Thread: Allergy advise

Hi
I am looking to go travelling by myself to Thailand in November, there is a problem I am allergic to all nuts and can't have any food that is cooked with nut oil.
I will have a card that says in Thai that I am allergic to nuts, all types can you cater for me?
My questions are
Do I stand a chance?
Will I be able to eat in as well as out?
Do people in restaurants talk any English?

Many thanks to any replys

Its a long way to go just to eat KFC and McDonalds.

O that does not sound good

I don't want that

Is it really that bad if I go?

Good luck,not sure if many use Nut Oil but if you have a serious condition better travel with a trusted competent Thai to ensure you know what you are eating and what is has been cooked on.

This does not sound good
I will be on my own, only been to Spain on holiday so this is my first experience
I also can't speak thai

Stay at home, with your mum. !!!!

Lol
That's nice
Just getting advise

If your allergy is serious, then you will have to stick to upmarket restaurants where the staff are more likely to speak good English and understand the issue.

And if you find ones that satisfy those criteria, stick with them.

As I would stay in hostels
Is there food I could buy like chicken etc and cook myself?

Not many hostels in Thailand.
Sure you could cook your own food ,
the supermarkets are similar to the ones in the west,
get a small rice cooker and use that for everything
you will get by easily enough .

Thanks blue
a positive response
not many hostels?
I thought there would be as many travelers go there
i could struggling finding somewhere to cook as i dont know if hostels have kitchens

OK, let's be realistic here. You can buy fruit and veg at the local market, and buy raw chicken or other meats at Tesco-Lotus or Big C. Also yoghurts, fruit juice at 7/11 minimart. You problem will be if you want to cook your chicken, since most hotels will not allow you to cook your own food. also easy to buy pastas etc.

If you have a card in Thai saying 'I am allergic to nuts - has this food got nuts in it?' - then I absolutely would not trust any Thai who replies that the food does not contain nuts. Thais are programmed to give the answer that you want to hear!

That being said, I own a hostel in Ao Nang (Krabi), where you can cook your own food. My ex has a guesthouse in north Phuket where you would also be able to cook your food. But I don't know of any hostels in other parts of Thailand which would allow this.

I think it's doable, with some care.

Simon

PS - also do not forget fresh fish, shrimps etc

I think you will be able to get by easily if you learn a little thai.
Most people use palm oil or soyabean oil for cooking.
Just learn a few dishes that don't contain nuts and off you go.
Khow Man Gai
Pat Kraphow
Khow Pat Moo

There you know three already

Or go for the soups:

Tom Yam

Tom Sap

Tom Jeud

Tom Kha Kai

You have not mentioned where you are going to travel to, once in Thailand. This is important because outside of the 5 or so main tourist cities/places, next to zero English is spoken. And what English is spoken is very confusing. For example, Thais usually/often think that cannot=can etc. So you might hear the answer you want but get what is going to kill you.

You have also not mentioned where you plan to eat out. If you are going to eat from street carts or little shops then you can watch them making the food or look at what the other customers are eating. Then if you have any questions you can ask, or point and smile to determine what kind of oil etc is being used.

Maybe it is time for a fruit and veggie fast!

Palm Oil is what the majority of street food vendors cook with. Your phobia of nuts is unfounded. There is a ton of thai food with no nuts or no peanut oil. Also there are noodle shops everywhere that have no oil or nuts. If you are worried about going hungry in Thailand, do not fear. It would be impossible not to find something. Pizza, Western Sizzler, Fuji Japanese, Burger King and McDonalds, 100,000 Thai places. I would not give this a second thought really. It is unfounded paranoi. Also Subway Sandwiches, Tacos, you name it. Fresh fruits, veggies, no way you can go hungry. Restaurants like Gullivers will have American Pancakes, Steak Sandwiches and a host of other food you can eat. Relax man, it is Thailand.

^
Add in all the 7-11 which are everywhere even in the sticks and sell hot dogs and burgers etc
You won't starve

Some good advice above and be sure you stock up on packaged Mama noodles and rice porridge which are available everywhere. You may need to buy a small water kettle to stick in your room which you can give to your favourite lady upon your departure.

In fact when I take my Thai technicians overseas I take a big bag of Mama noodles with me as that is all they want to eat.

Travel safe and have a great holiday.

I don't believe you will encounter any nut oil in small Thai restaurants.

The risk would be much higher in upscale gastronomy catering for farangs.

Saying that I assume you don't mean coconut oil which you will encounter everywhere but coconut is not a nut. You may also encounter peanut oil but peanuts are also not nuts.

If my assumption is true that nutoil does not include coconut and peanut you will be quite safe.

Originally Posted by liveinlos

Your phobia of nuts is unfounded. .

No, his phobia on nuts is based on the fact they may kill him.

To OP - you need to be a bit more specific - are you allergic to nuts only - or peanuts, or both?


How severe is your allergy?

Do you routinely carry an Epi pen?

My daughter has a nut allergy, when she visits me in Thailand we eat out mostly in restaurant and she has had no problems. off course she doesn't eat dishes that obviously has nuts in them.
She brings a good supply of Antihistamine tablets just in case she gets an allergy attack, but I usually beg them of her for mosquito bites.

Enjoy your holiday and don't worry!

wow thanks everyone for ll your information very helpful
Questions some of you have asked
As far as i know im allergic to penuts, nuts, nut oil every kind of nut. I carry a epipen
i am hoping to get tested for what exact nuts before i go so that would help
I am looking to go Phuket, Bangkok, Myanmar, Laos and maybe more, this is just a guide but i am happy to see other places too
Learning Thai looks very hard, cant even start to read any of it

Many thanks for all the responses

But peanuts are not really nuts they are legumes or beans.
when i was young, a long time ago ,I never heard of nut allergy, was it there, but not diagnosed ?

Anyway welcome to Teak door Dean , make sure you post here often and you will be an expert by The time of your trip !

There's plenty to read if the OP would like to log on to this.
nut allergy visiting thailand - Google Search

Originally Posted by blue

But peanuts are not really nuts they are legumes or beans.
when i was young, a long time ago ,I never heard of nut allergy, was it there, but not diagnosed ?

You are right, peanuts are not "nuts" but legumes. On its own, peanut allergy, (if I remember correctly) is the most common form of food allergy.

You can be allergic to peanuts only, nuts only (eitehr as a cloass or a single type) or both peanuts and nuts. Kinda a crap shoot.

And, just to make it more fun, many things we call "nuts" are not nuts - they are "drupes".

Whats the difference I hear you ask.

Nuts: a hard-shelled pod that contains both the fruit and seed of the plant. Examples include chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns.

Drupes: ? A drupe is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell (what we sometimes call a pit) with a seed inside. Some examples of drupes are peaches, plums, and cherries—but walnuts, almonds, and pecans are also drupes. They're just drupes in which we eat the seed inside the pit instead of the fruit.

Ok. Hope you took notes. There will be an exam next week.