Should pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers eat peanuts?
During pregnancy, and whilst breastfeeding a baby, mothers can pass on valuable protection and resistance to disease. They might also pass on allergic sensitivity to certain foods or substances. Again, not all children are at risk. Peanut allergy is most likely to affect children if there is an allergy in the immediate family. If your family is in this category, a sensible message would seem to be to avoid peanuts, just in case. Peanuts are not essential to the diet and can be avoided without nutritional harm. So if you or your child’s father, or a brother or sister of the child already suffer from: asthma, eczema, hay fever other allergies, it would be sensible to avoid peanut products during your pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Are peanuts and peanut products safe for young children? For those families where there is no allergy in the immediate family there is no reason why children should not eat foods containing peanut products after weaning. Do not give whole peanuts to childre
