Do any of the peanut allergic folks on this board eat coconut? Parents, do you allow your peanut allergic child to eat coconut? Anyone ever have a reaction from coconut?

I'd like to make a traditional Cambodian dessert for our Thanksgiving, but coconut is the main ingredient. Our 13 month old son has not been tested yet, but did have a reaction (swelling, sneezing, rash) to a noodle dish with peant butter in it.

Thanks, Jennifer

On Nov 24, 1999

Jennifer, While coconut is not directly related to peanuts (legume family) or tree nuts (tree nut family) there are children out there that are allergic to coconuts. My daughter is one.

If you make a coconut dessert, you may want to offer your son an alternative. If he has had coconut before and been fine then he could probably have it again.

Good luck. Happy Thanksgiving.

MaryLynn

On Nov 27, 1999

My son tested positivie for a lot of allergies including all nuts. The ped allergist recommended we do not use coconut. I pointed out to him that all formula contains coconute oil. He said to proceed using it as there was no other alternative. However I am not over eager to have it in my house in baking or such. I love coconut and this has been a big change for us, but if it means keeping Toddy safe so be it.

On Jun 2, 2000

Okay, so I posted the other day about a new product I found that was clearly labelled NUT FREE. However, the main product that makes the thing crunchy is COCONUT. So, we have it in the house and I never have anything suspect in the house. The kids just ate it sprinkled on top of their yoghurt and my son appears fine. I set the timer at 30 minutes to make sure there was no reaction. But again, IS COCONUT OKAY?

On Jun 2, 2000

my son tested pos for all nuts and severly for coconut. I hate coconut so foods I by don't have it. I am not aware of direct reactions from coconut by my son before I started checking ingredients.

On Jun 2, 2000

Coconut is not a nut, it is a fruit. Some people can be allergic to coconut just like some people are allergic to other fruits.

On Jun 2, 2000

Wow, ya learn somethin' new every day (at least I seem to be!). Really, coconut is a fruit?? Never heard of that. Interesting. My husband and I were just discussing this last week. We were at a restaurant that had cake with coconut frosting and we started wondering if that is something our son would have to stay away from. We do not know if he has allergies to tree nuts. I had made the comment that when I see it shredded I probably wouldn't have thought of it as being a nut and may have given it to my son. If it is a fruit then maybe he can have it. Tracy

On Jun 2, 2000

Hi Folks,

I am new to this forum, only finding it yesterday and have left some info about me in the Introductary Board.

Anyway, I have had a PA and tree nut allergy all my life (i'm 26)...but have never ever had a reaction to a coconut and I love it! Now, I know that some people are allergic...but a lot of us aren't as well...the problem is how do you find out? I am not sure of the best answer to that, I used trial and error (probably not the best idea)...but don't write off coconut automatically.

Take care everyone and enjoy a nut free weekend!

Sazzy

On Jun 3, 2000

You can be tested for coconut if you are concerned about the possibility. They can test for that just like other foods.

On Jun 3, 2000

I do not believe that my son is allergic to Coconut though he doesnt care for it. When I went to WalMart last night to buy the boys vitamins and I was reading the ingredients even though I didn't think there would be nuts in it (can't he too careful). My PA son is also allergic to medications containing sulfur so I was reading to check for that. Most children's vitamins did list lactose though. Anyway, one listed coconut oil so be careful if your kids are allergic to coconuts.

On Jun 3, 2000

Our allerg. doc. recently told me that you are not automatically allerg. to coconut because you are p.a./tree-nut allergic. He told me to give her a small amount to test it (yikes!!). I then let her have Cool-Whip topping (which has coconut oil) and she was fine. You need to discuss with your doc. if you think testing is required.

On Jun 5, 2000

Coconuts are fruits and not nuts (then again, many nuts are not technically nuts either...peanuts are not nuts) Anyway, nut allergic people can generally have coconuts (and chestnuts too) since they are not in the same family, unless of course you happen to also be allergic to coconuts. Is that clear or just more confusing?! My 4yr old daughter is allergic to peanuts and walnuts, and eats stuff with coconuts on occassion without incident...same goes for chestnuts (which we all love in the fall/winter).

On Jun 5, 2000

You need to know the source of the coconut in desserts etc. When I have tried buying it packaged (shredded, sweet) there is a "may contain traces of nuts" warning on the package!This is because shredded coconut for baking is produced by the nut manufacturer in many cases. I have no problem giving my son fresh coconut however.

On Jun 7, 2000

So how strong is the coconut allergy? Is it as strong as peanuts?

Many grooming things contain coconut--we use pure coconut oil for our skin and hair. Is it only if it's ingested?

On Jun 12, 2000

hi what response did you get?

On Jun 12, 2000

I react to suntan oil that contains coco butter, paba, and coconut oil. I am not sure if it is all related to my "nut" allergy, or if it is separate.....but I stay away...shampoos, sunscreen, lotions......all of the above...

On Jun 13, 2000

My pa son had allergy testing a few weeks ago. He is not allergic to coconut.

On Jun 13, 2000

My son is highly allergic to Peanuts and our allergy doctor says coconut is okay. Be aware though that every child is different. I had my child tested at 6 mos for the first time and my second child tested at a year (she showed no signs of allergies so we waited). I wouldn't wait. There may be other foods that your child is allergic to. We found out the hard way. Get them to run a series of tests right away so that you can know for sure and keep your child safe. It's scary! Good luck!

On Jun 16, 2000

Our 14 and 11 year old daughters have a very severe allergy to peanut products of any kind. We are fortunate they have no other life threatening allergies. Coconuts don't bother them at all.

Plus, it works out well for me because it is a Daddy thing to smash them open .

On Jun 17, 2000

FYI: coconut is a main ingredient in many baby formulas.

On Jul 26, 2005

Simply re-raising.

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

On Jul 27, 2005

Regarding prepackaged shredded coconut: some of it is unsafe. I've seen some packages with "processed on same equipment," so we avoid it. I can't remember the brands--it's been a year since I checked. But where a food has been in question and it contains coconut, that's an automatic no for us.

We have found some without a warning, and if I contacted the manuafacturer, I would probably consider it okay. But I can't stand the shredded stuff anyway, so there's no point in buying it. Give me fresh coconut. But the other stuff tastes yucky to me, and I can't stand the texture--plus all the little strands that you don't quite swallow. Yuck. I'll keep going here at the risk of alienating folks, but so many good desserts are ruined by including shredded coconut.

There--my four cents. But we do avoid it because of some package warnings.