In Australia, peanut allergies have been on the rise for the past few decades, probably due to the repeated exposure we get from processed food. Peanuts are ground-growing nuts, not tree-growing nuts, and it may be that your child is allergic to only peanuts, or only tree nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, macadamias), but not both. If you’re not sure, avoid both.

Of all the food allergies, nut allergies are responsible for more emergency situations than other food allergies. If your child is allergic to nuts, please make sure both she and the people in her environment understand the gravity of the situation. If your child is very allergic, it’s best never to keep nuts in the house nor even eat nuts yourself outside the house.

Nut-free recipes are fairly common, as well as common-sense. Provided you cook everything yourself in a nut-free kitchen, and provided you read all labels, your cooking should be free of all traces of nuts. Nevertheless, here are a few nut-free recipes to get you started:

• Crunchy munchy honey cakes (all the crunch is nut-free)
• Crunchy chicken nuggets (more nut-free crunch)
• Fish croquets
• Green eggs and ham (thank you, Dr Seuss!)

If you’re not confident about reading food labels on ready-bought foodstuffs, Eating Safe is a tool that analyses shopping items for you.

Kidspot Social is the place to share your experiences and exchange tips online. Meet fellow parents who battle with problems similar to yours. Make friends and find solutions - all with one click. Related articles:

• Treating allergies
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