Ah, Nuts!

With any luck, a PB & J sandwich isn�t on the top of your list of pregnancy cravings, since there is evidence that eating peanuts throughout pregnancy can increase the risk of your baby potentially developing allergies or sensitivity to peanuts later in life.

It has been recommended that pregnant and breast-feeding women should try to avoid eating peanuts. Researchers recently performed a relatively small study on children aged 3-15 months, and 503 of the children developed a rash in response to an allergy test performed by a small prick of the skin. When the doctors went on to perform blood testing, 140 of those children had a strong sensitivity to peanuts.

Although there is no clear reason, the rate of peanut allergies has doubled in the past decade. Allergic reactions to peanuts can range from a tingling of the tongue to anaphylactic shock. Because allergies tend to be hereditary, it is suggested that if the mother has sensitivity to peanuts, she should avoid giving any peanuts to her children until they are at least three years old.

More research is currently being performed to determine the cause of peanut allergies. But for now, if you have a family history of nut allergies, it may be wise to avoid peanuts while you�re pregnant and until your child is three years of age. To help aid against a potentially fatal error, Health Canada now requires that food labels clearly display peanuts if they are in or have come into contact with the food being sold.