Food Allergies in Infants and Babies
Posted: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
by Lucky Balaraman
LuckyBalaraman
Is your baby susceptible to bouts of unexplained itchiness
that you thought were merely a phase or skin sensitivity? Is her nose sometimes
stuffy or runny? Is she cranky for no apparent reason and is she trying to tell
you something?
Is emitting large quantities of intestinal gas a regular
affair for your infant? Is his tummy a little more bloated than other kids’ and
does he struggle to pass even soft stool or diarrhea?
If the answer is ‘"yes" to most of these questions, read on.
Your baby might be dealing with a food allergy.
First of all, don’t panic. It’s not as serious as it sounds.
Food allergies are a common problem amongst babies and adults alike.
There are many possible reasons for food allergies. Your infant
could be allergic to cow’s milk or your child could be having some problems
dealing with solids when you’re trying to wean him/her. Here are some possible
causes for food allergies:
- Introduction of allergenic solids in baby’s diet before four months of age
- Allergy towards cow’s milk
- Allergy towards other foods like dairy products, fish, nuts, or wheat
- Heredity
- Enzyme deficiency which causes lactose intolerance
- In rare cases, a serious undetected illness or condition
Although food allergies in most cases are merely a nuisance
and not life-threatening, parents still need to know the type of food or food
group to eliminate from their baby’s diet. By avoiding, rotating the diet and
playing food detective, we can minimize the discomfort and symptoms of food
allergies as much as possible.
First, try to eliminate the following products from your
infant’s diet.
- Dairy products
- Soy
- Egg (or at least white of egg)
- Wheat
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Citrus fruits
- All types of food additives (reduce introduction of canned, packaged or ready-to-eat food)
- Shellfish
If you’re not sure whether your baby is indeed suffering
from a food allergy, observe your baby very closely and monitor his/her diet to
see if she is experiencing any of the following allergic reactions:
- Rashes on face or other body parts that are red and scaly
- Hives
- Swollen hands and feet, puffy eyes
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Throat soreness and tongue
- Sneezing, running or stuffy nose
- Wheezing
- Persistent cough
- Ear infection
- Red and scaly rashes around the anus
- Abdominal discomfort
- Diarrhea or soft stool
- Poor weight gain
- Bloating of the stomach
- Gassiness
- Fatigue, headaches
- Irritability, moodiness, hyperactivity
- Sore muscles and joints
If
you’ve determined that your infant is, indeed, suffering from a food allergy,
try substituting some of the allergenic foods with non-allergenic foods like
apples, apricots, barley, beets, grapes, cranberries, mangoes and oats.
Other
non-allergenic foods include asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, chicken,
broccoli, lettuce, rice, safflower oil, salmon, sweet potatoes, rye and honey.
Food
allergies, as mentioned earlier, are quite common among infants and can be
dealt with easily. The most important thing is for us to detect them, minimize
reaction and symptoms, get advice from a professional and eliminate the
allergies’ immediate causes.
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Apples are actually a food allergen and one which I was very allergic to as a child. This information is incorrect.
NO,my problem is --I have a baby who is six months old and i have been trying to feed him all kinds of cereals starting from last month but rashes appear on his body whenever i feed him ----i dont know wot to do ---Doctors told me to give some other cereals but believe me i have tried all but didnt work out .Please somebody help!!!!!!!