Discovering that you or a child of yours has a food allergy of any sort can create a difficult situation in your household. Unfortunately, managing an allergy involves much more than simply avoiding a food product. The fact of the matter is that many food items might include the allergen as an ingredient.

Depending on the severity of the allergy, you might have to put specific measures in place in order to help avoid having the allergen in the house. If the reactions to the allergen are milder in nature, some simple changes can make a big difference. That being said, some people who experience severe allergic reactions might need to avoid the allergen in every way.

Among the more common food allergies that exist, peanut allergies are the most common in the United States. Because of how common peanut allergies are, there is a great deal of research on them and many recommendations out there for those who have such an allergy. If you have recently discovered that either you or a child of yours has a peanut allergy, here are a few tips to help you manage it.

Shop Carefully

So many people aren’t as aware as they should be about the ingredients that are used to make the foods that they purchase each week from the grocery store. Unfortunately, peanut allergy sufferers can’t really afford to neglect to read food labels when they are shopping.

The fact of the matter is that peanuts are a common ingredient in many common foods. Furthermore, even if a certain food product doesn’t directly include peanuts, it might have been manufactured using equipment that has been used for other products that do. If this is the case, the label should indicate it.

Benefits of reading the labels

There are many benefits to adopting the habit of reading the food labels of every item you purchase. Not only can it help you to avoid consuming more calories than you want to, but you might be surprised to find that there are more things than peanuts included in common food items that you would rather stay away from.

Ultimately, the best way to keep the peanut allergy sufferer in your home safe from undetected peanuts is to fall into the habit of reading all food labels when you are grocery shopping.

Switch to Healthy Alternatives

Many people include peanuts as a regular part of their diets because of how much protein they offer and how versatile products like peanut butter can be. Thankfully, discovering that you or your child has a peanut allergy doesn’t mean that you have to forego the types of snacks that you love.

There are some healthy and delicious alternatives to products like peanut butter that will serve you just as well. You can reap all the benefits of making nuts a regular part of your diet without risking an allergic reaction. Such peanut butter alternatives can be so tasty, in fact, that the rest of your family won’t mind making the switch with you.

Know How to Handle a Reaction

The most important aspect of learning how to manage your peanut allergy is to educate yourself on how you should respond to an allergic reaction. It is likely that the manner in which you discovered the allergy in the first place had to do with an allergic reaction. 

It is important that you are not the only one who knows how to handle an allergic reaction should it arise. Make sure that someone you are close with and with whom you spend a great deal of time knows what to do if you start to have an allergic reaction. If it is your child who suffers from the reaction, any teachers or instructors they have should be told about the allergy and informed about what to do if your child accidentally consumes peanuts.

Ask Your Doctor for Help Forming a Plan

Your physician should have gone over with you precisely what that reaction entailed and how severe your allergy is in general. Under the guidance of your physician, you can create a concrete plan for what should happen in the event that contact with peanuts results in an allergic reaction. If your allergy is severe enough, your doctor might advise you to acquire an EpiPen to keep with you at all times. They should also instruct you on how the EpiPen is to be administered and what steps you need to take after using it.

Many allergic reactions can be handled with less intense measures, though. Your doctor might simply advice you to keep an antihistamine on your person at all times in case you come into contact with peanuts accidentally. Such medication is easily acquired from any grocery store or drugstore.