The 14 most common foods that are known to cause allergies in Europe are celery, gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, lupin, milk, molluscs, mustard, peanuts, sesame, soybeans, sulphur dioxide and sulphites. In North America, tree nuts cannot be exempt from that list.

So far there is not only one cause known to be responsible for the growth of allergies worldwide. Medical experts consider a mix of factors such as pollution, dietary changes and less exposure to microbes, which change the way our immune systems respond to causing the rise of food allergies. 

While we have yet to find a cure for peanut allergies, the good news is that there are new innovations in food allergies that are making the quality of life for people with allergies a little bit better. 

Food Allergen Detection Device 

More positivity in the field of food allergies, aiming to keep people with allergies safe are food sensors- detecting whether your food contains allergens. One of these revolutionary products is Nima Sensor.

Nima Sensor is a practical solution for people with allergies that love to travel and visit restaurants. Unfortunately, many restaurants do not understand the severity of allergies and sometimes can unintentionally serve food that has in near contact to the food known to cause allergies. Although this technology is not perfect and has certain limitations (such as testing peanut contained in alcohol) it is a step in the right direction. 

“I have yet to try one of these myself. My questions are around cross-contamination however for my celiac little sister, Hyped Up Harvest, these seem like an absolutely perfect fit.”

Jennifer, Her Allergic Travels
Anaphylactic to Peanuts & Tree Nuts

Early-age Food Allergy Treatments 

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, an estimated 4-6% of children have some sort of food allergy. Recent studies have shown that early introduction to peanuts and nuts can possibly prevent future food allergies, thus making early introduction for allergen food from an early- age, even infant, potentially very important. 

Luckily medicine has made progress. New products such as Aralyte and Hello, Peanut, that can even be mixed with formula and inserted into a baby’s diet as early as 4-5 months old.  

“This has continued to be a controversial point because this is not proven to be the case for everyone, and exposure to a food allergen does generate a very different response depending on how allergic you are. I personally am still told, probably once a month, by someone (other than my allergist) that “they say if you have peanuts in small doses it actually can improve.” Not if you’re me. I am far too allergic for which my allergist, unfortunately, agrees. It’s extremely important to get your information from professional sources. They have the latest information the tools to test you before trying a DIY immunotherapy treatment.”

Jennifer, Her Allergic Travels
Anaphylactic to Peanuts & Tree Nuts

New alternatives to EpiPen

EpiPen is known as the most common and standard option for people who experience a life-threatening allergic reaction – anaphylaxis. And it is also quite pricey. Reaching even  600 USD per purchase depending on the country. 

During the last several years, new alternatives to EpiPen such as Emerade, Adrenaclick and Symjepi have emerged, some of which are at a more affordable price range. 

“The premium of this household brand used to come with a certain the comfort of quality, but with an Epipen’s needle length put into question following a recent tragedy, in addition to the frequent shortages we’re having (here in Canada at least) I currently am carrying only have one Epipen, Allerject and Emerade.”

Jennifer, Her Allergic Travels
Anaphylactic to Peanuts & Tree Nuts

New Treatments

So far there is no cure for food allergies. On the positive note, new treatments have emerged which can improve the quality of life for people with allergies. If your severity is low enough, you may be eligible for Oral Immunotherapy or a “food challenge”

Oral Immunotherapy includes feeding a patient with small doses of the allergen food under medical supervision. This type of therapy does not cure food allergy, but it makes patients tolerant to small doses of the food protein causing the food allergy. These treatments are still in the development stages, but they are bringing a positive outlook for the quality of life of people with allergies. 

“I actually had a severe allergic reaction 10 years after doing my food challenge for tree nuts. I no longer can eat them and am told by my allergist that my scenario is a common one: 10 years ago no one was telling patients they had to keep eating the allergen in small doses after the challenge was complete. It is, quite tragically, for that reason that I ate Nutella (hazelnut) at breakfast last year, however, am now told to avoid all tree nuts thanks to an Almond later that night”

Jennifer, Her Allergic Travels
Anaphylactic to Peanuts & Tree Nuts

Allergen Sniffing Dogs 

Yes! Organizations training dogs to detect allergen food that exist in the world. For example, a dog is being trained to detect peanuts. Once the dog scents peanuts it will sit as an alert that the allergen is present nearby. 

Hopefully, all this is making you feel positive about the future. For more information about allergies, we advise you to consult with a local allergist.

Bali was one of those lucky countries which has not yet been hit with an influx of severe food allergies and the most common response we received after sharing my note (which include “I will die” twice) locals confirmed their understanding that the translation of the word allergy by nodding in acknowledgment and making a scratching motion to confirm my note meant “you will itch”. This is where my fiance developed an adorable and embarrassing habit of acting out the international choking symbol. Effective (although probably not still necessary in Canada….)

When we spent time with our bilingual, very fluent host he explained that peanut allergies, and food allergies in general were not at all typical in Bali, and that he and his colleagues had only heard of a milk allergy.

That in mind, and after having met a girl with a milder allergy and several reactions, I clung to my bag full of the quickly depleting Milo bars I had brought from Australia, I recorded several items I ate in Bali with a peanut allergy. Keeping in mind I was 5’4″ 110 lbs I would recommed ordering the same safe meal in triple the quanitity.

Day One:

• Milo milk
• Milo bar
• Nachos from Mexican place (Holy Guacamole -Kuta) 
• Pringles
• Half block of cheese from an Indomart
• Watermelon… jack-o-lantern style (this is another example of where those camping untensils come in handy)

Day Two:

• Other half block of cheese
• Milo bar
• 2 oranges
• Pica South American Kitchen (Parm scallops and empanadas)

Day Three:

• Soft Boiled eggs and toast at our Bungalow in Ubud
• Fruit
• Cool coffees and tea
• Milo bar
• Young coconut & meat
• Barcelona Tapas (potato tot things, garlic prawns and seafood paella)
• Frozen yogurt  

Day Four:

• Elephant park* buffet (scrambled eggs, and about 7 crescent rolls)
• Mamma Mia’s Italian Ubud (ravioli)
• Bintang Beer
  *never go there….

Day Five:

• Banana Crepe
• Shin bowl instant noodles
• Toro Sushi Ubud (very familiar with peanut allergies.. Miso soup and soy sauce was potentially not safe)

Day Six:

• Boiled eggs and toast
• Milo bar
• Corn on the cob
• Gloria Jean’s fettuccini (Canggu)
• Fabulous Greek salad (BOBs bistro)

Day Seven:

• Surf Café (Kuta) (onion rings quesadilla)
• Capil Beach Grill & Bar in Seminyak  We had pizza and 10 rip-off nachos at this pricy joint. Do not plan a trip to Asia with a Peanut allergy and not expect to pay a premium for food – regrettably, no street vendors or mom and pop stops are part of this cultural experience

Day Eight:

• Fran’s Bread rolls (brand)
• Dutch cookies
• Roasted Corn (sold on the beaches)
• Susheria 

The NEW Problem with Eating Cheese for Nut Allergies.

This used to be my go-to travel solution. I went to Bali with the backup plan of buying cheese at grocery stores for survival, naively not considering this might have been a nation still relying on daily food markets rather than supermarkets and refrigeration.

Due to the many new Vegan Cheeses on the market, it is no longer safe to simply opt for a block which you do not recognize.

The Flight

Cheese from a indomart in Kuta. I had Mcdonald’s in Dubai which is something I would never do now — it was safe and I had always wanted to try any international Maccas but it was unwise to eat anything unknown before a transatlantic flight

EDIT: In recent years I’ve found it unwise to eat anything I didn’t pack from home after leaving my house and until well after I land.