About 1% of children and adults in the United States are allergic to peanuts .  These people should not eat this nut or anything containing it .  Eating these foods can result in serious symptoms such as difficulty breathing or loss of consciousness which can be fatal.

Which foods contain peanuts

Some of the foods that may contain peanuts  include :

• many ethnic foods including including Chinese, Mexican, Thai and Vietnamese
• peanut oil also known as arachis oil
• many candies especially chocolate
• some cereals such as granola
• some health food bars
• some veggie beggars
• pesto sauce
• marzipan

Should a pregnant woman eat peanuts or peanut products ?

Women who are allergic to peanuts  should not eat it  or its products during pregnancy. However according to the march of dimes studies indicate that women who are not allergic to peanuts can safely eat it during pregnancy.

Peanut allergies run in families and healthy care professionals are seeking ways to help prevent these allergies in babies from affected families. Until recently health care officials recommended that pregnant women who are not allergic to peanuts  but have a family history of it should avoid these nuts during pregnancy . However, studies have found no evidence that not eating these nuts helps prevent peanut allergies in children.

These nuts are healthy food choice for pregnant women. They are a good source of folate and proteins. Folate is a B-vitamin that is naturally present in many foods. A form of folate is folic acid.  Folic acids before and during pregnancy helps prevent neural tube defects in the baby.

Is it safe to eat peanut butter when breastfeeding ?

If you are not allergic to these nuts, then you can  eat them while breastfeeding. There is no evidence that avoiding them will prevent peanut allergies in children.

NOTE

Always seek the advice of your health care professional if you are not sure what foods to avoid during pregnancy and breast-feeding.