Nut allergies and the Egg

DrKrieger

Looking for experiences with using the Green Egg and nut allergies. My fiancé's sister is super super allergic to any nut and on the off chance that she comes over for dinner one time, how at risk is she if I smoke nuts in a perforated tray?

Is it as simple as cleaning the racks (just in case) and doing a high temp burnout to remove any oils? I've been paranoid to use any nuts or nut products in the Egg in the event that she comes over for some smoked goodness.

BizGreenEgg

Probably a very minimal risk.  True food allergies are the result of a histamine reaction from the exposure of the nut protein.  The oils from the nut are just that, oil.  In many cases refined oils in food products do not contain any protein and are not even labeled as an allergen.  At any rate, a quick burn would get rid of any risk, as proteins are not very heat stable with regard to fire.  Most denature under 200 degrees. 

DrKrieger

Ok thanks, good to know. It's the kind of allergy that smelling it from a far in a close space can make her feel ill.

Wardster

Eh, if it's that bad I would do additional research or just avoid it altogether.  Now, if she was allergic to red meat and you couldn't ever, ever cook that... well, let's just be thankful she's not.

GATraveller

What about smoking meat with Pecan wood?  Would she have a reaction to that?

bgebrent

GATraveller said:

What about smoking meat with Pecan wood?  Would she have a reaction to that?

As @BizGreenEgg stated above, a protein (much less frequently a sugar or lipid(oil)) is needed as the antigen to cause the immune response.  Those would not be present (intact) in the smoke.  I'm no expert but I'd use pecan wood without concern.  No doubt she carries an epipen at all times in case.

RRP

Speaking of nut allergies can anyone explain to me why this is so common now? I mean I grew up never hearing of such an issue and lived most of my adult life not knowing about this either. I never heard "old Charley" died after eating a bag of peanuts at the ball park! I wonder if it was just diagnosed in "recent" times or did some gene slip into mankind's gene pool due to a change in diet or what? Now packaging must reveal possible cross contamination so it must be far more common than ever.

Fred19Flintstone

RRP said:

Speaking of nut allergies can anyone explain to me why this is so common now? I mean I grew up never hearing of such an issue and lived most of my adult life not knowing about this either. I never heard "old Charley" died after eating a bag of peanuts at the ball park! I wonder if it was just diagnosed in "recent" times or did some gene slip into mankind's gene pool due to a change in diet or what? Now packaging must reveal possible cross contamination so it must be far more common than ever.

I don't believe humans are more allergic to nuts nowadays.  It probably has more to do with our lawsuit happy society.  

HeavyG

Fred19Flintstone said:

RRP said:

Speaking of nut allergies can anyone explain to me why this is so common now? I mean I grew up never hearing of such an issue and lived most of my adult life not knowing about this either. I never heard "old Charley" died after eating a bag of peanuts at the ball park! I wonder if it was just diagnosed in "recent" times or did some gene slip into mankind's gene pool due to a change in diet or what? Now packaging must reveal possible cross contamination so it must be far more common than ever.

I don't believe humans are more allergic to nuts nowadays.  It probably has more to do with our lawsuit happy society.  

Or, less cynically, we live in an age where everybody shares everything about themselves and more people are exposed to more media outlets than in the past.

I'm in my 60's. I knew some kids in elementary school that had food allergies and knew one kid that was allergic to bee stings and nearly died in my 2nd grade class when he was stung by some kind of bee during recess.

Acn

Fred19Flintstone said:

RRP said:

Speaking of nut allergies can anyone explain to me why this is so common now? I mean I grew up never hearing of such an issue and lived most of my adult life not knowing about this either. I never heard "old Charley" died after eating a bag of peanuts at the ball park! I wonder if it was just diagnosed in "recent" times or did some gene slip into mankind's gene pool due to a change in diet or what? Now packaging must reveal possible cross contamination so it must be far more common than ever.

I don't believe humans are more allergic to nuts nowadays.  It probably has more to do with our lawsuit happy society.  

Per the CDC, food allergies increased 50% between 1997 and 2011, and peanut allergies specifically thripled.  It isn't just an American issue either, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology report a sevenfold increase in children hospital admissions due to a sever allergic reaction over the past decade.

Labeling maybe a CYA thing, but I'd think that avoiding severe reactions that could lead to death is a laudable goal too.

I don't think there are any conclusive reasons why, although several theories exist that it could be due to our (and developed nations in general)  germophobia.  The theory is that the fewer bacteria, parasites, and other micro organisms that kids are exposed to, the more likely it is that they fail to develop robust immune system and are succeptible to developing allergies.

RRP

Acn said:

Per the CDC, food allergies increased 50% between 1997 and 2011, and peanut allergies specifically thripled.  It isn't just an American issue either, the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology report a sevenfold increase in children hospital admissions due to a sever allergic reaction over the past decade.

Labeling maybe a CYA thing, but I'd think that avoiding severe reactions that could lead to death is a laudable goal too.

I don't think there are any conclusive reasons why, although several theories exist that it could be due to our (and developed nations in general)  germophobia.  The theory is that the fewer bacteria, parasites, and other micro organisms that kids are exposed to, the more likely it is that they fail to develop robust immune system and are succeptible to developing allergies.

That makes sense! I grew up in the 50's in a small town in MO that had no municipal swimming pool so summer swims meant the choice of a creek, a small lake or two farm ponds that cows also shared! All were easy rides on a bike. I'm sure I came in contact with a germ or two that added strength to my developing immune system. 

In that same vein I've only had one flu shot in my life and that was 54 years ago and I have never caught the flu so I guess I'm either lucky, or developed my own immunity system.

Hi54putty

I am allergic to all tree nuts (not peanuts). The weird part is that I didn't become allergic until college. I went from eating nuts my whole life to ending up in the emergency room multiple times before they figured it out. Allergies are weird. 

I I use to make fun of gluten free people until my wife tried going gluten free. It has literally changed her life. She feels like a completely different person without gluten in her diet and gets sick almost immediately if she accidentally eats it. 

I am of the opinion that many food allergies are caused by the way food is processed and treated in our modern society. I understand that when people grew their own food almost no one was allergic to it. 

Fred19Flintstone

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

RRP

Hi54putty said:

I am of the opinion that many food allergies are caused by the way food is processed and treated in our modern society. I understand that when people grew their own food almost no one was allergic to it. 

And what you said also makes sense! Thank you! 

I do do have a question for you though...by any chance are you a wood worker hobbist or whatever? Does handling those nut tree woods cause you a reaction?  I mean like even handling pecan or hickory chunks for smoking? 

Lit

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Canugghead

this could be a precedent setting case:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/sherbrooke-waiter-arrested-salmon-allergic-customer-negligence-1.3707667

Fred19Flintstone

Lit said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Easy big fella!  My opinion is the signs have more to do with fear of being sued than any other reason.  You of course are free to disagree, but that's what makes America great.    

Lit

Fred19Flintstone said:

Lit said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Easy big fella!  My opinion is the signs have more to do with fear of being sued than any other reason.  You of course are free to disagree, but that's what makes America great.    

I think it's smart business. I had never dealt with allergies before but it sucks. Good example we got Chinese take out Sunday. No allergen info anywhere. If they had it they would have sold another meal but instead we made our daughter dinner at home. 

bgebrent

Science above, please don't ignore.

HeavyG

Fred19Flintstone said:

Lit said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Easy big fella!  My opinion is the signs have more to do with fear of being sued than any other reason.  You of course are free to disagree, but that's what makes America great.    

My guess is that it has more to do with not wanting to make any of their customers sick. Seems like a sensible business practice to me.

fishlessman

had a friend years ago with a bizarre reaction to nuts, would actually go nuts in a blackout, took down some cops after eating an ice cream waking up later in the emergency room in restraints(good thing that was 30 years ago, probably would have been shot in todays world). once came home with a refrigerator full of food, no door, no idea he was even carrying it. big dude i used to take him down everytime i had too much to drink, then run

Hans61

https://youtu.be/wEb5a-I0kyg

Hi54putty

RRP said:

Hi54putty said:

I am of the opinion that many food allergies are caused by the way food is processed and treated in our modern society. I understand that when people grew their own food almost no one was allergic to it. 

And what you said also makes sense! Thank you! 

I do do have a question for you though...by any chance are you a wood worker hobbist or whatever? Does handling those nut tree woods cause you a reaction?  I mean like even handling pecan or hickory chunks for smoking? 

I am definitely not a woodworker. I have eaten food cooked over pecan and hickory many times with no problems. 

jtcBoynton

Hi54putty said:

.... 
I am of the opinion that many food allergies are caused by the way food is processed and treated in our modern society. I understand that when people grew their own food almost no one was allergic to it. 

That ties in to the thought about not developing immunities because of less exposure.  However, another thought is that back when people grew their own food many kids may have died from allergic reactions that were not specifically identified as food allergies.  Child mortality rates were much much higher back then. Its hard to know exactly the cause of death was for many.

The experience you and your wife have had with food allergies illustrates that someone could be having reactions without being able to pinpoint the cause. With current medical knowledge and awareness, food allergies are more often identified.  Many years ago a child could be just labeled "sickly" without knowing what the cause was.  The awareness and perception of food allergies has changed, it is not so clear if more people are allergic than in the past.

nolaegghead

Before we had modern science, if you had a severe food allergy you were much more likely to die before you were of child bearing age.  The sensitivity is partially genetic and can be passed down.  Now that we can manage this with Fred's "stupid signs", emergency rooms and epi-pens, the mortality rate is lower and it's not surprising to see an increase in severe food allergies.

The Darwinian formula changes as we become more advanced with knowledge and science.   Anyway, just an off-the-cuff alternate way of looking at it.  I'm sure there can be immune system antagonists that are also a product of what may be happening to chemical exposures that didn't exist 200 years ago.

Fred19Flintstone

nolaegghead said:

Now that we can manage this with Fred's "stupid signs", emergency rooms and epi-pens, the mortality rate is lower and it's not surprising to see an increase in severe food allergies.

Always nice to live rent free in your head.

DrKrieger

Wow, this thread really blew up more than I was expecting. Some good advice overall with allergies, especially nut wood being used, haven't used much pecan or hickory so far but good to know. I'll definitely make sure she brings her epipen over just incase.

FarmerTom

Fred19Flintstone said:

Lit said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Easy big fella!  My opinion is the signs have more to do with fear of being sued than any other reason.  You of course are free to disagree, but that's what makes America great.    

A couple of years ago, my son and I were coming home from an equipment purchase when he got a hankering for some greasy fish from Long John Silvers. We placed our order and while standing there at the counter, I noticed a sign warning customers "This restaurant prepares seafood and shellfish, if you are allergic to either, you may want to give careful consideration to what you order."
   I have no problem warning customers of dangers of which they may not be aware, but just how effing stupid do you have to be to require a warning that you may be exposed to seafood and shellfish in a fast food fish restaurant? 

Canugghead

nolaegghead

fishlessman

FarmerTom said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

Lit said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

I see signs at ice cream parlors and other places about nuts being used on the premises.  I think the signage has a lot to do with the desire not to be sued.  The same holds true for warning labels.  To think it all started because someone sued and won for scalding their crotch with hot coffee they bought from McD's.

What a stupid **** comment. Obviously you haven't dealt with severe allergies before but our daughter has a peanut allergy and it's good to see places displaying the allergies instead of making everyone ask. 

Easy big fella!  My opinion is the signs have more to do with fear of being sued than any other reason.  You of course are free to disagree, but that's what makes America great.    

A couple of years ago, my son and I were coming home from an equipment purchase when he got a hankering for some greasy fish from Long John Silvers. We placed our order and while standing there at the counter, I noticed a sign warning customers "This restaurant prepares seafood and shellfish, if you are allergic to either, you may want to give careful consideration to what you order."
   I have no problem warning customers of dangers of which they may not be aware, but just how effing stupid do you have to be to require a warning that you may be exposed to seafood and shellfish in a fast food fish restaurant? 

that place should hang a sign that says closed for health reasons you dont need an allergy to get sick in there