Peanut Allergy
There are a lot of food allergies but the one that most worries people is peanuts. The reason is that the reaction to peanuts can be so severe. Several people die as the result of eating peanuts every year. If you do have a peanut allergy, or more likely if your child has a peanut allergy, you are going to have to be very careful about what you eat.
Of all the food allergies peanuts is one of the most serious. This is mainly because the reaction can be so severe. Peanut allergies really aren’t that common but they do get a lot of attention because of the number of people who die of them each year. There are some people who have allergies that are so severe that they can have reaction just from touching a peanut, they don’t have to eat it, just getting it on their skin is enough. The number of people with peanut allergies has been increasing in recent years although why this is nobody is quite sure of.
The symptoms a peanut allergy can vary but the most common are asthma and in some cases anaphylaxis. It is the anaphylaxis that is what makes a peanut allergy so dangerous. Oddly despite the fact that a peanut is a legume like beans it isn’t that common for people who are allergic to peanuts to be allergic to other legumes. It is a good idea to have an allergy test to see if you are allergic to anything else but it is quite common for people to be allergic to peanuts and nothing else. In many cases a child with a peanut allergy will outgrow it, although why this is the case isn’t clear.
The best way to deal with a peanut allergy is to avoid eating peanuts. Actually if you have a peanut allergy you are going to want to avoid anything with nuts in it. Although peanuts aren’t actually a nut they are usually included in products that contain nuts. Avoiding peanuts can be tricky since they show up in places that you would never expect. A lot of fried foods are cooked in peanut oil for example. Sometimes peanut butter is even used as a thickener in soups and sauces. It is important that you make sure that you read the labels carefully when you are shopping.
Because peanut allergies can be so severe food manufacturers are required to clearly label which foods have peanuts in them. It is becoming common for foods that are peanut free to have a label right on the front of the package that says they are peanut free. The biggest problem that you are going to face is when you eat out. Some restaurants will let you know which products are peanut free but most don’t. In general the staff at the restaurant won’t be able to tell you either since peanuts can hide in so many places it is unlikely that they will know.