Legume allergy

Introduction

Legumes are a diverse family of foods which include peas, beans, chick peas, lentils, soya and peanuts.

Legume allergy has been increasing over the past 5 to 10 years, particularly the incidence of pea allergy in children.

Some children are allergic to all legumes while other are allergic to only one type (such as garden or mushy peas), one legume group (such as all beans) or to multiple legume groups (such as all peas, beans and peanuts).

Pea, chick pea and lentil allergies are often found to coexist.

The vast majority of children (95%) with a peanut allergy will tolerate other legumes.

Your child only needs to avoid the legumes they are allergic to and should continue to eat those legumes they have previously tolerated.

Checking food labels

European Union legislation requires manufacturers to label all pre-packaged foods containing one or more of the 14 major allergens. Soya, peanut and lupin should always be declared in bold. Other legumes are not considered at present to be major allergens and therefore it is essential that you always check food labels.

Legumes commonly found in the UK

Peanuts

Peanuts or monkey nuts

Beans

• baked beans
• haricot beans
• navy beans
• pinto beans
• cannellini beans
• red kidney beans
• adzuki beans
• soya or edamame beans
• mung beans
• green beans
• lima (butter) beans
• lupin beans or flour

Peas

• green peas
• mushy (marrow fat) peas
• sugar snap peas (mange tout)
• black eyed peas
• snow peas

Chick peas

• gram
• Bengal gram
• garbanzo bean
• Kabuli chana
• safed chana
• kala chana
• desi chana
• chana dal
• harbara

Lentils

• Moong (green lentil)
• Urad dal (black lentil)
• Toor or Arhad dal (pigeon pea)
• Masoor dal (red lentil)
• Puy lentils

Other members of the legume family

• tamarind
• fenugreek
• alfalfa
• carob
• locust beans
• mesquite

What types of symptoms do legumes cause?

Legumes generally cause immediate allergy symptoms of:

• rash
• swelling
• tickling or itching of the mouth or throat
• tummy pain
• being sick (vomiting)
• feeling sick (nausea)

Occasionally some children, particularly with peanut allergies, will develop severe allergic reactions known as ‘anaphylaxis’. This can include:

• breathing difficulties
• looking very pail (pallor)
• floppiness or loss of consciousness

Rarely, some children will be fine with legumes and only experience symptoms if exercise is undertaken. This reaction has been reported with soya allergies.

How to avoid legumes

Legumes (especially pea and soya) are found in many foods and are often used as bulking agents in foods, such as:

• meat and fish products
• processed foods
• soups, sauces
• pancake mixes
• baked goods
• cereal
• snacks
• some gluten-free products

It is therefore important to read ingredients labels carefully every time you shop and ask staff directly if buying catered food sold in restaurants and takeaways.

Legumes are not a common cause of allergic reactions and staff in restaurants or in shops may not be aware that these can be responsible for allergic reactions.

Foods which contain legumes

• Dahl (or dal), an Asian dish consisting of lentils, peas or other legumes.
• Houmous (or hummus), a thick paste consisting of chickpeas and tahini (ground sesame seeds).
• Falafel, a middle Eastern dish consisting of a deep fried ball of ground chick peas, fava beans or other legumes.
• Curries, containing fenugreek, an Indian spice, the seeds of which are a legume.
• Worcestershire and HP sauces use tamarind as a flavouring.
• Carob can be used as a chocolate substitute and is used in the production of locust bean gum.