Peanuts, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter and other nut products are both nutritious and filling. For most people nuts and peanuts pose no health hazard, but for some people nuts and nut containing foods can cause a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Allergy to nuts and peanuts occurs when the immune system mistakenly identifies the proteins in these foods as foreign and potentially harmful. When the immune system is exposed to the proteins, inflammatory mediators are released that can cause symptoms such as skin rash, shortness of breath, vomiting or dizziness.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter, peanut oil and peanut or nut flour are all sources of peanuts or nuts and must be avoided if you have a peanut or nut allergy. While alternatives to peanut butter such as soy butter or sunflower seed butter are good choices, they are sometimes processed with the same machinery as the peanut butter and if so must also be avoided. Careful reading of labels can help avoid accidental exposure.
Candy/Sweets
Candy, particularly chocolate, is a common source of nuts and peanuts. While some types of candy may not have peanuts, they may have been processed with candy that does contain nuts and thus contain small amounts of the allergen. Other candy may be labelled as having, for example, almonds but in fact contain a different type of nut. Ice cream at an ice cream parlor may also be contaminated as the spoons used to scoop the ice cream are used on both nut-containing ice cream and nut-free ice cream.
Sauces
Salad dressing, hot sauce, chili sauce, mole sauce, gravy and any sauce served at a restaurant is a potential source of peanut or nut. Sauces purchased at the grocery store will have the ingredients on the label, but you will need to ask about ingredients for sauces served in a restaurant. Some allergists recommend that people with nut and peanut allergies avoid foods with sauces at restaurants, particularly at Chinese and Thai restaurants, where peanut-based sauces are commonly used.
Vegetarian Food Products
Products such as "veggie burgers" or "veggie chicken nuggets" often contain peanuts and tree nuts as a source of protein. Though these foods may be soy based, the label will include information about added ingredients such as nuts. In restaurants, plain grilled or roasted vegetables are better choices to avoid peanuts and nuts.
