English
Български
NUT ALLERGY | F.A.Q.
Can a peanut allergy be outgrown?
Peanut allergy was once considered to be life long. Today, studies indicate that around 20% of children diagnosed with a peanut allergy can outgrow it. To be safe, never re-introduce peanut products in your child's diet without the approval of your allergist.
Can a person react to the smell of peanuts?
The smell of a food can cause an allergic reaction but it is not usually severe unless there is an extremely high concentration of that food (e.g. released from deep fried cooking, or if the person is already having an asthma attack at that time, or has poorly controlled asthma). The smell usually causes only minor symptoms like itchy eyes or runny nose when near an open jar of peanut butter, or when near people eating peanuts on an airplane.
Is peanut/nut oil safe for my child?
Pure refined peanut/nut oil, if properly processed, should not contain peanut/nut protein and therefore should not cause reactions in allergic children. However, peanut/nut oils are also available unrefined. Unrefined oils may be called cold-pressed, unprocessed, expelled or extruded oils. These unrefined oils may have peanut/nut proteins and could cause allergic reactions.
Is coconut a nut?
No, coconut is not a nut and therefore it does not have to be avoided by nut allergic people. Only those allergic to coconut need to avoid products containing coconut.
If I am allergic to nuts, can I eat seeds?
Seeds, such as sesame, sunflower, poppy, mustard, safflower and canola, do not need to be avoided unless you are allergic to them.
What about hydrolyzed vegetable protein?
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein or hydrolyzed plant protein is usually made from soy, wheat or corn. It is rare to find hydrolyzed vegetable protein made from peanuts in Canadian products. Under the current regulations, if it is made from peanuts, it does not have to say so on the food label but this is about to be changed. Canadian labelling is currently under review. Refer to the above section on Food Labelling in Canada .
What is cross-contamination and how can it affect my child?
Cross-contamination occurs when a safe food comes in contact with a food allergen such as peanuts or nuts. In industry, cross-contamination may occur when more than one product is made on the same processing or packaging line or when equipment used to manufacture one product containing peanuts or nuts is used to manufacture other foods. At home or in school, children should be wary of jam or butter, which could be contaminated by using the same knife used to spread peanut butter, cookies from a cookie jar that was not washed between batches, doughnuts which may have touched peanut-coated doughnuts and bulk foods that may have been transferred into a bin containing peanut products. Children should always bring their own lunch and not share foods.
Are there any cures for nut allergy?
Desensitising injections have been tested but are not generally recommended; they are still regarded as experimental. Scientists have come up with a number of other ideas which may enable us to make people with nut allergy safe. At least one of these is being tested now, but it is not available for prescription.
