Mung Bean Reaction

[staceyshoe]

Ds (age 2) has multiple severe food allergies, including wheat, peanut, and a moderate soy allergy.  I fed him "bean threads" as noodles and he has a horrible (though not anaphylaxic) reaction.  Now I'm trying to decide the exact cause.  The only listed ingredients were mung beans and water, and the product was imported from Taiwan.  Here's what I'm trying to figure out:

*Are mung beans too closely related to either soy or peanut?  I Googled and Googled but didn't find them listed on lists of "foods of avoid", though it did say that Chinese or Asian foods often contain peanut and soy. 

*I've also heard that imported foods often don't list trace ingredients.  Ds does have awful reactions to the teeniest tiniest trace of wheat.  Do you think bean thread noodles might have contained a little wheat too?

Obviously I'm not going to feed him those bean threads again, but I'm trying to figure out whether we need to avoid mung beans (which would include bean sprouts) or avoid imported foods.  TIA!

[kjbrown92]

If mung beans are a true bean, then they're a legume, which is in the same food family as soybeans and peanuts. However, he could have the IgE allergies that he has, and have an intolerance to mung beans. My DD2 (I think, could have been DS) reacted to mung beans, so we avoided them for a year and a half and then tried them again, and they were fine with them. For us, it was an intolerance.

What was his reaction?

[staceyshoe]

That makes sense.  I'm wondering how closely related they are to his other allergens.  He just had about a tablespoon and had his typical allergic reaction--bellyaches and diarrhea, up most of the night contorting his body, etc.  He reacts the same way to his other allergens--wheat, soy, eggs--which is why I thought it might be triggering one of his known allergies. 

[kjbrown92]

Are his IgE allergies?

[staceyshoe]

Yes, they are all IgE allergies diagnosed through the skin prick test and RAST.  He is allergic to 6 of the top 8, and needs an epi pen for 4 because they are so severe.  So his immune system is really overactive and sensitive.  I think you are probably right about the mung beans being the trigger, though.  Since he's allergic to soy and peanut, it makes sense that he might be reacting to something closely related.  Should I be careful with other legumes too?

[kjbrown92]

Originally Posted by staceyshoe 

Yes, they are all IgE allergies diagnosed through the skin prick test and RAST.  He is allergic to 6 of the top 8, and needs an epi pen for 4 because they are so severe.  So his immune system is really overactive and sensitive.  I think you are probably right about the mung beans being the trigger, though.  Since he's allergic to soy and peanut, it makes sense that he might be reacting to something closely related.  Should I be careful with other legumes too?

I don't know much about IgE allergies. ChangingSeasons/Jessica would be more knowledgeable. Not sure how much food families play a role in IgE allergies.