There's such a thing as soy-based peanut spread/muck, which Missus wants to buy for Toodle's lunch, but which bears no resemblance in any form to the offending peanut butter and looks more like congealed phlegm. But at least it's healthy and it won't accidentally kill anyone.

Don't you do it KK. Damnit, I could start a whole thread about how much soy pisses me off. Is it any coincidence that it was SOYLENT Green?

Posted by Jonsered I could start a whole thread about how much soy pisses me off.

do it.

Posted by olive but thing is peanut butter is cheap and easy. because its smooth and goes on soft bread, its also easier to get kids to eat it, and almost all kids like. food banks usually have lots of to too cause it keeps well. bread is cheap too. for some families there aren't many other options.

Jam, switch to jam.

I used to eat peanut/almond butter all the time, until I got allergic to it in elementary school.

It's not as if kids are chasing others around with peanut butter sandwiches forcing them to have one (well, in most schools). I say just try not to pack it, or if you do, make sure your kid knows to be careful around those with allergies. It's not as if the stuff needs to be regulated like alcohol or cigarettes.

I'm allergic to grasses, trees, and pollens.

I propose concrete lawns, steel trees, and who the fuck needs flowers anyway?

For any of the people who say, "Myself and my children don't have any allergies," I advise you to be cautious about that. Allergies don't have to run in families, and MOST people discover that they have an allergy to something when the histamines are so built up that they end up going into anaphylactic shock for the first time.

Posted by big dave I have 3 kids. Our newest which is 1 year old, is allergic to bananas. I still let my other boys eat them all the time, even in the same area as my 1 year old. Pussy world these days.

Is your newest allergic to latex, too? I'd be on the lookout for that. I actually knew I had an allergy to LATEX before I knew I had one to bananas. But when I went to an allergist, he could only confirm the banana allergy at that time (he ended up doing a blood test for the latex allergy, which confirmed that I was allergic). Many people are cross-allergic and don't even know it...

Here is a stupid website with a very small chart about it, if you aren't already aware: http://www.latexal...org/GreerLabs.html ... They should also have dates on that high-reactivity list, but they don't.


And hell YES to everyone who said that teachers should always have epi-pens on hand for the kids that have allergies. I ALWAYS have mine on hand. Actually, when that kid threw the banana peel in the fire, I immediately turned to Adam and told him, "Just in case, my epi-pen is in the brown bag in the trunk of my car."

The thing that really sucks about allergies is that the more you're exposed, the more allergic you become. So perhaps, Debi, during the time that you were exposed to it as a kid, the allergy was happening but wasn't strong enough. Now that you have all those histamines built up from years of re-exposure, it is more life-threatening. When allergies become severe enough, people eventually need more doses of epinephrine. I knew a 15-year-old, once, who was up to 2 adult doses AND 1 juvenile dose.

I was exposed to both latex and bananas quite a bit at a job where I worked in a group home for children with autism. We ended up phasing out quite a bit of the latex equipment (including stethoscopes and blood-pressure cuffs) but there was one kid who LOVED bananas and often needed physical restraints. That sucked. That job sent me to the ER 8 or 9 times in a year for mostly allergies but also various injuries...

Posted by Jonsered Don't you do it KK. Damnit, I could start a whole thread about how much soy pisses me off. Is it any coincidence that it was SOYLENT Green?

Soy has sooooo many benefits, though! For instance, it helps to prevent ovarian cysts, which many women will tell you SUCK ASS.

My daughter is very allergic to nuts and eggs. She made it through school with other kids eating PB & J. She was however not allowed to eat birthday treats that the other kids brought in. I supplied treats that she could have when they did these things.

She is now 18, in college and working in a restaurant. They have a salad that contains walnuts. She made it with gloves on and within 5 mins was covered in hives and could not breath. That allergy is not something to mess with. She will even react if she washes a knife used to make a peanut butter sandwich.

Emma, with the latex, watch out for pineapple, unless it's been canned or cooked.

I deal with a mild latex contact allergy and I have a reaction to pineapple. My doctor said it was related, so you might want to watch out for that too.

Shael

Posted by TRAINS I'm allergic to grasses, trees, and pollens. I propose concrete lawns, steel trees, and who the fuck needs flowers anyway?

Hahahaha, QFT.

Oh, and just to clear my name, somewhat, my aunt is allergic to nuts (and pineapple, ironically), so I'm familiar with the fact that it can be a (very) serious allergy, and should be handled with care. *However* I don't think that I should not pack/eat peanut butter on the off side chance that the person next to me is allergic. That's just ridiculous.

If I *know* someone in my child's class is allergic to nuts, and I also know that child happens to sit next to little Johnny (or associate with him), I might be a little more inclined to avoid nut-based products. But we can't go around crying "wolf" just because thousands of people across the US have nut allergies.

There is a fine line between being considerate of those with nut allergies (i.e. not throwing a banana peel into the fire when you're asked not to), and being anal about it (like not packing any nuts because someone might be allergic).