Does anyone else get severe food anxiety from eating nuts?

[Biosblbay]

I have just had some baklava and same as always I get so paranoid eating it, sometimes to the point it causes me to have a panic attack which is awful as sometimes panic attack symptoms are the same as anaphylaxis shock.

I haven’t ever been allergic but I know it can happen at anytime.

any one else like this, or been like this and what can I do to stop this awful fear?! I know the obvious answer is to not eat nuts, but I feel like avoiding it could make my fear worse?

I haven’t ever been allergic but I know it can happen at anytime.

This isn't usually how allergies work... you're either allergic or you aren't, and you clearly aren't.

Maybe you could speak to your GP about this who can reassure you that you're not allergic to nuts.

@Kingdomofsleep I really hope so. This helps a lot. I already feel like I am about to have a panic attack over it. I definitely have severe anxiety over it. I am also the same with eating other foods that I know can cause allergic reactions but nuts is the worst for sure

Yes I have had this when my anxiety levels were high. I had/have health anxiety and the fear of an allergic reaction is part of that i think. For me it could be any type of food or medicine that is new or something I had heard someone had an allergic reaction to. I was terrified of taking penicillin because I know some people are allergic (and they always ask you this in hospital) I had convinced myself I might me.
I think the best thing to do is to keep eating nuts every day and telling yourself, you do not have an allergy.

Obviously, in general working on your anxiety levels will help calm this reaction

@Flowerfairy13 I am the same with medication! I avoid taking anything because of this. I even had some night nurse a few weeks back when I had really bad flu and because it makes you drowsy I thought I was having a bad reaction and had the worst panic attack ever!!

any tips on how to help calm anxiety that doesn’t involve medication? X

Yes me too!! If it makes me feel weird I would have a panic attack thinking I was going to die from it. Erm, I found that acupuncture was helpful. Lots and lots of vagus nerve exercises,.meditation, hypnotherapy (YouTube videos). And the old CBT type stuff of exposure, so keep eating those nuts! X

OP, why not just avoid eating nuts if it makes you anxious? There are plenty of alternative sources of protein. DC is anaphylactic to nuts and sesame. I have no food allergies but I can’t swallow nuts or sesame (or foods containing either) because they are too strongly associated in my mind with the lethal threat to DC. I could not enjoy eating them. This is true even although DC is now adult and no longer lives with me. It doesn’t cause me any anxiety or stress, I just avoid those foods as I would avoid any food I don’t like.

I have found with anxiety that if you keep avoiding the thing that makes you anxious, your brain just reinforces the danger. You are adapting your life around anxiety and that's not healthy.I found it leaked into other foods and substances and habits.
Avoiding because of anxiety is very different to avoiding due to a dislike.

@Snowjive2 literally spot on to what @Flowerfairy13 just said. It becomes a “safety behaviour” which can worsen anxiety and panic attacks. I do try to not avoid what makes me uncomfortable, if that was the case I would end up with severe agrophobia and wouldn’t go out anywhere or do anything! But also it isn’t just the fear of nuts, I get nervous eating seafood, especially shellfish, medication, drinking caffeine, eating avocado (this anxiety stemmed off from my mum having a bad reaction to it). I have fear of dying since having children so it’s not just allergies that scare me, it’s driving, going certain places like London where I feel more at danger, going on a plane…. I have so many fears but I just push myself to do it no matter how scared it makes me. Anxiety really is a horrible thing but I will never let it stop me! 👊

I SO get it. It sucks!! Have you been tested for any medical reason for your anxiety? Eg mine was the first symptom of Hypothyroidism. Are you over 35? Could it be hormone related?

You don't suddenly become violently allergic to nuts. If you dislike them just don't eat them.

There's lots of foods that some people really hate but you should try not to be scared they'll make you allergic. If you were you'd know by now.

If it makes you feel any better I became allergic to shellfish in my early 30s and it wasn’t zero to full blown anaphylaxis in one day. The first sign of the allergy was coming out in hives. Not pleasant but not life threatening either. It took me a while to work out what the allergy was as I’d always been able to eat shellfish in the past. I think I had 3 episodes of hives then the 4th time I got wheezy as well and DH was calling an ambulance but the antihistamines kicked in and I was fine. I finally figured out what the problem was and now I avoid it!

I wasn't sure whether to reply, as I don't want to further add to the OP's anxiety, but misinformation like this does need to be challenged. You most certainly can become seriously allergic to nuts or other things in adult life. In fact it was one of the themes of Allergy Awareness Week last year. It's important that people know that allergies can appear out of the blue in adulthood and recognise the signs and symptoms so that they can seek help.
https://www.allergyuk.org/these-3-things-1/

That said @Biosblbay it is still unlikely that you are suddenly going to develop food allergies and it sounds like you do recognise that. Life is a risky business and we all take multiple risks every day, it's a matter of balance and we cannot eliminate all risks. But I'm sure you know that - it doesn't necessarily help though does it ?
Have you sought any kind of psychological therapy for your anxiety? I developed severe anxiety around car travel after an accident some years ago. I knew I was being illogical, and that yes, whilst it was possible that the same thing could happen again, statistically it was extremely unlikely. I told myself this repeatedly but it didn't help, nor did the "pull yourself together" comments from other people. I knew full well that the probability of history repeating itself was very low and knew full well that I needed to drive/be driven to get my life back on track but all the reasoning in the world couldn't stop the visceral reactions that I had on opening a car door. But therapy did. I had EMDR which I don't think is likely to be the right option for you as it is about dealing with a previous traumatic event, but I'm no expert. I'm sure there are alternatives for other kinds of anxiety anyway. I was extremely sceptical as it all sounded a bit woo to me, but honestly it changed my life. I'd really recommend you see a psychologist/suitably qualified therapist if you haven't done so already. I hope you can get the support you need - I know how difficult it can be when anxiety consumes your life.

Yeah I knew it was possible to develop allergies at any point in your life, but statistically for it to happen to OP, with nuts, and be life threateningly serious is exceptionally unlikely.

I guess maybe if you had lots of allergies in your family it might be more likely?

But it sounds much more like an irrational phobia that could just as easily be about something else unrelated to allergy.

I just don't want her to worry. And you're right about therapy etc.

I had very similar anxiety, that got completely out of hand a couple of years ago, I do have a couple of allergies, so there are a couple of things I do have to avoid. I avoided nuts (when I didn't need to) for several years because of anxiety, but the fear escalated until I was pretty much scared of all food, perfume, body spray, medication, bees, wasps, even cut grass, you name it....and it really affected my life. I had CBT which was really helpful. I think the key is, the more you keep doing things and nothing happens, the more you unlearn the fear. Obviously if you have a known allergy you need to avoid that thing, or if you have a dislike, obviously avoid....but don't let anxiety stop you from living your life. Easier said than done, I know. If you haven't had a reaction to nuts before, you've no reason to think you are allergic, so no need to avoid them unless you ever do....same with anything in life there are always risks, in everything....crossing the road, going on a plane, sitting in your living room (the ceiling could fall down), but it's learning to live without constant anxiety. You can only deal with things IF and when they happen. Easier said than done, but you can try and think....I've had nuts before several times, so I know I'm not allergic, the likelihood I will suddenly develop an allergy is small (but not impossible)...but you would deal with it only if it happened if that makes any sense.