BehindTheMedspeak: Carrying Allergy Cards Could Save Your Life

I'd never heard of them until I read Suzanne Barlyn's informative piece in this past Tuesday's Wall Street Journal; it follows.

Carry Allergy Cards

The Problem: Eating in restaurants in the U.S. and abroad when you have food allergies and dietary restrictions.

The Solution: Several Web sites will print business cards that list the foods you cannot eat. Give the cards to the server and restaurant manager whenever you're dining out. You can also ask that they be passed on to kitchen staff.

AllergyCards.com is a free site offering templates [pictured above] for allergy cards. Purchase foreign-language cards from specialty sites if you're traveling abroad. Allergy Translation (www.allergytranslation.com) has customized allergy cards in foreign languages for $8. Select Wisely (www.selectwisely.com) sells cards explaining dietary restrictions in multiple languages and/or pictures, many less than $10. Or adapt your own text to 42 free business-card designs (plus small shipping fee) at VistaPrint (www.vistaprint.com).

The Caveat: Never eat anything if you're uncertain whether or not restaurant staff understands your request.