Child Health A-Z

Peanut Allergy Diet

General guidelines for peanut allergy:

The key to an allergy-free diet is to avoid giving your child the foods or products containing the food he/she is allergic to. The items that your child is allergic to are called allergens.

A peanut allergy is an abnormal response of the body to the proteins found in peanuts. In order to avoid foods that contain peanuts, it is important to read food labels. Peanuts are very different from tree nuts.

How to read a label for an peanut-free diet:

Be sure to avoid giving your child foods that contain any of the following ingredients:

cold pressed, expressed, or expelled peanut oil
ground nuts
mixed nuts
Nu-Nuts™ artificial nuts
peanuts
peanut butter
peanut flour

Foods that may indicate the presence of peanut protein include:

African, Chinese, Thai, and other ethnic dishes
baked goods
candy
cereals
chili, spaghetti sauce
chocolate (candy, candy bars)
crackers
egg rolls
hydrolyzed plant protein
hydrolyzed vegetable protein
ice creams, frozen yogurts
marzipan
nougat

Other possible sources of peanuts or peanut products:

Studies show that most allergic children can safely eat foods containing peanut oil, unless it is cold pressed, expressed, expelled peanut oil. Avoid giving your child cold pressed, expressed, and expelled peanut oil.
Peanuts are very allergenic and have the potential to cause fatal reactions if ingested by peanut allergic children.
Ethnic foods, commercially prepared baked goods, and candy can be cross-contaminated with peanuts, since peanuts are frequently used in these types of foods.
Peanut butter and/or peanut flour have been known to be used in homemade chili and spaghetti sauce as thickeners.
Hydrolyzed plant and vegetable protein may be peanut in imported foods, but is typically soy in foods from the US. Contact the manufacturer for more information.
Nu-Nuts™ artificial nuts are peanuts that have been deflavored and reflavored with a nut such as pecan or walnut.

Last Update
February 3, 2008

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