help - allergy to hummus?

[Beckylove]

DS just has hummus for a snack. It is not the brand I usually buy. I wiped his face after his snack and his skin is bright red where he had food on his lips and chin. It isn't going away- it is still red 15 minutes later.

We have eaten other brands of hummus with no such reaction-- the only differences I can tell between this and the other is this one has soybean oil, mysterious "seasonings, spices and natural flavors," and potassium sorbate (which is why I don't buy this brand usually).

Is this a food allergy? To soy? We've never been allergy tested but I've never had any kind of food issue before.

How long would you go with bright red skin before calling the ped?
I will quit buying this hummus obviously, but should I do more? Avoid soy? Get him allergy tested? I'm sure soy is in a lot of stuff we eat without noticing, but he's never had digestive or other issues that would indicate a problem. TIA

[Jo..]

For a rash, with no other symptoms, I'd wait 2-4 days before I worried.

I'd also make my own Hummus to see if he had the same reaction: then you know what to rule out.

This is the recipe we love


2 to 3 cloves garlic
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and liquid reserved
2 to 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter or Tahini (preferred
A handful fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pinch kosher salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions

Chop the garlic finely in a food processor. Add the beans and 1/2 of the reserved liquid and process finely or to desired consistency. Add the peanut butter or tahini, parsley, lemon zest and juice, black pepper, and salt. Process until it forms a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise.

[brittone2]

Some brands of hummus have tahini/sesame, and some don't.

Sesame is surprisingly high on the list of common allergens. I'm not a FA mom, so hopefully they'll chime in with more helpful info.

You can eat a food several times without an allergy and then develop one after one or several exposures, so I wouldn't necessarily rule in/out the shared ingredients between this brand and the other brands you've used...just because DS has had it before, doesn't mean it can't be an allergy.

eta: DS1 gets a slight rash from anything acidic. In our case it is just contact irritation near his mouth (but it doesn't get alarmingly red or anything, just a little rashy looking), not an allergy. I'd take a pic of DC if you can to show your ped if necessary (just in case you decide it is worth pursuing) or to run by the FA moms here.

[catsnkid]

It is probably the "seasonings and spices". I have never had a problem with hummus, but a few middle eastern foods have caused me to flush red.

[lablover]

My first thought would be sesame. Was that an ingredient? I would definitely take a picture so you can document it.

[megs4413]

this EXACT thing happened with DS! I think I may even have pics somewhere on this computer....

his pedi told us to avoid the hummus, but he was young enough at the time that she didn't want him to do the allergy testing just yet. my suspicion is the sesame (tahini) since there's not much else in hummus that people are allergic to (the brand we were eating was just garlic, salt, chickpeas, lemon juice, and tahini).

we *do* list hummus in his allergy medical history just in case...he has surgery regularly and they want to know stuff like that. we will have him formally tested when he turns 4.

[Beckylove]

Yes it does have tahini. The sesame thing didn't even occur to me. I will watch it. His skin has returned to normal color.

Thanks for your help!

[bubbaray]

Did it just go red or was there swelling and/or hives?

It actually sounds more like contact dermatitis, which is NOT a food allergy. If its dermatitis, it could be to lemon or something acidic in that brand.

[DrSally]

Some brands of hummus have tahini/sesame, and some don't.

Sesame is surprisingly high on the list of common allergens.

:yeahthat: DS is allergic to mustard (also a seed), so we avoided sesame for a long time (tried it and he's not allergic). Some Hummus Also, "natural flavorings" can hide other ingred, like peanut or tree nut. Most companies will disclose this, but some do not.

[lablover]

Top 8 allergens (includes peanut and tree nut) must be clearly listed in the ingredients and cannot be lumped into "natural flavorings". Just wanted to clarify that for others who may start to worry. On the other hand, natural flavorings can be a nightmare for those avoiding a non top 8 allergen, such as mustard or sesame.

[DrSally]

Top 8 allergens (includes peanut and tree nut) must be clearly listed in the ingredients and cannot be lumped into "natural flavorings". Just wanted to clarify that for others who may start to worry. On the other hand, natural flavorings can be a nightmare for those avoiding a non top 8 allergen, such as mustard or sesame.

Well that's good. I was always told to watch out for "natural flavorings" when DS was allergic to milk.

[kijip]

Did it just go red or was there swelling and/or hives?

It actually sounds more like contact dermatitis, which is NOT a food allergy. If its dermatitis, it could be to lemon or something acidic in that brand.
:yeahthat:

I would take a pic and chat with the ped about it but it sounds like a typical reaction to acidic foods to me. My kids got this with lemon, berries, oranges etc but they do not have any allergies.

[jenmcadams]

:yeahthat:

I would take a pic and chat with the ped about it but it sounds like a typical reaction to acidic foods to me. My kids got this with lemon, berries, oranges etc but they do not have any allergies.

Ours too...strawberries are the worst culprit and our Ped said we didn't have to avoid them. Given our kids eat several lbs a week and the worst is an occasional rash, we don't worry about it...

[willow33]

Same exact thing happened to DD last night at dinner. I gave her hummus for the first time and by the end of dinner she had red raised blotches on her face. It was definitely wear the hummus came in contact with her skin. I watched her closely and she never had problems breathing and the redness went away within an hour. She eats strawberries and sucks on lemon wedges all the time and never gets red like this. I will definitely mention it to her ped next month when we go in.

It really scared me though. I developed Oral Allergy Syndrome after having the kids and now have an epi-pen. I don't eat raw apples, cherries, peaches, plums, almonds anymore. And I now get an itchy throat after eating pears and strawberries.

Thank you for the homemade hummus recipe. I will try that and see how she does with it.

[Clarity]

My dd has the same problem when I feed her Sabra brand hummus. She has food allergies so I am now careful to give her only homemade or Tribe brand hummus which she does not have any reaction to.

[willow33]

My dd has the same problem when I feed her Sabra brand hummus. She has food allergies so I am now careful to give her only homemade or Tribe brand hummus which she does not have any reaction to.

Good to know! I also used Sabra.