JULIE Sager loves milk - and it's just as well, because for her, it's a life-saver. Julie is allergic to nuts. One bite and her mouth swells up, her throat feels like it's closing up, and without a glass of milk, she could have stopped breathing on several occasions.

Julie, a sales representative at the Preston Citizen, explained: "I have had this problem since I was a little girl.

"Every time I ate a nut it made me ill. Eventually we discovered I was allergic to them.

"When I was young, if I hadn't tried one for a while, I used to think I would be all right, so I would have a nibble.

"But it was always the same and I eventually realised the problem wasn't going to disappear."

The only thing which counteracts Julie's allergy is milk. She explained: "If I drink a pint of milk and keep calm, it settles down. I got caught out about a month ago when my boyfriends' mother brought us some chocolates from abroad.

"The ingredients were written in French and she was trying to translate it as I ate one. I realised there were nuts in them just as she did.

"It depends on what type of nut I eat as to how badly it affects me. Salted peanuts are the worst, but I don't know why that it. I need just a sip of milk if I've eaten an almond, but I need a whole pint for peanuts."

For Julie and her family, the problem has been compounded by the fact until recently, producers didn't list the ingredients.

"I went for Chinese meal recently.

"We ordered a banquet and had a few drinks. I was trying a few different dishes and I didn't realise straight away what had happened. By then it was too late. I had to go home to bed. And it ruined the night for everyone."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.