Got Peanut Allergies?

By Megan

We eat the peanuts at my house. We eat fistfuls of salted, dry-roasted peanuts, boiled peanuts, peanut-butter oatmeal bars, Kung Pao chicken with extra peanuts, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and our all-time favorite quick and healthy snack-on-the-go, the simple, elegant, delicious peanut butter spoon. My husband was born and raised in South Georgia, often considered the peanut capital of the US, and I don’t believe I’ve seen him go a day without some peanuts or peanut butter since I met him.

So you can imagine our horror upon discovering that our dear sweet small daughter entered the world allergic to peanuts. I gave her a small taste of peanut butter on a piece of bread right around her first birthday (Which was a big mistake. Don’t do this. Wait until your child is at least three years old before giving him nuts of any kind.) and moments later the poor child had hives all over her tiny little face.

Fortunately, that was the extent of her reaction, and several consultations with allergy specialists later we were assured that Bean’s allergy falls on the lower end of the severity scale and she is NOT allergic to tree nuts. But continued exposure to peanuts may render her even more allergic, and therefore we do not give them to her.

Anyway the peanut allergy left us in a predicament with Bean. How would she grow up a normal child without the joys of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? For months, I grieved the peanutbutterlessness. Until one day at the grocery store my eyes fell upon a modest red-lidded jar with a pretty little sunflower on the front. SunButter, the label read, and I picked it up for closer examination. It’s a spreadable butter, made with SUNFLOWER SEEDS. Hopeful, I plopped it into my cart and brought it home.

That day, that very day, I made Bean her first of many SunButter and jelly sandwiches. And while SunButter doesn’t taste EXACTLY like peanut butter, it’s a fairly good substitute (even in some recipes!), particularly when paired with grape jelly. Well, Bean LOVED it. And has been eating SB&Js ever since. And SunButter spoons, too!

If you’ve got a peanut-allergic child or other member of your household and you’re looking for a good substitute for a childhood favorite and a household staple, check out Sunbutter. You’ll be glad you did! (I buy my SunButter at Target.)

And if you’re looking for even more hope for your peanut-allergic off-spring, here’s some more potential good news!

(This, of course, is not a paid endorsement, merely a helpful suggestion out of the goodness of my heart, from one Mama to another.)

Megan also blogs at FriedOkra.

7 Responses to Got Peanut Allergies?
  1. Stephanie
    April 13, 2009 | 8:36 am

    We’ve had two peanut allergies in our house. I’ve never tried sunbutter! We use almond or macadamia nut butters. Carter outgrew his allergy around 3 yrs old and LOVES peanut butter sandwiches now! I’m hoping the same for Gray- he’s also allergic to dairy, eggs, and a few other nuts!

    Steph

  2. Kimberly
    April 13, 2009 | 12:27 pm

    Oh my GOSH, we love Sunflower Seed butter. Am so happy to know you can get it at Target. WE get ours at Trader Joes. It has a yellow lid there.

    My son gets it, not because of allergies, but because I agree with you, at least limit the PB until age 3. He HAS had some, with no reactions, but still. AND his pre-school is nut-free, so NONE of the others will work. We have tried the soy stuff, but I don’t like the idea of my kid eating too much soy. (Don’t know about the estrogen link, but still….)

  3. Tonggu Momma
    April 13, 2009 | 12:38 pm

    We LOVE SunButter! We don’t have peanut allergies at our house, but my daughter’s best friends are twins with a severe peanut allergy. SunButter makes picnic playdates easier!

  4. TeacherMommy
    April 13, 2009 | 7:42 pm

    SunButter saved us when we discovered DramaBoy was allergic. You can use it pretty much any way you use peanut butter. Truth be told, it’s almost yummier than peanut butter–very delicate in taste, with an almost honey-like sweetness! It’s available at Meijer as well.

  5. Nathanael Berner
    April 6, 2012 | 4:56 am

    Nathanael Berner…

    Thank you for your blog. Cool….

  6. Callie York
    April 6, 2012 | 8:51 am

    Callie York…

    Thank you ever so for you blog post.Much thanks again. Much obliged….

  7. Para Ma
    April 15, 2012 | 11:25 am

    Great website…

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