Nut-Free

Over the past three weeks, I’ve had several facebook posts and Instagram pictures referencing my 3-year-old son, B. Here is what happened.

On November 1st, after eating some trail mix, B had a severe allergic reaction that required a visit to the ER. After being treated for anaphylaxis and several hours of observation, we were sent home with a prescription for an EPIPEN and told to keep him from eating anything that was in the trail mix. When we got home that night, I tried to help him understand what had happened and that we were going to have to be extra careful about what he ate (I had to take away almost all of his Halloween candy). In a very matter of fact tone, he told me it was the cashews that made him sick.

A week and one allergy test later, it turned out that B was right. His test revealed that he is allergic to cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds…along with cats and dogs. My husband is a little too happy about eliminating pet ownership from our future endeavors (or it could have been all the Halloween candy he ate “taking one for the team”).

With B’s safety in mind (and the fact that I have no idea about A, my 18-month-old daughter’s reaction to nuts), I have made a major change in my kitchen – NO MORE NUTS. Although tree nuts and peanuts have never been a part of my cookie recipes, I did have them in my kitchen. After reading loads of medical publications, nut-allergy-mom blogs, and food labels, my husband and I have decided that the easiest way to prevent exposure, even accidental, is to eliminate all nuts from our home. I will no longer buy any product that contains, or even “MAY CONTAIN,” nuts of any kind (see my new Ingredients page for details about which products I use). While B could still safely eat some tree nuts and peanuts, the issues with cross contamination seem too complex and uncertain for us to risk right now. This might not have to be the case forever; maybe when we have more tests run, maybe when he’s older and can provide more detailed feedback on his condition, maybe, maybe, maybe. Right now, this big adjustment and steep learning curve seem necessary for our family.

The unintended side-effect of this is that my cookies are now nut free for all kids. Call it what you want, irony, fate, or destiny, but I got an email about Elf on the Shelf cookies from a woman who’s son has a peanut allergy the night we decided to go nut free. Not only am I able to provide a safe treat for her son, but she has given me other resources to help keep B safe. In my book…it’s fate.

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