I don’t understand, peanuts are legumes, yet are considered a nut when it comes to allergies. To make it more confusing, what’s the actual difference between a nut and a seed? Pine nuts are a high nut allergen but sunflower seeds aren’t. Then there’s the coconut, which isn’t a nut at all, but I cant bring in coconut products to daughters class because they call it a nut?
In: Biology
It is a lot easier for people to classify foods based on similar tastes and textures. Peanuts often get classified as nuts because when you consider how it eats, the experience is nothing like eating a serving of chickpeas. Because of that, peanuts and tree nuts are often processed in the same places and, with the severity of nut allergies, are a high risk for cross contamination. Most people with a peanut allergy or with a tree nut allergy will not eat the other simply out of fear.
Peanuts are considered legumes on a scientific level and some people who are allergic to them are also allergic to other legumes, especially soybeans.
As for seeds, allergies to seeds are more rare. Pinenuts, which are seeds, seem to be a rising allergy, but when you compare where it comes from to where a sunflower seed comes from, the plants are wildly different and so an allergy to both wouldnt be common. While nuts all scientifically similar, almost everything has a seed. Some seeds are edible, some seeds are poisonous (peach pits!) and scientifically they vary.
On to coconut. By loose definition a coconut is a nut, but it is also a seed and a fruit! In terms of allergens, it’s not similar enough to tree nuts to be an actual allergen. Your daughters school probably doesnt allow it because people who are nut free can be weird about coconut. Some people wont eat it out of fear that it will cause a reaction, others dont care. In a school setting it’s always better to be safe than sorry, so even if it might not be a danger, theres no need to take the chance.
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