Understanding Nut Allergies

Information for Grandparents

By Sue Marquette Poremba

Dianne Cooke's son has been allergic to nuts and peanuts since he was a baby. Because his allergy is so severe, Cooke has always been very vigilant about what her son eats and is exposed to, including during visits to his grandparents' homes.

"The issues with my mom are things like cross-contamination," says Cooke, a Madison, Wis. mom. "She wanted to make him waffles and forgot that she made stuff containing nuts on the same waffle iron previously, and of course a waffle iron isn't washable."

Cooke has had even more difficulty emphasizing the dangers of her son's nut allergies to her in-laws because of cultural differences. "They [her in-laws] basically don't believe in food allergies, so I never feel like I'm getting an honest, reliable answer about what we're eating."

Not knowing what's in her son's food could kill him, a fact that Cooke has unsuccessfully tried to make her in-laws aware of. Because of that, she doesn't feel comfortable leaving him alone in their care.

Cooke is not alone. An alarming number of grandparents either discount the seriousness of a nut or peanut allergy or they are like Cooke's mother and don't realize the breadth of the allergy, including cross-contamination issues. These are the grandparents who understand that little Johnny can't have peanut butter ice cream but don't realize that using the same scoop to dish out his vanilla ice cream can cause an allergic reaction.

Nut allergies and peanut allergies are different, according to Dr. George Brasher, a specialist in pediatric allergies at the Center for Diagnostic Medicine in Temple, Texas. Peanut allergies are most common in children, and technically they are not actually nut allergies. Peanuts are legumes, and most children who are allergic to peanuts and peanut products do not usually have cross allergies with other legumes such as beans and peas,Dr. Brasher says. However, grandparents and parents should always be on the lookout for any signs of a reaction.

Nut allergies involve tree nuts such as walnuts and almonds. A person with an allergy to walnuts, for example, runs a greater risk of cross reactivity, so it is safer to avoid all nuts. Being allergic to tree nuts does not necessarily mean an individual would be allergic to peanuts, but it can happen. Some parents feel it is easier to simply avoid both.

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