Food allergies affect 5 million people in the United States, and that number is only rising. Peanut and tree nut allergies tripled in American children between 1997 and 2008 according to Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE).

I personally have been allergic to peanuts for nearly eighteen years and if I have noticed one thing it's that some people don't really seem to understand or accommodate food allergies. Food allergies are widely misrepresented in the media which causes people to have a lot of misconceptions of how the work, what they are, and how serious they can be. This needs to change.

There needs to be more and better representation of food allergies in the media and there needs to be more respect in society for those who suffer from them. To help bring attention to the issues that many college students with allergies face and the experiences they have, I asked a support group on Facebook for college students with food allergies what they wish people knew.

Here's what they had to say:

"Please take me seriously. So many of my friends make fun of my allergies, and it makes me feel like they either don't care or aren't taking me seriously." -Leah Pinner, Clarkson University

"I'm not being picky. I feel like I say this all the time and people still don't get it." -Katie Reid

"Hand sanitizer is not enough, you either need to you some sort of wipe, (wet wipes, baby wipes) or wash your hands with soap and water." -Lauren Bierman, University of Alabama

"I'm not trying to annoy you by asking you to please not eat food with nuts in it near me. It's already uncomfortable enough to have to ask, but I have no choice. Please don't roll your eyes or ignore me, I'm only asking for my own safety." -Alexandra Grace

"Being lactose intolerant is not 'the same thing.'" -Isabelle Puppa, University of Florida

"Faking an allergy because you don't like a food is not okay." -Olivia Chase, University of South Carolina

"If you’re going to date us, talk to us before trying to kiss us. I know that’s awkward, but if you’ve recently eaten something we’re allergic to, kissing us could be deadly." -Lauren Bierman, University of Alabama

"Being a vegan does not mean you 'know how I feel'" -Deirdre Sheridan, Kenyon College

"If you can do something to help someone with allergies, even if it's small like just reminding someone to wash their hands after eating something they're allergic to, they will be extremely grateful. It can even make their day (or week or month!)" -Andrea Schmidt

"That we totally know you are lying when you say 'it's not even that good don't worry you're not missing anything'" -Kendall Hollinger

"Please educate yourselves and try to understand what I'm going through. A lot of my friends get frustrated when I say I can't go out to eat during a busy time, or I can't go to certain restaurants and it makes me frustrated and mad at myself." -Leah Pinner, Clarkson University

"If I ask you not to eat nuts in my class and you do it anyway, it tells me that you consider my life worth less than waiting an hour to eat a snack. And, joking about what would happen if you were to throw nuts at me is literally the same thing as asking what would happen if you shot me in the head. You wouldn't do that, so don't joke about throwing allergens at me." -Ross McGroarty

"Please, please, for the love of a supreme being, take me seriously and don't treat me like a toddler!" -Gabrielle Alter, Alma College

"My life does not suck because I can't have pizza or ice cream." -Morgan Price.