My little cousin told her mom in second grade she did not want a peanut butter sandwich for lunch.
This shocked my aunt because peanut butter was my cousin’s favorite food.
When pressed further, my cousin said if she brought a peanut butter sandwich to school, she would have to sit at a separate table in the back of the room and be away from all of her friends.
So, instead, she didn’t want to bring a peanut butter sandwich to school.
This was the school’s response to the prevalence of peanut allergies in the United States since the onset of the 21st century.
However, recent science and guidelines suggest direct contact with peanut powder at earlier ages could prevent these allergies, and I am 100-percent behind them.
Between 1997 and 2008, the number of children suffering from peanut allergies has almost tripled.
This, coupled with the fact that peanuts are one of the leading allergens that cause anaphylaxis, makes peanut allergies nothing to scoff at.
This has led to the creation of many programs by schools to prevent reactions.One example is the no-peanut-butter-sandwich rule.
I understand this was inconvenient for my aunt and a lot of other parents, but as someone who suffers from severe food allergies, I appreciate it more than anything.
Peanuts seem to be in literally everything.
Almost no processed food has been made in a factory that does not have contact with peanut or traces of peanut.
The fear of cross contamination alone means for a lot of people these products aren’t available. Moreover, the products that are available are prohibitively expensive, so many people cannot afford them.
This is why I was overjoyed at the recent finding by the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease, which said peanut allergies could be avoided by putting peanut powder or extract in babies’ puree.
This reversed an almost 15 year guideline that states high-risk allergens like peanuts should be avoided to prevent any symptoms.
Because I’m not a parent I know my opinion may not be seen as a strong indicator of how serious this is.
However, as someone who has undergone an anaphylactic attack, I am very intrigued by this new development.
Firstly, it divides children by level of risk. Lower-risk individuals can be introduced to peanuts relatively late under their parents’ supervision.
Higher-risk kids would be exposed earlier under medical supervision.
While experts need to run more experiments to be sure, I am very hopeful that this new system will work.
Food allergies are horrendous because they make you terrified of one of the few things that you need to keep you alive.
With common allergens like peanuts it’s difficult to be confident trying new foods.
This has the potential to make children safer, and though I am skeptical right now, I am very invested in seeing how this plays out.
npatwari@umail.iu.edu
