand more about living with food allergies, this book is for you. If you know someone with food allergies, a big part of being supportive is understanding what food allergies are and how you can help. Allergic Girl offers insights into what it is like to have food allergies and what kinds of support you can offer. For those of us that have food allergies, Allergic Girl offers practical advice and expertise about how to understand food allergies, navigate the risks, communicate your needs and lead your best life.

 

6.  Where else can we find you?

(Author photo copyright David Handschuh) 

My website: http://allergicgirl.com/

My blog: http://allergicgirl.blogspot.com/

My book: http://bit.ly/AllergicGirlBook

My book trailer: http://bit.ly/AllergicGirlTrailer

Where I’m speaking with the book: booktour.com

Twitter: @AllergicGirl

Facebook: Allergic Girl by Sloane Miller
Allergic Girl's profile on WEGO Health