National Nut Day - 22nd October 2025

Some interesting allergy facts that you may not know about nuts.

1. Early introduction of peanuts at the time of weaning can prevent peanut allergy. https://www.bsaci.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/pdf_Infant-feeding-and-allergy-prevention-PARENTS-FINAL-booklet.pdf

2. If you have a peanut allergy you have approximately a 30-50% chance of being allergic to a tree nut (almond, brazil, cashew, pistachio, hazelnut, walnut or pecan). So there's a god chance you can eat other nuts if you want. Don't stop eating nuts that you already tolerate as long as you were eating it regularly and plan to continue.

3. If you are cashew allergic we recommend avoidance of pistachio and do the same with pecan and walnut as they are very similar in structure.

4. Peanut oral immunotherapy is not a cure. It simply increases ones tolerance to peanut and appears to reduce reaction severity.

5. Every person with a nut allergy needs an individualised approach depending on their preferences. So complete avoidance of all nuts may not be required.

6. The higher the skin test prick or specific IgE allergy test to the nut does not tell you about severity, but likelihood of being allergic.

7. If you have had an allergic reaction to a nut, subsequent reactions are not necessarily worse but are unpredictable.