For those who don’t suffer from food allergies, you don’t have to think about every little thing that goes in your body. You don’t have to check ingredients on every label. However, there may come a day when your child’s friend is spending the night or someone you meet may have a food allergy. If you plan on having these people in your home, BE PREPARED. It’s *terrifying* for a parent of a child with food allergies to go to someone’s home who is uneducated in their allergy.
Today, I’m talking about Peanut and Tree Nut allergies. I have a severe allergy to peanuts. I can’t even smell them or I have breathing problems. If I smell it on someone breath, I immediately have something like internal hiccups and have to back away. With the 8 people in my family, we cover a large array of food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, food dyes, shellfish, milk proteins, milk lactose, fish, lettuce, vanillin, etc.). I’ll cover these later.
BTW: Peanuts are the ONLY nut that has airborne proteins that cause breathing problems. No other tree nut can do this.
Quoted from http://www.allergyhome.org/can-the-smell-of-peanut-butter-cause-an-allergic-reaction/
True or False?The smell of peanut butter will cause an allergic reaction in people with peanut allergies.
The correct answer is False
The smell of peanut butter is caused by pyrizines, which are not proteins. It is the proteins that trigger allergic reactions. So the smell of peanut butter sandwich from the next table should not cause an allergic reaction.
BUT people can have reactions when they inhale food proteins that they are allergic to. This can be seen when food is actively cooked, when powdered or crushed forms become aerosolized, or in other situations when proteins are released into the air.
Grocery shopping takes me ten times longer than everyone else because I have to read ingredients on practically everything for all the food allergies in my family (milk proteins, peanuts, tree nuts, food dyes, shellfish, fish, lettuce, vanillin, etc.) I have learned the hard way to buy *nothing* without rechecking ingredients because companies don’t have to put on their packaging when they’ve changed ingredients. Some products like to change ingredients without giving warning (bread products are good about going from milk-free to containing milk). About 2 weeks ago, my 20yo daughter was out with my 11yos and he wanted Ho Hos. Thankfully, I have taught her to always check the ingredients. This is how we learned that Hostess has added peanut flour to Ho Hos and Suzy Qs. Had she not checked and let him eat one on the way home, she’d have been calling me from the hospital!
When your child has a food allergy, it is scary. Having a food allergy is even scarier. I’m not sure how it began, but when I was pregnant with my first child (she’s 24 now), I craved and drank peanut butter milkshakes. When I had my son 2 years later, I started to have an aversion to peanuts. They didn’t taste right. The smell made me gag. Right after the birth of my 3rd child, I learned I was highly allergic to peanuts. The allergist can’t tell me how it happened or what changed in my body, but I needed to avoid peanuts and all peanut containing foods. It was later that year, I had a fainting spell that I learned had to do with just smelling peanut butter caused. With other tests, I learned I was allergic to pistachios, walnuts, almonds, and pecans.
DUAL TREATMENT FOR EPI PEN NOW
I already carried an epi-pen for bees, so instead of just carrying around 9 months of the year, I needed to take it with me everywhere.
IT WAS A SPOON!
My husband and I attended Thanksgiving lunch at his family’s house. I take my own allergen free food (as we, also, have 2 sons with peanut and nut allergies). I made a mashed sweet potato dish and did not think anything of it being next to the other sweet potato dish that had pecans in it. I ended up in the hospital that evening. Why? Someone had used the same spoon from the pecan sweet potatoes in my nut-free sweet potatoes and, apparently, I had a 2nd helping of them. Yep, a spoon sent me to the hospital. I was sick for 2 days because of a cross-contaminated spoon. Talk about scary! My husband’s family now put up signs “DO NOT CROSS CONTAMINATE UTENSILS” if there are any nut containing products. They put away all peanut products if we are attending a family function.
AVOIDING EVERYDAY FOODS AND PLACES
There are certain foods and places I need to totally avoid, due to my severe peanut allergy.
Mike Sell’s Chips - peanut oil.
Hostess Ho Hos - peanut flour
Hostess SuzyQs - peanut flour
Nut extracts for baking - almond, pecan
Wings places like Buffalo Wild Wings, etc. - I can eat nothing *fried* because they have 1
product that “may contain peanuts” they they deep fry in the same oil as the wings. I learned this the hard way. Luckily, this wasn’t a hospital trip. This was a 2 doses of Benadryl with red, itchy splotches trip.
Texas Roadhouse - peanut shells on the floor
Arachis oil or arachidyl behenate - another name for peanut oil
Nut milks - almond, cashew, hazelnut, etc
Nut butters - almond, peanut, etc.
Nut pastes - such as marzipan, nougat
Nut oils - peanut, almond,
Candy - Reese’s, Almond Joy, Snickers, Payday, Maple Nut Goodies,
Walmart brands Great Value - most of their products state on package “May contain nuts”
Penn Station, Five Guys, and Chik-fil-a use peanut oil for deep frying.
Dairy Queen & United Dairy Farmers - they have signs up stating that there is
Cross-contamination. I was lucky enough, last year, to have my daughter work a summer at our seasonal DQ, that I got to try one of their ice cream cakes. She insured me of ingredients & triple checked everything with corporate and made a cake just for me. Since she no longer works there, I won’t trust anyone else to make one for me to ensure it’s allergy free.
Chinese Restaurants - some products have nuts right on them. The fortune cookie is an
ALMOND COOKIE.
WARNING:
*Always* ask SPECIFICALLY if peanuts, nuts, and/or peanut butter is used in recipes that other people make. At Cub Scouts, I asked a woman if there were any nuts in a cookie she made. She told me, “No. I used flour, baking soda, sugar, butter, and almond extract.” When I mentioned that he couldn’t have the almond extract, she was *shocked* because SHE didn’t consider it a nut product.
MAY CONTAIN NUTS OR TRACES vs PROCESSED ON EQUIPMENT THAT CONTAINS NUTS vs MADE IN A FACILITY
Let’s clear this up.
If the box says “May contains nuts or traces of nuts”, those with nut allergies should NOT eat this product. It could be a cross-contamination issue It could be that their standards of cleaning equipment between nut-free and nut foods are poor. It, also, could mean that they have had reports of allergy breakouts of the non-nut containing foods.
If the box says “processed on equipment that contains nuts”, this is up to the individual, in my opinion. If I know the company and have had the product before, I’ll more than likely buy the food. It means that their standards of cleaning equipment between nut and nut-free foods is up to government code. It means that they have not had any reports of an cross-contamination of allergy called in to them.
If the box says “made in a facility that processes peanuts or tree nuts” - this is safe to eat. Foods are separated and not on shared equipment.
If you ever have any questions, there is usually a company and phone number listed, or you can find it on the internet.
If you or your child has a guest allergic to peanuts:
Put away all peanuts & peanut butter.
Wash your hands TWICE before you touch them or anything they will handle.
Check with the guest about products. Don’t assume a product is OK. They’ll appreciate your efforts and will feel more comfortable in your home.
If you’d eaten nuts or peanuts before they’ve arrived, brush you teeth and wash your face. I’ve broken out from a simple kiss on the cheek from a cashew eating grandparent!
Do NOT get offended if they don’t want to try a new food. Reactions are SCARY and we try to avoid them.
No allergy question is stupid! Some parents, like myself, prefer to pack food up for our children to take to others’ homes.
WHEN IN DOUBT, ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION. Someone’s life may be at stake.