Peanut and Tree Nut Free Snack List-

As we come up on the new school year next month, you may be thinking about what to send with your child for snacks and lunch. I've been making a list for my daughter's school about some snacks that are nut free, that all preschoolers can enjoy. They range from organic (which I prefer, but as we all know, can be expensive) to conventional brands. Please post a comment and let me know if there are any you know about that I have missed.

These snacks should not contain peanuts, tree nuts or facility warnings, in my experience. Please let me know if you find anything different.

Robert’s American Gourmet: Pirate’s Booty, Veggie Booty, Tings, Smart Puffs, Soy Crisps

Kashi TLC Crackers: Any Flavor

Wheat Thins and Triscuits by Nabisco

Shaw’s Brand Pretzels (no flavor)

Cheeze Its by Sunshine

Tortilla Chips by Guiltless Gourmet, Green Mountain Gringo, Tostitos, Kettle Chips

Calbee Snapea Crisps

Earth Bound Farms Organic Raisins

FruitaBu Organic Smooshed Fruit

Any fruit

Any veggies

Annies Goddess Dressing

Annies Cowgirl Ranch Dressing

SunButter by Sun Gold Foods (peanut butter replacement, available at Berlin Shaws, very good and healthy)

Goldfish Crackers (plain, cheddar cheese and whole wheat)

Popcorn with butter and salt (please make butter isn’t contaminated with peanut butter)

Smart popcorn (cheddar cheese)

Saltines

Sunchips

Cheerios (not Honey Nut cheerios) and Purely Os by Cascadian Farms

Honey Maid Graham Crackers and Graham Snacks

For the Love of Sunbutter (peanut butter replacement)-

As I've mentioned here before, I've got a daughter with a severe nut allergy. And I know I'm not alone. I'm currently preparing to send her off to preschool in August, and am planning for her allergy with the school.

As I'm listing out the food that she eats on a regular basis, I listed Sunbutter. And I wish I would have found it sooner. I had been giving her soy butter, but it was merely okay for eating, and I already have enough soy in her diet.

So when I found out from a friend that there was Sunbutter, a peanut butter replacement made from sunflower seeds, I tried it out right away. We love it. All of us. Even us persnickety and grumpy former peanut butter lovers. On bagels, toast, in "P" and J sandwiches, it is truly tasty and versatile. And I'm sure someone could make a mean Sunbutter cookie.

My girl loves it, and it delivers some serious protein that is needed in her vegetarian diet, as one can only eat so many beans.

I'm not alone in my affection. I found the the Captious Vegetarian's loving comments here, words of devotion and conversion at Fried Okra, and a recipe to make your own at in the Kitchen of her Soul.

And I found out online you can get it in many varieties (only one is available at our grocery store) including a new one with Omega fatty acids. I think at some point when we move back into our house I will order these in bulk from Sunbutter's website.

Sunbutter is also made in a peanut and tree nut free facility.

Anyway, to those parents who have a nut allergy in the family, or a cousin, friend, or classmate who does, this is an easy, tasty way to replace peanut butter and keep everyone safe. And you can eat it by the spoon full when no one is looking.

Some Natural Diaper Creams have Almond Oil-- Avoid Using with Nut Allergic Kids!

I've gotten pretty good at reading food labels at the grocery store, and thankfully have not had any major exposures to nuts with my allergic daughter.

So I was shocked a few months ago when I was slathering her bum with Burt's Bees diaper cream, and causally looked at the ingredients. There it was, plain as day. Not in bold, like I have been trained to look for in food, but in the pretty cursive font they use for their ingredient list. Sweet Almond Oil. I had been inadvertently exposing my peanut and tree nut allergic child to almond oil directly on her skin. Nice. Very smart. Thankfully she had no reactions, but I quickly tried to find something else to use.

But before I buy anything I also look at its safety rating over at the Environmental Working Group's database called Skin Deep. I found Jason Organics’ diaper cream was well rated. No dice. Same deal, it has sweet almond oil in it.

I've been trying Avalon Organics’ bum cream now, but it is rather like an ointment and doesn't seem to block moisture too well. You have probably heard way more than you need to about my diaper cream experiences. Oh, how wild my life has become--

I just thought if there are any other sleep deprived parents out there whose child might have or has a nut allergy, this is one thing you won't have to discover on your own.

What is the Best (natural, no chemical junk) Cream for Eczema?

I'm not sure how two kids that came from me have seriously fair, sensitive, and eczema-prone skin. See, I'm olive skinned and have never had a problem with any of this, just the occasional freckle. That darn genetic code from the other half--

My poor 9 month old is covered with half dollar sized patches of dry, scaly skin. My pediatrician says it may be food related, which is fun, seeing as how we already manage the food allergies of my 2 and a half year old. I've been trying this food and that, and have found no rhyme or reason to flare ups at all. There seems to be a base level rash I can't get rid of.

The pediatrician recommended using hydrocortisone cream, but I am hesitant to use it since it contains a steroid, and thins the skin. She also recommended Eucerin, but I wanted something more natural to put on her (it turns out some of the Eucerin creams rate really well on EWG's Skin Deep database-- be sure to look at which one, because not all do). I tried California Baby's Calendula Cream which is great, but didn't get rid of it. The Burt's Bee's Baby cream I have (yes, I know they are now owned by Clorox, but I still had some-- I'm practical, too!) didn't touch it.

Some of my friends swear by Eucerin, and if I get the original cream (not lotion, which has a higher chemical rating), it should be fine.

Do any of you highly intelligent and spirited readers know of any other good creams for eczema? Please add a comment, I would love to hear from you!

Allergen Cross Contamination Labeling Voluntary for Foods (huh?)--

Here is a comment that for some reason mistakenly got listed under the "Do You Eat Fish" post. It shares important information about cross contamination and food allergies, so I thought I would post it here. Lynda, I hope you don't mind! And, being inspried after reading this, I added some more thoughts and information below the comment.

"Hello,

I agree with you that items in store bakeries of any kind can be risky due to cross contamination issues. One important point I want to make for you and any of your readers is that the US FDA labeling laws do not require stores or manufacturers to label for cross contamination. Any cross contamination labeling is strictly voluntary on the part of a store or manufacturer. It is truly a buyer beware situation that we, as parent of food allergic kids, need to be vigilant about.

There are also other exemptions to the FALCPA FDA labeling law; you can read more about FALCPA FAQs on our Web site, www.kidswithfoodallergies.org.

Best wishes!

Lynda Mitchell
Kids With Food Allergies"


Thanks for the information, Lynda. I had no idea that the "facility" or "may contain" part of the labeling is voluntary. That is scary!

Here is another article from MSN about the confusing labels that say, "may contain peanuts" or "made in a facility that uses peanuts,". No wonder there is so much confusion! Since it is voluntary to even label this, manufacturers can say whatever they want. This doesn't make any sense. I hope this is under FDA review, as it mentions in the article.

In a new study sited in the article, it says that no matter how the cross contamination is labeled, 7 percent of the researcher's small sample of foods had serious amounts of peanuts, enough for a reaction. This was eye opening for me. My daughter has had a few exposures to " peanut facility" foods with no problem, and my sense of security grew a bit. Not after reading this.

The other take home message I got from the article was to keep reading labels ( I know, this is hard when you have a screaming toddler, but apparently very necessary), because new items are listed every week as containing peanuts, according to the Food Allergy Network. Even odd foods such as canned vegetables (um, why??).

Got a Kid with a Food Allergy? Avoid Bakery Items at the Grocery Store--

A few months ago I went to a party with my two girls. There was all sorts of yummy food there for everyone (and I was thrilled to not have to cook). I found some dark chocolaty brownies in the kitchen and kept sneaking back there to have a bite (or two or three--). Finally, my two year old daughter followed me there and asked for some. It was only a matter of time!

I flipped over the package, and found no offending ingredients or nut warnings(for my girl has a severe nut allergy). They were from Wegman's, a grocery store that has the finest prepared food one could ever hope for (and lots of great organic and natural foods). I often have grocery store envy when my mom shares with me what she bought at Wegman's, because there is not one where I live. So, I gave her a small piece of the brownie, and we went on our merry way.

Later, I told my mom about this. Being her investigative and inquisitive self, she went to the bakery counter at Wegman's and asked if the brownies (and their other baked goods that weren't labeled with any nut warnings) were indeed nut free, and made in nut free facility, or at least a nut controlled environment.

The kind bakery manager declared that no, the brownies were made with the same equipment and kitchen as the batches made with nuts, and that they were only as nut free as the baker's ability to clean and use different utensils for each batch. In other words, there was no way to guarantee there were no nut residues in any of the bakery products. My mom explained our situation, and that labeling should catch up with the packaging. If some poor child was to have a reaction, the store would have a major liability problem on their hands. He assured her that they would change the labeling, and he communicated this (supposedly)to his supervisors.

Its been months since then and of course the labeling hasn't changed. Thankfully my daughter did not have a reaction, but she could have. I worry about all the kids who are more allergic than she is, and even when their parents are dutifully checking the labels, one of them could have a serious reaction.

So, the take home message, sadly, is to avoid the bakery items at the grocery store unless they have a clear label that they are nut free (or whatever the allergen is--). I guess I will have to learn to be more sneaky with my chocolate intake!

A Fantastic Food Allergy Resource from an inspiring mom--

Check out this story from the New York Times about Robyn O'Brien, who started AllergyKids.com, a site devoted to helping kids with food allergies. She has incredible resources on the site, including helpful forms and guides for daycare providers and schools, products with a clear graphic showing that your child has a food allergy, and information about how our corporate food system might be causing the increases in allergies in kids (and she discusses autism, ADHD and cancer as well). There is lots to read and take in on this site. I plan on bookmarking Allergy Kids and visiting often.

Here is the New York Times article.

Here is a link to her site, Allergy Kids.

And--check out my recent interview (it feels fancy to say that, thanks, Kris!) by Kris Underwood who blogs at Writing in the Mountains. She's posted it at Moms Speak Up and the MotherVerse blog.

New Advice on Kids' Allergies--

Ah yes, sometimes the news can be uplifting. Okay, rarely, but this article forwarded to me by my mom (thanks, Mimi!) gave me a moment to breathe and reach for the smoked almonds.

See, I have a daughter with a severe nut allergy (see this post for tips about feeding a nut allergic toddler), and when I became pregnant again, my daughter's allergist said not to eat any nuts during my pregnancy or breastfeeding. So that means another two years at LEAST without any nuts. We don't have them in the house, usually, but I do love to sneak some peanuts while driving. Everytime I did I felt guilty about it. I also felt like I may have acutally caused the allergy in my first daughter, because I ate a lots of nuts during my pregnancy.

Also, we gave our daughter peanut butter at one year old, because she is a vegetarian and we wanted to make sure she was getting enough protein. This is when she had her first (and thankfully only) serious reaction. Other parents told me that their children's doctors told them not to introduct nuts until their child is 3 years old. More guilt!

Not any more. Check out this recent article at the Washington Post. I feel lighter already!

Don't Freak Out! Tips on Feeding a Vegetarian Child with a Nut Allergy--

Oh yes, driving home from the allergist was a treat. We had just found out that our daughter was allergic to every nut possible. She had been poked in her back ten times, and looked like a flock of rabbit sized mosquitoes had bit her and tried to carry her away. She whimpered in the backseat as my mind swarmed with troubling thoughts I couldn’t control. No pesto. No peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Being the mom in the class or group that always says, “Are their nuts in this?” or “Sweetie, you can’t have those, you have to have these special cookies,” (ones that I don’t even know how to make yet). No pesto. How will she get enough protein? Aren’t there nuts in everything? After calming down a bit, and doing some reading and research, I found that planning meals for a vegetarian, peanut allergic child is not as hard as I thought it might be. So if you are in the same boat, try to relax and read on for some tried and true tips that might help.

-If your child is severely allergic to nuts, go through your cabinets and pull out any foods that have nuts or are manufactured in a facility that handles nuts. All food has to have this label on it now. It is marked in bold lettering just below the nutrition and ingredient information. Put these items on a top shelf or give them away. That way, when your toddler starts exploring the shelves while you are on the phone, you will avoid a possible serious reaction.

-For your first visit to the grocery store or co-op after finding out your child is allergic to peanuts and/or tree nuts, allow more time and if possible, try to go there baby free. This will allow you read the labels carefully on all items, and make a list of the items and brands of food that you can buy without nuts.

-Some favorites of mine are the Earth’s Best crackers and cookies. Earth’s Best also makes oatmeal cookies without a peanut warning. This is very rare; it seems that most other cookies seem to have some sort of nut warning.

-Look for substitutes. Soy Nut Butter is very tasty and is a great protein for your growing toddler. It has the same look, consistency and a very similar taste to peanut butter. Sun Butter, made from sunflower seeds, is very tasty and packed with protein. Apple Butter is great on toast as well.

-Use the many wonderful soy products available as protein sources. My daughter’s favorite’s include tofu hot dogs, veggie burgers (try lots of different brands, one is sure to be a hit), veggie deli salami, turkey and pepperoni (in the produce section).

-Give her beans, beans, and more beans. They are a great protein source, as all of us vegetarians know. You can slip them into many things. Toddlers love to dip and spread, so make your own hummus, minus the tahini (just garbanzo beans, olive oil and garlic), and other dips that you can sneak in beans.

-Give your toddler fortified soy milk that has vitamin B12, and other important vitamins in it.

-Consider buying flaxseed oil, and using it on vegetables, in dips, shakes, and on pasta. It has the omega fats that are found in fish and are important in brain development. Look carefully at the label, though, the Horizon brand is produced in peanut facility. The brand Flora Flax Seed Oil has no nut warning and I’ve been giving it to my toddler regularly.

-Bring snacks everywhere so you won’t have to worry about buying food on the run. And be sure to closely monitor snack time at play dates. Granola bars are a frequent offender, as most of them have nuts or are produced in a facility that produces nuts.

-Educate your friends, family, babysitter, and childcare providers. Explain that even a dropped peanut on the floor could cause a serious problem for your little one. Encourage everyone you know to keep peanut products secure when you visit, and tell them never to feed your toddler without checking with you first.

-Explain cross contamination to everyone that comes in contact with your child. You don’t want your toddler eating jelly that has remnants of peanut butter in it from the last time someone made a sandwich.

-Be prepared to discuss your child’s diet with well meaning, worried family members. Many people told me to consider giving my daughter meat for protein. After some reflection, I understand that these folks just want what is best for my girl, as do I. Their comments are coming from a place of caring, in most cases. They might not realize that you can meet your child’s nutritional needs without meats and nuts.

Hopefully these tips will help get you started. Know that you are not alone! And yes, you can make a pretty good pesto without the pine nuts. Now these dietary changes are just a part of our family culture, and it doesn’t seem nearly as overwhelming.

There are many more resources out there to help you as well. Here are a few to get you started.

The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network: For email alerts about food products, publications, and information. http://www.foodallergy.org/

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: To find a board-certified allergist. http://www.aaaai.org/

Kids with Food Allergies: For recipes, online support, and general information. http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

Visit your local bookstore for cookbooks for people allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.