pHi everyone..I would first like to say that you have all been such a help with all of my questions. I have also learned so, so much just from reading all the info on this wonderful site! Anyway, my question is regarding the date fruit. My son is 2.5 years and is allergic to eggs, and all nuts. Most recently, he had a reaction to kiwi (something he had eaten in the past with no reaction whatsoever). He tasted one bite and said he didn't want it (of course we did not insist). His lip swelled up where the kiwi had touched and he complained of an itchy tongue. Benadryl took care of everything, but it was scary because he had eaten it so many times. We are middle eastern and the date fruit is a big part of our family get-togethers (typically served with walnuts--ain't it great???). Although the walnuts have been banned, I'm afraid to even let him near the dates--maybe because I associate it with nuts. Does anyone know if there is any connection between dates and nut allergies? I'm not about to give it to him, but I'm just curious if anyone has had any experience. /p
p------------------/p
Are dates (the fruit) a possible risk?
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Liza,
It seems unlikely there would be a connection between dates and nuts. The funny thing is though, my husband is also Middle Eastern and he brings home dates that he buys in little ethnic shops. I don't give them to my son because I'm always reluctant to give him new foods he hasn't had before and I worry about cross contamination. I don't know the conditions under which the dates are processed (they are pitted and wrapped in styrofoam containers in the shop) and I worry they could be contaminated with nuts or sesame (my son is allergic to peanuts and sesame). So I guess I'm saying the dates probably would be OK, but cross contamination could be a problem.
Liza - has your son been tested for a latex allergy? I ask because kiwi has been known to cause allergic reactions in people allergic to latex. Other fruit causes problems too:
Allergens which Cross-react with Latex
Bananas
Avocados
Chestnuts
Kiwi fruit
Cayley is fine with dates, as long as there is no warning on the package. I agree with the above post - the date fruit is probably fine, it's the cross-contamination that might be an issue.
Thanks Sandra Y and Cayley's Mom-
Cayley's Mom-Thanks for the info on the latex. I use latex gloves in the kitchen for a lot of things. I know he has touched the gloves and I have even played around with him by grabbing his nose a couple of times with them on. I never thought about a latex allergy....He hasn't reacted in any noticeable way so far, but I will be sure to be careful until we get him tested. Being new to this whole allergy thing, I guess I have to think twice about EVERYTHING! Thanks again for the valuable info!
The original post about a newly developed allergy is really scary. I guess anyone with an allergy should always be alert for newly developing ones. We didn't know about my son's allergies (walnut and peanut) until he was 8! Mostly because we didn't pick up on the little signs and thus didn't have him tested. And also because he always naturally avoided the allergens. We do have a good friend who at age 26 developed a SEVERE allergy to kiwi's. Her first reaction, after having eating kiwi with no problems in the past, was a full-blown 911, ambulance, epi-pen (skip the benadryl) SERIOUS reaction. Seems strange after having had kiwi the week before with NO problems. This relates to the original comment about kiwi because six years later she has also developed an allergy to latex. As I understand it the proteins are similar in structure for the Kiwi, latex, strawberries (and the other foods mentioned) and that is why those people often develop reactions to the other things. But, my point is that it can occur right away, or it can develop years later, or not at all. Once again we have more uncertainty! That's the hardest thing about these allergies is that regardless of the precautions you take--you always feel some level of vulnerability!
Oops! Didn't mean to say strawberries. I knew after I submitted the post that this was wrong. I did however find some interesting info about latex allergies. A good source of links is: [url="http://latexallergylinks.tripod.com/cross."]http://latexallergylinks.tripod.com/cross.[/url]
html
Hope this is helpful. Apparently there is a long list of foods associated with latex allergies. It just reinforces to me that we can't avoid everything--but we can make the best choices possible--and ALWAYS carry the medications needed in case of a reaction.
We have lots of Middle EAstern shops where I live, and I would really beware of dates from any of these stores, because they are sold out of barrels or sacks which are right next to nuts (of course!), and who knows what the barrel held last week!
Funny, I used to love shopping in stores like that - now I view them as EVIL!
Amy
Hi, I like to make date squares and I have a really hard time finding packaged dates that do not have a warning of cross-contamination with peanuts/nuts. The dates themselves are ok for my brother and son as they are not allergic to dates.
I do not eat dates or any dried or packaged fruit for that matter. Most have cross contamination with nuts
i stay away from packaged fruits because i had a reaction in the past that was scary. i'm sure it was because of cross-contamination like bahumbug29 said. when i read the package it seemed safe but wasn't in the end so now i steer clear of them.