I’m sure I said so at the time, but when Lydia had her peanut allergy reaction, it was the most nervous I ever was as a parent, worse than the time we took her to the ER when she was 1 and she was upchucking repeatedly.
This is how Lydia looked after her bout with peanuts. We were thisclose to taking her to the ER, but with the advice of our doctor, who was thankfully on call, we held off. Fortunately, she got better relatively quickly. Lydia’s Uncle Dan found some websites and some relevant content regarding peanut (and tree nut) allergies.
MAJOR SOURCES OF PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS
Peanut Butter Mixed Nuts Cold-Pressed Peanut Oil, & Walnut or
other Nut Oils
Anything labeled “Nuts” Peanut Flour Almond Butter Cashew Butter
Peanuts may also be called “Ground Nuts”
HIDDEN SOURCES OF PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS
Pesto Egg Rolls Sauces and Gravies Hydrolyzed Plant or Vegetable
Protein
Nougat, Marzipan, and other Confections Prepared Salads Chocolate
and other Candies Salad Dressing Baked Goods Breakfast Cereals like
Granola and Muesli Frangelico and Amaretto Liquors African, Chinese,
Indonesian, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese Cuisines High energy bars Grain breads
Some hidden sources of peanuts:
Arachis oil is peanut oil.
Artificial nuts can be peanuts that have been de-flavored and re-flavored
with a nutty taste, such as pecan or walnut.
Peanut butter, peanut flour.
Mandelonas are peanuts soaked in almond flavoring.
Cold pressed, expelled or extruded peanut oil.
African, Chinese, Indonesian, Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes often
contain peanuts, or are contaminated with peanuts during preparation.
Dishes to avoid include: baked goods; candy; chili; egg rolls; enchilada
sauces; flavoring; marzipan; nougat, and sunflower seeds.
Foods sold in bakeries and ice cream shops are often in contact with
peanuts.
Many brands of sunflower seeds are produced on equipment also used for
peanuts.
Keep in mind most experts recommend peanut-allergic individuals avoid
tree nuts.
Fortunately, and surprisingly, Lydia is not allergic to tree nuts, but this is good to know.
***
After my last mention of allergies, I got this message:
Hello, I was doing some research on peanut allergies and came across your blog. My name is Stephanie. I have a 2 year old daughter, Sophia, with a peanut allergy. We live in Fort Plain NY. It about 40 minutes west of Schenectady. I’d love to set up a playdate for the two girls- it’d be great if Sophia had a friend her own age with peanut allergy as well. (I know this sounds weird- since its on the internet- but its genuine:) Hope to hear from you!!
The problem is that, literally, I have no idea who sent this, other than the markers in the message. It was sent as an anonymous message, so I cannot even reply, one way or another.