New York Giants defensive back Dane Belton will wear special cleats to help raise awareness for food allergies. He is participating in the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign.

Food allergies have been very prominent throughout Dane’s life. He is allergic to milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, shellfish, sesame, and coconut.

After his diagnosis, his mom looked to Kids with Food Allergies (KFA) for allergy-friendly recipes. So, Dane shared that selecting KFA for the My Cause My Cleats campaign was an easy choice. KFA is the food allergy division of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).

“I’m thankful for you guys helping me and my mom out,” shared Dane. “I wanted to give back and spread the knowledge you provide.”

He also shared, “It's especially important for me because not a lot of people understand the hardship of having a lot of food allergies. I wish more people understood that for us it’s challenging everywhere we go. [We have] to always be verbal about what we have. I feel like it's getting better now, but a lot of restaurants still don’t have allergen menus. You have to talk to a chef one on one and see what you can eat.”

During week 13 of the NFL season, players wear their causes on their feet. They wear custom-designed cleats that represent charities they are passionate about. The cleats will then be auctioned off to raise money for the chosen organizations. To learn more, visit nfl.com/mycausemycleats.

Dane recalls growing up with food allergies being “very stressful on my mom … She was super adamant about making sure everyone knew about my allergies.” This included his day care, school, after-school activities, sports teams, and more.

His mom used some KFA resources to help manage his food allergies, including some of KFA’s Safe Eats® recipes.

“I know she got a lot of dessert recipes [from KFA] for sure,” recounted Dane. “[Desserts were] the most challenging being allergic to dairy and eggs. A lot of desserts use those.”

He shared memories of how his mom would try out new recipes and how excited he was when he was able to eat new foods. The recipes from KFA were especially helpful in adding variety to his diet.

When asked if he had a favorite KFA recipe he shared, “I remember I was 12 and I’d never had pumpkin pie and she made it … it was the first time I’d ever had it.” He loved it!

Growing up with food allergies can be challenging. And even today, food allergies still affect Dane.

“Being a professional athlete we are tasked with taking in a lot of protein to keep up with our daily regimen and workouts. A lot of people drink whey protein drinks and I’m allergic to that,” shared Dane. He has to get creative and find different ways to get protein.

Dane has also learned that having a solid support system makes it a lot easier to manage food allergies. This includes the New York Giants staff. For example, when traveling they ensure he has safe food to eat so he can focus on playing football.

Now the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats campaign is giving Dane an opportunity to help other people learn about food allergies.

When asked about what advice he has for other people with food allergies, Dane shared, “Don’t be afraid to ask questions! You may learn there is more that you can eat.”