Skip to main content

Family Nutrition: What's the Story with Food Allergies

The CDC reports that pediatric food allergies increased by eighteen percent from 1997 to 2007.  Although the cause of increase is unknown, it is hypothesized that this increase could be second to the ‘Hygiene Hypothesis’ which is a hypothesis that suspects our children have an underdeveloped immune system cause by being raised in more sterile conditions.  The hygiene hypothesis is thought to increase allergies to mold, dust, and food. 

There are two types of food allergies, fixed and cyclic.  Fixed food allergies are those that stimulate an immediate response upon eating.  The symptom is very apparent with lip swelling, throat swelling, difficulty breathing, or immediate hives.  The cyclic allergy is more common but less understood and this allergy can have a delayed reaction of up to three days.  The child has a hypersensitivity to a particular food, the body creates antibodies against the food, and as soon as the threshold of intake is hit, your child exhibits allergy symptoms.

Symptoms of food allergies are itching, difficulty swallowing, diarrhea, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, hives, eczema, or even asthma.  Twenty seven percent of children with food allergies also have eczema.  The most common allergies in children are cows milk, eggs, peanut, fruits (mostly strawberries and tomatoes), soy and wheat.

Your child has an eighty percent chance of developing food allergies if both parents have or had food allergies and a forty percent chance of developing food allergies if one parent has or had food allergies.  The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding introduction of solid foods before four to six months and cows milk until twelve months of age.  If your child has any allergies or family members with food allergies it is suggested to avoid introduction of wheat until twelve months of age, eggs until two years of age, and peanut butter and shellfish until three years of age.

If your child exhibits signs of allergies remove the food from the child’s diet.  If you are unsure of what the specific food is, keep a food and symptom record to stimulate your memory and assist with assessing the culprits.  Make an appointment with an allergist who will review the food diary and ask lots of questions.  The doctor will most likely order a RAST (blood test) or skin prick test, dependent on your child’s age.  Once you find out which food is the culprit, eliminate it completely from your child’s diet for at least six month. This is labor intensive and requires looking over food ingredient lists, calling companies to insure there is no cross contamination during manufacturing, and understanding ‘key words’ that may indicate the culprit is included in the food.  There are times when you still may not know exactly what is triggering an allergy response. When this is the case it is recommended to only eliminate one type of food at a time and review clinical symptoms. 

A registered dietitian has a lot of knowledge when it comes to food allergies and can help assess diet records and assist with elimination diets.  Ask your allergist for a recommendation.  If you are having trouble finding a dietitian in your area, ask Amy and I will help you find a dietitian in your area. Good luck and be well.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Food Trends: A note about Stevia (zero calorie sugar substitute)

We’re all on the lookout for that sugar substitute that withholds calories, tastes good, and is natural and safe.   Recently I was asked what my thoughts were on Stevia?   Well to tell you the truth I didn’t have many thoughts on the product because basically I didn’t know much about it, except that in my mind it was a zero calorie product that could be substituted for table sugar.   I put this thought in my attic with the hopes of getting more acquainted at a later time. As I get myself more familiar lets start with the derivation.   Stevia is an herb that comes from South America and has been used by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for over 100 years.   This is advertised on the Stevia website along with a statement that it provides zero calories because the body doesn’t metabolize glycosides from the leaf or processed forms.   Essentially Stevia is absorbed by the gut and broken down into Stevol which is excreted from the body as a waste.   Th...
5 comments
Read more

Miraculous Misconceptions: Raspberry Ketones

The interwebs are abuzz about the supposedly “miraculous” Raspberry Ketone supplements. Raspberry Ketone popularity started with Dr. Oz's show in February 2012, when he nicknamed it a “miracle weight loss drug.” Some even credit Raspberry Ketones with stimulating hair growth, but for our purposes here, let’s talk about weight loss. Raspberry Ketones are derived from red raspberries. Proponents claim that the supplement will stimulate your metabolism causing weight loss. However, there are no reliable studies to prove this.   Specifically there is no scientific evidence to show how it alters metabolism to promote weight loss. There is also no scientific evidence to determine a proper dosage. If you find a study that claims otherwise, check the funding source. Most likely, that study was funded by a company who produces or funds raspberry ketone products. As far as I know, no major pharmaceutical companies are investing in Raspberry Ketone research. And it is my opinion ...
9 comments
Read more

Food Trends: Plant vs. Animal Protein

In my practice I see a lot of vegetarians who have a lot of questions about the types of protein they eat.   In case you need a refresher, animal proteins are proteins derived from meat, dairy, and eggs.   Plant protein is derived from nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and soy.   Most animal proteins are higher in saturated fat as well as cholesterol which have been proved to increase risks of arteriosclerosis, a precursor to cardiovascular disease.   A lot of the general public, not just vegetarians, are starting to focus on decreasing intakes of animal proteins and focusing on plant sources to decrease total calorie, fat, and cholesterol intake.   It’s important to know that most generally healthy individuals only need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.   Basically this means that a 150 pound man or woman requires about 54 grams of protein in an entire day. Protein is made from amino acids.   Although there are many amino acids, ther...
Post a Comment
Read more