Snake Helps with Food Allergies

According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), 90% of all food-allergic reactions are caused by the following: 

Dairy, Egg, Peanut, Tree nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Soy, Wheat

As a parent of a kid with allergies to six of the eight above foods, including peanuts, I think this photograph, by Horacio Salinas does a great job of communicating the seriousness of the matter.  I have long equated, dropping my little girl off at a place where peanuts will be served, to dropping her off in the same room with a dangerous snake.  Yes, peanuts don’t move, like a snake, but their danger is movable- especially when you mix peanut butter and room full of toddlers or preschoolers.  They touch everything and a lot of what they touch ends up in their mouths. 

A common misconception we run into, is people think it is peanut “oil” that is responsible.  I understand food allergies to be caused by certain proteins, and since an oil is a fat, it technically is not responsible for allergic reactions.  The FAAN mentions, “Studies show that most allergic individuals can safely eat peanut oil,” but then warns of oils resulting from various processing methods.  I suspect certain methods of processing remove all proteins from the oil, while others don’t.  Anyway, since the risk is great and knowledge of the processing is usually zero, we stay away from all peanut products. 

Another tidbit from the FAAN, which addresses allergies and the common misunderstanding of the difference between food intolerance and allergies is, “Many people think the terms food allergy and food intolerance mean the same thing; however, they do not. Food intolerance, unlike a food allergy, does not involve the immune system and is not life-threatening.” 

Thank you, Mr. Salinas for helping communicate the level of concern for some food allergies-  http://www.horaciosalinas.net/ 

More from the FAAN- http://www.foodallergy.org