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Nut Allergy Awareness Post
Okay, I want to make a thread that can increase awareness not only for me but for others that don't fully appreciate what a huge affect having a nut allergy can have on people's lives, whether it's in shared kitchens at uni, at home, at work, whatever really!
My little cousin has a fatal peanut allergy, where if he comes into any sort of contact with peanuts, he'll be in a potentially fatal coma within 30 seconds, and if he doesn't get his epi-pen (adrenilin, which basically shuts down the body's anti-poison attack) and get to hospital within 20 minutes he will die. He also has a serious reaction to most other nuts. From what his mother says, a lot of people do not understand the seriousness of the reaction, with one person offering him a fruit and nut bar with the nuts picked out(?!) and his school (when his mother asked whether the teachers knew how to administer the epi pen) asked why my cousin couldn't do it himself.
I have to admit that although I knew he couldn't be anywhere near nuts, I didn't know exactly how severe his reaction would be. He was in a coma when he was a baby already. Basically, what I want to do here is just get some information together that will help allergy sufferers and those around them!
My little cousin has a fatal peanut allergy, where if he comes into any sort of contact with peanuts, he'll be in a potentially fatal coma within 30 seconds, and if he doesn't get his epi-pen (adrenilin, which basically shuts down the body's anti-poison attack) and get to hospital within 20 minutes he will die. He also has a serious reaction to most other nuts. From what his mother says, a lot of people do not understand the seriousness of the reaction, with one person offering him a fruit and nut bar with the nuts picked out(?!) and his school (when his mother asked whether the teachers knew how to administer the epi pen) asked why my cousin couldn't do it himself.
I have to admit that although I knew he couldn't be anywhere near nuts, I didn't know exactly how severe his reaction would be. He was in a coma when he was a baby already. Basically, what I want to do here is just get some information together that will help allergy sufferers and those around them!
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Good idea! It seems to be increasingly common as well. I know most schools seem to have a total ban on any nut products but most products seem to carry a nut warning as most items are made in factories where nuts are used.
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/nutallergy - Information from the Food Standards Agency, very good website.
One of my housemates has a "true nut" allergy (peanuts aren't true nuts so he can eat them). One time last year, not long into the term (we had only met recently) someone's parents brought some brownies for us. Unfortunately we didn't know they had hazel nuts in. So this guy ate one and had a serious reaction. Luckily our halls were next door to the student health centre. He still ended up in hospital though. He wasn't there for long, he came back home later that evening.
Not sure if he has an epi-pen, but he does wear a pendent that has his allergy information on it. These days he's got a pretty good idea of what is and what isn't ok to eat. If you avoided everything that says "may contain traces of nuts" there wouldn't be a whole lot left to eat.
Not sure if he has an epi-pen, but he does wear a pendent that has his allergy information on it. These days he's got a pretty good idea of what is and what isn't ok to eat. If you avoided everything that says "may contain traces of nuts" there wouldn't be a whole lot left to eat.
yeah my friend has an allergy but there are varying degrees i spose i see those people that have them really bad that must suck 
As i have a nut allergy, I always check what foods I an eat and don't risk it with those I can't. There are foods that i've always eaten which now have warnings on them but it's all about being sensible. I have an epi pen and all my friends know how to use it so if it did come down to that then I know i'd be ok.
In all honesty that teacher was just plain thick, everyone nowadays esp in a school should have an understanding of an epi pen, it's not that hard! just point and press really!! lol
With this, however I don't believe that children should be wrapped up in cotton wool. I'm not saying this is the case for you cousin, or myself, but more and more children are becoming sensitised to such products as they don't get to play in the fresh air, in the mud...and people use far too much anti bac. soap and water should be used most of the time, anti bac the toilet and after raw meat...we have become far too obsessive...but if you must use these products harm yourself but not the environment - use Ecover products!!!
In all honesty that teacher was just plain thick, everyone nowadays esp in a school should have an understanding of an epi pen, it's not that hard! just point and press really!! lol
With this, however I don't believe that children should be wrapped up in cotton wool. I'm not saying this is the case for you cousin, or myself, but more and more children are becoming sensitised to such products as they don't get to play in the fresh air, in the mud...and people use far too much anti bac. soap and water should be used most of the time, anti bac the toilet and after raw meat...we have become far too obsessive...but if you must use these products harm yourself but not the environment - use Ecover products!!!
My boyfriend has a nut allergy which means we both have to be very careful... all our food must be checked and we dont eat out (unless its in Mc Donalds - waaaaa romantic!).
Tesco has annoyed us a bit as they started putting "may contain nuts" on everything - including salmon and double cream. We mostly shop in Sainsbury's now who are excellent for everything - my boyfriend didn't eat ready made desserts as they are a minefield, but we have found a number of desserts that are ok for us now.
Fabulous baking boys do excellent nut free cakes also (just google)
Sparks
Tesco has annoyed us a bit as they started putting "may contain nuts" on everything - including salmon and double cream. We mostly shop in Sainsbury's now who are excellent for everything - my boyfriend didn't eat ready made desserts as they are a minefield, but we have found a number of desserts that are ok for us now.
Fabulous baking boys do excellent nut free cakes also (just google)
Sparks
there are some really good products. sainsburys (good old british institution who haven't ditched our flag unlike tesco - it may offend ethnic minorities....wa wa wa) do greast birthday cakes that are completely nut free, nut free factory the whole shebang! Eating out is crazy esp as I'm vegie too...that just makes life so much harder but i find ringing in advance, asking them what they have, that i have this allergy means they are often very accommodating!
Revenged
lol... 
Why am I getting lol-ed at? I'm just repeating what my Aunt said!
anjimcflanji
there are some really good products. sainsburys (good old british institution who haven't ditched our flag unlike tesco - it may offend ethnic minorities....wa wa wa) do greast birthday cakes that are completely nut free, nut free factory the whole shebang! Eating out is crazy esp as I'm vegie too...that just makes life so much harder but i find ringing in advance, asking them what they have, that i have this allergy means they are often very accommodating!
Sainsbury's do birthday cakes? could you enlighten me to which ones? I've had a quick look but have never seen them... I noticed tonight that they have started a very comprehensive "free from" range as well which is excellent!
Also, eating out is something I don't think will ever happen for my boyf and I as its way too risky and he had a major reaction as an adult - but how confident are you to eat out if you ring places in advance? I don't want to make my boyf feel uncomfortable by eating out so we don't really do this... but have always been curious as to how good restaurants are about this.
Sparks
Angelil
Good post
It does go beyond the ridiculous, though, when you see on a packet of peanuts: "Warning, may contain nuts"...
It does go beyond the ridiculous, though, when you see on a packet of peanuts: "Warning, may contain nuts"...
it's like the packets of bacon rasher crisps that say 'suitable for vegetarians' they may not contain bacon but I can't fathom why a vegetarian would want to buy bacon flavoured crisps
Sparky24
but have always been curious as to how good restaurants are about this
Don't quote me on this, but unless they are very very sure of themselves, many places don't want to take the risk and will say that their food may contain traces of nuts. However saying that, on a slightly different note, when my cousin flew to...somewhere(!), the plane company offered him a definately-free-of-nuts meal, and the captain put out an announcement before they flew saying that they had a boy on board who had a serious nut allergy, and asking if people would not open their peanuts as the air conditioning system would recycle air containing traces of nuts to his bit (in the end anyway!) that would set off his allergies, and no-one did even though the captain said that it was entirely people's choice as they had no power to force people not to eat them. So some places will make a real effort to help you :-)
he_is_innocent
Don't quote me on this, but unless they are very very sure of themselves, many places don't want to take the risk and will say that their food may contain traces of nuts. However saying that, on a slightly different note, when my cousin flew to...somewhere(!), the plane company offered him a definately-free-of-nuts meal, and the captain put out an announcement before they flew saying that they had a boy on board who had a serious nut allergy, and asking if people would not open their peanuts as the air conditioning system would recycle air containing traces of nuts to his bit (in the end anyway!) that would set off his allergies, and no-one did even though the captain said that it was entirely people's choice as they had no power to force people not to eat them. So some places will make a real effort to help you :-)
That was such a nice, kind thing for the captain to do! Can you imagine in his little diary with all his notes in about that flight etc, all these numbers and stuff, and then a little note saying 'boy with nut allergy on plane today'. How cute!
beach surf babe
Good idea! It seems to be increasingly common as well. I know most schools seem to have a total ban on any nut products but most products seem to carry a nut warning as most items are made in factories where nuts are used.
Not strictly true (although very, very common these days). Any food factory that requires no nuts for any product will (or should) ban employees taking nuts/nut products of any sort into work. There after the only products with warnings on them should (in threory) be from factories that actually produce nuts somewhere/anywhere in the factory.
Just came across a forum, www.peanutallergyuk.co.uk and thought of this thread. Thought it maybe worth mentioning.
Sparks
Sparks
Interesting thread As someone who's worked in catering, I'm well aware of the dangers of nut allergies. I must be incredibly frustrating when almost everything is labelled as 'may contain nuts', but since the potential hazards are so great, you really can't blame food producers/manufacturers for being cautious In my family's bakery shop, we mark almost everything as possibly containing nuts as although we ourselves don't use nuts (we banned peanuts seven years ago) we just can't be sure about the things that we buy in. It's one of the problems of large scale food manufacturing ...
However, it does annoy me when people say that they are 'allergic' to foods they simply dislike. Having seen someone having an allergic reaction to nuts, and knowing how terrifying that is, people who 'pretend' they have an allergy ought to be ashamed of themselves.
As someone who's worked in catering, I'm well aware of the dangers of nut allergies. I must be incredibly frustrating when almost everything is labelled as 'may contain nuts', but since the potential hazards are so great, you really can't blame food producers/manufacturers for being cautious In my family's bakery shop, we mark almost everything as possibly containing nuts as although we ourselves don't use nuts (we banned peanuts seven years ago) we just can't be sure about the things that we buy in. It's one of the problems of large scale food manufacturing ... However, it does annoy me when people say that they are 'allergic' to foods they simply dislike. Having seen someone having an allergic reaction to nuts, and knowing how terrifying that is, people who 'pretend' they have an allergy ought to be ashamed of themselves.
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