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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Peanut Problems

When Nicholas Pavia was 3 years old, he ate a piece of a brownie at a party. Within seconds, his throat was itching and his nose was running. An hour later, he started throwing up. Says Nicholas, now 7: "It was scary."

How can one bite of one brownie make someone so sick? Nicholas was having an allergic reaction to peanut-butter chips in the brownie. His mom quickly called the doctor and gave Nicholas some medicine. Without the medicine, he might have stopped breathing. Some people allergic to peanuts have died after eating them.

Danger: Peanuts Ahead!
People who are allergic to peanuts must avoid anything containing a peanut or its oil. Sometimes just smelling or touching peanut oil or peanut dust causes an allergic reaction. That can turn a school cafeteria into a danger zone!

Now some schools have decided not to take any chances. They're cracking down on peanut products to protect allergic kids. In some school cafeterias, peanut-free tables are being set aside. In other schools, no one is allowed to bring any peanutty foods at all.

Smoothing Out A Solution
But banning peanut butter creates some sticky problems. For one thing, peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches are popular! They are a nutritious, affordable food for most families.

Another problem is that banning peanuts may make allergic kids feel safe when they really aren't. It's almost impossible to make sure a cafeteria is peanut-free. Instead, says Anne Muñoz-Furlong of the Food Allergy Network, teachers and students should have an emergency plan to deal with any allergy attack. Allergic kids should always wash their hands before eating and should never trade foods with other kids.

At Nicholas' school in Manville, New Jersey, peanuts are allowed. Cafeteria workers keep a picture of Nicholas and a record of his allergies (he's also allergic to some seafood) so they can be sure not to serve him anything harmful. They also keep some medicine on hand, just in case.

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What Is An Allergy?
One in 20 kids has a food allergy. The most common food that people are allergic to is peanuts, followed by all kinds of nuts, fish, shellfish (such as shrimp and crab), milk, eggs, wheat and soy. Besides food, people can be allergic to dust, pollen from plants and many other things.

When an allergic person eats or breathes in one of these substances, the body thinks it is a harmful invader and tries to attack it. The body's tiny attackers, called histamines (hiss-tuh-meenz), are released into the blood. This causes the blood vessels to get bigger and the skin to swell and itch. It also triggers the nose, throat and lungs to produce sticky mucus. In many cases, a medicine called an antihistamine (Get it?) can relieve these symptoms.

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