Woman Leaves US for Europe Seeking Relief from Constant Reactions and Finds She Can Eat Again

After suffering from increasingly severe and mysterious allergic reactions to food, a woman named Bee — who does not disclose her last name — made the difficult decision to leave her life in the US and move to Europe. For years, she had been developing new allergies almost weekly, eventually becoming limited to a diet of only broccoli, coconut, and chicken. This drastic restriction made her depressed, and her reactions to other foods were severe, including hives, difficulty breathing, stabbing abdominal pain, and “hearing my heartbeat in my head.” Bee described her situation, stating, “I didn’t want to leave behind my entire life in the US, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice.”

In November 2024, Bee relocated to Europe, feeling that her body was “slowly shutting down from lack of nutrition.” She was forced to keep an epinephrine auto-injector and other medications on hand at all times in case of a reaction. To her surprise, she accidentally consumed a food that was one of her biggest triggers — tomatoes — and had no reaction. Emboldened by this discovery, she began to cautiously reintroduce other foods she was previously allergic to, always with her medication ready and knowing the location of the nearest hospital. “I just kept getting the same results,” she said. “I almost didn’t believe it at first and was pretty shocked. I knew that there was just something different about American food that I couldn’t explain.”

Under a doctor’s supervision, Bee learned she had high levels of mycotoxins, toxic substances produced by molds that can contaminate food. She also discovered she had a genetic factor that made it difficult for her body to process these toxins. She concluded that it wasn’t the food itself she was allergic to, but rather the mold within the food. “Over time, my body couldn’t handle it because of my genetic factors,” Bee told Newsweek. “My doctor also thinks that preservatives and additives could have also been contributing to the histamine reactions because my body had such high levels of mold, so it was more sensitive.”

The difference in Bee’s health between the two continents may be attributed to stricter European regulations on mycotoxins. The EU sets lower limits for these toxins in food compared to the US. For example, the US allows ten times the amount of Aflatoxin M1 in milk that the EU does. According to Dr Saira Q Zafar, a board-certified allergist, Bee’s experience is “not entirely surprising” because certain food additives and pesticide residues that are banned or tightly regulated in Europe are still permitted in the US.

Zafar explained that what appears to be a food allergy can sometimes be a sensitivity to additives or contaminants like mycotoxins, which can cause symptoms similar to an allergic reaction. “If US food production and storage methods lead to higher histamine or mold byproducts, it’s conceivable that moving to a country with stricter regulations and fresher, less processed food could reduce symptoms,” said Zafar. However, she emphasized that Bee’s experience is anecdotal and that it’s important to distinguish between a true food allergy and other reactions related to environmental exposure or chemical sensitivities.

Bee has been documenting her journey of trying new foods in Europe on TikTok, where her videos have gained significant attention. She can now eat a wide variety of foods without fear, particularly enjoying bread and dairy, which she missed the most. When she returns to the US for visits, her symptoms reappear. Despite her relief, she expressed disappointment that she had to move to find relief. “People shouldn’t have to uproot their entire lives just to eat,” she said. She feels that it’s a relief to know the cause of her issues and recognizes her privilege, stating “I know there are people with real food allergies who don’t have the privilege of eating foods abroad, or the privilege of uprooting their lives the way I did.”

Here is one of Bee’s TikTok videos describing her issues and testing foods abroad:

@bee70654 Testing foods that I have “allergic” reactions to in the United States, outside of the United States. #glutenallergy #MCAS #allergy #histamineintolerance #gluten ♬ original sound – Bee