Peanut-Free Cooking
I’ve previously talked about resources for cooking without milk and eggs, especially for children. Third on the list of major allergens is peanuts.
According to the Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, close to 3 million Americans are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts. The problem is not just the numbers, but the severity of the reaction.
From the AllergicChild.com:
…studies by Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a researcher in the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, suggest that 80% of people with a peanut allergy have had a reaction that involves a breathing problem or experienced a reaction that affected multiple areas of their body. He further estimates that 100 to 150 people in the USA die each year from peanut allergies.
I’ve heard that some people react if they even so much as get a whiff of peanuts. Isn’t this the reason peanuts are no longer served on airlines? So how do we avoid exposure to peanuts and their derivatives?
As with the others, reading labels is a must. And re-reading them each time you buy a product, since the manufacturing process may have changed. It may not always be obvious that a certain food has peanuts. Do you know that chili, Plain M&M’s, Jelly Bellys jelly beans and Chick-fil-A chicken may have peanuts in them? If you’re not sure, don’t take a risk!
Cooking at home is still the best way to avoid unnecessary exposure. But if and when you do eat out, ask what type of oil has been used in food preparation. Most restaurant establishments are now aware of peanut allergies, so they use vegetable oil. But you still need to ask, every time. I’ve found that Thai cuisine, in particular, involves a lot of peanut use. Other cuisines that often have nuts are African, Chinese, Indonesian, Mexican and Vietnamese.
A discussion at KidsHealth.org has a list of ingredients to avoid. Here are some more good resources about this allergy and how to manage it:
The UCL Institute of Child Health
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Society Of Ontario
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POSTED IN: Cooking, Safety at Home
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