Though most people enjoy snacking on and baking with a variety of nuts, between one and two percent of the U.S. population is severely allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, or both. Unbeknown to many, the peanut is not really a nut, but a legume. My husband, who has an acute peanut allergy, also avoids eating peas due to their categorization in the legume family, too. At first, I was skeptical and thought he just didn't want to eat his vegetables. True nuts are grown on trees, such as cashews, almonds, pistachios, macadamias, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts. Twelve percent of people with tree nut allergies are allergic to more than one kind. Interestingly, though not in the same family, the protein structures in peanuts are similar enough that a person with a tree nut allergy may also be allergic to peanuts. As far as I know, Jesse is also allergic to walnuts and cashews, but not almonds. We tend to just avoid them all.Read more...
