Nut-free lunchbox ideas

[LuluHB]

I agree with both sides of the argument - and depending on my mood will side with one or the other (mature I know!!). My DD2 is a nightmare to feed but something I know she will always eat is a peanut butter sandwich so my child can effectively go hungry due to the requirement not to take nuts so others can be safe. The flip side is that I have a nephew who is anaphylactic and I would hate to think of him eating something he shouldn't. Hard to get the balance, and unless I'm in a particularly obstinate mood I will favour the side that keeps all kids safe, albeit not giving them what might be their first choice to eat.

My kids have a piece of fresh fruit, rice crackers and dried fruit (either pineapple or sultanas) for morning tea. They then have a sandwich for lunch. I'll also put in either homemade fruit or savoury muffins, muesli slices etc for after their sandwich, or plain biscuits like Scotch Fingers if I haven't done any baking.

As others have said, I save the nut stuff for after school snacks so that's when the kids will have muffins with almond meal, peanut butter etc.

[meow]

My DD2 is a nightmare to feed but something I know she will always eat is a peanut butter sandwich so my child can effectively go hungry due to the requirement not to take nuts so others can be safe.

This has been my issue. I understand that children's lives are very important so of course we never send nut products to school but it's still frustrating in trying to care for my own child. I get frustrated with society in general that things like nut allergies are becoming so common and rather than fix our lifestyles and stop the epidemics we just ban an otherwise healthy food.

[Phteven]

I agree with both sides of the argument - and depending on my mood will side with one or the other (mature I know!!).

LOL, me too.
I will admit that sometimes at 7am when I'm making sandwiches I find myself thinking less than charitable thoughts about allergies and sharing but I don't have to make sandwiches today so I'm feeling a little more well disposed to the nut kids.

[Floweryfields]

I suppose when just the breath of a child who's eaten a peanut butter sandwich can be life threatening it's easier to understand. It does make it very hard to pack an interesting lunch though.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I suppose when just the breath of a child who's eaten a peanut butter sandwich can be life threatening it's easier to understand. It does make it very hard to pack an interesting lunch though.

Apparently that lady of the biggest loser lost her son to anaphylaxis, not sure what caused it. It is very sad and very serious.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

"and it makes me cross she isn't allowed to eat them."

I didn't have any intention of hijacking your thread, I got upset when I read the above. No need to get nasty, don't write something like the above if you don't want someone like me to comment on it. If you had simply asked for suggestions and that was it I wouldn't have needed to reply like I did. I was actually going to give you suggestions until I read the tone of your thread.

[LimeSlice]

That is how I feel, how I felt when I wrote it. I didn't invite comment on it, nor was it a tone for anything. I asked for suggestions for the situation I was in, nothing more. When I want a morallity and ethics lesson from you, you can be sure I will spell it out plainly, not in a passing comment on my state of mind.

[Jessiebean]

I find it really difficult to feed my boys nut free for the same reasons, other dietary restrictions mean that nuts are a valuable source of protein, fats and other micro-nutrients which aren't addressed by many suggestions. the school says "sandwich and fruit" but doesn't suggest what a sandwich for a vegetarian child could be. Lunches would be boring and not eaten because of the lack of variety. I personally feel that if the school wants to have food policies they should be feeding the children. I was told that any nutritional deficiencies caused by not having nuts or eggs in food should be addressed outside of school hours (regardless of whether there are ANY allergic children at the school the policy remains in force) yet they insist on having "healthy eating policies". Grrr. but anyway I would love some helpful nut and egg free and filling suggestions for vegetarian children that can be prepared in advance. Pasta, rice and noodle salads don't get eaten unfortunately so I am running out of food that will last them the distance!

[*Efjay*]

subbing to come back to as Kindy is also nut free due to a child with allergy in his class.

[shellbell3]

Rice paper rolls have been a hit at DD school, and they don't even have to be filled with the usual stuff, we've made ham and lettuce ones, whatever you have lying around.

Quinoa veggie patties, taste yummy cold, DD loves them, easy to make.

veggie muffins

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

I actually think that nuts are used and eaten more than we ever used to. Go back hundreds of years and did they eat peanut butter? It's something I'm curious about.

I'm lucky the school I'm sending DS to next year takes allregies quite seriously. Apparently they have a girl there that they describe as being allerguc practically to everything and they have managed to keep her well.

We've never been huge nut eaters so I don't find it to be such an annoyance to exclude it, even before DS' allergy.

I'm curious as to the lifestyle changes that would eradicate allergies? I would have thought obesity would be at the top of the list of things that should be fixed, that causes many many problems for individuals and society yet that is swept under the carpet. I often get upset looking at the rubbish people eat then my boy gets the allergy when we eat very well (sigh)

[Phteven]

I'm curious as to the lifestyle changes that would eradicate allergies? I would have thought obesity would be at the top of the list of things that should be fixed, that causes many many problems for individuals and society yet that is swept under the carpet. I often get upset looking at the rubbish people eat then my boy gets the allergy when we eat very well (sigh)

Hopefully Meow will pop back in and reply but.....
there is a large body of research that suggests that our homes are too clean (because of all the amazing cleaning chemicals we use) and that children benefit from eating dirt more often. An allergic reaction (not an intolerance) is an out of control immune response. Basically we have an immune system that is designed to cope with a certain level of dirt and parasites and without the dirt it can react to harmless stuff. In one study they gave people who had allergies tape worms. In most cases the allergic responses they had reduced and at the end of the study a lot of them chose to keep their tape worm because they had coped so much better with life while they had parasites.
Also processed foods and the traces of nuts - apparently the traces might cause allergies because in traces the body mistakes it for pathogens not food.

And I don't think that obesity is swept under the carpet. Every time I go to the shops I go past the signs for the swap it campaign.

And if you go back hundreds of years they may not have eaten peanuts in a spread but yes, they did eat nuts. We eat more of everything than we did before.

Spare a thought for the bee-sting kids - it's not like anyone can ban bees

[nothing2lose]

Kids are taught to take it very seriously (at least at my DD's school). She won't eat peanut butter or nutella at all at home because she says it could get on her hands or clothes and she could smear it on something in the classroom. She also worries about breathing peanuts on her classmate.