www.peazout.weebly.com

It's our mission to raise awareness of legume allergies! Too many people are still under the impression that peanuts are a part of the nut family and it makes life with a legume allergy dangerous. 2 of the top 8 allergens (peanuts and soybeans) recognized by the FDA are legumes. Yet, the rest of the legume family flies under the radar. It's about time that legumes (ALL LEGUMES) get the recognition they deserve. Sign our petition requesting for the entire legume family to get recognized by the FDA, not just the two most common allergens. 

Hi! I'm Dylan Erenfryd, a 16 year-old junior at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook, New York. I’ve been struggling with allergies since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, when I had my first reaction to a slice of banana walnut bread. Once the storm passed, I went to the allergist to discover I was severely allergic to tree nuts and anaphylactic to peanuts. While this was a new struggle for me, it was never difficult for me since foods with nuts were often labeled in an upfront and direct way. Being a picky eater prior to my diagnosis, having an allergy didn’t help. I had always been particularly picky towards vegetables. After years of struggling, my mom decided it was finally time to make me eat something green. She landed on green peas, thinking they would be a safe and healthy option. It only took one green pea to give my throat the anaphylactic scratch. Upon further research, a peanut and green pea are closely related, both belonging to the legume family of vegetables. Since then, I have been tested and discovered to be severely allergic to all legumes. While I had a nut allergy for years and never had a close call, legumes posed a new challenge. The government did not require legumes to be labeled as an allergen, making them much harder to detect. Pea protein has snuck into the ingredient list of Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits™, Barilla Protein Pasta™, Impossible™ brand alternative-meats, and countless other supermarket regulars. I’ve been met with cynical looks when I tell a Mexican restaurant I’m allergic to beans, or a Greek restaurant with chickpeas. Instead of waiting around for the next legume to slip its way into my meal, I decided to take initiative. This has been my story with a legume allergy. Check out www.peazout.weebly.com to learn more about legumes and how you can help make life easier for people living with lesser known but common allergies like me.