Important Information about Nut Allergies

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Nut allergies are an extremely serious health problem and need to be addressed and not ignored. Many children and adults have been identified as having a nut allergy. Symptoms may include mild to severe reactions to nuts that include hives, itchiness, watery eyes, swelling, diarrhea and in severe cases, difficulty breathing and even death.
You should not give your children nuts until they are three years old. One good way to introduce them is to first rub their skin with the nut before actually giving it to them to eat. Some children who are allergic will show a reaction just from touching it. You can then try it. If you see any signs of an allergic reaction then you should not give it to them again and take them to see a doctor or an allergist.
Nut allergies do not really come in a mild form. Even ones that are considered “mild” can still produce a life-threatening reaction. Light reactions are often treated with Benadryl, and in severe cases an EpiPen might be needed. Children with nut allergies will typically be prescribed an EpiPen to carry with them at all times.
It is extremely important for children with nut allergies to stay away from nuts completely. Of course, this includes items that obviously have nuts such as peanut butter and the nuts themselves. They also need to stay away from items that have trace amounts of the product, according to WebMD. In addition, they should stay away from items that were processed in the same facility as the nuts. This could produce cross contamination.
It only takes a very small amount of the nut to cause a severe reaction. Most products will list allergen information near the ingredient list and you should read every ingredient to make sure there are no traces of the products. Remember that this can change, so keep checking even on products that were okay before.
You must be very careful when going to restaurants. Many restaurants make things with nuts and if they use the same cooking surface, the same utensil or even just touch one and then the other, you could have a reaction. Also, it is important to not even touch the nuts since that can cause a reaction.
Nut allergies can be very severe, but the proper precautions will lower the chances of a severe reaction significantly. The more careful you are, the safer you will be.