Unfortunately, if you have a severe peanut allergy, it's possible you should not risk even a spoonful of your relative’s chili. Even a small amount of peanut protein can trigger a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction. As you get used to managing your allergy, you learn what you have to do to avoid peanuts in all forms.
Peanuts as Ingredients
Peanuts and their derivatives find their way into the most unexpected foods, including homemade chili. Chili is often thickened with ground peanuts, according to KidsHealth. Because the same protein in peanuts is found in tree nuts – pistachios, cashews, Brazil nuts, almonds and walnuts, among others -- you may also experience an allergic reaction to these nuts or foods in which these nuts are ingredients.
Variations of Peanut Allergies
That steaming, delicious bowl of homemade chili may be thickened with a peanut ingredient. Shortly after downing that chili, your body’s immune system goes into overdrive. Special antibodies, called immunoglobulin E, cause the membranes in your body to release chemicals such as histamine. You develop symptoms such as itching, hives, stomach distress, wheezing, swelling or vomiting. If your peanut allergy is especially severe, you may develop anaphylaxis, a whole-body allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening.
Body Systems Affected
As your body reacts to peanut protein in chili, your skin breaks out into itchy hives, eczema, swelling and redness. Your lips, eyes and tongue may swell. Your entire gastrointestinal system is affected, as you develop stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and, possibly, vomiting. Your nose becomes runny or congested. Your eyes itch and they may begin to water. You may begin sneezing. If you suffer from asthma, you develop the symptoms of an asthma attack, with wheezing and coughing as your airways begin to swell. Your cardiovascular system is also affected, and you may become lightheaded or even pass out. If your allergic reaction is severe enough, you develop anaphylaxis symptoms. Your airway swelling is severe, and your blood pressure drops to the point where you lose consciousness. This level of allergic reaction requires immediate emergency medical care, beginning with an epinephrine injection.
Ask About Ingredients
Just as you would ask restaurant personnel about the ingredients in their entrees, ask family and friends what homemade chili contains. They may not fully understand how serious a peanut allergy is and mistakenly believe that any reaction you develop will be minor, easily taken care of with an allergy pill or puff from an asthma inhaler. If you let them know that your peanut allergy is potentially life-threatening, they should understand why you should not have any chili that contains peanut ingredients. As you discuss your allergy with them, let them know that if they used a hydrogenated oil, it is likely to have peanut protein in it.
Avoidance is the Best Policy
Because a peanut allergy is potentially deadly, the most effective treatment is avoidance. While you love the smell of the chili your family member just cooked, it may not be worth even a spoonful if you wind up in the emergency room. If your family member is not sure whether the ingredients he used contain peanuts, opt for a different food. Another problem is cross-contamination, where peanuts get into a food that normally does not contain them because a utensil came in contact with a peanut product and then was used in preparation of the chili.
