The most common food allergy among children and adults is one to tree nuts and peanuts. However, children begin to eat other foods before they eat nuts and they grow out of these. Still, only 1/5 of children with nut allergies get over them. This means that four out of five children with nut allergies grow up with these allergies. While with some, these allergies lose their severity, in others it becomes chronic.
Is coconut safe for Childrens with nut allergy?
What are tree nuts? Tree nuts range from cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachio, and walnuts to lichee and pine nuts. They come in a range of shapes and sizes. Tree nuts are some food allergens linked to anaphylaxis, which is a serious reaction that starts up quickly and can also be fatal. A tree nut allergy could last a lifetime, while under 10 percent of children outgrow this allergy.
Causes of nut allergies: Children suffer nut allergies when they test hypersensitive to the protein content in tree nuts. If a child mistakenly eats a tree nut that he is allergic to, his immune system suffers a huge reaction. When the child’s immune system doesn’t work well, it takes the proteins to be dangerous to the body, causing the body to create antibodies.
The chemical reaction this causes leads to several medical conditions like skin reactions, inflammation in the face, lips or throat, asthma and digestive problems. The chief chemical that causes the symptoms of nut allergy is histamine because its introduction in the body causes the inflammation of soft tissue.
Symptoms to watch out for: If a child displays allergic reactions to eating coconut, call 911 immediately. Any delay could be fatal. The signs and symptoms that are typical of coconut reaction include anaphylaxis, a huge reaction that worsens breathing and can reduce the body to a state of shock. Other symptoms include rapid heartbeat, facial swelling, hives and a sudden plunge in blood pressure.
Should children with nut allergy eat coconut? Just because the word ‘nut’ suffixes the word ‘coconut’ doesn’t mean that the coconut is a nut. In fact, it is a member of the palm tree family. Despite this, there are studies that prove that children and adults with tree nut allergies may have an allergy to foods containing coconut.
Children develop allergic reactions to nuts due to the protein content in certain tree nuts. Though the reasons for this aren’t readily known, yet it is known that the same proteins can also cause an allergic reaction. So, if your child is known to have a nut allergy, ask your doctor if he can eat coconuts. Though coconut isn’t a nut, yet some people are allergic to tree nuts such as cashews, walnuts and almonds are also allergic to coconut. For this reason, speaking to your doctor about this is imperative, and before that it is safer to avoid coconut.
Foods children should avoid: Being diagnosed with coconut allergy obviously means that all foods containing coconut, peanuts or tree nuts should be avoided. All foods that contain tree nuts or peanuts are required by law to disclose the use of nuts. Since the law does not lay down that coconut be included in allergy warnings, it is imperative that one read the food labels of pre-packaged foods and beverages before consuming them.
