Allergies come in all different forms. However, I think food allergies are definitely the worst. You can't eat certain foods, and who in the world would enjoy not eating certain foods! I don't know of anyone! I have friends that are allergic to tomatoes, peanuts, lactose, gluten, and the list goes on and on. Personally, I am allergic to nuts. Specifically, tree nuts. Yes, there is a huge difference between peanuts and tree nuts.
Being allergic to tree nuts means that I can eat peanut butter (creamy), however, I cannot eat any nut that grows above ground. Hence, the name tree nuts. So, this takes out a big category of food for me and I live in a family that loves to eat nuts. They are all aware of my allergy, and they know that it is very severe. I found out I was allergic when I was around seven to eight years old when I happened to eat a cashew. Well, I went into anaphylactic shock and found out I was allergic to tree nuts.
Having this allergy, I realized that I have missed out on a lot of different types of food that have tree nuts within them. So, I decided to really see how long this list could be. It was long! So, I condensed it down to a few of the main foods that those of us with nut allergies can never have!
1. Pecan Pie
Your grandma's world class pecan pie is deadly to people like me!
2. Trail Mix
There are some trail mixes that do not have tree nuts, but a good majority of them do.
3. Rocky Road Ice Cream
I would love to try rocky road ice cream, but many of types contain nuts! I know that a good majority of them are peanuts, but I tend to avoid peanuts altogether. Except for peanut butter.
4. Nut Mixtures
This one is just, well, duh.
5. Pesto
Pesto is a sauce that is in many Italian restaurants, and it is used in many kinds of pasta. I did not know that in many pestos they include crushed pine nuts. I found this out when I was in London. Definitely not how I wanted to remember my London experience.
6. Candy Bars
Many candy bars have peanuts and tree nuts, and this eliminates my chances of ever trying these different types of candy bars.
7. Macaroons
I love to bake, and yes I love the Food Network channel! On one such episode, I saw the challenge was to make macaroons and I had always wanted to try to make these as they are one of the more difficult desserts to execute. However, I did not realize that they are all made out of almond flour! Definite no! However, I did play with a recipe a little bit and I replaced the almond flour with crushed up graham crackers and it works really well!
8. Cookies
Once again, those to die for cookies that your grandma makes is probably something that will not be good for me! Now, there are many cookies as well that do not have nuts. However, I am told all of the best ones do.
9. Granola Bars
Nuts are known to be great sources of protein and are recommended for a healthy diet. Well, not for me! Many of the healthy granola bars include nuts. So, I usually have to go with the semi-healthy bars.
10. Liquor
I have heard this from different people, but some different kinds of liquor have been known to be nut based! I am about to turn 21, and I am glad that I found out about this!
