AIBU to be pissed off that the head teacher has banned nutella in the school for one child?

[eddiejo]

The story.... one boy (hers) has allergy to nuts so now nutella is banned . I totally understand the whole anaphlaxis thing but as mum to year 1 boy with multiple food allergies - i would never expect the rest of the school to stop eating what he is allergic to.

Nutella was one of the few spreads which he could eat and made the bread edible. not healthy I know but more important to get energy in him.

What do you think?

Wouldn't it be safer to stick to foods that you prepared. Or at least simple foods that can't have hidden ingrediants. I mean if you eat steak and chips just for example you can see what you're eating, but a curry or cassarole could contain anything. You could never be sure.

Ds1 went to a school last year that banned all peanut and tree nut products. I did not have a problem with it. I did hear one mother going off about it but I just chocked it up to her being rather ignorant about the dire repercussions of nut allergies.

Why are all these people so allergic? It's unbelievable. Why is everyone so ILL and vulnerable. God, why does everyone talk about it as if it was normal and the rest of us are just lucky.

IMO you are being totally unreasonable. UNREASONABLE!!!

I can't believe you are annoyed.

Just wondering bleurgh...would you like to be the one lying on a hospital bed unable to breathe?

Believe me, I don't rejoice in being 'ILL' and 'VULNERABLE' from my allergies and imposing them on other people. I have battled on over the years trying to cope with other peoples fuckwittisms (recent example a grandad who had eaten peanuts thought it was hilarious to lie to me about whether he had eaten peanuts - there was a bowl right infront of a group of them - when I asked him before he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

How I enjoyed having my cheek swell up and wheezing for the next few hours.

I am not a sickly person and never used it as an excuse and I dont try and impose it on others as long as they keep their ignorant tosser comments (and nuts) to themselves just because it is not a thing that affects them directly.

Rant over.

that's awful junebug

Ta Jabberwocky! I wanted to lamp the old git or perhaps hide his viagra.

I cant imagine what it must be like to have an allergic child. It must be worry time one million of what I experience.

I don't mean it is literally "unbelievable". I do believe it. I am extremely angry that this epidemic of allergies is accepted without question. People like yourself with such severe allergies used to be rare. It depresses me that the issue gives rise to discussion about Nutella rather than serious questions about where the epidemic came from and how to address its cause rather than its symptoms.

Deepinlaundry I longingly picked up some chestnuts today but dare not eat them as I am still bf DS2 . . . have a slight feeling they are not actually "nuts" though, must look it up.

Bleurgh - an apt name. That's what I thought when I read your asinine comments. Allergic people are actually usually extremely healthy apart from their allergies. This is because allergies are caused by the immune system being too good. My DS1 never seems to catch anything. The image of the sickly allergic child is yet another stereotype peddled by the media . . . oh I won't carry on, you're clearly far too thick to understand.

cross post bleurgh but still unimpressed with your lack of sensitivity

What are you talking about?

Oh and in case I have misled anyone re chestnuts, yes they ARE nuts and you CAN be allergic to them. Although people with peanut allergy usually are not.

Not going to risk it >

Gaahh don't you just love kicking the green prickly scrotumy bit open and finding a lovely big chestnut inside.

Bleurgh, I was reacting angrily to this "Why are all these people so allergic? It's unbelievable. Why is everyone so ILL and vulnerable. God, why does everyone talk about it as if it was normal and the rest of us are just lucky."

After I had posted my rant at you I saw I had cross posted with you as your reply explaining yourself was just before my post. So I posted again to explain that it was a cross post (ie I was replying to any earlier comment, not the one directly above).

But you must have realised how your comments would be taken, hence the comment about insensivity.

If you think my son thinks he is "normal" and everyone else is lucky. Think again. He knows that everyone else is normal and he is extremely unlucky.

OK Beurgh - see what you mean. But I think perhaps yes, this whole issue needs more investigation (and tons more funding) and if in the meantime some children dont get to eat something which could be life threatening to another child it should be approached, not have the philosophy and epidaemiology of allergy debated instead.

I'm sorry for your son and I'm sorry if I upset you. I suppose one is very sensitive in such a situation.

Don't you wonder why? Why there are so many? It's crept up on us like bindweed.

These are not good immune systems, they are traumatised immune systems it seems to me.

Anyway I don't want to upset you any more and I'm very sorry about your son.

It's not philosophical or hypothetical June -- if we find out why then preventative action could be taken.

Anyway..shutting up now. Nuff said.

My ds has a peanut allergy and a rubbish immune system. He is ill right now. He as had 3 separate lots of time off ill this term. Having an immune system which is too good is only 1 of the many theories. There is probably a genetic link as some families have several allergic individuals allow they may not be allergic to the same thing. There is a proven link between lack of certain gut bacteria at 1 week old and developing eczema and its possible that the same is true for food allergies. There is a real chance of a cure so hopefully our grandchildren will be astonished at the concept of nut free schools.

Yes I do wonder why.

I meant to reply to Susia, with her experiences of shellfish allergy. That "used to be" (inverted commas to indicate I might be talking out of my arse) the only allergy where you could have a reaction without eating the substance, as far as I remember. Now it hardly gets a look-in, compared to peanut allergy.

I wonder if schools would ban shellfish or fish if asked? Cod can cause terrible reactions.

I have no idea what has caused it, although I do wonder if it was always around and our ancestors assumed a baby had choked or had a seizure, but how can you tell?

Sensitive - yes certainly I hold my hand up to that

blimey, oh rilley, what a kerfuffle. I think it is totally reasonable for nutella to be banned in the school if a child is extremely allergic. As posters have no doubt said, it is often enough just to come in contact with an allergen.

I think the raise in allergies reflects what is in our food rather than an altered reaction to them. For years and years we have used pesticides and god knows what on our foods. This could have easily, indirectely modified the genes of certain plants in order to cope with the chemical onslaught. Genomes don't change over night, but over time - it might be that we are now seeing the results of splashing the fields with DDT and suchlike - just a theory - i haven't done any research into allergies.

They are certainly more commonplace, the older generation always seem to be a bit when i say, i want DD to avoid nuts and seafood until she is about five (isnt that the recommended age?) because i have hayfever and have once had an anaphylactic reaction to something we never identified (thankfully it was a one off). Its always the same, well XYZ have eaten nuts etc and they are fine. Thats it, most people are fine, some people aren't. But something has changed recently and i don't think its us humans.

I do think that there is a misconception and im sure people will agree or disagree with me on this, that often a person is described as allergic when it is a case of intolerance, which physiologically is a completely different thing, but in some cases just as debilitating.

Maybe all schools should ban nutella, it tastes like shit anyway and im sure it would be better used as an adhesive

ladyconstance, i know what you mean about the immune system being "too good". I think this is a common misconception. It is just that the immune system reacts inappropriately and recognises things that are harmless as "alien" and harmful and mounts an immune response. I wonder if the response is so massive sometimes because there is probably quite a lot of allergen in a peanut, in comparison to some flu virus floating around. Again, just a theory.

christywhisty - that's a really interesting post and I'm a bit surprised (and disappointed if I'm honest) that no one else has commented on it.

Do any of you think this is a good idea?

Returning only to second Spice on Christy -- yes it was extremely interesting and unexpected.