During training camp before the 2012 season, Adrian Peterson had a bowl of seafood gumbo, his favorite food being seafood. Then the Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back went to his room to lie down. Almost immediately he began feeling ill, with swelling and itchiness in this throat, eyes and elsewhere.
What Peterson was experiencing was the onset of an anaphylaxis reaction to shellfish. He recovered, helped by an injection of epinephrine from team medical staff. But the experience shook him.
Then on the Vikings’ flight last weekend to play the Detroit Lions, Peterson had another reaction, this time after eating shrimp. One report was that he’d swallowed his chew of tobacco, which Peterson dismissed.
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But the matter of a shellfish food allergy Peterson did not dismiss. And he has not given up on shrimp, among his food favorites.
“You know, people would be like, ‘Why do you eat shrimp when you’re allergic to it?’” Peterson said. “Well, here’s the thing: I’ve eaten shrimp my entire life. You know, when you get the [allergy] tests done, you have, for instance, scallops, lobster, shrimp and, let’s say, peanuts that they’re testing you for.
“You might swell up more when there’s lobster. You might have a bigger allergic reaction to lobster than you do shrimp. Shrimp might just [swell you?] up a little bit.
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“Shrimp is like a little reaction. Lobster and especially scallops, that’s when I really swell up. So I can kind of get away with it, eating shrimp.”