Everyday I deal with my allergies. When I go to bed I wonder how will I wake up in the morning, headache, congested, aches and pains or all the mentioned. I have learned to deal with them but, I don't think everyone else around me truly understands that I really don't know how I will feel in the morning as to if I can do anything with them.
This past Monday was the year anniversary,(not one that I celebrate that is for sure), of being rushed to the hospital in the back of a medic unable to breath. That is when I found out I now have a nut allergy. I love everything with nuts, you name it I would put nuts in it. Not anymore. A couple of weeks ago my daughter brought us some chilli, cornbread and brownies she had made. Jen said, sorry Mom I didn't think until on my way over here that I used Nutella when I made the icing so you can't have any. Later in the day I looked up Nutella to see the ingredients and it says, Does Nutella® contain any peanuts? Nutella® hazelnut spread does not contain peanuts or peanut ingredients, nor does the product come in contact with peanuts during manufacturing. Found on http://www.nutellausa.com/faqs.
So I decided to try it, I did cut off the top icing just in case. Took one bite put down brownie walked into the room my husband was in and showed him my tongue. (it took about 2 minutes) My tongue was swollen to the sides and top. He said what did you do? Well I told him and got of course, you should have listened to our daughter. I tried benadryl and with in a few minutes it helped. Was very glad I didn't' have to use my epipen. This reaction lead me to research the Nutella a bit more. Here is what I found. Nutella® (pronounced "new-tell-uh") is a tasty unique spread made from the combination of roasted hazelnuts, skim milk and a hint of cocoa.
So my next step was researching hazelnuts. Peanuts aren't actually a true nut; they're a legume (in the same family as peas and lentils). But the proteins in peanuts are similar in structure to those in tree nuts. For this reason, people who are allergic to peanuts can also be allergic to tree nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, pecans, and cashews. "http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/nut_allergy.html"
I was surprised to read the following:
Reactions to foods, like peanuts and tree nuts, can be different. It all depends on the person — and sometimes the same person can react differently at different times. Some reactions can be very mild and involve only one system of the body, like hives on the skin. Other reactions can be more severe and involve more than one part of the body. Most reactions last less than a day and affect any of these four body systems:
Skin. Skin reactions are the most common type of food allergy reactions. They can take the form of itchy, red, bumpy rashes (hives), eczema, or redness and swelling around the mouth or face.
Gastrointestinal system. Symptoms can take the form of belly cramps, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Respiratory system. Symptoms can range from a runny or stuffy nose, itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing to the triggering of asthma with coughing and wheezing.
Cardiovascular system. A person may feel lightheaded or faint and lose consciousness.
In really bad cases, tree nut and peanut allergies can cause a condition called anaphylaxis (pronounced: ah-nuh-fuh-lak-sus). Anaphylaxis is a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction that, in addition to the symptoms mentioned above, can make someone's airways swell and blood pressure drop. As a result, the person may have trouble breathing and could lose consciousness.
I suffered all four symptoms above last year and it wasn't until I suffered the fifth, anaphylaxis, that they figured out what was wrong with me.
Now I know you would think I would already know about hazelnuts but coconut is not in the nut family. Learned a lesson though and that is, don't eat anything unless I know the ingredients!
