dumb question of the day: are coconuts actually nuts?

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

I just came across a label that very clearly stated " you should not use this

product if you have any allergy to nuts " but the only ingredient that even

had the word " nut " in it was " coconut oil " ... In all of my experience I

have heard to avoid peanut oil and maybe even almond oil .. .but coconut

oil? I also thought that coconuts weren't really 'nuts' but mabye i have

tree vs. other nuts confused.

 

someday i hope to launch a product line that is " nut oil free " but i hadn't

thought about coconut oil ... Is this manufacturer just being super anal

with the allergy labeling or should i be avoiding coconut oil if i want to

make the " no nut oils " claim?

 

i am about to go Google the subject, but thought i might find some wisdom on

this list.

 

thanks!!!

 

~Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Hi Bonnie,

 

>I just came across a label that very clearly stated " you should not use

>this

>product if you have any allergy to nuts " but the only ingredient that even

>had the word " nut " in it was " coconut oil " ... In all of my experience I

>have heard to avoid peanut oil and maybe even almond oil .. .but coconut

>oil? I also thought that coconuts weren't really 'nuts' but mabye i have

>tree vs. other nuts confused.

 

I was doing a show a few years back and a gal was looking over the

ingredients in my lotion. She said " ah, can't use it " and so I asked " why

not? " She explained that she had a nut allergy and since it had coconut in

it, she couldn't use it. I wouldn't have thought that. But if you come up

with any other info on it please share.

 

>

>someday i hope to launch a product line that is " nut oil free " but i hadn't

>thought about coconut oil ... Is this manufacturer just being super anal

>with the allergy labeling or should i be avoiding coconut oil if i want to

>make the " no nut oils " claim?

 

Sounds like a product line that will fill a small niche in the marketplace.

 

>

>i am about to go Google the subject, but thought i might find some wisdom

>on

>this list.

 

Let us know what you learn K.

 

Sincerely,

Margaret

[Guest guest]

I had a women visit my shop when I was set up in the market here in town and she

kept asking.. .does this have cocoa butter? does this have coconut oil? She

was very allergic to all nuts and said cocoa butter made her break out in big

red welts and then she couldn't breath. I now specify on my products " contains

cocoa butter " Or " contains coco nut oil "

Veronica Davidson

http://www.veronicaslavishlathers.com

http://www.friendswithms.com

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

To answer the subject question . . . Botanically, a coconut is actually a

drupe, not a true nut. The oil comes from the copra, which is the dried

meat of the seed. Of course, for practical purposes, all seeds are nuts . .

.. But I wonder if allergies to 'all' nuts have really been so scrupulously

identified. It was my experience (when I had adolescent eczema) that only

one test was done to cover peanuts and I don't remember any others, but I

didn't test positive for peanuts. Just some pondering . . .

 

Be well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane, http://www.wingedseed.com

" First of all, cultivate a contented spirit; a garden is a good place to

begin. "

 

 

Just a thought.

________________________________

 

On Behalf Of Veronica Davidson

Friday, August 05, 2005 5:22 PM

 

Re: dumb question of the day: are coconuts

actually nuts?

 

 

I had a women visit my shop when I was set up in the market here in town and

she kept asking.. .does this have cocoa butter? does this have coconut oil?

She was very allergic to all nuts and said cocoa butter made her break out

in big red welts and then she couldn't breath. I now specify on my

products " contains cocoa butter " Or " contains coco nut oil "

Veronica Davidson

http://www.veronicaslavishlathers.com

http://www.friendswithms.com

[Guest guest]

ok, don't confuse me more!!! i thought the " natural " cocoa butter is from

the cocoa PLANT ... extracted from cocoa beans (seeds) and NOT a nut oil (or

from coconuts). the stuff i buy certainly smells chocolately enough!!! in

fact the label says it is pure unrefined from expeller pressed from cocao

seeds. i know there are also allergies to chocolate and/or cocoa butter BUT

i do not think that cocoa butter is considered a " nut oil " ... but please

correct me if wrong.

 

 

-

" Veronica Davidson " <mommyv3

 

Friday, August 05, 2005 5:21 PM

Re: dumb question of the day: are coconuts

actually nuts?

 

 

I had a women visit my shop when I was set up in the market here in town and

she kept asking.. .does this have cocoa butter? does this have coconut oil?

She was very allergic to all nuts and said cocoa butter made her break out

in big red welts and then she couldn't breath. I now specify on my

products " contains cocoa butter " Or " contains coco nut oil "

Veronica Davidson

http://www.veronicaslavishlathers.com

http://www.friendswithms.com

[Guest guest]

In addition, I found this quote on a site specifically about how to avoid

nut oils:

 

http://www.deliaonline.com/cookeryschool/a_0000001003.asp

" ... They have a strict nut-free zone in their factory and have produced a

chocolate bar (100 g; 50% cocoa solids) that is nut-, milk-, egg- and

gluten-free. This chocolate is available in the 'free from' and

cake-covering sections of major supermarkets. Be aware, though, that we have

not tested Delia's recipes using this chocolate and you might not achieve

the same success as you would with the chocolate she has used. "

 

so from this I am deducting that while there are cocoa / chocolate

allergies, i think they are separate from nut allergies (although it is

possible to be allergic to both, as the customer Veronica described below.)

 

ok, so it still seems that i can offer products that are " nut oil free "

(without any coconut oil even!!!) and just be very emphatic about any

products that contain cocoa butter. ay yay yay. but anyone please feel free

to tell me i'm nuts (ok, bad pun intended!!)

 

 

 

-

" Veronica Davidson " <mommyv3

 

Friday, August 05, 2005 5:21 PM

Re: dumb question of the day: are coconuts

actually nuts?

 

 

I had a women visit my shop when I was set up in the market here in town and

she kept asking.. .does this have cocoa butter? does this have coconut oil?

She was very allergic to all nuts and said cocoa butter made her break out

in big red welts and then she couldn't breath. I now specify on my

products " contains cocoa butter " Or " contains coco nut oil "

Veronica Davidson

http://www.veronicaslavishlathers.com

http://www.friendswithms.com

[Guest guest]

And a drupe is a fruit. :-)

 

--- Marcia Elston <samara wrote:

 

> To answer the subject question . . . Botanically, a

> coconut is actually a

> drupe, not a true nut. The oil comes from the

> copra, which is the dried

> meat of the seed. Of course, for practical

> purposes, all seeds are nuts . .

> . But I wonder if allergies to 'all' nuts have

> really been so scrupulously

> identified. It was my experience (when I had

> adolescent eczema) that only

> one test was done to cover peanuts and I don't

> remember any others, but I

> didn't test positive for peanuts. Just some

> pondering . . .

>

> Be well,

> Marcia Elston, Samara Botane,

> http://www.wingedseed.com

> " First of all, cultivate a contented spirit; a

> garden is a good place to

> begin. "

>

>

> Just a thought.

> ________________________________

>

>

>

> On Behalf Of Veronica Davidson

> Friday, August 05, 2005 5:22 PM

>

> Re: dumb question of the

> day: are coconuts

> actually nuts?

>

>

> I had a women visit my shop when I was set up in the

> market here in town and

> she kept asking.. .does this have cocoa butter?

> does this have coconut oil?

> She was very allergic to all nuts and said cocoa

> butter made her break out

> in big red welts and then she couldn't breath. I

> now specify on my

> products " contains cocoa butter " Or " contains coco

> nut oil "

> Veronica Davidson

> http://www.veronicaslavishlathers.com

> http://www.friendswithms.com

>

>

>

 

 

www.mahercosmetics.com

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Coconut - Cocos nucifera

Cocoa - Theobroma cacao

 

You are correct that these are two different plant species and can be made

into two different product groups. However, as I previously stated, fruits

are/or contain nuts are seeds are beans . . . :-)

 

A fruit is defined as the ripened ovary or gynoecium. It is the seed

containing organ of a plant. There are now approximately 95 recognized

types of fruit in botany. As the seed develops, the ovary wall becomes

known as the pericarp. It can be differentiated into three different

layers. The outermost is the exocarp; the middle is the mesocarp and the

inner is the endocarp. A brazil nut is in fact a seed and the hard outer

shell of this seed is the hardened ovary wall. Sometimes the ovary wall is

enclosed by fleshy tissue of the hypanthium upon which the perianth is

inserted as in the case of an apple. A dry perianth can also surround the

fruit as in an achene (Asteraceae). In some cases, the other parts of the

plant swell up to look like a fruit. For example, in strawberries, it is

the receptacle that swells bearing the ovaries or tiny seeds on its surface.

Another example is the pineapple which is really a swollen fleshy

inflorescence.

 

Then, there are flowers, which are comprised of lots of parts that I won't

list here that include both male and female parts, the female part which is

the ovule (unfertilized female gamete surrounded by the embryo sac and

nucleus that develops into a seed after fertilization.) So, flowers develop

seeds (fruits/nuts/beans) as well. These fruit/nuts/seeds can also

sometimes be pressed into a fixed oil, i.e., rosehip seed oil, Rosa

mosquetta or can be distilled, i.e., Allspice, Pimenta dioca; Fennel,

Foeniculum vulgare.

 

It is confusing, but worth schleping through the botany to fully understand.

 

 

Be well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane, http://www.wingedseed.com

" First of all, cultivate a contented spirit; a garden is a good place to

begin. "

 

 

________________________________

 

On Behalf Of Bonnie Walker

Friday, August 05, 2005 6:15 PM

 

Re: dumb question of the day: are coconuts

actually nuts?

 

 

ok, don't confuse me more!!! i thought the " natural " cocoa butter is from

the cocoa PLANT ... extracted from cocoa beans (seeds) and NOT a nut oil (or

 

from coconuts). the stuff i buy certainly smells chocolately enough!!! in

fact the label says it is pure unrefined from expeller pressed from cocao

seeds. i know there are also allergies to chocolate and/or cocoa butter BUT

 

i do not think that cocoa butter is considered a " nut oil " ... but please

correct me if wrong.

[Guest guest]

Absolutely correct, Jeanette, maybe we should make up some botanical

version of " the leg bone's connected to " to help keep this all straight! Or

maybe some bright person has done it already.

 

Be well,

Marcia Elston, Samara Botane, http://www.wingedseed.com

" First of all, cultivate a contented spirit; a garden is a good place to

begin. "

 

 

________________________________

 

On Behalf Of Jeanette

Friday, August 05, 2005 6:31 PM

 

RE: dumb question of the day: are coconuts

actually nuts?

 

 

And a drupe is a fruit. :-)

 

--- Marcia Elston <samara wrote:

 

> To answer the subject question . . . Botanically, a

> coconut is actually a

> drupe, not a true nut. The oil comes from the

> copra, which is the dried

> meat of the seed. Of course, for practical

> purposes, all seeds are nuts . .

> . But I wonder if allergies to 'all' nuts have

> really been so scrupulously

> identified. It was my experience (when I had

> adolescent eczema) that only

> one test was done to cover peanuts and I don't

> remember any others, but I

> didn't test positive for peanuts. Just some

> pondering . . .

>

> Be well,

> Marcia Elston, Samara Botane,

> http://www.wingedseed.com

> " First of all, cultivate a contented spirit; a

> garden is a good place to

> begin. "

[Guest guest]

My son has a very severe peanut allergy. He is a level 5 out of a possible 6

levels, 6 being the most severe. The allergist assured us that at least

peanut oil processed in the US is ok for him to eat. It seems that the

protein in the nuts are what people are allergic to. Since the US processes

all of the protein right out of the oil, it is ok to use. In fact, we are in

Hershey PA right now, and they use peanut oil to do their frying at the

park, my son had some fries, and is just fine. I am not sure about the oils

that you use to make soaps though. I would think it would be something that

you would have to have tested. Although coconut is definitely not on the

list. My daughter likes to make macaroons all the time, and they don't

bother him at all. I am pretty sure they are not really even considered a

nut, not in the allergy that includes peanuts at least.

Theresa

 

<http://www.incredimail.com/index.asp?id=54475> Add FUN to your email -

CLICK HERE!

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Theresa,

Thank you for this information! My son is allergic to peanuts also. One

day he had some potato chips fried in peanut oil and much to our surprise he

didn't have a reaction at all and we didn't know why. Now we do.

Josephene

 

 

> My son has a very severe peanut allergy. The allergist assured us that at

least

> peanut oil processed in the US is ok for him to eat.