Allergic to Nuts and Craving for them? - Allergies Message Board

Rhadianze · 08-08-2004, 11:59 PM

I remember a doctor telling my mother when she took my milk-guzzling brother and I in for allergy testing, that his insatiable thirst for milk (he could drink about a gallon a day on his own) could actually be a signal that he was allergic to it. He said that many food allergies actually mask themselves as a severe craving for the actual substance the body is allergic to.

My situation is this: I find myself increasingly hungering for nuts... peanuts, especially, on a regular basis within the last two years and am wondering if in fact his statement had any validity, this could be the reason I am obsessing about them. I could eat them any time of the day and many times, do... can eat an entire jar in a sitting... I get plenty of "good" fats, proteins and carbs in my diet, so it can't be a deficiency in any of the things these nuts carry? Therefore, I am in fact wondering if an allergy could actually be to blame for the unappeasable cravings for them??? Anyone heard anything like this before?

serendipity1984 · 08-11-2004, 11:44 AM

Rhadianze -
Sorry to say that it's exactly the thing that we can't have that we crave. I've recently developed many food allergies and so i've been doing research on the internet. I read one website where a doctor recommends a very strict diet for 1 week with complete abstinence from anything with a potential allergy. Then after one week you can eat whatever you want. His theory is that you will immediately reach for whatever you're most allergic to. So, it sounds like that's very much the case!

With some allergies, you can have your allergic foods in some forms but not others ... for example, i'm very allergic to fresh apples, but i can have apple sauce, apple juice and baked apples. Very weird. So, you might be able to find something else (a nut that's a closer relative or in a different preparation) that you could tolerate and would satisfy your craving. Be very careful, though, allergic reactions (especially to nuts & seafood) can be life-threatening. So, abstinence is best.

Rhadianze · 08-11-2004, 03:18 PM

Thanks for the info! And yes, I know about the nut/shellfish allergy dangers...scary. I mean, nuts in and of themselves aren't bad persay, but , very fattening and I can eat them all day with almost nothing else if I don't watch it which obviously isn't healthy.

Tell me though...is it common that a person can just all of a sudden develop an allergy to something that they never had problems with before? And without any other signs that there may be an allergy (i.e adverse side-effects)aside from just wanting more and more????

CheerAngel · 08-12-2004, 07:37 PM

Hi there, though I have not heard about having cravings because they might be allergic to certain food. I mean if they are allergic to the stuff and they ingest it, it could be life-threatening! If what your doctor means is a huge craving of some food before the patient develops that food allergy, it might be that way. But certainly not already allergic to the food and have huge cravings for it.

It is possible for a person to develop an allergy suddenly if they have never in their life have any before.

If a person is allergic to nuts, it can be very life-threatening! Sometimes just by kissing someone who has eaten peanuts and you are allergic to it, you can end up in shock! I'll see if I can find anything about cravings and allergy. Just my 2-cents...

flickfire · 08-15-2004, 03:59 PM

I used to be able to eat all kinds of nuts, and loved peanut butter until I developed adult-onset allergies to all kinds of nuts and seafood. I too from time to time, have a strong craving for nuts, especially peanut butter (the crunchy kind). But obviously because of my severe allgeries, I would never indulge. There would be too high of a price to pay. I heard there was a snack a person could eat(I don't recall the name ) that tasted like and crunched like nuts but weren't nuts themselves. My best advice to you though is simply avoidance. A strong craving you can live with. A severe reaction to the food crave, you may not survive.