The Food Allergy Brain

The Food Allergy Brain Episode 12: Dr. Kaitlin Proctor, PhD

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2572011/fan_mail/new] This week on The Food Allergy Brain, Mia sits down with Dr. Kaitlin Proctor, a licensed pediatric psychologist, program manager at the Multidisciplinary Feeding Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Proctor works at the intersection of food allergies and ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), and she co-launched a pediatric psychology allergy program to bring mental health support directly into the allergy space. Dr. Proctor breaks down what makes allergy management so emotionally heavy, the tightrope parents and kids walk between safety and freedom, and why a parent's anxiety (and their resilience) can both pass to a child. She also gives one of the clearest explanations you'll hear of what ARFID actually is, why having a food allergy can raise the risk of developing it, and the signs clinicians and parents so often miss. Mia opens up about her own lifelong food allergy anxiety, and the two get honest about the mental health crisis in the allergy community and where to find real support when it feels out of reach. Find Dr. Kaitlin Proctor, PhD: Google Scholar & LinkedIn (Search up "Dr. Kaitlin Proctor, PhD" Find Mia Silverman (Allergies with Mia):  Instagram & TikTok: @allergieswithmia  Website: allergieswithmia.com [http://allergieswithmia.com/]

The Food Allergy Brain Episode 11: Lex Decker

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2572011/fan_mail/new] Content warning: this episode contains discussion of eating disorders.  This week on The Food Allergy Brain, Mia sits down with Lex Decker, the creator behind NYC But Gluten Free, one of the most vibrant and trusted gluten-free communities on the internet. Lex has been living with celiac disease for 17 years, diagnosed at just 10 years old, and she does not hold back in this one. She opens up about what it was really like growing up with celiac before gluten-free options existed, the social isolation of always being the one who couldn't eat what everyone else was eating, and why she actually kept eating gluten in high school and college just to feel normal. She also gets into the very real fear that comes with dining out when your health is on the line, how she handles restaurants that get it wrong, and the accountability she holds herself to as a creator with a platform. Lex opens up about her eating disorder journey and how celiac disease played a role in it. This is one of the most honest conversations The Food Allergy Brain has ever had, and Mia shares something personal too. If you have ever felt like you were doing this alone, this episode is going to remind you that you are not. Lex Decker's handle:  Instagram & TikTok: @nycbutglutenfree Find Mia Silverman (Allergies with Mia):  Instagram & TikTok: @allergieswithmia  Website: allergieswithmia.com [http://allergieswithmia.com/]

The Food Allergy Brain Episode 10: Dr. Manisha Relan, MD

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2572011/fan_mail/new] This week on The Food Allergy Brain, Mia sits down with Dr. Manisha Relan, a pediatric allergist and immunologist who sees patients of all ages and has been one of the OG allergy voices on social media since 2019. Dr. Relan shares how she approaches the emotional weight of food allergies with her patients every day, the proximity challenges she uses to help kids build real confidence, and what her dream care team for allergy families actually looks like (including support for the sibling, which often gets overlooked). She also breaks down the latest on early allergen introduction, OIT, SLIT, and Xolair, and gets candid about fighting misinformation online and knowing when to step away. Dr. Manisha Relan's handle:  Instagram: @pedsallergymd Find Mia Silverman (Allergies with Mia):  Instagram & TikTok: @allergieswithmia  Website: allergieswithmia.com [http://allergieswithmia.com/]

The Food Allergy Brain Episode 9: Thomas Silvera

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2572011/fan_mail/new] This episode is sponsored by Abe's Muffins! Shop at abesmuffins.com [http://abesmuffins.com] This week on The Food Allergy Brain, Mia sits down with Thomas Silvera, co-founder of the Elijah-Alavi Foundation, a public health advocate and certified surgical technologist whose life changed forever on November 3rd, 2017, when his son Elijah died from a preventable allergic reaction at a New York City daycare center. What followed was not silence, but action, and Thomas describes it as grief with a direction. Thomas shares who Elijah was as a little boy: joyful, independent, always running, always smiling, and known for saying "make a hand, make a hug, make a kiss" whenever he needed comfort. He opens up about navigating the grief while immediately stepping into advocacy, explaining that the inaction felt unbearable. The conversation explores post-traumatic growth, the emotional toll of retelling Elijah's story in legislative rooms, and how Thomas balances running a nonprofit with being a doctoral student and a father to Elijah's older brother, Sebastian. Thomas walks through the legislative journey behind Elijah's Law, now passed in six states and two cities, including what it took to get it signed in California after the governor initially rejected it, and why Maryland moved it in just a matter of weeks. He also speaks candidly about health equity, why Black and brown communities face disproportionately severe reactions and fewer resources, and what it would truly look like for food allergy advocacy to center equity. Thomas Silvera's handles: Instagram, TikTok & X: @elijahsecho Website: elijahalavifoundation.org [https://www.elijahalavifoundation.org/] Find Mia Silverman (Allergies with Mia): Instagram & TikTok: @allergieswithmia Website: allergieswithmia.com [http://allergieswithmia.com]

The Food Allergy Brain Episode 8: Q&A with Mia

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2572011/fan_mail/new] This week on The Food Allergy Brain, Mia goes solo for a highly requested Q&A episode, answering your most burning questions about what it's really like to live with over 50 food allergies through the lens of mental health, relationships, and everyday life. Mia opens up about her therapy journey and how CBT, radical acceptance, and a consistent self-care routine have helped her build stability, especially in the aftermath of anaphylaxis. She gets candid about what makes anaphylaxis so traumatizing, how she distinguishes an anxious response from an actual reaction, and why finding a food allergy-specialized psychologist in high school changed everything for her. The conversation also covers friendships, dating, allyship, traveling with allergies, and the emotional rollercoaster of food challenges. The episode closes with Mia reflecting on the defining moments that shaped her mindset, including the allergist who told her she'd likely never outgrow her allergies, and the TikTok she posted in response that started it all. Find Mia Silverman (Allergies with Mia):  Instagram & TikTok: @allergieswithmia  Website: allergieswithmia.com