Baby Food Allergies.
According to statistics, one in four children suffer from allergies, which manifests itself in one form or another. Even babies often recorded allergic reactions. By itself, an allergy – a reaction of the immune system of the child to a certain substance (allergen) as an act which may be food, medicine and much more. Allergies can occur immediately after contact with the allergen, and may be delayed (also called slow), then there arise only after some time. Pediatrician Alain Paretskaya divided rules and tips to help prevent allergies.
Causes food allergies
Constant overeating provoke reaction of the baby even on those products that have perfectly perceived by the body. Even such seemingly allergenic foods like green apples and rice flour can cause an allergic reaction. Also, do not forget about the most common type of food allergy in children – to cow’s milk and some fruits (especially exotic ones that do not grow in the region of residence of the child). Allergens are all the fruits and vegetables that are bright in color (mainly red and orange color), some berries (strawberries, raspberries, black currants, etc.), as well as their juices.
It is proved that if the mother during pregnancy abused allergenic foods (chocolate, coffee, honey, exotic foods), the child is almost 90% probability doomed to be allergic because allergies can be formed in utero.
Allergy
The main features characteristic of food allergy – the defeat of the skin of the child, the emergence of various kinds of rashes, excessive dryness (or, conversely, getting wet) skin. These symptoms are often called diathesis parents, but more correct to speak of atopic dermatitis. Allergies can manifest itself not only on the skin, frequent violations of the gastrointestinal tract (colic, regurgitation, vomiting, flatulence and upset the chair). Also, a child with food allergies can form intestinal dysbiosis. Significantly less likely to suffer respiratory tract – nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis nasal breathing and shortness of infrequent satellites food allergies. These symptoms can cause a lot of fruits and berries, so the primary task of parents – to track the reaction of the child to such foods and to identify specific allergens.
We identify allergens
There are many ways to detect allergens, but they all have some nuances, so the first thing parents should try to distinguish yourself from the diet of allergenic foods. Help in this case will have a food diary in which you record all that the baby ate and drank. Once you can see a specialist who will examine the baby, a survey of parents and compare the data obtained. If these methods are ineffective, there are indications for allergy trial, but should take into account that such studies have age contraindications. For children the first two years of life such techniques are not informative, however not used practically. More modern methods of laboratory diagnosis to identify the allergen studies suggest venous blood child.
Treatment
in each case, the doctor determines the treatment regimen as against allergies all very individual, but there are general guidelines which should be followed in every case without exception.
Parents should not even attempt to deal with allergies, use of homeopathy and the advice of friends and relatives. The uncontrolled and improper treatment of food allergy may be detrimental to a child’s health and result in serious complications.
The first and most important task – to restrict the child’s contact with the allergen, that is, the complete exclusion of the latter from the diet. To do this, the kid will have to comply with a special hypoallergenic diet. Often, a child receiving prescribed antihistamines and, if necessary symptomatic treatment.
Diet. Under the diet in this case refers not only to certain products, but also their number. Parents should closely monitor the amount of food intake and the time intervals between meals. It is important that the child’s diet was balanced and diverse. Nutritionists together with allergists adhere to the diet therapy three main stages. The first phase lasts for 1-2 weeks from the child’s diet excludes all potential allergens, it does not eat prepared foods, compulsorily limited to dairy products. In the second phase the allergen (as his main source of) most often has been detected, so the list of approved products is expanding, but the diet is continued for several months (usually 1-3). In the third stage of diet therapy there is a significant improvement of the child, and therefore the list of products can be further expanded, but allergenic products are still banned.
Of particular note is the introduction of complementary foods. It is recommended to introduce babies after six months of life, but for children with food allergies, these terms can be shifted and lure in any case can not start with fruit juices and purees. When selecting complementary foods need to take into account the important nuances:
- The products should not have a bright color, for example, if the first to be apples, they should not be a bright green or yellow; – Eggs are best replaced quail;
- Meat broths are best replaced with vegetable and meat foods to choose lean meats;
- During the preparation of the multicomponent vegetable puree in the home must be pre-soak each ingredient (cut into pieces) in cold water for 12 hours.
Replacement for fruits
One of the most pressing issues that arise for parents than to replace the fruit – a rich source of vitamins – if your child has an allergy? It’s simple: it is possible to replace fruit vegetables, no less rich in vitamins and fiber. In this regard, nutritionists advise to practice the simple rules:
- During the preparation of the first courses to be added to their frozen or fresh Brussels or cauliflower, broccoli;
- As side dishes should be as often as possible to prepare the vegetables (green peas, pumpkin light, etc.);
- An ideal option would be the weekly consumption of spinach soup, which added the lemon juice, on the basis of such a broth can be cooked a lot of light soups;
- Kids need every day to eat a small piece of sweet green peppers in any form;
- In the diet may include hypo-allergenic fruit (green apples, white currant, pear, gooseberry, white cherry), but it is necessary to strictly control their numbers in order to prevent over-eating;
- Vegetables are most useful in raw form, because that heat treatment destroys most of the vitamins.
How to avoid allergies?
To prevent the development of allergies to fruits and berries must be “familiar” with these baby food in small quantities and as late as possible (especially if there is a child’s predisposition to allergies). Berries desirable to begin to give only after a year. If after eating a few berries on the cheeks or the baby’s skin, redness, eliminate the product of three years, that at this time the child’s immune system matures and can adequately respond to the allergenic fruit and vegetables.
Often parents try to feed the baby fruit due to the high content of vitamins, of course, it is true, but it is the fruit can be replaced by other sources of nutrients. If you can not keep the baby from eating such delicious but dangerous products, it is necessary to expose them to heat treatment: in the process of thermal effects is the destruction of the structure of the food allergen, which reduces the risk of reactions to almost zero. In the absence of reactions you can gradually increase the amount of fruits and berries, but it does not mean that it is necessary to stop the reaction of the child to keep track of the fruits or vegetables.
Most importantly – do not rush to feed the baby the whole bowl, it is best to start with a couple of berries. Overeating in this case can cause allergic reactions, because a child may not be relevant enzymes (or amount) to digest and absorb derived substance. For these reasons, it is necessary to check the reaction of the child to any fruit or berries, which first appear in the diet, even healthy, not allergy-prone child.
