nuts?

[katie9143]

so dd is starting montessori in a couple weeks and while i thought she would come home at noon and eat since its just a half day, she actually has to bring lunch. the paper i just got made it very clear that no nut products were allowed....also they said we had to check all the packages of everything and even if it says it was manufactured on machinery that processes nuts or is made in a facility that has nuts, that is a no no too....wow

anyway, i am a vegetarian and although dd does eat meat with dh, when i feed her i like to give her vegetarian things, and quite often these things are soy based. in the allergy world, is that considered a nut too? i mean, i know its a nut, but that really is going to make my life difficult! no nuts, nut butters and if that means soy too?? i think the bread we eat has nuts in it too...what do i feed her other than veggies?

thanks for the help!

[AllyRae]

At my DS' montessori school, all nuts are banned, but soybutter is allowed.

[katie9143]

hmm im thinking i might just not ask and assume it is ok.....i am afraid they might not know and say no out of ignorance? when i asked the first time about cloth diapers, the owner (who was pg with her first) thought for a min and was like "um ya i dont think we can do that" but im bringing in a hh pocket with me to the open house to try a second time, showing how easy they are

[sewaneecook]

You may be able to use sunflower seed butter. Some brands are made on the same equipment as other nut butters, so you need to check.

Being the mom of a tree nut allergic son, your DD's school policy sounds GREAT!

[tanyalynn]

Soybeans are a legume, like lentils and chickpeas and navy beans. That should be fine.

Sunbutter is sunflower seed butter made in a dedicated facility. I made a homemade type of seed butter with pumpkin seeds. It was grittier, but still good (though you'd need to send a note or something with either--they look like nut butters).

[LauraLoo]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

Soybeans are a legume, like lentils and chickpeas and navy beans. That should be fine.

Actually, peanuts are a legume, not a nut despite the name.

Since they have not banned soy, you will be fine with it. Not everyone who is allergic to one legume is allergic to another in the same family.

The reason that all nuts are banned is that nuts are typically processed on same lines and are highly subject to cross-contamination due to the oils that are easily passed from nuts to other products running on the same lines.

As a word of caution, I would ask before sending in soybutter or sunbutter. I've known schools to ban these, too, because they "look" like other nut butters. I've sent soybutter and sunbutter in, but I've clearly labeled what the sandwiches were so that no one would mistake it for PB.

Thank you for being conscientious!

[katie9143]

i will def get the sun butter, that sounds great! oh and im so glad that nuts doesnt generally include soy.

thanks so much ladies!