New Possibilities!

A trip to DJ's allergist last week confirmed he's not allergic to pine nuts. Both my husband and myself were thrilled. Not only does this mean there's one less potentially deadly allergen out there for him, it could also open up a lot of dining possibilities.

While we would never actually allow him to eat pine nuts because of cross contamination concerns, we're both comfortable with the idea of letting him eat at an establishment where it's the only nut on site...as long as the regular precautions are taken to avoid it. The idea is that a trace of a nut on a trace of a nut is unlikely to contaminate his food. Our allergist confirms this is a prudent strategy that carries extremely minimal risk. While she maintains there is always some risk involved in eating out, she also encourages us to do so in instances like this to maintain a sense of normalcy in our lives, without letting DJ's peanut allergy take over.

We're both excited to start eating at Vesuvio's again. This pizza and spaghetti house in the Junction was one of our favourite dining destinations before DJ's allergy was diagnosed. Since then, we haven't been there, but a phone call confirms the only nut on site is the pine nut in the pesto. The manager assures me there is little chance of contamination with the pizza crusts, which are pre-made and line the pans waiting for their toppings.

With DJ's growing love for pizza (especially his Dad's homemade ones, where he gets to help spread the cheese) we'll be sure to hit up Vesuvio's next time we're looking for a casual - and safe- night out. Yum!