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Living With a Peanut Allergy

There are approximately 6 million children in North America alone who have a peanut allergy. Knowing all you can about how to protect a child or adult with a peanut allergy gives you a sense of empowerment and freedom to live life without fear of a life-threatening food allergy attack.

There are many things people with nut allergies can do to stay safe. The most important thing is to always read food product labels before purchasing or eating. Not all labels are 100% accurate, but if you read them you can at least do all you can in that regard. Don't assume that just because the product was safe the last time you purchased it, you need to check the label each time you but it, as food manufacturers do change ingredients.

It is wise to avoid all peanut and tree nut products including almonds, almond extract, arachide, arachis oil, artificial nuts, beer nuts, baking mixes, brazil nuts, cacahueta, cacahuete, cashews, chestnuts, cookies, deep-fried foods, earth nuts, food additive 322 - lechithins - may be peanut, frangipane, goobers, goober nuts, goober peas, ground nuts, ground nut oil, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, hydrolyzed plant/vegetable protein, ice cream, frozen treats, imitation nuts, macadamia, mandelonas, margarine, marzipan, mixed nuts, monkey nuts, new nuts, nougat, nut butters/spreads, peanut, peanut butter, peanut flour, peanut oil, pecans, pesto, pine nuts, pistachios, praline, nut oil, nut paste, nut pieces, nu-nuts, nutmeat, satay sauce, sauces (various), vegetable oil, and also walnuts.

To be totally safe if any family member has a peanut/nut allergy the home should be totally nut free or any food item that contains any of the above ingredients should be kept in a place designated for them. If the person with the allergy is young, it is wise to have a nut free home because food does it accidentally left out.

Make sure that you totally rid of home of any nut products. Start in one room and work your way through the entire house. There are obvious nut products in the kitchen so that is a good place to start. Get rid of all the obvious nut products first such as that jar of peanut butter, or that jar of cashews you were saving for Monday's game. Don't forget nut spreads.

Any foods that are not in the original labeling is not safe and needs to be thrown out. You must be able to read a label on everything in order to check for the presence of peanuts/nuts because not all food items are obvious that they contain them.

Tips for shopping:

Read every label, every time you buy a product. Ingredients do change.

Ask bakery staff if the product you are thinking of buying has nuts, tell them about the allergy so they will be sure to be certain of their answer.

Usually large bakeries will label their baked goods.

Avoid imported foods that have foreign labels or if you are not able to be certain of the ingredients. If unsure of what is contained in a food product, do not buy the food item!

Stay away from prepared or frozen desserts or candies unless you have received verification from the manufacturer that the product does not contain nuts.

Keep a pad and pen/pencil with you as you shop so you can write down product names and the manufacturer's hotline number so that you can call and ask questions about the product before buying it.