New Guidelines to Prevent Peanut Allergies

I grew up on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I still love them today, and in fact last night for a late night snack I had half a peanut butter sandwich 🙂 Not only are they a nostalgic favorite – they are quick to make and with the right bread and peanut butter a healthy snack.

My daughter loves to add peanut butter to her breakfast bowls!

Unfortunately as a teacher and a mom, I have been all too aware of how many children suffer from peanut allergies. Many schools have peanut free lunch tables and most airlines no longer serve the mini packets of peanuts. For the last 20 years, peanuts have earned a bad reputation. For some kids (and adults) peanuts are deadly. When I was growing up, I never knew anyone allergic to peanuts, but allergens in general have been on the rise.

Then last month top allergist came out with a complete reversal on how to deal with introducing peanuts to an infant’s diet. The new thought is to introduce peanut products earlier. Whoah! When something can become an allergen and can even become deadly there is an automatic concern about what is behind this change. For two decades we have been told to postpone introducing peanuts to our children to keep them safe, but now we are told that we can should start early. Confusing? You bet!

I had the chance to talk with Dr. Shahzad Mustafa, MD, Medical Advisory Board Chair of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) and a leading allergist about the newly published guidelines about introducing peanuts into an infant’s diet. The hope is to prevent the increase in all allergies rather than treating them once they appear.

As Dr. Mustafa says, this can be nerve racking. He clearly spells out the myths from the science and provides sound advice moving forward in this interview.