Peanut Food Allergy

Peanuts are one of the most common foods that trigger allergic reactions and more children are reacting to them year by year. Like other allergies there is a family connection, so that children of atopic ( “allergic”) people are prone to be allergic themselves.

In view of the widespread use of peanuts in the food processing industry this causes a lot of difficulty in choosing foods thought to be safe for the child.

It is not only that foods thought to contain peanuts, also called ground nuts should be avoided but also other foods handled in the same packaging or processing plant could be slightly contaminated by peanuts.

So peanuts may not be stated on the food label and yet they could be present in very small quantities. This is not some kind of deception played by the manufacturer just a consequence of food facilities having multiple uses and it being close to impossible to prevent small traces of peanuts spreading to other foods.

Peanuts are not related to nuts such as Almonds and Walnuts, often called “Tree Nuts” but allergy to these nuts is common too and they are often handled in the same food packaging plant, making it hard to be clear whether or not there are tiny traces of peanuts in a package of Brazil nuts for example.

Peanut Allergy Symptoms

A peanut allergy may just be a nuisance like other food allergies but a peanut food allergy can also in rare cases trigger a fatal allergic reaction called an anaphylactic reaction.

The symptoms of a peanut allergy can include

•    swelling of the face, lips and throat
•    vomiting
•    asthma
•    eczema
•    abdominal pain
•    hives
•    diarrhoea

and in more serious cases anaphylactic shock which is potentially life threatening reaction requiring immediate emergency care.

Treatment of Peanut Allergy

Most food allergies are not really treated at all people just following  a sensible policy of avoidance of foods that trigger the symptoms. If a child is concerned they need to be informed in a simple way they can understand that some foods will harm them and what to do if offered them. Some schools now follow a policy of banning peanuts from the school lunch boxes ( because children will share!) and from the school canteens too. So that includes peanut butter and other nut butters too.

My own view is that a precautionary policy of avoidance is clearly sensible but I’d also advise consulting a well qualified Nutritional Doctor who can advise on using Vitamin C and Quercetin  to help with controlling blood histamine levels.

Some people with allergies have a thing intestinal wall and it may be possible to treat this and at least reduce the amount of peanut allergen crossing the lining of the gut. A popular and easy to obtain supplement is the amino acid L-Glutamine used by Nutritional therapists and Doctors to treat so called “leaky gut”.

Some kids do out grow peanut allergy but most have to be careful of the possibility of allergic reactions all their lives.