Food Allergies Limit Choices for Americans Suffering from Hunger

 

Some Americans do not have enough food to eat.

They receive free food from aid organizations, or assistance from the government so they can buy food themselves. Many towns and cities have food pantries, centers where people can get free food.

However, hungry Americans who also have food allergies¹ often find themselves with either limited or costly² food choices.

Common allergies include foods that contain milk or eggs, some kinds of nuts, and flour made from some grains, such as wheat. People with celiac disease, for example, cannot digest gluten, a protein that comes from some grains. The protein causes inflammation that can damage their digestive system and make them sick.

A number of organizations in the U.S are working to solve this problem. It became more serious during the COVID-19 crisis as more Americans sought food assistance after losing their jobs.

Before the crisis, people with food allergies could visit food pantries and find substitutes for milk or grains that they were allergic³ to. But COVID-19 shut most food pantry buildings. Visitors could no longer enter and choose the foods they needed. Instead, pantry workers would fill individual boxes with food and give them to the needy⁴ as they arrived outside the pantry.

Carla Carter works for the National Celiac Association. She said the food pantry process turned into "here's a box of food, good luck."

Some government assistance programs permit people to choose their own foods at local stores. However, products for people with food allergies often cost two or three times more than usual foods. So, people with allergies get less food as a result.

There are not confirmed numbers on how many people in the U.S. who receive food aid also have allergies. But early estimates suggest it is likely to be millions.

Emily Brown of Kansas City, Missouri, has a daughter with food allergies.

Eight years ago, when her daughter was two, Brown said she had a sad experience at a food pantry. The organization could only offer potatoes and a spicy⁵ tomato sauce for her daughter. There was nothing else for the hungry child.

Brown said she thought: "I cannot be the only mother struggling with this."

When she got to her car, she cried.

Now, she leads an aid group called the Food Equity⁶ Initiative. She works to help about 200 needy families who suffer food allergies. The program provides them with $150 per month so they can buy safe, healthy foods.

Brown is working with two allergy⁷ doctors at Northwestern University in Chicago to learn how many people who have food allergies also do not have enough food to eat.

She said the way the U.S. helps people who do not have enough food is "too general."

Kate Scarlata is a dietician or food expert. She is working with food pantries. She says operators should start asking visitors simple questions like, "Are you on a special diet? Are there any foods that make you sick?"

Now that more people in the U.S. are vaccinated⁸ and public places are reopening, organizations hope that people who need food help will be able to choose what they eat.

That is how it works at a place in San Diego, California, called Porchlight Community Services. Claudia Montenegro runs Porchlight.

She said a group of people who give away their time and money help make Porchlight a place with good choices for people who cannot spend a lot of money on food.

Porchlight has things like yogurt made from coconut⁹ instead of milk, peanut-free butters, and gluten-free grain products.

Elizabeth Shoemaker gets food from Porchlight. She said the organization helps her get healthy food that will not make her sick. Instead of paying for the food, she spends some time each week working for Porchlight.

"I now know I can depend on them next week, so I don't have to hoard¹⁰ food," she said.

Words in This Story

allergy –n. a medical condition that causes someone to become sick after eating, touching¹¹, or breathing something that is harmless to most people

inflammation –n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen¹², and painful

digestive system- n. the parts of your body like the stomach and intestines¹³ the process food

sauce- n. a thick liquid that is eaten with or on food to add flavor to it

yogurt –n. a food that is made when bacteria are added to milk and that is often flavored and chilled

hoard –v. to collect and hide a large amount of (something valuable)

1 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

4 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

5 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

6 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

7 allergy   

n.(因食物、药物等而引起的)过敏症

参考例句：

• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。
• The patient had an allergy to penicillin.该患者对青霉素过敏。

8 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

9 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

10 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

11 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

12 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

13 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句