Food Allergies

Experts believe that in recent years there has been an increase in the number of allergies particularly food allergies. Baby food allergies are found to be as common as adult food allergies and the source of these allergies is never easy to find. If you find your baby in distress for no apparent reason or has sudden itchiness all over her body, it is entirely possible that she has a food allergy.

Let us first understand what an allergy is. An allergy is the intolerance demonstrated by the body to certain substances when that substance is touched, injected, inhaled or as may be in this case, eaten. When the body is exposed to a substance it is allergic to, it immediately generates a reaction – this could be a runny or itchy nose, watery eyes, diarrhea or itchiness all over the body.

You also need to understand that if you have a food allergy, it is entirely possible that your baby also has a tendency to be allergic. However, she need not be allergic to the same substances, certainly not the same food. For example, if you were allergic to peanuts, your baby may develop intolerance for eggs.

Detecting what kind of food allergy your baby has can be quite tricky at times. The best solution is to start giving her the simplest of diet that does not contain any of the top ten allergens like milk, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, fish, tree nuts, soy and wheat.  Now slowly start introducing various foods one by one. Once you have introduced one food group in her diet, wait for a few days to see how her body reacts. If there is no adverse reaction, you can be confident that the food group is safe for her to consume.

In this manner, reintroduce each food group one by one till you come across one that does cause her some distress – you will know that you have found one food group that causes her an allergy. Wait for a few days before you introduce a new food group in her diet. Remember never mix food groups.

Many parents want to know if there is anything they can do to prevent allergies in their baby. While complete prevention may be difficult, by breastfeeding your baby for the first six months, you can certainly reduce the incidence of allergies. Also, you could try and give your baby, food made at home. Ready to eat baby foods tend to contain too many additives that may increase the incidence of allergies in your baby.

By systematically eliminating food groups that cause allergies in your baby and taking all the steps you can to reduce the occurrence of allergies, you can give your baby a healthy start to life.