What Else Should I Know
Here are other things to remember:
- Watch for cross-contamination that can happen on kitchen surfaces and utensils everything from knives and cutting boards to the toaster. Make sure the knife another family member used to make peanut butter sandwiches is not used to butter your bread and that nut breads are not toasted in the same toaster you use.
- Avoid cooked foods you didn’t make yourself anything with an unknown list of ingredients.
- Tell everyone who handles the food you eat, from relatives to restaurant waitstaff, that you have a nut allergy. If the manager, chef, or owner of a restaurant is uncomfortable about your request for peanut- or nut-free food preparation, don’t eat there.
- Make school lunches and snacks at home where you can control the preparation.
- Be sure your school knows about your allergy and has an action plan in place for you.
- Keep rescue medicine on hand at all times not in your locker, but in a pocket, purse, or bookbag that’s always with you.
Living with a food allergy can seem hard at times. But as more and more people are diagnosed with food allergies, businesses and restaurants are increasingly aware of the risks they face.
If friends you’re visiting or eating lunch with don’t know about your food allergy, tell them in plenty of time to make some simple preparations . Chances are, they’ll understand. As your friends, they probably hope you’ll be as considerate when it comes to taking care of them!
How To Read A Label For Tree Nuts
Always read the entire ingredient label to look for the names of the tree nut you need to avoid. Tree nut ingredients may be within the list of the ingredients. Or tree nuts could be listed in a contains statement beneath the list of ingredients. Examples are “contains walnut” or “contains almond.” This is required by the federal Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act . Learn more about the U.S. food allergen labeling law.
FALCPA requires that all packaged foods regulated by the FDA must list the common names of tree nuts clearly on the ingredient label if it contains tree nuts. Advisory statements such as may contain hazelnuts or made in a facility with tree nuts are voluntary. Advisory statements are not required by any federal labeling law. Discuss with your doctor if you may eat products with these labels or if you should avoid them.
Did you know that marzipan, mortadella, and mandelonas all contain tree nuts? The FDA food allergen label law requires foods to state if they contain a major allergen such as tree nuts. But, there are many foods and products that are not covered by the law, so it is still important to know how to read a label for tree nut ingredients. Products exempt from plain English labeling rules: Foods that are not regulated by the FDA. Cosmetics and personal care items. Prescription and over-the-counter medications. Toys, crafts, and pet food.
CONTAIN TREE NUTS
COMMON TREE NUT NAMES
Almond
Management Of Tree Nut Allergy: Medications And Allergy Action Plans
In the case of a severe allergic reaction adrenaline is the medication needed to treat allergic symptoms and should be given as soon as possible after symptoms of anaphylaxis are recognised.
Adrenaline autoinjectors, also known as adrenaline pens, are devices that contain the emergency medicine adrenaline that can be given in the case of a severe reaction to tree nuts. If you or your child are prescribed an adrenaline auto-injector it is important that you are shown how to use it by the doctor, nurse or pharmacist. All these devices are available as trainer pens from the adrenaline pen manufacturers and they all work differently. They are very useful for practicing or showing others how to use them .
Expiry dates should be noted and reminder services are available from some of the adrenaline pen websites. Adrenaline auto-injectors that have been used or due to expire should be replaced immediately. Allergy medication prescribed for a child with a food allergy should be documented on a written allergy action plan for the childs school or after school clubs or activities. Allergy action plans are individual to the person, listing their food allergies and providing advice on the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction, as well as instructions on what medication to give and when.
Allergy action plans for children can be downloaded for free from the following website. These action plans need to be completed by a Health professional.
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Cross Reactivity Is Difficult To Understand And Harder To Predict
Cross reactivity means that a similar protein is present in a range of different foods. If the same protein is present in several foods, then that person may have allergic reactions to any food containing that protein. Examples of cross reactivity include people allergic to similar proteins present in hen and duck eggs cow’s and goat’s milk or cashew and pistachio nuts.
It may be difficult to predict whether a person will be allergic to one unique protein allergen present in one food only, or several similar cross reactive proteins present in multiple foods. Therefore, it is not possible to reliably predict the likelihood of allergy to seed or nut like foods without allergy testing to that particular food.
Will My Child React To All Types Of Nuts
It is unlikely that your child will react to all types of nuts however, allergic reactions to more than one nut are common. Most school age children with a nut allergy will have a positive allergy test to at least one other type of nut. Some children may react to only one type of nut however, it may be easier to avoid all types of nuts, as foods that contain tree nuts often contain more than one type of nut so it is not always possible to be sure which tree nuts are present in a food. Reactions to tree nuts may increase with age. For this reason your doctor may repeat the allergy tests to a range of nuts from time to time. Talk to your doctor about which nuts your child should not eat.
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Is Coconut A Tree Nut
Coconut is a fruit that grows on palm trees. It is not a nut, despite the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that it be labeled as such. Coconut allergy is uncommon, and people with a tree nut allergy are not at a greater risk of being allergic to coconuts.
How Can I Tell If Something Has Nuts In It
Peanuts are present in a wide range of products, from chocolate to toothpaste. They may be hidden or visible, but theyre used in many food items to add a creamier texture and flavor. Assume the worst-case scenario if youre unsure whats in your meal and leave it out entirely. When cooking for others, its always a good idea to inquire about each ingredient to avoid any later confusion.
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Is A Chestnut Actually A Nut
This question has an interesting answer that may surprise you.
It is true that a chestnut is a nut. On the other hand, there are other foods called “chestnuts” that are not.
If you have an allergy to tree nuts, you will want to avoid chestnuts, which grow on deciduous trees and shrubs.
Chestnuts are edible, but they are not as popular as walnuts, almonds and other varieties of nuts. One reason for this is that the shell of the chestnut is extremely difficult to remove. Even after cutting an X in each nut’s shell and warming them in the oven, you may still struggle to remove them.
‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open fire’
You may recognize these words from the lyrics to a song that is typically heard during the Christmas season each year. Chestnuts were traditionally used in stuffing that was placed inside a chicken or turkey before roasting. It is still a common Christmas Day dinner for some families.
Chestnuts are a popular food in some parts of the world . They have a high starch content and a high nutritional value. But to someone with an allergy to chestnuts, they can cause a severe allergic reaction.
Reliable Diagnosis Of Food Allergy Is Important
A doctor will ask a series of questions that may help to narrow down the list of likely causes of allergy such as foods or medicines consumed that day, or exposure to stinging insects. This approach will help to exclude conditions that can sometimes be confused with food allergy.
Skin tests or blood tests for allergen specific IgE help confirm or exclude potential triggers. While the results of allergy tests are a useful guide in determining whether a person is allergic, they are not a reliable guide to how severe a reaction will be.
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Eating Out With Peanut Or Tree Nut Allergy
The risk of accidental exposure to food allergic trigger/s can never totally be removed, but some simple precautions will reduce or minimise the risk:
- Contact the restaurant, cafe or home cook that you plan to visit in advance, and let them know of the food allergy.
- On arrival at arestaurant or cafe, ask to talk to the manager about any dishes that should be avoided,. Also ask them to let the chef know so they can take extra care in preparing your meal, to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
- Don’t rely on the menu descriptions of what is in the food. For example, pesto and dips may have nuts in them, and many salads have nuts or seeds added for texture. Sometimes nuts can be added to gravies and sauces too.
- Think about the cooking methods, possible cross contamination and the likelihood of shared utensils and cookware.
- Teenagers or adults who are eating out can cautiously touch test a small amount of the food on their outer lip before putting it in their mouth. Tell-tale warnings such as a burning, chilli-like reaction, and tingling or swelling, should alert you to the possibility that food allergen is present.
- If an adrenaline autoinjector has been prescribed, always have it and your ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis with you. For people who are not thought to be at risk of anaphylaxis and therefore have not been prescribed an adrenaline autoinjector, an ASCIA Action Plan for Allergic Reactions should be provided by a medical doctor.
How Tree Nut Allergies Are Diagnosed
A healthcare provider can diagnose a tree nut allergy based on factors like the kinds of symptoms you have, when they occurred, and how severe they are. It’s likely that you’ll want to see a board-certified allergist who specializes in food allergies.
They’ll use this and other information, such as your family history and any other medical conditions you have, to begin an evaluation for tree nut allergy.
You may be asked to keep a food diary to record what you’ve been eating and what kinds of symptoms may follow.
You also may be asked to try an elimination diet, and remove tree nuts for two weeks. You’ll watch for changes in your symptoms to identify if the tree nut is the cause, and then add them back into your diet to see if your symptoms return.
Skin prick tests can help an allergist come to a diagnosis. This is when tree nut proteins are purposefully introduced to your skin to see if a reaction occurs.
Blood tests also may be used to confirm a tree nut or other food allergy.
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What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of A Nut Allergy
When someone with a peanut or tree nut allergy has something with nuts in it, the body releases chemicals like .
This can cause symptoms such as:
- a drop in blood pressure
- dizziness or fainting
- anxiety or a feeling something bad is happening
Reactions to foods, like peanuts and tree nuts, can be different. It all depends on the person and sometimes the same person can react differently at different times.
Allergic To Chestnut Nut Allergy Or Latex Allergy
28/11/2014 by Ruth Holroyd
Should you eat chestnuts if you have a peanut or tree nut allergy? Ive researched and written about this before and chestnuts arent really nuts in the true sense so could be alright for some people with nut allergies, but as we all know, its never that simple.
Ive eaten chestnut before, by mistake, a couple of times and had no reaction. Ive eating a pie cooked with chicken and chestnuts ) and most recently I ate most of a chocolate sponge made with chestnut flour with no problems what so ever. Greedy? Moi? I did share the cake, honest I did, with Mum, Catherine, Ken, Karen and Julia and they all loved it to. You can ask them.
This was the cake we all ate, made at The Perfect Retreat in Chesham last month.
I ate some in London with my Mum and sister and raced across London to make my way home on the underground. I do not walk slowly, as anyone who knows me will tell you. I walk at warp speed and always take stairs if I can to get some exercise in.
So what happened a few weekends ago when I took a slice to the pub with me? It was a glorious day, we sat outside in the sunshine in the pub garden at The Plough in Cadsden enjoying a pint of Marlow Rebellion real ale which is wheat free. He had crisps and I had a piece of this cake.
After which we duly hiked up the hill on our way home and thats when it all started going wrong.
The first thing I did was use my inhaler as a precaution since my breathing was fine and also too three anti-histamines.
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Living With Peanut Or Tree Nut Allergy
If allergy skin testing shows that you have a peanut or tree nut allergy, an will provide guidelines on what to do.
The best way to prevent a reaction is to avoid peanuts and tree nuts. Avoiding nuts means more than just not eating them. It also means not eating any foods that might contain tree nuts or peanuts as ingredients.
The best way to be sure a food is nut free is to read the label. Manufacturers of foods sold in the United States must state on their labels whether foods contain peanuts or tree nuts. Check the ingredients list first.
After checking the ingredients list, look on the label for phrases like these:
- “may contain tree nuts”
- “produced on shared equipment with tree nuts or peanuts”
People who are allergic to nuts should avoid foods with these statements on the label. Although these foods might not use nut ingredients, the warnings are there to let people know the food may contain small traces of nuts. That can happen through something called “cross-contamination.” This is when nuts get into a food product because it is made or served in a place that uses nuts in other foods. Manufacturers are not required to list peanuts or tree nuts on the label when there might be accidental cross-contamination, but many do.
Some of the highest-risk foods for people with peanut or tree nut allergy include:
Allergic Reactions To Peanut Tree Nuts Or Seeds Can Sometimes Be Severe
Symptoms of food allergy typically include hives , swelling around the mouth, and vomiting, usually within 30 minutes of eating a food. Other symptoms include stomach pains, or diarrhoea.
Symptoms of severe allergic reactions , include any of the following difficult/noisy breathing, swelling of the tongue, swelling/tightness in the throat, difficulty talking/hoarse voice, wheeze or persistent cough, persistent dizziness and/or collapse. Young children may become pale and floppy.
Deaths from food allergy are rare in Australia, but mild, moderate and severe allergic reactions are common. Peanuts and tree nuts are amongst the most common foods causing life threatening anaphylaxis.
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Ascia Action Plans Are Essential
On average the nut allergic person will have an accidental exposure every few years. The difficulties of avoiding peanuts, tree nuts or seeds completely make it essential to have an ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis when an adrenaline autoinjector has been prescribed.
Nut allergy can be effectively managed
Under the supervision of a clinical immunology/allergy specialist and with a network of supportive contacts, people with allergy to peanuts, tree nuts or seeds can learn to manage their allergies. The knowledge that adrenaline autoinjectors are available offers reassurance, but is not a substitute for strategies to minimise the risk of exposure to allergen triggers.
ASCIA is the peak professional body of clinical immunology/allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand.
ASCIA resources are based on published literature and expert review, however, they are not intended to replace medical advice. The content of ASCIA resources is not influenced by any commercial organisations.
For more information go to www.allergy.org.au
To donate to immunology/allergy research go to www.allergyimmunology.org.au
How Are Tree Nut Allergies Diagnosed
Tree nut allergies can be life-threatening. Thats why its so important to have a definitive diagnosis from an allergist. To diagnose your allergies, your allergist may conduct a skin prick test. During this test, your skin will be exposed to a variety of allergens. If youre allergic to one of the allergens, your skin will react and swell or turn red. Your doctor may also recommend blood tests depending on your age and other medical conditions you have.
If the results of your tests are inconclusive, your doctor may request a food challenge. For this test, you will be exposed to the allergen in increasing doses over several hours. Your doctor will supervise this test in case there is an allergic reaction. Emergency medication and services should be at hand during the test.
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