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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Your child has been diagnosed with a peanut or tree nut allergy. This information sheet tells you what foods your child can and can't eat and gives you advice on day to day living with a nut allergy. The treatment for nut allergy is a Nut Free Diet.

How do you avoid nuts? • Don't buy nuts • Don't have nuts in your home • Don't cook food with nuts • Only eat foods that you are certain don't contain nuts • Learn to read food labels to check if a food contains nuts or nut products.

1 in 50 children has a peanut or tree nut allergy. Up to half of peanut allergic children will become allergic to tree nuts over time. Only 1 in 5 will grow out of their peanut allergy and 1 in 10 will grow out of tree nut allergy; the others will continue to be allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Peanuts can also be called • Ground nuts • Ground pea • Earth nuts • Pinder • Goober • Monkey nuts Tree nuts include • Cashew • Almond • Brazil • Hazelnut also called a Filbert or a Cob nut or a Noisette • Pistachio • Pecan also called a Hickory nut • Walnut • Macadamia also called a Queensland or a Candle nut

Peanuts are in the same family as: peas, beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils and lupin but you don't need to avoid these unless you have reacted to them

Coconut, other palm nuts, water chestnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, nutmeg and mace are not nuts and are usually safe to eat unless your child has actually reacted to them before.

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

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• European Union (EU) and Irish law states that milk and ingredients made from milk must be listed on foods made in the EU. This law does not apply when you buy foods in countries outside the EU for example in the USA or when you buy foods which are sold loose. Always check the label.

• Do not eat foods which have no label such as foods from a bakery or delicatessen. If in doubt, leave it out.

• Some foods used in catering or in individual sachets can have different ingredients to the ones in the shop even if they are the same brand. Don’t assume they are nut free. Always check the label.

• If you are buying a food you have eaten before, you still need to check the label as ingredients can change.



• Avoid any food that says "may contain traces of nuts".

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy Common foods and drinks that contain nuts

Check the label

Avoid

Naan bread, speciality breads like banana bread



All bread topped with nuts or containing nuts

All breakfast cereals, cereal bars



Nut containing cereals for example muesli, Crunchy nut cornflakes, Fruit 'n fibre

Ready prepared fruit dishes for example apple pie



All pre-packaged salads, coleslaw



Nut based salads for example Waldorf salad. Peanut shoots

Cheese spread, yogurts, cheese cake, milkshakes, ice cream, ice lollies



Nut yogurts for example hazelnut, nut ice cream, cheese with nuts, nut flavoured milk shakes

Breads

Breakfast Cereals

Fruit Dishes

Salads

Dairy Products

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Check the label

 Meat

Avoid

Processed meat and poultry products for example sausages, burgers, breaded meat, breaded chicken, chicken nuggets, pate, ready prepared meals



Asian and oriental foods including tikka, korma, satay, coronation chicken, meat marinades, vegetarian foods for example nut burgers, nut roast

Margarines, Mayonnaise



Unrefined peanut oil, unrefined arachis oil and unrefined groundnut oil are very unusual in Irish shops. The much more common refined peanut oils are safe for peanut allergic people. Most tree nut oils are unrefined and are therefore not safe for tree nut allergic people

All biscuits, cookies, cakes, brownies, pastries, desserts, chocolate, sweets



Chocolate containing nuts for example Kinder bueno (hazel), Toblerone (almond), Snickers (peanut) Chocolate covered nuts, praline, nougat, florentines. Almond croissants, bakewell tart, fruit cake, carrot cake, cakes with marzipan, dundee cake, pecan pie, frangipane, macaroons, halva, baklava, amaretti biscuits, sweet mincemeat

Fats

Cakes or Biscuits

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Check the label

Avoid

All spreads



Peanut butter, other nut butters for example Nutella (hazel) and Panda

All flavoured crisps, oriental snacks for example samosa, pakora



Bombay mix, Mexican mix, trail mix, rice crackers, mixed nuts, dried fruit and nut mixes

Spicy soups, salad dressings, dips, stock cubes, stuffing mixes



Pesto (walnuts, cashew)

Some brands of hot chocolate, check spirits and liqueurs



Amaretto, frangelico, crème de noix, nocello, Bombay sapphire gin

Hydrolysed vegetable protein (It can be of nut, soya or wheat origin), avoid if unspecified or of nut origin, lecithin is usually derived from soya but there is a possibility of preparation from peanut



Almond essence

Spreads

Crisps

Soups/Stocks

Drinks

Other

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Living with nut allergy The "Living with Food Allergy" sheet has some important information on living safely with a food allergy. You need to read this leaflet as well. Make sure that everyone who looks after your child knows what your child can and can't eat.

At home It makes life easier if you do not bring nuts into your home and ask others not to either. Unless your family is vegetarian this is usually not too difficult for other family members to accept. If this is not possible then you must make sure that your child doesn't come into contact with nuts. To do this: • Keep nuts out of reach. • Wash your hands well with soap and water after touching nuts. • Clean work surfaces with soap and water. Water alone or cleaning wipes are not enough.

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Peanut and Tree Nut Allergy

Other products that may contain nuts Some non food products contain nuts and you should avoid these too • Nut products are used in many animal and bird foods. • All soaps, cosmetics and personal care products must carry a full ingredients list. However the oil in these is refined and has never been confidently implicated in a reaction. These ingredients lists are usually printed in Latin. The following are some Latin names for nuts which may be used in ingredients lists: Latin Name

English Name

Prunus amara

Bitter almond

Bertholletia excelsa

Brazil

Anacardium occidentale

Cashew

Corylus rostrata/americana/avellana

Hazelnut

Macadamia ternifolia

Macadamia

Arachis hypogaea

Peanut

Carya illinoenis

Pecan

Prunus dulcus

Sweet almond

Juglans regia/nigra

Walnut

Pistacia vera

Pistachio

Your healthcare team Your health care team

Name

Contact number

Dietitian Consultant GP Nurse

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