Peanut allergies and pine nuts?

[anamika]

Are pine nuts safe for kids with peanut allergies?
We're avoiding all nuts right now since DD was diagnosed with a possible peanut allergy but do pine nuts fall in this category?

I'm just dying for some pesto ;) Can I make it with sunflower seeds?
TIA,

[writermama]

Tricky question. If you want to be really cautious, you could avoid the relatives of the peanut and tree nuts. Peanuts are legumes so you might want to consider avoiding things like soy, lentils and certain kinds of beans.

Pine nuts are tree nuts like most things we call nuts (even though some of them are actually drupes or fruit).

Many people with possible peanut issues avoid tree nuts as well, although in one study I read they found a pretty low occurrence of both peanut and tree nut allergy in adults (most were allergic to one or the other, not both).

Clear as mud, right? I wish I could give you an actual answer. When in doubt, consult your pediatric allergist or pediatrician.

Here's a link to enough peanut allergy info to make your head spin:
http://www.allerg.qc.ca/peanutallergy.htm

ETA: I stand corrected. Pine nuts are actually seeds, not nuts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_nut

HTH,

[anamika]

Hi Karen,
Thanks for the reply. Our allergist actually said to avoid all nuts so that leaves everything out pretty much. That is interesting though that concurrent occurrence of both allergies is low.
I will double check with our ped but I was hoping to avoid a call.
Thanks again,

[egoldber]

Another thing to consider though is that tree nuts are often processed in the same plant as peanuts, so many people avoid tree nuts to avoid the possiblity of cross-contamination.