Nutella-deliciously dangerous!!!

 

                                      

 If you have ever been to Europe, you have probably had Nutella. I've been eating it for years, since my first trip to France in 1985.

Many people may think it's just a chocolate spread. Notice the nuts on the label? Those are hazel nuts (which is a type of tree nut.) So if you are allergic to hazelnuts, Nutella could cause an allergic reaction and anaphylaxis. 

Two classmates in Oregon had a close call when one boy innocently shared Nutella with his friend at lunch. Ransom Duel was eating lunch with Sullivan Moore when Sullivan asked another student to share his "chocolate things". Unfortunately, his "chocolate things" were Nutella. Sullivan immediately started to have an allergic reaction and his 7 year old friend, Ransom, grabbed the Nutella bottle and started reading the ingredients. He noticed the hazel nuts on the label and knew that his friend was allergic to tree nuts.He grabbed the teacher, who quickly gave Sullivan his medicine (most likely an Epi Pen.) There's a cute photo of them with a story on msn now. 

The local Food Allergy Network support group leader then came to the school to give an assembly about food allergies and told the kids about the dangers of sharing lunch. What a great chance to educate a whole school about the dangers of food allergies. 

Thankfully, those little 7 year old could read!! And I'm glad Ransom knew that his friend Sullivan was allergic to tree nuts. Most adults wouldn't have figured out that quickly what was going on, let alone two 7 year old kids!! Way to go Ransom and Sullivan!!

I have a teenage son that is also allergic to tree nuts. I love Nutella, but my son knows he's not allowed to have it. We also make sure everyone around him knows that he is allergic to tree nuts. I let everyone know that I'm allergic to seafood. The hope is that if either of us accidentally ate something that had tree nuts or seafood in it that those around us would recognize that we were having a reaction. Let's hope they're all as smart as Ransom and run for help!

If you have food allergies, make sure everyone around you knows. Minutes count when your throat is closing off. They may have to help save your life by giving you your Epi pen or calling 911. To learn more about food allergies and anaphylaxis, visit Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America