Text Box: Reading Labels for Food Allergies - Foods & Ingredients to Avoid…

Peanut

peanut, peanut butter, peanut flour, mixed nuts, ground nuts, artifical nuts, beer nuts, goobers, mandelonas, nutmeat, nut pieces, expelled, extruded or cold pressed peanut oil, arachis oil.  Arachis oil is peanut oil. 

The following may contain peanut protein

Asian dishes - Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, egg rolls, Mexican dishes, enchiladas sauces, chili, also take precautions with candy and chocolate candies, nougat, natural and artificial flavorings, hydrolized vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein, marzipan, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, nut butters, bakery items.

Tip - Take precautions around bird feed and other animal feeds.  Many animal food products have peanut ingredients.

Studies have shown possible cross reactivity with lupine as well as cross reactivity with sesame/poppy.

Tree Nuts

nutmeat, nut meal, nougat, natural nut extracts, nut butters, nan-gai nuts, gianduja (in some chocolates/nut mixture), marzipan or almond paste, filbert or hazelnuts, beech nut, butternut, chestnuts, chinquapin, ginko nut, hickory nut, lichee nut, cashews, chestnuts, Brazil nuts, caponata, almonds, artificial nuts, macadamia or bush nuts, mandelonas, nut oil, nut paste, nut pieces, pecans, pesto, pine nuts, pistachios, praline, shea, shea butter and walnuts, natural and artifical flavoring, beware of bakery items and chocolate candy

Tip #1- Pine nuts are also referred as Indian, pignon nuts, pinyon, pignoli, and pignolia. 

Tip #2 - Read labels on your lotions, shampoos, creams, and other cosmetic products.  Many of these contain tree nut ingredients.  Shea  is a tree nut from the Shea Nut Tree.  Shea butter is becoming popular in many cosmetic products, lotions, moisturizers, baby wipes,  soap, etc.

Tip #3 - FDA added coconut to their tree nut listing although coconut is not a tree nut but defined as a fruit of the coconut palm, or as a seed of the palm. Check with your allergist on whether you should avoid coconut if you are allergic to tree nuts.

Soy

hydrolyzed soy protein, shoyu sauce, soy sauce, soya, soybean, soy albumin, soy fiber, soy flour, soy milk, soy cheese, soy grits, soy sprouts, edamame, miso, natto, Tamari, TVP (textured vegetable protein) tofu, Tempeh.

The following may contain soy protein

Asian foods, natural and artificial flavoring, vegetable, beef and chicken broths, vegetable gum, vegetable starch, prepared hamburger patties, hot dogs, sausage.

Tip - Soy is becoming a very popular ingredient in many foods, cosmetic products and  animal feeds.

Eggs

albumin, egg (white, yolk, dried, powdered, solids), egg substitutes, egg nog, globulin, livetin, lysozyme, macaroni, mayonnaise, meringue, ovalbumin, ovomucin, ovomucoid, Simplesse, surimi

Tip - Egg is often used as a confectioners glaze on candy sugar sprinkles, some breads.  Egg is a common ingredient in candy and whip creams and Cool Whips.   Often used as a “secret ingredient” in meatloaf recipes.

Wheat

bran, bread crumbs, bulgar, cereal extract, couscous, cracker meal, durum, club wheat, einkorn, emmer, kamut, triticale durum flour, farina, flour (all purpose, enriched graham, high gluten, high protein, pastry, soft wheat), gluten, seitan, semolina, spelt, vital, gluten, wheat (bran, germ, gluten, malt, starch), whole wheat berries, whole wheat flour

The following may contain wheat protein

gelatinized starch, soy sauce, starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, modified starch, natural and artificial flavoring, vegetable gum, vegetable starch

Tip - wheat ingredients may have a presence in school supplies, (i.e. playdough, glue, paints)

Milk

artificial butter flavor, butter, butter fat, butter oil, buttermilk, casein, caseinates (ammonium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium), cheese, cream, cottage cheese, curds, custard, Ghee, Half & Half, hydrolysates, (casein, milk protein, protein, whey, whey protein), lactalbumin, lactalbumin phosphate, lactoglobulin, lactose, lactulose, tagatose, nisin, milk (derivative, powder, protein, solids, malted, condensed, evaporated, dry, whole, low-fat, skimmed and goat's milk), nicin, nougat, pudding, rennet casein, sour cream, sour cream solids, sour milk solids, whey (in all forms, including sweet, delactosed, protein concentrate), yogurt

The following may contain milk protein

chocolate, high protein flour, luncheon meat, hot dogs, sausages, margarine, natural and artificial flavoring (Simplesse)

Tip #1 - The letter "D" on the front label of a product indicates the product may contain cow's milk protein.  The letter "DE" indicates that the product is processed on equipment used to manufacture dairy-containing products.  A letter "U" circled or a "K" may not provide allergy information, but only that the product is Kosher.  Some kosher products may contain traces of milk.

Tip #2 - Watch out for Recaldent, a milk ingredient in toothpaste used in some orthodontists and/or dental offices and also found in some chewing gum. 

Tip #3 - There have been reports of individuals having reactions to kefir, or products that were listed as non-dairy, but contained “kefir cultures”.  Be wary of cultured products as cultures are often grown on milk and may contain the milk protein.

Shellfish

albalone, clams (sherrystone, littleneck, pismo, quahog), mussels, octopus, oysters, cockle (periwinkle, sea urchin), prawns, scallops, shrimp (crevette), snails (escargot), squid (calamari), crab, crawfish, mollusks, lobster (langouste, langousine, scampo, coral, tomalley), glucosamine (derived from shellfish)

The following may contain shellfish protein

bouillabaisse, fish stock, natural and artificial flavoring, seafood flavoring (i.e. crab or clam extract), surimi......pollack may contain hidden shellfish, may also be as a substitute for beef or pork in hotdogs, ham and pizza toppings. 

Fish

(Fish most commonly known to cause allergic reactions) cod, salmon, trout, herring, sardines, bass, orange roughy, swordfish, halibut, and tuna

Tip - anchovies are fish, fish skin may be used to clarify some coffees and wines, pollack may contain hidden fish, Worscestershire sauce contains anchovies

Always read the label, ingredients can change without notice!