This may be silly but I just want to make sure. My child has an allergy to ALL nuts, tree nuts and peanuts. She is very allergic, it includes her just being in the room with the nut or touching the shell of the nut. She reacts very severely and has been tested positive.
Are chestnuts, water chestnuts and pine nuts and coconuts considered nuts? Also, should I be careful about her picking up acorns or shells (looks like walnut shells) that fall from the trees in our backyard?
I have read something about certain beans like lentils being related to peanuts. She's not allergic to sesame seeds and soy but should I avoid lentils and certain beans?
My son has a tree nut allergy as well. It seems it's best to stay away from all of them, but here's a useful link that has helped my with my son.
This is a question that is best posed to an allergist. They know what allergens cross react better than anyone else.
My daughter is also allergic to every nut under the sun. We stay away from anything with the word nut in it, including chestnuts, coconuts, etc. She may be allergic to the ones that fall outside, but I would check with the doctor on that. Does she also have environmental allergies? That could also play into this...good luck!
My son is allergic to tree nuts and peanuts as well. When he was tested for tree nuts, one of the nuts tested was coconuts and he was positive to that. I'd stay away from anything with nuts. Peanuts are a legume and therefore related to beans. My son had had green beans before we knew he was allergic to peanuts and did fine with them. However, I don't give him any other beans now just in case. As for picking them up, I have let me son pick up acorns that have fallen and I just wash his hands real good. I'd call the allergist because they should have a list of what exactly you need to stay away from based on the severity of her allergy.
great website for food allergies.. foodallergy.org. this came highly recommended by my son's allergist (he is allergic to Milk and eggs) - good luck!
Just found this link - thought it might be of interest?
I just looked at the foodallergy.org site. That's really interesting. So it looks like water chestnuts are fine, I'd avoid coconut to be safe. chestnuts are a nut, so I'd avoid them.
oh wow, i never thought about those "nuts". i do not know, but have a friend who's child has a nut allergy. i can ask her.
Lentils and beans are rarely allergic foods. They are "safe" foods and a very good source of protein. I might wait until the child is older before attempting the coconut. AF
I don't know if any of these are "technically" considered nuts or not, but a friend of mine has a son with a peanut allergy and he was accidentally given a small piece of chestnut to eat and did have an allergic reaction.
http://www.calgaryallergy.ca/Articles/English/treenuthp.htm
"What about seeds, tropical oils, exotic nuts?
Foods such as water chestnut, pine nut (pignolia or pinyon nuts), coconut, nutmeg do not need to be avoided by nut allergic people unless they are also allergic to these foods. However, allergies to these foods are uncommon. Palm oil and tropical oils do not need to be avoided. Seeds, e.g., sesame, sunflower, poppy, mustard, safflower, canola, do not need to be avoided unless you are allergic to these as well."
Seems like pine nuts and water chestnuts are ok unless your child is SPECIFICALLY allergic to them. I would stay away from chestnuts and acorns.
This is going to sound nut "not pun intended" rosted cocanut wil you roast cocanut (sp) it has a very nutty flavor. you can chop it up into little pieces and put it on top of ice cream and what not.
Hi there,
I am also very allergic to peanuts and mildly allergic to tree nuts. I'm almost positive that water chestnuts and coconut are not actually considered nuts. That being said, I was allergic to coconut along with peanuts/tree nuts from about the time I was 2 to about 10 years old, then one time I tested negative and I've been fine with coconut ever since. I'm completely fine with water chestnuts. I've never tried chestnuts or pine nuts. About lentils/beans, I think they are related because both beans and peanuts fall into the legume category. I'm fine with most beans, however, recently it seems that I've started to develop very minor reactions to things with high concentrations of soy, as well as edamame (soybeans). The only thing I've been able to think of is maybe something having to do with the proteins, as I'm fine with soybean oil. I think overall beans shouldn't be a problem, but if you're concerned you can have her tested at an allergist's office for specific foods like that. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions! I have been an allergy patient my whole life :) and now work in an allergy office as well.
Nicole
If you would like to help her with her allergys check out www.naetkids.com
:) its wonderful work that help her overcome these allergys
My son also is anaphalactic (severely allergic) for tree nuts - meaning we avoid all nuts. However, the other posters are correct - water chestnuts and coconut are not considered nuts. US labeling laws DO now require labeling for coconut, though, so you might check with your doctor on that one. Water chestnuts and nutmeg are not nuts and do not need to be avoided. It is very important to work with a good allergist you trust - they can help you sort out what you do and do not need to avoid. It is very easy to become paranoid and start to avoid everything. (MY son had tested positive for sesame and lemon, but we were able to introduce them back in to his diet because he had been eating them with no problems prior to the test.) And yes, peanut is part of the legume family, so if she does have that allergy, the doctor should let you know whether or not to avoid other beans.
Lastly, I would be careful with suggestions such as the other post about the NAET method - there is no medical support for such "treatments."
I've been allergic to all tree nuts my whole life (I'm 36 now, thanks to many ERs for saving me when those allergies went wrong!), and it basically includes any nut or seed from things that are botanically trees. That includes chestnuts and pine nuts as well as almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, brazil nuts, acorns, and so on. Coconuts come from palm trees, which are actually large grasses, and I'm not allergic to them. Water chestnuts are also not part of trees, and I'm not allergic to them, either. So you may be okay with those.
Watch out for cross-reactions with latex (a tree sap loaded with proteins), bananas (for some reason share a protein with chestnuts), and avocados. I've found that when bananas and avocados are underripe, I get a slight cross-reaction with them. I try not to use too many latex products because of the increased risk of eczema for me. Also be aware that mangos are related to cashews, and stone fruit like peaches, cherries, and apricots are related to almonds, so chewing on the pits of these fruits might trigger a cross-reaction in your child. Buckwheat is a grass seed, but sometimes also triggers cross-reactions in allergic people. Might want to avoid pillows with buckwheat (and certainly nut!) hulls used as filling.
Finally, I haven't tried it, but it looks like shea butter is made from a tree nut harvested commonly in Africa and therefore not all that well known in the US as a food product. I've avoided it like crazy, and you probably should, too, in lotions and such. It even shows up in Puffs Plus tissues. I also noticed an ingredient, ethyl macadamiate, in a sunscreen--it's derived from macadamia nuts. I check all my lotions and makeup labels very carefully now that there's such a strong cachet to "natural" ingredients.
Good luck! I wish that there had been such good labeling on foods and pharmaceuticals when I was a kid as there is now. It's hard, but it can be managed, and there's still a lot of delicious food out there for your daughter. The only thing it might keep her from doing long-term is going vegan, because so much fat and protein in a well-balanced vegan diet is derived from nuts and peanuts.
I do not know about the nut extracts, but if I were you I would call the manufacturer and then you can know for sure. But, that topic prompted me to tell you about Jelly Bellies- do not give your child the peanut butter ones and they do have peanut butter in them. I almost made that mistake when we got a bag of mixed jelly bellies and I could smell the PB one. I almost let my son have it, thinking that it was some kind of PB artificial flavoring, but I called the company and they said they have the real deal.
If your child in not allergic to soy (which is good as soy is a legume like a peanut) I don't know why you would avoid other legumes. BTW, peas are a legume so if she's fine with peas then she's probably fine with beans too. Watch her for cantaloupe. It think it is somehow related to the cashew family. It's not a high allergy causing food- I just thought it was weird that my son refused to eat it and when I asked his allergist that's what he said. It will not cause an allergic rxn, so don't take it out completely, just watch to see how she handles it and don't force her to eat it.
I know that having a child with a severe nut allergy is really scary and overwhelming. Luckily, there is an awareness out there so it is very manageable. I just have to say, from personal experience, that there are just some things you cannot control and to not be too hard on yourself when it happens. One time my son had a reaction from eating dried apples- turns out some other kids had eaten some too right after eating a PB sandwich. Those things are going to happen, so make sure you ALWAYS, ALWAYS have an epipen and Benadryl (I love the premeasured sticks they have now) with you. We have a little bag we carry them in and if we forget it, we go home and get it or just don't go. I also stash another set at my house, my mom's house and his preschool. It's that important, trust me.
Good luck to you!
Hi, Gillian, I am an adult, age 54, who has a severe allergy to pine nuts, sometimes listed as pignoli or pignola. It is frequently used in Italian food and pesto. My first experience with it was in London,after eating a salad, where I only had a stomach ache. No diarrhea. I thought it was caper allergy. Three years later, at a retirement party, I ate a salad of orzo and raw veggies that evidently had pine nuts in it, also. My sinuses swelled, as well as my soft pallate and my esophagus. Before we could get to the car, my stomach was so extended that I had to unzip my shorts. I vomited when we got home. (Watch the progression.) About a month later, we were in Washington, DC. After visiting one of the Smithsonian buildings, we went downstairs to eat lunch. Again, I chose a beautiful salad of shaved raw carrots, parsnips, arugula and pesto dressing. On the first bite, my gums swelled and then the sinuses, soft pallate, etc. We left and, not thinking, threw the salad in the garbage. We began our 20 minute walk back to the Metro station, but it took two hours because I stopped on the Mall many times to throw up and rest, I was having a hard time breathing. When we finally made it to the train station, my bowels began to rumble and I began to pray...(not on the Metro!!) We made it back to our RV, but you can see the worsening progression. I was telling this story at a cookout the next weekend. One of my friends is an allergist who pulled me aside and said to see her in her office on Monday. She tested me for many allergies of which I am positive, but I have chosen over the years not to medicate because I do not "suffer" with anyhting. But the test for pine nuts was the most serious--on a scale of 0-6, 6 being the worst, I am a six. I now carry an epipen, and ask before eating anything. Recently, my cousin and I went to lunch downtown. She said her dressing was the best she had ever eaten on a salad. I was already full, but I dipped my finger in her little serving dish and tasted lightly. Immediately, I had a reaction, so it just gets worse and worse. I have never had severe allergy problems before, so I am convinced that as I get older and my body chemistry changes with menopause, I will have to be on the alert for these changes also and know my body's signals.
Of the above things you have questioned I have not had an experience. I fo know that I cannot eat more than a whole mango at one time. I get a slight swelling in my esophagus. Mango is related to poison ivy, of which I am very allergic. Just don't take anything for granted.
Hi Gillian!
I apologize for the delayed response. My 7 year old also has a tree nut allergy (but not peanuts) and Yes chestnuts, pine nuts (aka pignoli and pesto) and coconuts are tree nuts. Also watch out for nut extracts (such as almond extract and other such flavorings)...And he doesn't pick up anything just in case. He also has an epi-pen just incase...one at school, one in his backpack, and one in my purse and another in the kitchen (thank goodness we've never had to use it). Ask your allergist about the other legumes since there can be cross reactions with the peanut allergy. Good luck!