Tree Nut Allergy Diet for Children

General guidelines for tree nut allergy

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

A tree nut allergy is an abnormal response of the body to the proteins found in tree nuts. In order to avoid foods that contain tree nuts, it is important to read food labels.

How to read a label for a tree nut-free diet

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

• Almonds

• Brazil nuts

• Cashews

• Chestnuts

• Coconut

• Filberts

• Hazelnuts

• Gianduja (A creamy mixture of chocolate and chopped toasted nuts found in premium or imported chocolate.)

• Hickory nuts

• Macadamia nuts

• Mandelonas (peanuts soaked in almond oil)

• Marzipan/almond paste

• Nougat

• Nu-Nuts artificial nuts

• Nut butters (for example, cashew butter or almond butter)

• Nutella (a hazelnut spread)

• Nut oil

• Nut paste (for example, almond paste)

• Pecans

• Pine nuts (pignolia)

• Pistachios

• Praline

• Walnuts

To avoid tree nuts:

• Nu-Nuts artificial nuts are peanuts that have been deflavored and reflavored with a nut such as pecan or walnut.

• Filberts are hazelnuts.

• Avoid natural extracts, such as pure almond extract and natural wintergreen extract (for the child who is filbert or hazelnut allergic).

• Use imitation or artificially flavored extracts.

• Ethnic foods, commercially prepared baked goods, and candy can be cross-contaminated with nuts since nuts are frequently used in these types of foods.

• Tree nuts are being added to an increasing variety of foods, such as barbecue sauces, cereals, crackers, and ice creams.