Peanuts in School Are Just Not Cool

It's also what causes allergic reactions in people whose bodies fail to recognize peanut proteins as nutrients and instead treat them as harmful invaders. A study from The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology put the rate of peanut allergy in at 1. That might not sound like much, but consider this: A decade earlier, the rate was only 0. It has tripled, in other words. That's bad news for parents who have to manage these allergies—which, at their worst, can be very dangerous.

Between and fatal peanut reactions occur in the U. As for the single-atom theory of airborne exposure, it's quite rare. As Young adds, "Most potentially fatal reactions come from ingestion, not casual contact.

Sinai Medical Center study, pediatricians who examined the reactions of 30 children with severe pean ut allergies found that topical contact did not result in a reaction in which their airways constricted. But, as any parent knows, hands, toys, and school supplies are only a small number of the items that might wind up in a young child's mouth.

That has led educators to err on the side of caution. Many schools have instituted nut bans. Not all experts think outright bans are the best solution for every case. Maria Acebal is CEO of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network; as a toddler, her daughter Nina suffered a near-deadly reaction after a single bite of a peanut butter cracker. Still, Acebal does not insist on blanket school-wide bans, noting that a mix of caution and preparation can go a long way.

Next on the priority list: The legality of food bans has yet to be tested in court, although some suggest that the right to ban peanuts might be covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. But what about kids with allergies to seafood, soy, or other foods? Can all of these foods be banned, too?

Notify your physician when and where you will be traveling. Your allergist may be able to provide advice for the area you will be visiting. Make sure your food allergy is covered by your travel insurance. In the unlikely event that you will need to visit a hospital you want to make sure the costs are covered.

Bring more medicine than you think you will need. It is much easier carrying extra medication than scrambling to find it in a foreign country. We traveled with 8 Epi-Pens for a month trip. It was excessive but we took no chances. And we never needed any of them. This can be terrifying, especially the first few times you do it. Traveling at 40, feet, trapped inside an airplane with people munching on peanuts all around you…just the thought of this keeps some people from even boarding an airplane. Flying is especially stressful for parents of toddlers with peanut allergies.

Here are tips and tricks to keep you safe on the airplane. Some airlines no longer serve peanuts. Consider using these airlines if possible. When booking your flight, contact the airline about the meals being served. They can usually inform you about the menu and the ingredients.

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This will help you plan whether or not you choose to eat the prepared meal or bring your own food. Bring your own food. Sometimes it is just not worth taking the risk and eating airline food. Airplanes are usually cleaned at the end of the day. Flights in the morning are more likely to be free of peanuts and crumbs, making this the safer time to book your flight. At the gate, notify the flight agents of your peanut allergy. Wipe down your seat and surrounding area to eliminate any peanut crumbs or residue.

Some airlines will allow you to pre-board in order to do this. Always carry your Epi-Pen with you. We also carried a medical letter of necessity obtained from our allergist that would explain to security personnel and flight attendants why we needed to have this medication available on the flight. It was rarely an issue getting our stash of Epi-Pens through security.

Eating at restaurants in the United States with a food allergy is a much different experience than eating in other countries. In the US, restaurants understand the nature of food allergies, speak your language, and in some cases, even have menus labeled with food allergy warnings. Things are not so easy in other countries.

In certain countries, such as Myanmar and Cambodia, for example, many people are not even aware of what a peanut allergy is. This can make conveying your concerns to the restaurant staff difficult. Add in the language barrier and things get to be almost impossible. So, how do you handle eating out in foreign countries? Research the main ingredients used in the country you are visiting.

There are many destinations where peanuts are rarely used, such as Japan. Other places, like China and Thailand, peanuts are used frequently. The first time you travel overseas you might want to visit a country where peanuts are not so plentiful. After traveling for a little while, you will get more comfortable dealing with the unknowns of foreign countries and later can visit Myanmar, China, or Cambodia. In some restaurants, peanuts may not be in the dish you want to order, but there is the risk of cross-contamination during the cooking process.

We skipped the local restaurants in some countries. We would get Tyler his dinner at one of these chain restaurants and then Tim, Kara, and I would eat the local food. I know that fast food is not the healthiest option, but it is much safer than playing Russian roulette with the local food in some locales. Most larger towns and cities will have at least a small assortment of western style restaurants. Here, you can get spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and other familiar dishes. If you are interested in trying the local fare, go on a food tour.

Many tour companies have staff that speaks English. With the growing incidence of food allergies around the world, these food tour companies usually understand the implications of traveling with a peanut allergy. We did this several times and never had an issue.

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Our guide helped us choose which foods were safe for Tyler to eat. This next tip may be counterintuitive but it is an important one. If you are sitting at a restaurant and your waiter does not speak English very well, do not even verbally mention your peanut allergy. This happened to us on more than one occasion!! We were able to convey our meaning better before they brought out the dish; but still, it was eye opening for us.

However, once the food was served, we asked if it contained peanuts. A translation card is a card with a message written in the language of the country you are visiting, explaining your food allergy. Include one or two sentences explaining your allergy and your reaction. Show this card to your waiter before you order.

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Having these cards is a huge help. You can get translations online and write the card out yourself, have hotel staff help write a card for you, or you can visit Allergy Translation and they will print the cards for you. This is an indispensable tool to use while traveling. Some things do get lost in translation but Google Translate makes it possible to communicate when you cannot speak the language. When in doubt, eat your own stash of food. Here is a brief overview of which countries are easy to visit with a peanut allergy and which ones are difficult. These three countries have a lot in common…English speaking, similar incidence of peanut allergies, similar diet.

It is easy to convey the nature of your allergy to restaurant staff and easy to avoid the restaurants that may pose a threat. In general, peanuts are not used much in European cooking. There are actually articles written on how hard it is to find peanut butter in Europe. There may be a language barrier here, but use those translation cards and you should have a great experience!

On our most recent trip through Europe, we were pleasantly surprised to see than many restaurants listed allergens for each dish on their menu. This is another country that seldom uses peanuts but has a large language barrier. If you want to go to Asia but want to stay away from peanuts, Japan gets our vote. It was rare to come across peanuts in India. What we did have to watch out for were tree nuts. Tyler did have two mild allergic reactions to cashews that were used in the dishes we ordered. Both times, Tyler spent several hours with a stomachache and nausea that gradually faded.

Fortunately, this has been the extent of our food allergic reactions while traveling. We spent six weeks in southern Africa. Our experiences here were very similar to traveling in the US or Australia, in that English was the official language and it was easy to find restaurants serving continental food. If traveling to other destinations, such as Kenya or Morocco, do some research first.

This is the biggest threat for travelers with peanut allergies.

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We spent three solid, uneventful months here. During this time, we learned that it is remarkably easy to eat great meals without being terrified of the consequences. You do not have to starve or live in fear while on vacation in Southeast Asia…there are safe restaurant choices everywhere. Even off the beaten path we were able to find restaurants where English was spoken and pizza or sandwiches were served.

For us, the hardest country in Southeast Asia was Myanmar. Peanuts are farmed here and can be found in many dishes.



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At times, it was hard to communicate with the restaurant staff, which made us nervous at times, and had Tyler skipping a few meals. The easiest country in Southeast Asia…Thailand. Thailand is the most advanced country in Southeast Asia when it comes to catering for tourists. With that comes a multitude of restaurants geared towards the western traveler with little to no threat of a peanut allergy reaction.

Yes, you may have to pass on eating the local food, but at least you still get to see all of the other amazing things that Thailand has to offer. By the way, some of the street food of Thailand can be ordered without peanuts. For example, when cooking Pad Thai, peanuts are added at the very end of the cooking and are easy to omit. What you do have to be aware of is cross contamination and the use of unrefined peanut oil.

Stay away from Papaya Salad…that is prepared with peanuts. For us, China was difficult. This is the country where we utilized fast food chains and our own food the most. In the larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai, we were able to communicate with the restaurant staff and Tyler could sample Chinese food. It is thought that peanuts originated either in Peru or Brazil. There is no doubt that they make their way into the foods here. Tim and I arrived in Peru, expecting to see peanuts sprinkled on everything, but that was not the case at all.

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In fact, we almost never saw peanuts used in cooking and we were left regretting not bringing Tyler along. This was a learning experience for us. Sitting at home, we tended to imagine the worst scenarios. Once we were traveling, we learned that most of our fears were excessive. Since that trip in , we have included Tyler in every international destination without any issues. In , we visited Chile and Argentina. My final word of advice is to always err on the side of caution.

It is always better to be safe than sorry.