Claim OwnershipDon't Feed the Fear: Food Allergy Anxiety & Trauma
Subscribed: 3Played: 26
Subscribe
© 2025 Don't Feed the Fear: Food Allergy Anxiety & Trauma
Description
Welcome to "Don't Feed the Fear," where licensed psychologist Dr. Amanda Whitehouse offers expert guidance on managing the social and emotional challenges of food allergies and related conditions. Tune in for compassionate advice, practical strategies, and inspiring stories to help you navigate anxiety and trauma with confidence and resilience.
For more info on resources from Dr. Whitehouse, go to www.thefoodallergypsychologist.com
Theme song: The Doghouse by Kyle Dine, www.kyledine.com
Used with permission from the artist
50 Episodes
Reverse
Send us a text In this special holiday episode, I welcome Megan Lavin, the creator behind Allergy Awesomeness. She is a trusted voice in the food allergy community, allergy mom of four, and now a morning TV anchor. Together, we explore what it means to create a happy and connected (not perfect) holiday for our families. We also discuss Megan’s recent experience with a brand partnership, how she approached it with honesty, and her take on what it means for us to be positive members of the food...
Send us a text In this deeply personal Thanksgiving episode, I reflect on the ways that grief and gratitude are intertwined. This episode is dedicated to my brother Adam on his birthday. Acknowledging Worldwide Bereaved Siblings Month, I share how his death reshaped what gratitude means to me. Join me to explore how we create meaning after trauma, how you're doing gratitude wrong, and ways to utilize it for better health and happiness. This episode is an invitation to reflect, not a prescrip...
Send us a text This inspiring episode features Devin August Sailer, teen allergy advocate and founder of Safe to Eat, an organization providing Top 9 and gluten free foods to domestic violence and emergency housing shelters in upstate New York. We talk about what it's like navigating the world with food allergies as a young person, how Safe to Eat was created, and how even the smallest acts of advocacy are important. Trigger warning: Devin shares a story about a severe allergic r...
Send us a text In this episode I am joined by Zoë Slaughter, the influencer behind the Invisibly Allergic blog and social media accounts and author of the upcoming book by the same name. Zoë shares candidly about her airborne and contact reactivity, her experience using the new nasal epinephrine Neffy, and how she has navigated a safe work place. We also talk about what it means to advocate for change in a world where food allergies are still misunderstood, and how storytelling can open doors...
Send us a text Food allergies don’t just bring the fear of anaphylaxis. They also bring unique social challenges that are often overlooked. In this episode, I sit down with psychologist clinician and researcher Dr. Melissa Engel, whose recently published paper introduces a new model for understanding social anxiety related to food allergies. We discuss why this distinction matters, especially for adolescents navigating peer relationships, independence, and identity alongside food allergies. D...
Send us a text In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, Emery Brown, school psychologist and FAACT’s Behavioral Health Director, joins me to talk about how parents and schools can better support children with food allergies. We explore practical strategies that help children and their parents feel safe, understood, and able to thrive. This episode is packed with helpful tips from Emery's real-life personal and professional experiences, practical skills you can use right away, as well as ideas ...
Send us a text In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, the family behind the ADINA Act joins me to talk about the federal bill's recently reintroduction to Congress. The Act seeks to require clear labeling of the Top 9 food allergens and gluten in prescription and over-the-counter medications. It's a critical step toward safety and transparency for people living with food allergies and celiac disease. We explore the story behind the bill, the urgent need for allergen labeling in medications, ...
Send us a text In this episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, Gabby Hemond (@noglutengabby) joins us to talk about being a young celiac influencer diagnosed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about the unique challenges of navigating a new diagnosis in young adulthood during the global shutdown, the insecurities and uncertainties that came with it, and coping through connecting with others. Gabby shares how she began posting online, the ups and downs of sharing her life so publicly,...
Send us a text This week on Don’t Feed the Fear, I’m joined by Kendra Williams, who lives with celiac disease and has a gluten detection dog Suki trained to keep her safe. In this conversation, we talk about when a food allergy detection dog is a good fit, the role Suki plays in daily life, and how this unique partnership has reduced anxiety and increased her confidence in navigating a gluten-filled world. We also dive into the importance of finding community—both online and in-person—for sup...
Send us a text Kayla King (@celiacwithkayla) joins us on Don't Feed the Fear this week for an open and candid conversation about the realities of living with celiac disease. Kayla is a young celiac influencer who speaks candidly about her experiences growing up with celiac disease. Together, we explore the challenges and triumphs of dating, traveling, and developing self-confidence while managing a chronic condition. She also opens up about her journey with binge eating disorder and the conne...
Send us a text This episode of Don’t Feed the Fear opens our month-long focus on celiac disease with a powerful conversation featuring father and son advocates Jon and Jax Bari. Together, they share their personal experiences with celiac and the urgent need for systemic change—from increased research funding to clearer gluten labeling. We discuss how advocacy at the family level can create ripples of awareness in schools, communities, and even at the national policy level. Jon and Jax’s story...
Send us a text Heading back to school can feel stressful for families managing food allergies. Last year, new recommendations for food allergy management in schools were released, offering schools a roadmap for keeping students safe and included. In this episode, I’m joined by Christine Creter to break down what they mean, how they can be applied, and how parents can utilize them to support their child’s safety and success at school. We hope that as your school year is getting started, this e...
Send us a text In this heartfelt and honest conversation, I sit down with Lyndsie Iiams, a fellow homeschooling food allergy mom and social media creator, to talk about how our journeys led us to educate our children at home. Neither of us ever expected to homeschool, but food allergies reshaped how we viewed our children’s safety, learning environment, and emotional well-being. We discuss the myths about homeschooling, the challenges, the unexpected joys we’ve discovered, and why our decisio...
Send us a text With only 14 foods she can eat safely, Jenna Gestetner could have built a life defined by restriction. Instead, she’s chosen to create one rich in joy, connection, and possibility. Living with MCAS, POTS, and multiple food allergies, she shares how she’s learned to honor her body’s needs without letting her diagnosis dictate her happiness. In this episode, Jenna shares how she navigates the mental health aspects of her medical needs, and why she focuses on what she can do rathe...
Send us a text Meenal Lele is the founder and CEO of Hanimune Therapeutics, which she founded with the aim of developing food allergy preventative products. The company's goal is to create solutions for parents preventing food allergies and doctors seeking better options to support tolerance. The company's commercial branch Lil' Mixins provides products making early allergen introduction to infants in a safe and controlled manner. In our conversation we explore her groundbreaking innov...
Send us a text In this episode, Dr. Whitehouse is joined by an inspiring young adult living with multiple food allergies, Mia Silverman. Mia shares her journey of navigating the world with confidence, resilience, and clarity. Together, they discuss what it really looks like to say “yes” to life, while still taking precautions and honoring the realities of her medical needs. From dealing with bullying to building meaningful friendships and dating with food allergies, to tackling food challenge...
Send us a text In this special birthday episode of Don’t Feed the Fear, I’m pausing to reflect on a whirlwind year, both personally and professionally. I answer some of the questions I get most often, including what inspired the name of the podcast, what I’ve learned through a year of growth, grief, and gratitude, and how nervous system work continues to shape everything from allergy management to parenting to healing. As we continue to discuss the choices that we do have in managing a...
Send us a text In this week's chat about choices, psychologist/researcher Dr. Katharine Dahlsgaard and your host Dr. Whitehouse explore what we can do about the emotional side of food allergies, exploring when everyday anxiety crosses the line into specific phobia and how to address it. Dr. Dahlsgaard walks us through her research demonstrating that exposure therapy, including the proximity challenges, like smelling or being close to an allergen, to help recalibrate fear responses. We discus...
Send us a text In this episode, host Dr. Whitehouse welcomes dietitian-author Lucy Upton @childrensdietitian to explore developing healthy relationships with food. Topics discussed include: Nervous system–informed eating strategiesSafe and science-backed early allergen introductionThe gut-brain-axis, vagus nerve, and mental health connection Medicalization of food and how to combat itLucy's "3 Fs" for encouraging balanced eating habits in childrenWhether you're already navigating food al...
Send us a text In this World Allergy Week episode, I'm joined by Ilana Golant, Founder and CEO of the Food Allergy Fund. She exposes the significant gap between the prevalence of food allergies and the amount of research dollars devoted to this. Ilana shares how the FAF is stepping into this gap, ensuring that every dollar donated goes directly to research on prevention, treatment, and eventual cures. She reports on the most exciting findings from this year's FAF Summit. We discuss: How...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States