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Should a nut allergic avoid water chestnuts?

20/06/2013 by Ruth Holroyd 5 Comments

This vegetable may sound nutty but actually water chestnuts are nothing like a nut at all.

Some people do panic and avoid eating any foods with ‘nut’ in the title when they have a nut allergy but you should be able to eat water chestnuts without any problems. If you do have any kind of reaction, bear in mind that anyone can be allergic to anything these days. Seek medical advice if you are at all worried.

water chestnuts
Water Chestnuts – Image from Pinterest

But the short a simple answer is no, you should not avoid water chestnuts – they have absolutely nothing to do with nuts apart from sharing the scary name.

What is a water chestnut?

(Noun)

  • The tuber of a tropical sedge that is widely used in Asian cooking, its white flesh remaining crisp after cooking.
  • The sedge (Eleocharis tuberosa) that yields this tuber, which is cultivated in flooded fields in Southeast Asia.

So they are just the roots of an aquatic plant which grows in Asia and Australia and the only nutty thing about them is that they kind of resemble a chestnut in colour and shape but that’s it.

Water chestnuts are not nuts at all!

They are not a nut and not related to chestnuts in any way.

I couldn’t find any references to water chestnut allergy on the internet and Food Allergy Research & Education list them as most definitely NOT a nut in this information about tree nut allergy.

Can you eat water chestnuts?

Do you eat them? Or do you avoid them?

Or are you in fact allergic to them?

They do make a lovely addition to a stir fry with some bamboo shoots!

If you enjoyed this, you might also be interested in:

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Related posts:

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Filed Under: Allergies Tagged With: can you be allergic to water chestnut? should I avoid water chestnuts if I have a nut allergy?, cooking with water chestnuts, water chestnut allergy, waterchestnuts are not nuts

About Ruth Holroyd

Author of 'Anaphylaxis: The Essential Guide: An Action Plan For Living With Life-Threatening Allergies' and 'The Shape of Skin, both available as paperback or Kindle on Amazon. Ruth is a Writer, Blogger and Patient Expert in allergies, asthma, anaphylaxis, eczema and topical steroid withdrawal.

Comments

  1. Chris says

    31/12/2017 at 10:00 pm

    I made bacon wrapped water chestnuts for a party and only thought to look this up after. Thank you. Happy New year.

    Reply
    • Ruth Holroyd says

      01/01/2018 at 2:01 pm

      Happy New Year to you too! Hope it’s a good one

      Reply
  2. Meeka says

    16/02/2018 at 8:45 am

    This was really helpful! I am allergic to all nuts except coconut and now water chestnuts!

    Reply
  3. Kathleen TARANTO says

    31/05/2021 at 12:10 am

    Thank you, I am so sick of all these recipes suggesting nuts by all chefs and dieticians.. We have anaphalaxis in our family which developed in their teenage years, I now can use a delicious recipe with a clear conscience.

    Reply
    • Ruth Holroyd says

      01/06/2021 at 10:14 am

      Lots of nut free recipes out there! Stay safe and thanks for the comment.

      Reply

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